MY FAMILY: THE ROOTS AND WINGS OF MY PERSONHOOD

PARENT’S LOVE: What makes your family special?

─ Often we recognize and are thankful of the help we get from other people. There are also
others who have been helping and caring for us our PARENTS…
MAKE MEANING
─ Parents are the person who has been there for us providing us material and spiritual needs.
They do everything they can to give us a decent life and let us not suffer what they went
through when they were at your age. It is through them that we learn how to love and care.
There examples made us a loving and caring person.
WHAT IS A FAMILY?
─ The basic unit of the society
─ Compose of father, mother and children
─ Is a Covenant Relationship
─ Domestic Church
─ Foundation of the society
FAMILY AS A COVENANT RELATIONSHIP
─ The essence of family is love not financial status, achievements, looks, intelligence,
productivity or anything else. - the love we are called to share within our family is patterned
after God’s own love for us, a love that is self-sacrificing, life-giving and other centered.
FAMILY AS A COVENANT RELATIONSHIP
─ Sacrament of Marriage: “What God has joined together let no man separate” - Mk. 10:9
─ The family lives in love and mirrors the love of God to his people.
─ They are united by love sustained by their communion with God.
─ The covenantal love within a family begins with the love and fidelity that the father and mother
pledged to share with one another in marriage.
FAMILY AS A DOMESTIC CHURCH
─ Every christian family is called to be the foundation of the whole church, strengthened by
Christ’s teachings and examples.
─ We get to know our Catholic faith through our parents, our first catechist. We come to know
our faith in the family.
─ The parents act as shepherds. They lead the children to learn not only about God but to know
and love God truly1
─ It is where we come to exercise the daily christian virtues.
─ The family is the fist school of discipleship
─ The home is the venue where we witness how to trust in God by overcoming storms faced by
the family.
FAMILY AS A FOUNDATION OF THE SOCIETY
─ What is SOCIETY?
o A group of families organized and working together for a common goal, interest and
beliefs.
o As the people who interact in such a way as to share a common culture.
o The term society can also have a geographical meaning and refer to people who share
a common culture in a particular location.
─ How was family in relation to society?
o Families are the foundation in society.
o The life and reputation of every society depends on the behavior or actions of its
families.
o When families breakdown and fail to provide the healthy nurturing we need, the effects
impact not only our own lives but also in our communities. We suffer the consequences.
o The goals of society may not be achieved if the family fails in achieving its goals.
─ The easiest way to rebuild or destroy a society is through the family.
─ Training a good and responsible citizen starts at home.
─ The making of a law abiding citizen begins with following simple house rules.
─ Both values and vices, even ideologies, preferences and biases are taught at home.

FAMILY VALUES
CHARACTERISTICS OF HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY FAMILY:
─ HEALTHY FAMILY: Love, Learning, Liberty, Loyalty, and Laughter
─ UNHEALTHY FAMILY: Avoidance, Closed, Secrecy, Tolerance, and Little Care or Hope
TYPES OF FAMILY STRUCTURES
1. NUCLEAR FAMILY
o traditional type of family
o consists of two parents and children
2. EXTENDED FAMILY
o Families that includes relative other than parents and children
o Extended Is made up of nuclear or single-parent families plus other relatives such as
grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
3. BLENDED FAMILIES
o A family in which both spouses have children from previous relationships
4. STEP FAMILIES
o Families that include children from a previous relationship
5. SINGLE PARENT FAMILY
o Children who live with one parent
o Consists of one parent raising one or more children on his own.
o Single parent includes only one parent, the mother or the father, who lives with the
children. Single parents may be divorced, widowed, unwed, or abandoned.
6. CHILDLESS FAMILY
o “forgotten family”
o Consists of husband and wife
7. GRANDPARENT FAMILY
o Grandparents raising their grandchildren
8. FOSTER PARENT FAMILY
o Family who take in children temporarily. Foster Includes parents who provide full-time
child care for someone else’s child for a designated period of time.

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT

The fourth commandment is addressed expressly to children in their relationship to their father
and mother, because this relationship is the most universal. It likewise concerns the ties of kinship
between members of the extended family. It requires honor, affection, and gratitude toward elders
and ancestors. Finally, it extends to the duties of pupils to teachers, employees to employers,
subordinates to leaders, citizens to their country, and to those who administer or govern it. (ccc2199)

DUTIES OF PARENTS TO CHILDREN: (Sirach 3:1-16)

─ Provide material and spiritual welfare of their children.
─ Love their children in a responsible manner and provide for their healthy growth.
─ Provide basic needs.
─ Provide sound education and sound knowledge of their religion as well as moral training of
their children.
─ Provide healthy environment.
─ Role model: Proverbs 6:20—“Observe, my son, your father’s bidding and reject not your
mother’s teaching. “

DUTIES OF CHILDREN TO PARENTS:

─ Love their parents and never do anything that will hurt their feelings.
─ Respect their parents.
─ Take care of their parents when their parents get old.

ANTI-FAMILY ISSUES
1. DIVORCE:
o It is a grave offense against the natural law. It claims to break the contract to which
spouses freely consented to live with each other ‘til death.
o Divorce (or the Dissolution of Marriage) is the termination of a marital union, the
cancelling and/or reorganizing the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus
dissolving the bonds of matrimony between a married couple under the rule of law of
the particular country and/or state.
o WHY IS DIVORCE IMMORAL?
 It introduces a disorder which harms the deserted spouse.
 It traumatizes children who are torn between parents.
 It has a contagious effect upon society.
 o An abandoned spouse, who has tried to be faithful, has not broken the moral law. The
one who destroys a canonically valid marriage commits a grave fault.
2. ANNULMENT:
o It is a legal procedure that cancels a marriage. An annulled marriage is erased from a
legal perspective, and it declares that the marriage never technically existed and was
never valid.
o GROUND FOR ANNULMENT
 Bigamy
 Force Consent
 Fraud
 Marriage Prohibited by Law
 Mental Illness
 Mental Incapability
 Inability to Consummate Marriage
 Underage Marriage
─ DIVORCE vs. ANNULMENT
o A divorce, or legal dissolution of a marriage, is the ending of a valid marriage, returning
both parties to single status with the ability to remarry.
o An annulment of marriage is a legal decree that a marriage is null and void. Annulments
are granted when a court makes a finding a marriage is invalid.
o While a divorce ends a legally valid marriage, an annulment treats the marriage as if it
never existed. The end result of the annulment is the same as divorce—the parties are
single and may remarry or enter into a domestic partnership with another person.
Additionally, as with divorce, the court presiding over an annulment proceeding may
determine issues of child custody, child support, alimony, and division of assets.
3. LEGAL SEPARATION:
o A legal separation doesn’t officially end a marriage. The parties are still legally married
and cannot remarry or enter into domestic partnerships with others. Legal separation is
a reasonable choice for couples who aren’t ready to get divorce but who want to live
separately and decide on issues such a custody and asset division. Some couples
prefer legal separation to divorce if potential reconciliation could be in the future. Others
avoid divorce for religious reasons or to retain benefits such as health insurance. During
legal separation, you can ask a judge to decide on all the same issues as in a divorce,
but you will still be legally married.
o It is a judicially recognized separation between spouses. A legal separation does not
end the marriage and both spouses are prohibited from remarrying or entering into a
domestic partnership with another person. Simply living apart or agreeing to separate
for a period of time does not constitute a legal separation in most states.
─ WHAT MUST BE DONE?
o A conversation with you, your spouse, and a legal professional can help you make a
decision whether to end the marriage or not. You may think you want a divorce to
finalize the dissolution of marriage. When in reality, a legal separation of annulment
would be a better choice for your situation. Speak with a family law attorney for legal
counsel before making your choice. Most especially, pray and ask the Lord for guidance
before making decision.
4. ABORTION, STERILIZATION, and CONTRACETION:
o We reiterate the Church’s condemnation of directly-willed abortion, sterilization, and
contraception as wrong in themselves. These deeds disrespect life all together and take
away the right of a child to live.
5. FREE UNION or LIVING IN:
o In this type of union, the man and woman, though involved in sexual intimacy, refuse to
bind themselves either through civil of Church marriage.
o They lay commitment as shown as they refuse to have their relationship sanctified by
law. This is against the sanctity and dignity of marriage and destroys the very idea of
fidelity.
6. ADULTERY:
o This is committed when two partners of whom at least one is married to another party,
have sexual relationships—even transient ones.
o One who commits adultery inflicts injustice to his/her spouse and falls in his/her marital
commitment, shatters the covenant he/she entered into with God, with his/her spouse,
and the Christian community. He/she undermines the sacrament if matrimony, thus
 disregarding the standards of Christian morality and welfare of the children who need
parents’ union.

7. TRIAL MARRIAGE:
o In this relationship, man and woman intend to arrange to get married later. There is no
assurance of fidelity and loyalty in the relationship.
8. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE:
o Domestic violence (also domestic abuse, spousal abuse, bettering, family violence, and
intimate partner violence) is a pattern of behavior which involves violence or other
abuse by one person against another in a domestic context, such as in marriage or
cohabitation. Intimate partner violence is domestic violence against a spouse. Domestic
violence can take a number of forms including physical, emotional, verbal, economic,
and sexual abuse, which can range from subtle, coercive forms to marital rape and to
violent physical abuse that results in disfigurement or death.
9. POLYGAMY:
o Having more than one spouse.
o Polygamy radically contradicts God’s plan because it contradicts the equal dignity of
man and woman. A convert coming from a life of polygamy has an understandable
predicament. He must put aside one or more wife and must also honor any obligations
he has to them.
10. INCEST:
o It is the sexual relation between relatives (or in-laws) within a degree that prohibits
marriage between them. Paul writes against a “Man Lying with his Father’s Wife.” (1
Cor. 5:1-5). Incest corrupts family life regresses toward animality.

ST. SEBASTIAN
1. BIRTHDATE: 256
2. BIRTHPLACE: France
3. NATIONALITY: French
4. DIED ON: 288
5. DIED AT THE AGE OF 32
6. PLACE OF DEATH: Rome, Italy
7. CAUSE OF DEATH: Execution
8. FEAST DAY: January 20
9. PATRON SAINTS OF: He is the patron saint of athletes because of his physical endurance
and his energetic way of spreading and defending the Faith. Sebastian is also a patron to
all soldiers. He entered the Roman army under Emperor Carinus in 283 in order to defend the
confessors and martyrs of his day without drawing attention to himself. His efforts kept the
Faith of Marcus and Marcellian firm during their persecutions, right up to the time of their
martyrdom. He was declared the patron saint of plague sufferers of his reported cures of those
afflicted with many diseases. In addition, He is also the patron saint of the Diocese of Bacolod.
 
READ HERE MORE ABOUT THE LIFE OF ST. SEBASTIAN
─ Saint Sebastian was a 3rd-century Christian saint and a martyr. After completing his education
in Milan, he had joined the Roman Army in order to help the suffering Christians. For his
incredible service to the army, Sebastian was promoted to serve in the Praetorian Guard and
to protect Emperor Diocletian. He also worked for the army of emperor Carinus and soon
became a captain. However, when the authorities found out that Sebastian was a Christian
and that he had been converting many soldiers, he was ordered to be killed by Mauritanian
archers. Somehow, he managed to survive despite the arrows piercing through his body. He
was nursed back to health by the widow of St. Castulus, who had earlier gone to recover his
body. However, when Emperor Diocletian came to know that Sebastian had survived, he
ordered his soldiers to capture him and beat him to death. Over the centuries, he came to be
venerated in the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. He is considered the
patron of archers, soldiers, and athletes, and is believed to save people against the plague.
There is also a church dedicated to him in Italy that is visited by many pilgrims even today.
There is a Christian catacomb below this church.

CHILDHOOD AND EARLY LIFE

 ─ Some sources state that Saint Sebastian was born in circa AD 256 at Narbonne in Gaul, Italy.
According to some other sources, he hailed from Gallia Narbonensis. He was educated in
Milan. Nothing else is known about the circumstances surrounding his birth or early life.

LATER LIFE AND MARTYRDOM

─ In AD 283, Sebastian went to Rome and served as a Praetorian Guard under Diocletian
and Maximian. Considering his physical built and endurance, he was soon promoted to
captain.
─ At that time, there were twin brothers Marcus and Marcellian who were put in jail for refusing to
make public sacrifices to Roman gods. Both of them were deacons of the Christian church and
their parents had asked them to renounce Christianity.
─ It was Sebastian who convinced their parents to convert to Christianity. His efforts helped the
twin brothers stay true to their faith during their persecutions and gave them the moral strength
to face their martyrdom with courage.
─ Between 283 AD and 285 AD, Sebastian convinced several people to convert while serving
the army.
─ Some Christians who knew about Sebastian brought a woman named Zoe to him. She had
been unable to speak for many years. Sebastian prayed with her and she recovered, getting
back the power of speech. As a result of this miracle, many people who knew her also ended
up following Christianity.
─ In 286 AD, Sebastian, whose Christian faith had been hidden until then, was finally detected by
Emperor Diocletian. The emperor was enraged as he considered the concealment of
Sebastian’s religion a form of betrayal. He ordered his archers to shoot Sebastian.
─ Sebastian miraculously survived the initial attack and was nursed back to health by the widow
of Castulus, Irene of Rome. In AD 288, he went before Diocletian once again to tell him what
he thought of his cruelty. Diocletian was surprised to see Sebastian alive. He ordered his
guards to beat him to death.
─ The guards clubbed Sebastian to death and threw his body into a sewer. His body was later
recovered by a pious Christian woman who had previously dreamed about Sebastian asking
her to bury his lifeless body near the catacombs at the entrance of the cemetery of Calixtus.

LEGACY
─ Sebastian's remains are now housed in Rome in the Basilica Apostolorum. It was built by Pope
Damasus I in 367. It was reconstructed in the 1610s under the patronage of Scipione
Borghese. Today, the church is known as San Sebastiano Fuori le Mura.
─ In AD 934, Sebastian's cranium was taken to the town of Ebersberg, Germany. A Benedictine
abbey was founded there and it is now considered one of the most prominent pilgrimage sites
in southern Germany.
─ Saint Sebastian's martyrdom became well known after the 4th-century bishop Ambrose of
Milan (Saint Ambrose) mentioned him in his sermon on Psalm 118. He is now considered a
popular saint, especially among athletes. He is also revered for his special ability to protect
people from the plague.

ECOLOGICAL ISSUES

THE ADOLESCENT AND ECOLOGICAL ISSUES

THE STORY OF CREATION
─ in the beginning: God started creation
─ the first day: light was created
─ the second day: the sky was created
─ the third day: dry land, seas, plants and trees were created
─ the fourth day: the Sun, Moon and stars were created
─ the fifth day: creatures that live in the sea and creatures that fly were created
─ the sixth day: animals that live on the land and finally humans, made in the image of God were
created
─ the seventh day: God finished his work of creation and rested, making the seventh day a
special holy day.

CHRISTIAN UNDERSTANDING OF GOD’S CREATION

─ God’s creation is….
o Real, Intelligible, and Good
  REAL
 It is not an illusion
 It is not a product of everyone’s imagination
 All creatures are His creation
 They are real because God created them.
 INTELLIGIBLE
 God created the world for a purpose and meaning
 Every single creature He knows
 There is nothing here in this world accidentally made
 Even the smallest living creature is determined for something
 GOOD
 Everything is good.
 Every creature has its own goodness and perfection.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
1. How has your community been afftected by changes in the environment or climate?
2. What are the known effects of these environmental changes for you and your family?
3. What are the main risks which you think climate change poses to your life?
4. Describe any steps that you will take to reduce these risks?

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
1. POLLUTION: Pollution of air, water and soil require millions of years to recoup. Industry and
motor vehicle exhaust are the number one pollutants. Heavy metals, nitrates and plastic are
toxins responsible for pollution. While water pollution is caused by oil spill, acid rain, urban
runoff; air pollution is caused by various gases and toxins released by industries and factories
and combustion of fossil fuels; soil pollution is majorly caused by industrial waste that deprives
soil from essential nutrients.
2. GLOBAL WARMING: A climate change like global warming is the result of human practices
like emission of Greenhouse gases. Global warming leads to rising temperatures of the oceans
and the earth’ surface causing melting of polar ice caps, rise in sea levels and also unnatural
patterns of precipitation such as flash floods, excessive snow or desertification.
3. OVERPOPULATION: The population of the planet is reaching unsustainable levels as it faces
shortage of resources like water, fuel and food. Population explosion in less developed and
developing countries is straining the already scarce resources. Intensive agriculture practiced
to produce food damages the environment through use of chemical fertilizer, pesticides and
insecticides. Overpopulation is one of the crucial current environmental problems.
4. NATURAL RESOURCE DEPLETION
5. WASTE DISPOSAL: The over consumption of resources and creation of plastics are creating
a global crisis of waste disposal. Developed countries are notorious for producing an excessive
amount of waste or garbage and dumping their waste in the oceans and, less developed
countries. Nuclear waste disposal has tremendous health hazards associated with it. Plastic,
fast food, packaging and cheap electronic wastes threaten the well-being of humans. Waste
disposal is one of urgent current environmental problem.
6. CLIMATE CHANGE: Climate change is yet another environmental problem that has surfaced
in last couple of decades. It occurs due to rise in global warming which occurs due to increase
in temperature of atmosphere by burning of fossil fuels and release of harmful gases by
industries. Climate change has various harmful effects but not limited to melting of polar ice,
change in seasons, occurrence of new diseases, frequent occurrence of floods and change in
overall weather scenario.
7. DEFORASTATION: Our forests are natural sinks of carbon dioxide and produce fresh oxygen
as well as helps in regulating temperature and rainfall. At present forests cover 30% of the land
but every year tree cover is lost amounting to the country of Panama due to growing
population demand for more food, shelter and cloth. Deforestation simply means clearing of
green cover and makes that land available for residential, industrial or commercial purpose.
8. LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY
9. OCEAN ACIDIFICATION
10. OZONE LAYER DEPLETION
11. ACID RAIN
12. WATER POLLUTION: Clean drinking water is becoming a rare commodity. Water is becoming
an economic and political issue as the human population fights for this resource. One of the
 options suggested is using the process of desalinization. Industrial development is filling our
rivers seas and oceans with toxic pollutants which are a major threat to human health.
13. URBAN SPRAWL
14. PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES
15. GENETIC ENGINEERING
16. SOIL EROSION

CHURCH TEACHINGS
─ “A true and just development must fundamentally be concerned with a passionate care of our
earth and our environment. Fishing, mining and logging contribute enormously to our national
coffers but when done with inadequate safeguards for ecological integrity, moral issues are
involved. Our natural resources are not to be exploited as though they were inexhaustible”—
PCP II 321
SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN GOD'S CREATIVE POWER
─ Be aware of the country's and your community's environmental situations and reflect on how
you can link with the youth on how to address the important issues affecting the lives of people
especially of the marginalized sector of the society.
─ Join or form clubs or organization that advocate responsible stewardship of God's creations
─ Pray regularly in praise and thanksgiving for God's assitance in your worthwhile endeavors for
His greater glory.
HELPING SAVE THE PLANET
─ Conserve Energy and Electricity
─ Produce less waste
─ Don’t let children release their balloons into the air
─ Do not be part of animal trade especially the endangered one.
─ Learn how to appreciate nature
REFLECTION
─ “The planet you do not save is the earth you cannot live upon.”—Pope Benedict XVI
─ What do you think is the root cause of these environment/climate changes?
─ What can you do to help in making our environment a peaceful place to live in?

RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP
STEWARDSHIP MEANS…
─ Respecting the integrity of creation.
─ Practicing sustainable economics by considering the long-term consequences.
─ Practicing environmental accounting, in which we consider the value of the environment when
making economic decisions.
LIVING AS A STEWARD OF THE EARTH…
─ To be good stewards of the earth, we can…
o Reduce our consumption of natural resources.
o Recycle, promote recycling, and buy recycled products.
o Share with others.
o Advocate for sound environmental policies.
o Evaluate energy use in home, school, or church.
o Stop Polluting.

BIBLICAL PASSAGES AND TEACHINGS ON THE INTEGRITY OF CREATION

SACRED SCRIPTURES:
─ Genesis 1:28-30:
o In the book of Genesis, we are given instructions to subdue and have dominion over the
earth. How do we understand this? This passage (Genesis 1:28-30), rightly makes us
stewards of God's creation. With the privilege of being the overseer of the earth, there is
a responsibility. God is still the owner of the earth and of the whole creation.
o We are caretakers of the precious life God has given each living creature. We were
given dominion over creation because we can decide what is good for the earth since
we are created in the image and likeness of God. However, if we look at the earth as a
merely economic good, environmental exploitation or abuse will arise.

─ Isaiah 24: 4-6:

o In the book Isaiah, three realities are presented: (1) The earth is fading because it is
polluted; (2) The inhabitants cause the earth to be polluted by violating God's laws,
 breaking our covenant with Him; (3) The inhabitants are paying for the earth's
destruction. Though originally designed to describe the Apocalypse as envisioned by
Isaiah, these verses clearly describe as well the destruction of the earth today. Pollution
and different environmental concerns are our own doing disrupting natural law or
creating havoc on earth's biodiversity. These cause a multitude of calamities leading to
the suffering of humankind.

THE LIFE OS ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

St. Francis of Assis is an example of a man who manifested a deep concern for God's
creation. This is very evident in the prayer he composed in which he addresses the sun as his
brothers and the moon as his sister. Not only did he show respect for Mother Nature, he also showed
love to his fellow human beings by selflessly caring for their well-being as what he always prayed for
whenever he uttered the famous line "Lord make me an instrument of your peace."
Let us take a look at the Life of this great saint.
 

Francis of Assisi was poor only that he might be Christ-like. He recognized creation as another
manifestation of the beauty of God. In 1979, he was named patron of ecology. He did great penance
—apologizing to “Brother Body” later in life—that he might be totally disciplined for the will of God.
Francis’ poverty had a sister, Humility, by which he meant total dependence on the good God. But all
this was, as it were, preliminary to the heart of his spirituality: living the gospel life, summed up in the
charity of Jesus and perfectly expressed in the Eucharist.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
─ A problem-free society, desire of every individual

SOCIO-ECONOMIC ISSUES:
1. GLOBAL INTEGRATION:
o It is the degree to which the company is able to use the same products and methods in
other countries. Local responsiveness is the degree to which the company must
customize their products and methods to meet conditions in other countries.
o ECONOMIC TERMS:
 The space between people and countries is shrinking rapidly, as trade,
technology, and investment link all countries in a web of interdependence.
o HUAN DEVELOPMENT TERMS:
 The space between countries is marked by deep and in some cases, widening
inequalities in income and life changes.
2. MASSIVE POVERTY AND OBSCENE:
o Inequalities are such terrible scourges of our times. Times in which the worlds boasts
breathtaking advances in science, technology, industry, and wealth accumulation—that
they have to rank alongside slavery and apartheid as social evils—Nelson Mandela.
3. POVERTY
o Secrecy of lack of basic necessities.
o A large chunk of population lives below poverty line.
o They live in miserable conditions.
o Poverty itself gives rise to various other social problems.
4. ILLITERACY
o Inability to read and write is called illiteracy.
o Lack of resources.
o High cost of education.
o Lack of institutions and access
5. CORRUPTION
o Corruption is the prime reason behind the economical unstableness.
o Corruption has spread into the world and has ruined the economy.
6. UNEMPLOYMENT
o Unemployment is a major social problem caused by poor economic system.
o Lack of funds followed by unorganized system and lack of new projects are causing
unemployment worldwide.
o Some reasons of unemployment like influx of machinery that has replaced manpower.
7. CHILD LABOR
o Children who deserve to be educated are forced to do work.
o The circulation of money is restrained to rich people only causing the poor to become
more poor.
o Due to growing inflation (rise) and poverty, parents are bound to send their children to
work to light their stoves.
o CHILD LABOR UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF HIS MASTER
8. HEALTH PROBLEM
o Health is another social problem caused by poor economic conditions.
o The cost of living is ever increasing and shortage of funds is a usual problem worldwide.
o There are less hospitals and medical centers and if there are any, the people are unable
to afford their and their children health expenses So the health problems grow
unchecked.
9. HUMAN SOLIDARITY:
o International solidarity is a requirement of the moral order; world peace depends in part
upon this.
o The virtue of solidarity goes beyond material goods.
 Solidarity-Friendship or Social Charity
 A direct demand of Human and Christian Brotherhood
 Manifested in the distribution of Goods and Remuneration for Work

RESPONSIBILITY AND PARTICIPATION

─ PARTICIPATION: The voluntary and generous engagement of a person in social interchange.
o By taking charge of areas or which one assumes personal responsibility.
 o By taking an active part in public life according to one’s culture and in a climate genuine
freedom.
THE FIVE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF SERVICE
1. HUMAN DIGNITY
o Respect for the dignity of every human being is foremost among Church’s social
doctrine
o Human beings have been created in the image and likeness of God
 They hold a unique place in all of creation
 Only creatures on earth God has willed for own sake
o Human beings are the only earthly creatures who are able to know and love God their
Creator; Humans alone have been invited to enter into a covenant relationship with their
Creator
o No matter what a person does or what is done to a person, his or her dignity can never
be lost, taken away or destroyed
o The human person is sinful, but also righteous
2. THE UNIVERSAL DESTINATION OF GOODS
o "God destined the earth and all it contains for all men and all peoples so that all created
things would be shared fairly by all mankind under the guidance of justice tempered by
charity." (GS 69)
 The Biblical passage you read a while ago reminds us that it is only fitting and
proper to thank God and be grateful to Him not only for His bountiful blessings
but also for his loving protection.
 What is meant by this statement? Earthly goods are meant for all, those who
have much should share to those who have less. There is a responsibility for
developed countries to aid developing countries and to correct the terms of
commercial relationships that presently favor the richer and more powerful
countries.
o All people have a right to use the riches of the earth to provide for themselves and their
families.
o Private property is acceptable. Nonetheless, the right to private property is secondary to
the universal destination of goods.
o The right to private property is subordinate to the common use, to the fact that goods
are meant for everyone
o SOCIAL DIMENSION OF PRIVATE PROPERTY
 "If someone who has wordly means seen a brother in need and refuses his
compassion, how can the love of God remain in him" (Jn. 3:17-18)
o Giving from one’s surplus to help others survive is not a demonstration of Christ-like
service
 It is the fulfillment of a basic obligation
 Christ-like service demands far more, including a sharing from our sustenance as
we work for a world in which the wealth of the earth is distributed evenly
o Reminder that human beings were not created to live in isolation or to be saved in
isolation
 Both our physical and our spiritual well-being are linked to he well-being of others
 We believe that if one member of the body suffers, all are suffering
 The social dimension of private property exhorts us to the use and ownership of
property for the benifits of all especially those who have none or less in life.
3. THE COMMON GOOD
o In the name of the common good, public authorities are bound to respect the
fundametal an inalienable rights of human person. Society should permit each of its
members to fulfill this vocation.
o In the name of the common good it is the proper function of the authority to arbitrate
between various particular interests, but is shoul be made accessible to each what is
needed to lead a truly human life: Food, shelter, clothing, health work, education... etc.
o Authorities should ensure by morally acceeptable means the security and society of its
members.
 Everyone should promote the common good
 Interdependence is a fundamental part of human nature
 Depends on three things
 Requires respect for individuals and individual well-being
 Requires social well-being and the development of communities
  Depends on peace, stability, and good order
o Each person has a responsibility to promote the common good to the extent that he or
she is able. Common good concerns the life for all; its most complete realization is found in the
political community.
o ST. AUGUSTINE
 “The degree to which you are concerned for the common good rather than for
your own, are the criterion by which you can judge how much progress you have
made”
 “Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who,
by the accidents of time, or place or circumstances, are brought into closer
connection with you”
4. SOLIDIRATY
o Genuine friendship and care between individuals both within and across particular
economic and social groups
o Means accepting the needs and hopes of another as one’s own needs and hopes
o Opposite is destructive competition
o Demonstrated by a willingness to share both material and spiritual goods across all
boundaries
o A genuine concern for the well-being of other people
o Solidarity stands for the firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the
good of all and of each individual because we are really responsible for all.
5. SUBSIDIARITY
o A principle of social doctrine that all social bodies exist for the sake of the individual so
that what individuals are able to do, society should not take over and what small
societies can do , larger societies should not take over.
o As human interdependence increases, the role of states in ensuring equality and justice
must also increase
o Danger that the state will intervene to such an extent that individual freedom and
initiative will be lost

OBEDIENCE TO THE TRUTH

─ Principles underlying catholic social teaching represent the truth about humankind
─ Truth is unchanging
─ First condition of freedom is obedience to the truth
─ Each decision must be rooted in natural moral law to be acceptable
o To be truly Christ-like it must reflect a desire to give ourselves for the sake of others
IN CONCLUSION
─ The social message of the Gospel must not be considered a theory but a basis and a
motivation for action.
o It is not enough to know what the Church teaches, we must bring that teaching to life in
our actions.
─ Every person, regardless of his or her faith, has an obligation rooted in natural law to respect
others and to avoid doing anything which would harm the common good.
─ We must not only avoid doing what is wrong, we must actively pursue what is good:
o Give our energy and our talents for the sake of others
o Obligation to stand with and to care for those who are in need or on the margins of
society
─ Some forms of service are more Catholic than others
─ Action must respect the principles of human dignity, the universal destination of the earth’s
goods, and the promotion of the common good.
─ True Christ-like service must come from our own want. Must be offered from a position of
solidarity with those whom we serve.
o "There is no other way to achieve meaningful solution except to uphold the primacy of
life over other possessions or power"—Pope Francis
─ As a youth, how can you help solve the societal problems that our country is experiencing?
─ Government as well as every single citizen has to play its own specific role to bring about a
positive change.