UNIT 2: Harmony with All Creation: Called to Stewardship

LESSON 1: Concern for Nature

Climate Change - Is one of the most pressing problems that the entire human family
in the world is facing and which the coming or future generation will inevitably suffer
from: is the harmful effects of environmental deterioration of our planet, we have
caused (United Nations, 2017)

POPE FRANCIS - Cry of the Poor

..the deterioration of the environment and of society affects the most vulnerable people on the
planet."

"We are failing in addressing effectively the climate emergency and the biodiversity
crises." -Atty. Tony La Viña
● We are known to be the second among the countries with the greatest
exposure to disaster risks worldwide.
● The catastrophic super typhoons like Yolanda/Haiyan (Nov. 2013) ,
Ondoy/Ketsana (Sept 2009), Sendong, and Pablo,
Effects of climate change: series of typhoons (2020)
• Quinta - Oct 25,
• Rolly - Nov. 1,
• Siony - Nov 7,
• Tonyo - Nov 9
• Ulysses - Nov 11

Greta Thunberg, 15 vears old

● In August 2018, she started spending her school days outside the Swedish
parliament to call for stronger action on climate change by holding up a sign
reading Skolstrejk för klimatet (School strike for climate). Soon, other
students engaged in similar protests in their own communities.
● Together, they organized a school climate strike movement under the name
Fridays for Future.

Speech Addressing the U.N. 's Climate Action Summit in New York City September 23,
2019 Greta Thunberg ,17 Climate activist, from Sweden

People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing.
● We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, a land all you can talk about is
money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth.

"You say you hear us and that you understand the urgency...Because if you really
understood the situation and still kept on failing to act, then you would be evil. And
that I refuse to believe.” Greta Thunberg,17, Addressing the U.N.'s ClimateAction Summit

Pope Francis with the Global Catholic Climate Movement

“To all people of Good will”
● “More than 50 years ago, with the world on the brink of nuclear crisis, Pope
Saint John XXIII wrote an Encyclical which not only rejected war but offered a
proposal for peace. He addressed his message Pacem in Terris to the entire
“Catholic world” and indeed “to all men and women of goodwill”
● “Now, faced as we are with global environmental deterioration, I wish to
address every person living on this planet.... I would like to enter into dialogue
with all people about our common home.” - (Francis, LS no.3)

CLIMATE CHANGE
● Climate change = consequences of our harmful actions, which unfortunately,
generate or produces more damaging and irreparable impacts on
communities and its environment (Francis, 2015)

● WHY is Laudato Si’ addressed to “every person living in this planet”?

○ 1st - ALL of us are affected – there is already a CLIMATE EMERGENCY
○ 2nd - Because we are the ones responsible or accountable to the present
and future children/generation
○ 3rd - And we “are capable of rising above ourselves”

➔ We can solve this as long as we stay united and act very quickly, to act
“now” as if our very own house is on fire, it’s burning and we are in a
state of emergency.

Man as the Imago Dei

● “All is not lost. Human beings while capable of the worst, are also capable of
rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new
start... We are able to take an honest look at ourselves, to acknowledge our
deep dissatisfaction, and embark on new paths to authentic freedom. No
system can completely suppress our openness to what is good, true and
beautiful, or our God-given ability to respond to his grace at work deep in our
hearts. I appeal to everyone throughout the world not to forget this dignity that
is ours. No one has the right to take it from us.” -(Francis, LS 205)

Called to Caring Stewardship

“Care for our Common Home”
● Pope urges us to respond to the signs of the times: the ecological crisis we are
all experiencing especially the global problem: Climate Change.
● He emphasizes the need for ecological conversion, embracing ecological
citizenship thru the cultivation of ecological virtues, leading to selfless
ecological commitment

But What is the Root Cause of our Ecological Crisis?

A. Concern for Nature
1. The Human Roots of the Present Ecological Crisis
a. Environmental, Social, and Human Degradation
 b. Technocratic Paradigm and Modern Anthropocentrism
c. (c. Problem Tree Analysis)
- We are getting disconnected from the situation, which has also caused us to
become disconnected from one another.
- Anthropomorphism - reliant on ourselves and technology

LAUDATO SI: ON THEE CARE OF OUR COMMON HOME

● Ecological crisis is also a theological Earth
● Pope Francis offers theological criteria to judge the crisis of our common
home
● The Pope affirms that the ecological crisis is not only about the collapse of the
planet’s ecosystems...but is also a theological issue... is symptomatic of a
deeper spiritual crisis.
● The theology of Earth presented in Laudato Si’ is a vital tool to understand the
ecological crisis & to respond to it effectively
● The contemporary ecological crisis points to the amnesia (forgetfulness) of a
deeper truth:
That the world is above all God’s creation and is permeated with the divine
presence.

The Importance of Remembering The Duty to Remember

● For the Israelites the beginning of sin is to FORGET
➔ Angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah – Lk 1:13ff
➔ Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary – Lk 1:30 ff

Zechariah from the Hebrew name

Zekharyah means: "God Has Remembered". “the LORD remembers” God / Yahweh remembers

PCP II pointed out our tendency to forget the lessons of the past, thus we remain reactive...

➔ Loss of memory?
- SIN- Nalimutan... Kinalimutan... NAKALIMOT

● To forget who God is, the commandments of God, who we are (that we are not gods), as
stewards, as disciples, His Imago Dei... to forget all the good things God has done for us,
the values, and lessons we have learned.

PART 2
III. Harmony with all Creation: Called to Stewardship
A. Concern for Nature
- How can we become stewards of the Earth
And so let us now recall, remember the ff:
a. The Plan of God for Creation
b. The Role of Man in Creation
c. Authentic Development
The Good News of Creation
● We are loved by creation and we are loved by God.
BUT WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT HAVE WE DONE?
● In the wake of modernity, we have been accustomed to looking at the natural
world as inert matter – the Cartesian res extensa, as in modern science, or as
merely as a storehouse of resources, as in the neoliberal economy
-(Kureethadam, p.57)

Chapter 2 of Laudato Si’ is entitled: “The Gospel of Creation”

● It presents the theological foundation of the encyclical’s theological vision.

Creation is Good News because

1. Creation is very good in God’s own eyes
2. Creation is a profound act of love on the part of God
3. Creation is God’s first revelation

1. Creation is Good News because

1st Creation is very good in God’s own eyes
● It is the basic goodness of creation in God’s own eyes that constitutes the
intrinsic worth of every created reality -(Kureethadam, p.57)
● [Ecosystems] have an intrinsic value independent of their usefulness. Each
organism, as a creature of God, is good and admirable in itself; the same is
true of the harmonious ensemble of organisms existing in a defined space and
functioning as a system. (LS 140)
➔ God looked at everything he made and found it very good - Genesis 1:31

ACCORDING TO POPE FRANCIS:

● Pope Francis inaugurates a new era in the Catholic Church’s approach to the
natural world.
● The world of animals, forests, mountains, and waters is inextricably part of
God’s good news for us;
● they express and participate in the mystery of salvation. (Grey Carmody)

● we are called to recognize that other living beings have a value of their own in God’s
eyes: “by their mere existence they bless him and give him glory”, and indeed, “the Lord
rejoices in all his works” (Ps 104:31)....
● In our time, the Church does not simply state that other creatures are
completely subordinated to the good of human beings as if they have no worth
in themselves and can be treated as we wish. LS #69
● The German bishops have taught that where other creatures are concerned:
“we can speak of the priority of being over that of being useful”.
● The Catechism clearly criticizes distorted anthropocentrism. Each creature
possesses its own particular goodness and perfection… LS #69
● Each of the various creatures, willed in its own being, reflects in its own way a
ray of God’s infinite wisdom and goodness.
 ● Man must therefore respect the particular goodness of every creature, to avoid
any disordered use of things”. LS #69; CCC no. 339
● “by their mere existence they bless him and give Him glory” –LS69

2. Creation is Good News because

2nd Creation is a profound act of love on the part of God
● Our physical universe is not an accident or a fluke event
● Creation has to do with God’s loving plan in which every creature has its own
value and significance...
● The whole creation & every creature is a sign of God’s outpouring love. Every
creature is brought into existence out of love and with a definite purpose.
-(Kureethadam, p.60)
➔ Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you Jer 1:5
● Unlike a detached study of nature, “Creation can only be understood as a gift from
the outstretched hand of the Father of all, and as a reality illuminated by the love which
calls us together into universal communion.”(LS 76)
➔ God looked at everything he made and found it very good Genesis 1:31
● Every creature is thus the object of the Father’s tenderness who give it its
place in the world. (LS77)
● The entire material universe speaks of God’s love. Soil, water, mountain... (LS 84)
● It is all the more in the case of humanity: We are not here by chance... We have
conceived in the heart of God... “each of us is the result of the thought of God.
● Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary” (LS65)
-(Kureethadam, pp. 61-62)

3. Creation is Good News because

3rd Creation as God’s Self-Revelation
● Creation is the very first epiphany of God, God’s first and primordial revelation.
● God has written a precious book/ whose letters are the multitude of created
things present in the universe - (John Paul II, 2002)
● Nature speaks to us of the Creator (cf. Rom 1:20) and his love for humanity
(Benedict XVI, CV no. 48)
● His divine presence, which ensures the subsistence & growth of each being,
continues the work of creation. – (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, I, q. 104,
art. 1, ad.4.) -(Kureethadam, pp. 61-62)
○ Black-naped monarch found in Tarlac
○ Palawan otter
● “Nature as a whole not only manifests God but is also a locus of his presence” (LS 88;
Bishops of Brazil)
● The Canadian bishops pointed out that no creature is excluded from this
manifestation of God: “From panoramic vistas to the tiniest living form, nature is a
constant source of wonder and awe. It is also a continuing revelation of the divine”. (LS
85)
● The bishops of Japan made a thought-provoking observation: “To sense, each
creature singing the hymn of its existence is to live joyfully in God’s love and hope”. (LS
85)

● The Call to regard each creature as brother and sister, and the Earth our
common home as both sister and mother
● Creation carries the imprint of the Divine. St. Francis of Assisi praises God not
only for creation but also in Creation
● But this is not like neo-paganism or new pantheism

➔ St. Francis of Assisi, invites us to see nature as a magnificent book in which God
speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of His infinite beauty and goodness (LS
12)
➔ “Through the greatness and the beauty of creatures one comes to know by
analogy their maker” Wisdom 13:5
➔ “his eternal power and divinity have been made known through his works since the
creation of the world” Romans 1:20

● Human Beings are Imago Dei. We are created in God’s image and likeness.
● “In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis returns often to the symbolic view of creation.
● Created realities are ultimately symbols of God – its capacity to link the finite
with the infinite.
● As symbols of God, created realities are vestigia Dei – signs and traces of God’s
presence in creation -(Kureethadam, p. 64)
● the awareness that each creature reflects something of God and has a
message to convey to us,
● and the security that Christ has taken unto himself this material world and
now, risen,
● is intimately present to each being, surrounding it with his affection and
penetrating it with his light. LS 221
● Jesus invited his disciples “to recognize the paternal relationship God has with
all his creatures”
● He reminded them of the Father’s loving tenderness & care for all creatures
and how each one of them is important in God’s eyes:
● “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into
barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them” (Mt 6:26) (LS 96)
-(Kureethadam, pp. 71-72)

● Then too, there is the recognition that God created the world, writing into it an
order and a dynamism that human beings have no right to ignore.
● We read in the Gospel that Jesus says of the birds of the air that “not one of them is
forgotten before God” (Lk 12:6).
● How then can we possibly mistreat them or cause them harm? LS 221
Pope Francis notes with sadness and with profound theological insight:
➔ It is not enough, however, to think of different species merely as potential
“resources” to be exploited, while overlooking the fact that they have value in
themselves. LS 33

● Each year sees the disappearance of thousands of plant and animal species
which we will never know,
● which our children will never see because they have been lost forever.
● The great majority become extinct for reasons related to human activity.
● Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their
very existence, nor convey their message to us.
● We have no such right. LS 33
● When created things become vestigia Dei (signs & traces of God’s presence in
creation) – creation becomes a true act of communication.
● In every act of communication, no single word or expression will be sufficient
to communicate reality.
● It is also true of God’s communication in Creation.
● No one creature not even the human, is sufficient to represent God.
● The infinitely diverse living species are indeed pages of God’s great Book of
Works, revealing the Creator’s wisdom & goodness. -(Kureethadam, p. 65)

St Thomas explained that the diversity of the extraordinary array of creatures

roaming the earth reveals the richness of the nature of God.
● He said that: multiplicity and variety “come from the intention of the first agent”
who willed that “what was wanting to one in the representation of the divine goodness
might be supplied by another” (LS 86)
○ Inasmuch as God’s goodness “could not be represented fittingly by any one
creature.” Summa Theologiae, I, q. 47, art. 1. -(Kureethadam, p. 66)

The Plan of God for Creation: Creation’s Call to Universal Communion

● “As part of the universe,
● called into being by one Father,
● all of us are linked by unseen bonds and
● together form a kind of universal family,
● a sublime communion
● which fills us with a sacred, affectionate and humble respect.” (LS 89)

The Plan of God for Creation: Creation’s Call to Universal Communion

● Pope Francis sees human life as a pilgrimage in communion
● along with the rest of God’s creatures,
● bonded together by God’s love
● Everything is related, and we human beings are united as brothers and sisters
on a wonderful pilgrimage,
● woven together by the love God has for each of His creatures
 ● and which also unites us in fond affection with brother sun, sister moon,
brother river, and mother earth. (LS 92) -(Kureethadam, p. 66)
● Our universal communion with the rest of the human family & with the whole
creation consequently entails:
● the common or universal destination of all Earth’s goods which are meant to
benefit everyone.
● The sharing of Earth’s fruits is ultimately a question of
● fidelity to the Creator, since God created the world for everyone -(LS 93)
-(Kureethadam, p. 68)

Creation’s ultimate destiny is: the final communion with God, the Creator
The destiny of creation is bound up with the mystery of Christ present from the
beginning “all things have been created through him and for him” (Col 1:16)-(LS 99)
-(Kureethadam, p. 69)

ESCHATOLOGICAL JOURNEY - A simple eschatological argument regarding this would

be that this current reality is also a future possibility. Because of God's intervention
in Christ Jesus, the Christian experience recognizes another present potential and
ultimate reality.
● “For God so loved the world He gave us His only Son...” –Jn3:16
● The Word “became flesh” (Jn 1:14)--One Person of the Trinity entered into the
created cosmos, throwing in his lot with it, even to the cross.(LS 99)
● Christ has taken unto himself this material world and now, risen, is intimately
present to each being, surrounding it with his affection and penetrating it with
his light.(LS 221)
➔ “Creation awaits with eager expectation..All creation is groaning” – cf. Romans 8:18-22
● The earthly Jesus, risen & glorious, is “present throughout creation by his
universal Lordship” reconciling to himself all things. (Col 1:19-20)
● “Christ as Savior” means: He is Savior of all there is (John Paul II)
● All of the creation became subject to futility, waiting in a mysterious way to be
set free and to obtain glorious liberty together with all the children of God (cf.
Rom 8:20-21).
● It is the whole creation, the entire physical universe, and not just humanity
alone, that is destined to be redeemed & transformed in Christ.
● Thus, no reason for humans to tyrannically dominate other creatures.
● Rather, humanity’s task is to lovingly accompany all of creation in their
eschatological journey -(Kureethadam, p. 69)
● The ultimate purpose of other creatures is not to be found in us. Rather, all
creatures are moving forward with us and through us towards a common point
of arrival, which is God, in that transcendent fullness where the risen Christ
embraces and illumines all things. -(Kureethadam, p. 69)
● “Creation is destined to communion with God” (Cajes, p.147).
● Human beings, endowed with intelligence and love, drawn by the fullness of
Christ, are called to lead all creatures back to their Creator. (LS 83)
 ● The ultimate end of the whole divine economy is the entry of God's creatures
into the perfect unity of the Blessed Trinity (CCC no. 260).

The Plan of God for Creation

➔ “For thus says the LORD, the Creator of the heavens, who is God. The designer and
maker of the earth who established it, not creating it to be a waste, but designing it be
lived in: I am the LORD, and there is no other.” - Isaiah 45:18

AUTHENTIC DEVELOPMENT
➔ Without God man neither knows which way to go nor even understands who he
is. -Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate no 78

Let us review the definition of Authentic development from the ff. encyclicals:
● The development We speak of here cannot be restricted to economic growth
alone. To be authentic, it must be well-rounded; it must foster the development
of each man and of the whole man. Pope Paul VI Populorum Progressio (1967) no 14.
● Genuine progress does not consist in wealth sought for personal comfort or for
its own sake; rather it consists in an economic order designed for the welfare
of the human person, where the daily bread that each man receives reflects the
glow of brotherly love and the helping hand of God....
● Development means peace Pope Paul VI Populorum Progressio (1967) nos 86- 87.

Authentic development from the encyclical:

● Development must not be understood solely in economic terms, but in a way
that is fully human. It is not only a question of raising all peoples to the level
currently enjoyed by the richest countries,
● but rather of building up a more decent life through united labor, of concretely
enhancing every individual's dignity and creativity,
● as well as his capacity to respond to his personal vocation and thus to God's
call. St. John Paul II, Centesimus Annus (1991), 29
➔ The apex of development is the exercise of the right and duty to seek God, to
know him, and to live in accordance with that knowledge
● authentic human development concerns the whole of the person in every
single dimension
● it must be “integral - it has to promote the good of every man and of the whole
man (PP no 14)
● it should be stressed that progress of a merely economic and technological
kind is insufficient. Development needs above all to be true and integral Pope
Benedict XVI, CARITAS IN VERITATE (2009) On Integral Human Development in Charity &
Truth, nos. 11, 18, 23
● The sharing of goods and resources, from which authentic development
proceeds, is not guaranteed by merely technical progress and relationships of
utility, but by the potential of love that overcomes evil with good (cf. Rom
12:21), opening up the path towards reciprocity of consciences and liberties.
 Pope Benedict XVI, CARITAS IN VERITATE (2009) On Integral Human Development in
Charity & Truth, no. 9
● such development requires a transcendent vision of the person, it needs God:
without him, development is either denied, or entrusted exclusively to man,
who falls into the trap of thinking he can bring about his own salvation, and
ends up promoting a dehumanized form of development. Pope Benedict XVI,
CARITAS IN VERITATE (2009) On Integral Human Development in Charity & Truth, no. 11
● Only through an encounter with God are we able to see in the other something
more than just another creature, to recognize the divine image in the other,
thus truly coming to discover him or her and to mature in a love that “becomes
concerned and care for the other.” Pope Benedict XVI, CARITAS IN VERITATE (2009)
On Integral Human Development in Charity & Truth, no. 11
● Development must include not just material growth but also spiritual growth
since the human person is a “unity of body and soul”, born of God's creative
love and destined for eternal life.
● There cannot be holistic development and universal common good unless
people's spiritual and moral welfare is taken into account, considered in their
totality as body and soul. Pope Benedict XVI, CARITAS IN VERITATE (2009) no. 76;
Gaudium et Spes, 14.
● The greatest service to development is a Christian humanism that enkindles
charity and takes its lead from truth, accepting both as a lasting gift from God.
A humanism that excludes God is inhuman humanism.
● Only a humanism open to the Absolute can guide us in the promotion and
building of forms of social and civic life — structures, institutions, culture, and
ethos — Pope Benedict XVI, CARITAS IN VERITATE (2009) no. 78
● Today the subject of development is also closely related to the duties arising
from our relationship with the natural environment.
● The environment is God's gift to everyone, and in our use of it, we have a
responsibility toward the poor, towards future generations, and towards
humanity as a whole. Pope Benedict XVI, CARITAS IN VERITATE (2009) no. 48
● We must recognize our grave duty to hand the earth on to future generations
in such a condition that they too can worthily inhabit it and continue to
cultivate it.
● This means being committed to making joint decisions “after pondering
responsibly the road to be taken, decisions aimed at strengthening that
covenant between human beings and the environment, which should mirror
the creative love of God, from whom we come and towards whom we are
journeying. Pope Benedict XVI, CARITAS IN VERITATE (2009) no. 50
● Social love is the key to authentic development:
● “In order to make society more human, more worthy of the human
person, love in social life – political, economic and cultural – must be
given renewed value, becoming the constant and highest norm for all
activity” Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ (2015) no.231
 ● Includes efforts to bring about an integral improvement in the quality of
human life, this entails considering the setting in which people live their lives.
These settings influence the way we think, feel, and act.
● In our rooms, homes, our workplaces, and neighborhoods, we use our
environment as a way of expressing our identity.
● We make every effort to adapt to our environment, but when it is disorderly,
chaotic, or saturated with noise and ugliness, such overstimulation makes it
difficult to find ourselves integrated and happy. Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ (2015)
no.147
● “the most extraordinary scientific advances,
● the most amazing technical abilities,
● the most astonishing economic growth,
● unless they are accompanied by authentic social and moral progress,
● will definitively turn against man” (quoting Paul VI Octogesima Adveniens)

“the call to seek other ways of understanding the economy and progress” Pope Francis,
Laudato Si’ (2015) nos. 4, 16

● We have certain superficial mechanisms, but we cannot claim to have a sound

ethics, a culture and spirituality genuinely capable of setting limits and
teaching clear-minded self-restraint because our immense technological
development has not been accompanied by a development in:
○ human responsibility, values and conscience. Pope Francis, Laudato Si’
(2015) no.105

● In this world, that you love more than we do, we have gone ahead at breakneck
speed feeling powerful and able to do anything.
● Greedy for profit, we let ourselves get caught up in things, and lured away by
haste.
● We did not stop at your reproach to us, we were not shaken awake by wars or
injustice across the world,
● nor did we listen to the cry of the poor or of our ailing planet. Pope Francis’ Urbi
et Orbi address on coronavirus and Jesus calming the storm, March 27,2020
● We carried on regardless, thinking we would stay healthy in a world that was
sick.
● Now that we are in a stormy sea, we implore you.....
● In the face of so much suffering, where the authentic development of our
peoples is assessed… Pope Francis’ Urbi et Orbi address on coronavirus and Jesus
calming the storm, March 27,2020
➔ “Be converted!”, “Return to me with all your heart” (Joel 2:12).
● You are calling on us to seize this time of trial as a time of choosing. It is not
the time of your judgment, but of our judgement:
● a time to choose what matters and what passes away,
● a time to separate what is necessary from what is not. - Pope Francis’ Urbi et
Orbi address on coronavirus and Jesus calming the storm, March 27,2020
Lesson 2: Justice for the Poor

Why do we need to help the poor?

Why connect with them?
- because the Lord Jesus Himselfhe was poor and grew up poor, and He minister
to the whole world and He died.
- He who is true God and true in Man. He took side with the most vulnerable in
society.
- When we talk of the poor, however, we do not simply mean poor in the material
disadvantage; anybody feelin deficient, inadequate or has some kind of oddity
or difference compared to the rest is considered poor.

Justice for the poor- is related to the solution Pope Francis offers to the ecological
crisis that the world is facing right now.
To hear “the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor”
The “throwaway culture” that ruthlessly consumes, exploits, and discards
human life and our natural resources as one of the root causes.
JUSTICE FOR THE POOR
- Our quest for harmony with God and with all creationin response to God's call
to stewardship does not end in our concern for nature alone but flows into our
concern for one another, especially the needy.
- There is an "inseparable bond" that links concern for nature, justice for the
poor, commitment to society, and interior peace.
- A true ecological approach always becomes a social approach.

● A sense of deep communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts
lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings.
● It is clearly inconsistent to combat trafficking in endangered species while
remaining completely indifferent to human trafficking, unconcerned about the
poor, or undertaking to destroy another human being deemed unwanted. This
compromises the very meaning of our struggle for the sake of the
environment. – (LS 91)
● Moreover, when our hearts are authentically open to universal communion,
this sense of fraternity excludes nothing and no one.
● It follows that our indifference or cruelty towards fellow creatures of this world
sooner or later affects the treatment we mete out to other human beings.
● We have only one heart, and the same wretchedness which leads us to
mistreat an animal will not be long in showing itself in our relationships with
other people.
● Every act of cruelty towards any creature is “contrary to human dignity”. We
can hardly consider ourselves to be fully loving if we disregard any aspect of
reality:
● “Peace, justice and the preservation of creation are three absolutely
interconnected themes, which cannot be separated and treated individually
without once again falling into reductionism” -(LS92)
- In an extended way, we are brothers and sisters not only with our blood
siblings but with all human beings for we all have the same heavenly Father.
- The truth is that we are stewards of one another as brothers and sisters, and
together we are stewards of the earth.
- This stewardship of one another takes the form of a special concern to attain
justice for the poor, neglected and marginalized.

An Urgent Call for Ecological Conversion, Hope in the Face of Climate Emergency – CBCP
July 16, 2019

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

In 1988, we issued a groundbreaking Pastoral Letter on Ecology entitled, “What is

Happening to Our Beautiful Land?” In its opening paragraph, we noted, “Our small
farmers tell us that their fields are less productive and are becoming sterile. Our
fishermen are finding it increasingly difficult to catch fish. Our lands, forests and rivers
cry out that they are being eroded, denuded and polluted. As bishops we have tried to
listen and respond to their cry. There is an urgency about this issue which calls for
widespread education and immediate action...”

● A Statement of Concern on the Mining Act of 1995, highlighting the ill effects of
mining operations both on the environment and on the people, particularly
indigenous communities.
● Water is Life 2000,calling for a concerted effort to address the problem of water
insecurity and the urgency to protect our remaining watersheds.
● Upholding the Sanctity of Life (20 years after the CBCP Pastoral Letter ‘What is
Happening to our Beautiful Land?’) 2008 reaffirming our rejection of
irresponsible mining and illegal logging operations but also to crucially
include the challenges of global warming and climate change among “the new
threats to our environment”.
● Pastoral Statement on the Recent Earthquake and Typhoon that Devastated
the Central Region of the Philippines 2013, to express our solidarity with the
victims of calamities and to preempt their future recurrence.
● We clearly manifested that climate action is an issue of life and justice
through the statement entitled Stewards, Not Owners, 2015: “Climate change
has brought about suffering for nations, communities and peoples. It is that
kind of suffering that, in the words of Benedict XVI’s ‘Deus Caritas Est’, ‘cries
out for consolation and help’.” (n. 28).
➔ “When they who are in need cry out, it is not an option to respond. It is an
obligation.”

● Biodiversity is also a concern that has a direct connection to poverty and

development.
● The poor in the rural areas are directly dependent on biodiverse resources for
food, fuel, shelter, medicine and livelihood.
● This variety of living organisms together with its environment provide critical
services that are necessary for survival such as air and water purification, soil
conservation, disease control, and reduced vulnerability to disasters such as
floods, droughts and landslides.
● Given the high rate of poverty in the Philippines, the need to manage the
environment is paramount.
● Poverty and environmental degradation mutually reinforce each other.
● In today’s world, hunger, violence and poverty cannot be understood apart from
the changes and degradation affecting the environment
● Our remaining forests and biodiversity are continually beingthreatened by
extractive mining operations and the building of dams.
● Respect for God’s creation is disregarded when irresponsible mining practices
are allowed to continue.
● Land and life is desecrated when almost two-thirds of the ancestral domains
of indigenous peoples and more than half of protected and key biodiversity
areas are directly threatened by mining applications and operations.
● The rural poor remain poor as mining only contributes less than one percent to
our GDP, employs less than 0.4% of our labor force and directly threatens
agriculture, forestry, watersheds and fisheries resources that are essential for
the survival of the rural poor.
● Coal mining projects have been allowed to increase to 186, including
small-scale ones. Worse is, most of these coal projects are located within the
vicinity of communities of indigenous Filipinos and are supported by rich
ecosystems and biodiversity.
● Besides affects climate change, many coastal and agriculture-reliant
communities face the loss of their livelihood because of land conversion and
the pollution of resources caused by coal.
● Health problems also plague such communities due to the toxic substances
and heavy metals released into the air and water resources by the mining,
transporting, and burning of coal.
● The Philippines, being an archipelago, is prone to climate-induced disasters
brought about by sea level rise, storm surges, prolonged droughts, and flash
floods, among others.
● We are known to be the second among the countries with the greatest
exposure to disaster risks worldwide.
● We are at the doorstep of all the major threats of climate change which cause
irreversible damage to agriculture, marine resources and the entire
bio-networks.
● On record, Yolanda (Haiyan) is the strongest tropical cyclone ever to make a
landfall on our country. The damage from Yolanda was catastrophic, resulting
to an estimated 8,000 casualties, affecting 16 million people in 10 provinces,
while over 1.1 million homes were damaged, about half of them completely
destroyed. The sources of livelihood of an estimated 5.6 million poor people
were severely affected.
 ● Societal indifference to climate change is immoral as it affects even the
innocent, especially “the poor who live in areas particularly affected by
phenomena related to warming, and [whose] means of subsistence are largely
dependent on natural reserves and ecosystemic services such as agriculture,
fishing and forestry” (LS 25).
● Our preferential option for the poor pushes us to prioritize the most affected
“poorest of the poor” who cry out to God for justice.
● It is our moral obligation to respond to their suffering.
● In Laudato Si, Pope Francis is asking: What kind of world are we leaving to the
next generation?
● “Intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic issue of justice,
since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us . . . An
integral ecology is marked by this broader vision.”
● How anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the
environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded” (LS 13).
● We also owe it to the next generation of Filipinos to ensure ecological integrity
and biodiversity conservation for their own benefit in their own time.
● We must reject the current ways of excessive production and consumption,
which get us habituated to wasteful living.
● We need a paradigm shift in order to reestablish our sacred relationship with
nature: “Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or
as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and
thus in constant interaction with it.” (LS, 139). Indeed, we are all part of nature.
● A paradigm on ecological conversion needs to usher in a new awareness:
● that mother earth cries for justice and not just for a token of environmental
protection and care.
● The cry of mother earth is as equally urgent as the cry of the poor for social
justice.

Ecology of Nature, Human Ecology, & Social Ecology

● “Alongside the ecology of nature, there exists what can be called a ‘human’
ecology, which in turn demands a ‘social’ ecology. All this means that
humanity, if it truly desires peace, must be increasingly conscious of the links
between natural ecology, or respect for nature, and human ecology.
● Experience shows that disregard for the environment always harms human
coexistence, and vice versa. It becomes more and more evident that there is an
inseparable link between peace with creation and peace among men -World
Day of Peace, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (2007)
● “The protection of the environment, of resources and of the climate obliges all
international leaders to act justly and to show a readiness to work in good
faith, respecting the law and promoting solidarity with the weakest regions of
the planet.”- Caritas in Veritate no. 50, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (2009)
God's Beloved Poor
➔ Old Testament Witness
- Israel's experience of oppression in Egypt and how God delivered His people
from slavery and injustice through his servant, Moses.
- Writings of the prophets who denounced the injustices committed against the
poor by God's people and their leaders in the various stages of their history.
- Israel's fundamental experience of election and liberation by God despite their
sinfulness and unworthiness is a thread that runs through the Hebrew Bible
and continues to the New Testament.
➔ New Testament Witness
- Christ proclaims and actualizes the "Good News to the Poor" He was sent to
proclaim, bringing "liberty to the oppressed, recovery of sight to the blind and
freedom to captives" as the prophets had foretold (cf. Lk 4:18).
- Mystery of the Cross and the Redemption as the place where the maximum of
injustice is ultimately defeated by the transforming faith and love of the
Savior.
To Bring Glad Tidings to the Poor (2014)
It is a document that springs from the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium:

- that sharing, for a Christian, is not just a matter of choice but of conscience;
- that poverty in the Philippines, although it has been decreasing on the
national level, continues at "scandalous" levels in certain areas such as the
ARMM where almost half of the population live below the poverty line;
- that the problem of poverty is not to be blamed only on the government or in
societal structures, but we must accept our own responsibility for it.

Poverty that Dehumanizes, Poverty that Sanctifies (2014)

- It served as the CBCP's Lenten Message for that year, attempts to distinguish
between different forms of poverty experienced on the material, moral and
spiritual levels and
- to offer a "framework" for discerning which ones are destructive and which
ones are helpful for our spiritual life.

Poverty that Dehumanizes

MATERIAL MORAL SPIRITUAL

PERSONAL destitution Slavery to vice or Lonliness and

sin hopelessness

SOCIETAL exclusion corruption Religious

itolerance

GLOBAL Consumerism inequality Relativism and

lossof the sense
 of transcedence

Poverty that Sanctifies

MATERIAL MORAL SPIRITUAL

PERSONAL
simplicity Commitment to Surrender to God
SOCIETAL the Good, the
Just and the True
GLOBAL

The Dignity of the Rural Poor: A Gospel Concern (2007)

- Written at the end of the Year for Social Concerns, the bishops focus on the
rural poor whom they call "the greatest victim of our unjust economic order"
and called the transgression of their dignity as "a negation of Christian love."

● Firstly, the document dispelled the common impression that poverty in the
Philippines is concentrated in urban areas.
● Secondly, it decried the poor implementation of agrarian reform programs,
even accompanied in certain cases with the extra-judicial killing of farmers.
● Thirdly, it called to task the government, those who have "official
responsibility," while inviting everyone to examine their conscience with
regard to their own personal contribution to the problem.

I Was Homeless and You Took Me In (1997)

● Tackles the issue of the adequate housing, which John Paul II defined as a full
human right in his Lenten Message for the same year.
● The bishops praised the message of the Pope as being especially timely for the
Philippines, then encountering issues of mass demolitions of informal settlers
for various reasons, not always just.
● "Most are done in the name of development, which however often turns out to
be soulless." In line with this, they called for the humane implementation of
evictions with "adequate provision for suitable relocation."

On the Plight of the Poor (1991)

- First, it tackled the issue of the relation between poverty and sin, stating that:
The suffering has been aggravated by the insinuations of some that these
calamities are punishments from God for personal and social sins…
- Second, it highlighted the need to provide sustained and long-term assistance
leading to rehabilitation and recovery beyond merely giving immediate relief to
the victims... "Our mission demands that we lift our people out of their
dehumanizing poverty. We must make it possible for the poor to live in dignity,
 and in honor, as the children of God. To become the Church of the Poor is our
vision.“

● To dignify and empower so they will not remain dependent on external help for
their needs but be able to identify and tap their own available resources in
order to help themselves.
● As such, this approach in community development is highly participatory and
embodies the principle of subsidiarity.

● The contemporary ecological crisis points to the amnesia (forgetfulness)

○ The Ten Green Commandments of Laudato Si’ (2019) Kureethadam, p. 57
“We are now asking ourselves did we genuinely turn our crisis into kairos or do
we merely and consistently remain “reactive” rather than preventive? Have we
fallen callously and gravely into the sin of presumption and worst, the sin
against the Holy Spirit? “ -Closing the Gap Between Faith and Life, Junie
Quilatan
KAIROS
● Mark 1:14-15 - Kairos is a time that requires a conversion from people. ...
● Romans 13:11-13 - time is here. It calls for action, conversion and
transformation; a change of life.
● 11 Corinthians 6:1-2 - is not just crisis but opportunity and favor.
● God assists us in discerning the Kairos - a moment of grace.

The Importance of Remembering (The Duty to Remember)

● For the Israelites the beginning of sin is to FORGET
○ Angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah – Lk 1:13ff
○ Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary – Lk 1:30 ff
● Zechariah from the Hebrew name :means Zekharyah ‫ְז כ ְַר י ָה‬
● "God Has Remembered". “the LORD remembers” God / Yahweh remembers

● PCP II pointed out our tendency to forget the lessons of the past, thus we
remain reactive…
○ Loss of memory?
■ SIN- Nalimutan... Kinalimutan... NAKALIMOT
To forget who God is, the commandments of God, who we are (that we are not gods),
as stewards, as disciples, His Imago Dei... to forget all the good things God has done
for us, the values, and lessons we have learned.
To forget our RESOLUTIONS after every kairos, When we forget the Laws meant to
protect the environment and the poor.

UNIT 4 - HARMONY OF FAITH AND LIFE: CALLED TO MISSION

LESSON 1: GAUDETE ET EXSULTATE AND THE CALL TO HOLINESS

CALL TO HOLINESS
 ● "Gaudete et Exsultate" (19 March 2018] “REJOICE AND BE GLAD”
○ "My modest goal is to repropose the call to holiness in a practical way
for our own time, with all its risks, challenges and opportunities" (GE, 2)
...all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the
fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity; ..They must
follow in His footsteps and conform themselves to His image seeking
the will of the Father in all things. They must devote themselves with all
their being to the glory of God and the service of their neighbor." (LG, 40]
● Matthew 5:48 - "Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is
perfect." (Lv 11:44; cf. 1 Pet 1:16)

Three questions to guide our reflection...

➔ What does a saint look like?
➔ What makes a saint?
➔ How can I become a saint?

Types of Saints
● ANGELS - St. Michael
● PATRIARCHS - St. Joseph
● PROPHETS - St. John the Baptist
● APOSTLES - St. Peter
● MARTYRS - St. Lorenzo Ruiz
● VIRGINS - St. Clare
● PASTORS - St. Dominic
● WIdOWS - St. Monica
● DOCTORS - St. Augustine

To be holy does not require being a bishop, a priest or a religious. We are frequently
tempted to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary
affairs to spend much time in prayer. That is not the case. We are all called to be holy
by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we
find ourselves. (GE 14)

Being “holy” means we are able to receive God’s blessing and being “blessed” is
Christian understanding of what it means to be happy. Holiness or blessedness
means happiness.

What does a saint look like?

“NEXT DOOR SAINTS”

I like to contemplate the holiness present in the patience of God’s people: in those
parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who
work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose
their smile.
In their daily perseverance, I see the holiness of the Church militant. Very often it is a
holiness found in our next-door neighbors, those who, living in our midst, reflect
God’s presence. We might call them “the middle class of holiness”. (GE 7)

Communion of Saints
● Church Triumphant
● Church Militant
● Church Suffering

Blessed Piergiorgio Frassati 6 April 1901 – 4 July 1925

Venerable Carlo Acutis 3 May 1991 - 12 October 2006

“Each in his or her own way” the Council says. We should not grow discouraged before
examples of holiness that appear unattainable. There are some testimonies that may
prove helpful and inspiring, but that we are not meant to copy, for that could even
lead us astray from the one specific path that the Lord has in mind for us. The
important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, that they bring out
the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their
hearts (cf. 1 Cor 12:7), rather than hopelessly trying to imitate something not meant
for them. (GE 11)

HOLINESS AS JOURNEY
To recognize the word that the Lord wishes to speak to us through one of his saints,
we do not need to get caught up in details, for there we might also encounter
mistakes and failures. Not everything a saint says is completely faithful to the
Gospel; not everything he or she does is authentic or perfect. What we need to
contemplate is the totality of their life, their entire journey of growth in holiness, the
reflection of Jesus Christ that emerges when we grasp their overall meaning as a
person. (GE 22)

May you come to realize what that word is, the message of Jesus that God wants to
speak to the world by your life. Let yourself be transformed. Let yourself be renewed by
the Spirit, so that this can happen, lest you fail in your precious mission. The Lord will
bring it to fulfilment despite your mistakes and missteps, provided that you do not
abandon the path of love but remain ever open to his supernatural grace, which
purifies and enlightens. (GE 24)

HAPPY SAINTS
● The Beatitudes are like a Christian’s identity card. So if anyone asks:
○ “What must one do to be a good Christian?”, the answer is clear.
■ We have to do, each in our own way, what Jesus told us in the
Sermon on the Mount. In the Beatitudes, we find a portrait of the
Master, which we are called to reflect in our daily lives. (GE 63)

WHAT A SAINT LOOKS LIKE: THE BEATITUDES (MT 5: 2-11)

● Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 ● Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
● Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
● Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be
satisfied.
● Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
● Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
● Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
● Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
● Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of
evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is
great in heaven...

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those the meek who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful for they will obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.

➔ The word “happy” or “blessed” thus becomes a synonym for “holy”. It expresses the fact
that those faithful to God and his word, by their self-giving, gain true happiness. (GE
64)
➔ Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil
against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in
heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Mt 5:11)

MERCY: WHAT MAKES A SAINT

● Not miracles but charity...
● The great, clear, ultimate criterion by which our lives will be judged (GE 95, 104,
105)
● It is the “key to heaven” (GE 105, EG 197)
● It is the noblest of our actions and best shows our love for God (GE 106, ST II- II,
q. 30, a. 4)
● Mercy is the antidote to today’s destructive culture of hedonism and
consumerism, offering us “a different life, a healthier and happy life” (GE 108)

Sawà vs. Awâ

Throw-Away Culture Culture of Mercy
Sawa Awa

➔ Objectification ➔ Contemplation
 ➔ Consumption ➔ Compassion
➔ Maximization ➔ Care
➔ Disposal ➔ Communion

OTHER OBSTACLES TODAY

● Too much gadgets
● Constant distraction, recreation
● Lack of silence
● Consumerism
● Discontent, emptiness
● Gnosticism
● Pelagianism
● Spiritual corruption “a comfortable and self-satisfied form of blindness”

HOW TO BE A SAINT?
1. Solid grounding in the God who loves and sustains us (Perseverance,
patience and meekness... HUMILITY)
● “If you are unable to suffer and offer up a few humiliations, you are not humble
and you are not on the path to holiness.” (GE 118)
● “Here I am not speaking only about stark situations of martyrdom, but about
the daily humiliations of those who keep silent to save their families, who
prefer to praise others rather than boast about themselves, or who choose the
less welcome tasks, at times even choosing to bear an injustice so as to offer
it to the Lord.” (GE 119)

2. Joy and a sense of humor

● “Whatever the case, we should remain resilient and imitate Saint Paul: ‘I have
learned to be content with what I have’ (Phil 4:11).” (GE, 127)
● “This is not the joy held out by today’s individualistic and consumerist culture.
● Consumerism only bloats the heart. It can offer occasional and passing
pleasures, but no joy. Here I am speaking of a joy lived in communion, which
shares and is shared, since ‘there is more happiness in giving than in
receiving’ (Acts 20:35) and ‘God loves a cheerful giver’ (2 Cor 9:7).” (GE, 128)

3. Boldness and passion

● “God is eternal newness. He impels us constantly to set out anew, to pass
beyond what is familiar, to the fringes and beyond.” (GE 135)
● ”Complacency is seductive; it tells us that there is no point in trying to change
things, that there is nothing we can do, because this is the way things have
always been and yet we always manage to survive. By force of habit we no
longer stand up to evil. We ‘let things be,’ or as others have decided they ought
to be. Yet let us allow the Lord to rouse us from our torpor, to free us from our
inertia.” (GE 137)

4. In community
 ● “When we live apart from others, it is very difficult to fight against
concupiscence, the snares and temptations of the devil and the selfishness of
the world...” (GE 140)
● “The common life, whether in the family, the parish, the religious community
or any other, is made up of small everyday things. This was true of the holy
community formed by Jesus, Mary and Joseph, which reflected in an exemplary
way the beauty of the Trinitarian communion.” (GE 143)

5. In constant prayer
● “I do not believe in holiness without prayer, even though that prayer need not
be lengthy or involve intense emotions.” (GE 147)
● “We need to remember that ‘contemplation of the face of Jesus, died and risen,
restores our humanity, even when it has been broken by the troubles of this
life or marred by sin. We must not domesticate the power of the face of Christ’.
So let me ask you: Are there moments when you place yourself quietly in the
Lord’s presence, when you calmly spend time with him, when you bask in his
gaze? Do you let his fire inflame your heart?” (GE 151)

➔ The Christian life is a constant battle. We need strength and courage to

withstand the temptations of the devil and to proclaim the Gospel. This battle
is sweet, for it allows us to rejoice each time the Lord triumphs in our lives. (GE
158)

LESSON 2: CHRISTUS VIVIT AND THE CALL TO MISSION

About Christus Vivit

● Signed by Pope Francis on March 25, 2019 in Loreto
● Published on 2 April 2019, the death anniversary of Pope Saint John Paul II "the
first Pope to address a letter to young people in 1985 and the Pope who began
the World Youth Days”
● Addressed “To young people and to the entire people of God”
● Written in response to the Fifteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of
Bishops, on young people, faith and vocational discernment, held from 3 to 28
October 2018.

Excursus: Synodal Process

 - Christ is alive! He is our hope, and in a wonderful way he brings youth to our
world, and everything he touches becomes young, new, full of life. The very first
words, then, that I would like to say to every young Christian are these: Christ is
alive and he wants you to be alive! (1)
- The very first words, then, that I would like to say to every young Christian are
these: Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive! (1)

Outline of the Document

1. What does the Word of God say to young people?
2. Jesus, ever young
3. You are the “now” of God
4. A great message for all young people
5. Paths of youth
6. Young people with roots
7. Youth ministry
8. Vocation
9. Discernment

1. What does the Word of God say to young people?

a. Pope Francis gathers the witness of young people in Scriptures who
responded to the Lord’s call in their own way
b. Pope Francis gathers the witness of young people in Scriptures who
responded to the Lord’s call in their own way
2. Jesus, ever young
a. Jesus does not teach you, young people, from afar or from without, but
from within your very youth, a youth he shares with you. It is very
important for you to contemplate the young Jesus as presented in the
Gospels, for he was truly one of you, and shares many of the features of
your young hearts. (31)
b. Youth is more than simply a period of time; it is a state of mind. That is
why an institution as ancient as the Church can experience renewal and
a return to youth at different points in her age-old history. Indeed, at the
most dramatic moments of her history, she feels called to return with
all her heart to her first love. (34)
3. You are the ‘now’ of God
a. We cannot just say that young people are the future of our world.
They are its present; even now, they are helping to enrich it. (64)
Some experiences of young people today:
1. Living in a world in crisis (wars, violence, crime, persecution, abuse,
addiction) 2. Desires hurts and longings (crisis about sexuality and the
body, personal setbacks
Three starting points:
1. The digital environment
2. Migration
3. Combatting abuse
 Venerable Carlo Acutis
3 May 1991 - 12 October 2006

Carlo didn’t fall into the trap. He saw that many young people, wanting
to be different, really end up being like everyone else, running after
whatever the powerful set before them with the mechanisms of
consumerism and distraction. In this way they do not bring forth the
gifts the Lord has given them; they do not offer the world those unique
personal talents that God has given to each of them. As a result, Carlo
said, “everyone is born as an original, but many people end up dying as
photocopies”. Don’t let that happen to you! (106)
4. A great message for all young people
4.1. A God who is Love
For him, you have worth; you are not insignificant. You are important to him, for
you are the work of his hands. That is why he is concerned about you and looks
to you with affection. “Trust the memory of God: his memory is not a ‘hard disk’
that ‘saves’ and ‘archives’ all our data. His memory is a heart filled with tender
compassion, one that finds joy in ‘deleting’ from us every trace of evil.” He does
not keep track of your failings and he always helps you learn something even
from your mistakes. Because he loves you Try to keep still for a moment and let
yourself feel his love. Try to silence all the noise within, and rest for a second in
his loving embrace. (115)
4.2. Christ saves you
Young people, beloved of the Lord, how valuable must you be if you were
redeemed by the precious blood of Christ! Dear young people, “you are
priceless! You are not up for sale! Please, do not let yourselves be bought. Do
not let yourselves be seduced. Do not let yourselves be enslaved by forms of
ideological colonization that put ideas in your heads, with the result that you
end up becoming slaves, addicts, failures in life. You are priceless. You must
repeat this always: I am not up for sale; I do not have a price. I am free! Fall in
love with this freedom, which is what Jesus offers” (122)
4.3. He is alive!
Because he lives, there can be no doubt that goodness will have the upper
hand in your life and that all our struggles will prove worthwhile. If this is the
case, we can stop complaining and look to the future, for with him this is
always possible. That is the certainty we have. Jesus is eternally alive. If we
hold fast to him, we will have life, and be protected from the threats of death
and violence that may assail us in life. (127)
4.4 The Holy Spirit
In these three truths – God loves you; Christ is your Saviour; he is alive – we see
God the Father and Jesus. Wherever the Father and the Son are, there too is the
Holy Spirit. He is the one who quietly opens hearts to receive that message. He
keeps alive our hope of salvation, and he will help you grow in joy if you are
open to his working. The Holy Spirit fills the heart of the risen Christ and then
flows over into your lives. When you receive the Spirit, he draws you
 ever more deeply into the heart of Christ, so that you can grow in his love, his
life and his power. (130) He is the source of youth at its best. (133)
5. Paths of youth
● “a time of dreams and decisions” (136)
● filled with “a thirst for life and experience” (144)
● No matter how much you live the experience of these years of
your youth, you will never know their deepest and fullest meaning
unless you encounter each day your bestfriend, the friend who is
Jesus. (150)
● GROWTH IN MATURITY, FRATERNITY AND COMMITMENT FOR
MISSION
○ He invites us to be fearless missionaries wherever we are
and in whatever company we find ourselves: in our
neighbourhoods, in school or sports or social life, in
volunteer service or in the workplace. Wherever we are, we
always have an opportunity to share the joy of the Gospel.
That is how the Lord goes out to meet everyone. He loves
you, dear young people, for you are the means by which he
can spread his light and hope. He is counting on your
courage, your boldness and your enthusiasm. (177)
6. Young people with roots
a. A false cult of youth and appearance (182) and a spirituality without God
(184)
● Remain close to the elderly
● Listen to their stories, to their wisdom, and their dreams
● Journey together and take risks together
b. If we journey together, young and old, we can be firmly rooted in the
present, and from here, revisit the past and look to the future. To revisit
the past in order to learn from history and heal old wounds that at times
still trouble us. To look to the future in order to nourish our enthusiasm,
cause dreams to emerge, awaken prophecies and enable hope to
blossom. Together, we can learn from one another, warm hearts, inspire
minds with the light of the Gospel, and lend new strength to our hands.
(199)
7. Youth ministry
a. Taking a synodal instead of hierarchical approach
- I want to state clearly that young people themselves are agents of youth
ministry. Certainly they need to he helped and guided, but at the same
time left free to develop new approaches, with creativity and a certain
audacity. So I will not attempt here to propose a kind of manual of youth
ministry or a practical pastoral guide. I am more concerned with helping
young people to use their insight, ingenuity and knowledge to address
the issues and concerns of other young people in their own language.
(203)
TWO MAIN COURSES: Outreach and Growth
 - As for outreach, I trust that young people themselves know how best to
find appealing ways to come together. They know how to organize
events, sports competitions and ways to evangelize using social media,
through text messages, songs, videos and other ways. They only have to
be encouraged and given the freedom to be enthused about
evangelizing other young people wherever they are to be found. (210)
- As for growth, I would make one important point. In some places, it
happens that young people are helped to have a powerful experience of
God, an encounter with Jesus that touched their hearts. But the only
follow-up to this is a series of “formation” meetings featuring talks
about doctrinal and moral issues, the evils of today’s world, the Church,
her social doctrine, chastity, marriage, birth control and so on. As a
result, many young people get bored, they lose the fire of their encounter
with Christ and the joy of following him; many give up and others
become downcast or negative. Rather than being too concerned with
communicating a great deal of doctrine, let us first try to awaken and
consolidate the great experiences that sustain the Christian life. In the
words of Romano Guardini, “when we experience a great love…
everything else becomes part of it”.
Make homes
- In a word, to create a “home” is to create “a family”. “It is to learn to feel
connected to others by more than merely utilitarian and practical bonds, to be
united in such a way as to feel that our life is a bit more human. To create a
home is to let prophecy take flesh and make our hours and days less cold, less
indifferent and anonymous. It is to create bonds by simple, everyday acts that
all of us can perform. A home, as we all know, demands that everyone work
together. No one can be indifferent or stand apart, since each is a stone needed
to build the home. This also involves asking the Lord to grant us the grace to
learn how to be patient, to forgive one another, to start over each day. (217)
Youth ministry in educational institutions
Call for Self-Examination
- Religious instruction that cannot be practiced or sustained Bunker schools
aimed only at self preservation
- Catholic schools remain essential places for the evangelization of the young.
PRINCIPLES IN VERITATIS GAUDIUM
- a fresh experience of the kerygma, wide-ranging dialogue,
interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary approaches, the promotion of a
culture of encounter, the urgency of creating networks an option in
favour of those who are least, those whom society discards
- Ability to integrate…
- Head
- Heart
- Hands
Human and Humanizing Education
- “Today, above all, the right to a good education means protecting wisdom, that
is, knowledge that is human and humanizing. All too often we are conditioned
 by trivial and fleeting models of life that drive us to pursue success at a low
price, discrediting sacrifice and inculcating the idea that education is not
necessary unless it immediately provides concrete results. No, education
makes us raise questions, keeps us from being anaesthetized by banality, and
impels us to pursue meaning in life. (223)
- We need to reclaim our right not to be sidetracked by the many sirens that
nowadays distract from this pursuit...
- This, then, is your great challenge: to respond to the crippling refrains of
cultural consumerism with thoughtful and firm decisions, with research,
knowledge and sharing. (223)
Other areas of potential that can be harnessed
1. Prayer groups, including contemplative
2. Service opportunities
3. Arts: theatre, visual arts, music
4. Sports
5. Contact with and caring for nature
6. The Sacraments and other religious activities
7. Popular piety

8. Vocation
- Universal call to holiness, universal call to friendship The first thing we need to
discern and discover is this: Jesus wants to be a friend to every young person.
This discernment is the basis of all else. (CV 250)

● The life that Jesus gives us is a love story, a life history that wants to blend
with ours and sink roots in the soil of our own lives. That life is not salvation
up ‘in the cloud’ and waiting to be downloaded, a new ‘app’ to be discovered, or
a technique of mental self-improvement. Still less is that life a ‘tutorial’ for
finding out the latest news.
● The salvation that God offers us is an invitation to be part of a love story
interwoven with our personal stories (CV 252)
Personal vocation
- Your own personal vocation does not consist only in the work you do,
though that is an expression of it. Your vocation is something more: it is
a path guiding your many efforts and actions towards service to others.
So in discerning your vocation, it is important to determine if you see in
yourself the abilities needed to perform that specific service to society.
(CV 254)
- This gives greater value to everything you do. Your work stops being just
about making money, keeping busy or pleasing others. It becomes your
vocation because you are called to it; it is something more than merely
a pragmatic decision. In the end, it is a recognition of why I was made,
why I am here on earth, and what the Lord’s plan is for my life. (CV 255)
Particular discernment
- In the life of each young person, this “being there for others” normally has to
do with two basic issues: forming a new family and working. Surveys of young
 people repeatedly confirm that these are the two major issues worrying them
and, at the same time, exciting them. Both must be the object of particular
discernment. (CV 258)
Choose to marry
- Today, a culture of the ephemeral dominates, but it is an illusion. To think that
nothing can be definitive is a deceptive lie. “Today, there are those who say that
marriage is out of fashion... In a culture of relativism and the ephemeral, many
preach the importance of ‘enjoying’ the present moment. They say that it is not
worth making a lifelong commitment, making a definitive decision... I ask you,
instead, to be revolutionaries, I ask you to swim against the tide; yes, I am
asking you to rebel against this culture that sees everything as temporary and
that ultimately believes you are incapable of responsibility, incapable of true
love.” I have great confidence in you, and for this very reason, I urge you to opt
for marriage. (CV 264)
Work
- It is true that you cannot live without working, and that sometimes you have to
accept whatever is available, but I ask you never to give up on your dreams,
never completely bury a calling, and never accept defeat. Keep seeking at least
partial or imperfect ways to live what you have discerned to be your real calling.
(CV 272)
- When we discover that God is calling us to something, that this or that is what
we were made for – whether it be nursing, carpentry, communication,
engineering, teaching, art or any other kind of work – then we will be able to
summon up our best capacities for sacrifice, generosity and dedication.
Knowing that we don’t do things just for the sake of doing them, but rather we
endow them with meaning, as a response to a call that resounds in the depth
of our being to offer something to others: that is what makes these
occupations bring a sense of deep fulfilment.(CV 273)
Special Consecration
- In discerning your vocation, do not dismiss the possibility of devoting yourself
to God in the priesthood, the religious life or in other forms of consecration.
Why not? You can be sure that, if you do recognize and follow a call from God,
there you will find complete fulfilment. (CV 276)
9. Discernment
- I mentioned (in Gaudete et Exsultate) that all of us, but “especially the young,
are immersed in a culture of zapping. We can navigate simultaneously on two
or more screens and interact at the same time with two or three virtual
scenarios. Without the wisdom of discernment, we can easily become prey to
every passing trend.” Indeed, “this is all the more important when some
novelty presents itself in our lives. Then we have to decide whether it is new
wine brought by God or an illusion created by the spirit of this world or the
spirit of the devil”. (CV 279)
- When seeking to discern our own vocation, there are certain questions we
ought to ask. We should not start with wondering where we could make more
money, or achieve greater recognition and social status. Nor even by asking
 what kind of work would be most pleasing to us. If we are not to go astray, we
need a different starting point. (CV 285)
- To discern our personal vocation, we have to realize that it is a calling from a
friend, who is Jesus. When we give something to our friends, we give them the
best we have. It will not necessarily be what is most expensive or hard to
obtain, but whatwe know will make them happy. Friends are so sensitive to
this that they can already imagine the smile on their friend’s face when he or
she opens that gift. This sort of discernment that takes place among friends is
what I suggest you take as a model for trying to discover God’s will for your
lives. (CV 287)
- Who am I
- For whom am I
● There are many priests, men and women religious, lay and professional
persons, and indeed qualified young people, who can help the young with their
vocational discernment. When we are called upon to help others discern their
path in life, what is uppermost is the ability to listen. Listening calls for three
distinct and complementary kinds of sensitivity. (CV 291)
● The first kind of sensitivity is directed to the individual. It is a matter of
listening to someone who is sharing his very self in what he says…
● The second kind of sensitivity is marked by discernment. It tries to grasp
exactly where grace or temptation is present, for sometimes the things that flit
across our minds are mere temptations that can distract us from our true
path…
● The third kind of sensitivity is the ability to perceive what is driving the other
person. This calls for a deeper kind of listening, one able to discern the
direction in which that person truly wants to move…
● If you are to accompany others on this path, you must be the first to follow it,
day in and day out. (CV 298)