Human Dignity in the

Redemptive Act of Christ

and Introductory Concepts
on Man and Society
Activity: News Article Reflection

• Does the dignity of

man vanish after he
commits a crime?
• Can one place value
on the dignity of a
human being?
Explain why or why
not?
Activity: News Article Reflection

• "No one can say

that you are a
hopeless case."
Cardinal Tagle to
drug dependents
undergoing
rehabilitation
Activity: Video Clip (SANLAKBAY)
Redemptions of God in the Old Testament:
a. Protoevangelium
b. liberation of Israelites from Egyptian slavery
c. liberation of Israelites during the time of the Judges
The promise of salvation brought about by sins of our ancestors is
fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He was Incarnated by obedience of Mary,
preached the Gospel, suffered and died on the Cross for redemption
of all. This is a testament to the dignity of human beings that despite
of the Fall and sinful nature, God affirms, transcends the elevated
nature of humanity.
 Christ’s Redemptive Act

A. In His Incarnation
B. In His Hidden Life
C. In His Word through Teachings,
Parables, Beatitudes, Prayers and
Proclamation of the Kingdom of
God;
D. In His Healings (of a leper, blind
man, etc.) and Exorcisms (of the
Gerasene demoniac, of a boy
possessed by a demon, etc.);
E. In His Resurrection.
 A. Redemption through Incarnation

• With the Nicene Creed, we …Christ Jesus, who, though he was

answer by confessing: "For in the form of God, did not count
us men and for our salvation equality with God a thing to be
he came down from heaven; grasped, but emptied himself,
by the power of the Holy taking the form of a servant, being
Spirit, he became incarnate born in the likeness of men… Phil.
of the Virgin Mary, and was 2:5-7
made man.“ CCC 517
• The Church calls
"Incarnation" the fact that
the Son of God assumed a
human nature in order to
accomplish our salvation in
it.
 B. Redemption in His Hidden Life

• During the greater part of his life,

Jesus shared the condition of the
vast majority of human beings: a
daily life spent without evident
greatness, a life of manual labor.
• His religious life was that of a Jew
obedient to the law of God and a
life in the community.
• From this whole period it is
revealed to us that Jesus was
"obedient" to his parents and that
he "increased in wisdom and in
stature, and in favor with God and
man."
C. Redemption in His Word through Teachings,
Parables, Beatitudes, Prayers and Proclamation of
the Kingdom of God
D. Redemption in His Healings (of a leper, blind
man, etc.) and Exorcisms (of the Gerasene
demoniac, of a boy possessed by a demon, etc.);
E. Redemption in His Resurrection

• The Resurrection of Jesus is

the crowning truth of our
faith in Christ, a faith
believed and lived as the
central truth … and
preached as an essential
part of the Paschal mystery
along with the cross.
E. Redemption in His Resurrection

• Jesus’ words, deeds and suffering had for its aim restoring fallen
man to his original vocation. The Scriptures had foretold this
divine plan of salvation through the putting to death of the
righteous one as a mystery of universal redemption, that is, as
the ransom that would free men from the slavery of sin.
• He calls for reconciliation of those who lived in sin in which is due
because of dignity of human person bestowed by the Creator.
 Christ continues to reveal Himself to us and expressed in
different ways particularly through our conversion and redemption.
The ultimate destination of our
human pilgrimage: to return to the
Father
a. Israelites in the Promised Land
b. Parable of the Prodigal Son by
Pope Francis
a. Israelites in the Promised Land
In the Old Testament, the Israelites journeyed to the Promised Land led
by Moses. This pilgrimage of faith from deliverance from Egyptian
slavery to the land given to them by God so that He can establish
Himself a relationship that was lost due to sin of Adam. The covenant
that God established with Abraham, chosen to be the father of a
multitude of nations, opens the way for the human family to make a
return to the Father.
b. Parable of the Prodigal Son by Pope Francis
In the parable of the Prodigal Son, Pope Francis described the father,
with patience, love, hope, and mercy had never for a second stopped
thinking about his lost son. And as soon as he sees him still far off, he
runs out to meet him and embraces him with tenderness, the
tenderness of God, without a word of reproach: his son has returned!
and that causes the joy of the father. In that embrace for his son, the
Pope exclaimed, is all that joy. The Pope reminded us that God is
always waiting for us; he never grows tired. Jesus shows us this
merciful patience of God so that we can regain confidence, hope-
always. God's patience has to call forth in us the courage to return to
him, however many mistakes and sins there may be in our life. For
we are not numbers, we are the most important thing to him.
(Merciful Father, 2016)
Redemption of those who became slave of sin finds its
foundation to the dignity of human person and redemption by
Christ through the programs of the Church, government and other
groups.
Example of Restorative Justice Being Done by
the State:
The Philippine government through Bureau of
Corrections adheres and believes that all
persons have dignity whether one is a criminal
or not. Example of this manifestation is its
rehabilitation programs. Its functions are:
• to safe keep prisoners convicted by courts,
• prevent prisoners from committing crimes,
• provide inmates basic needs,
• ensure rehabilitation programs are made
available to the inmates for their physical,
intellectual and spiritual development, and
• develop livelihood programs to assist
inmates earn a living and develop their
skills while in prison.
The Bureau of Corrections' logo or seal also summarizes its goal
featuring a rehabilitated inmate (white) while in custody of the
seven (7) prisons and penal farms (bars) thru educational,
therapeutic, productive approaches and restorative justice. He
looks forward to a brighter future (rays of the sun), but would
need the assistance of his family and loved ones, the society and
the church, for him to completely undergo transformation and re-
integrates successfully in the community.
"Prison life can acquire human features and
be enriched by a spiritual dimension...
should be considered an essential element
in a penal system that is more in conformity
with human dignity.
Punishment cannot be reduced to mere
retribution, much less take the form of
social retaliation or a sort of institutional
vengeance. Punishment and imprisonment
have meaning if, while maintaining the
demands of justice and discouraging crime,
they serve the rehabilitation of the
individual by offering those who have made
a mistake an opportunity to reflect and to
change their lives in order to be fully
reintegrated into society."
- St John Paul II (Jubilee in Prisons, 2009)
Introductory Concepts on Man
and Society

The human person is by nature a

social being. They are relational
beings, who are free and
responsible, recognizes the
necessity of integrating
themselves in cooperation with
fellow human beings, and who is
capable of communion with
them. They belong to various
societies such as family, civil and
religious communities, and are
bound together by a principle of
unity and common good.
Each community is defined by its purpose and consequently
obeys specific rules; but "the human person . . . is and
ought to be the principle, the subject and the end of all
social institutions.
- CCC 1881
A society is a group of persons bound together organically by
a principle of unity that goes beyond each one of them. As an
assembly that is at once visible and spiritual, a society
endures through time... He rightly owes loyalty to the
communities of which he is part and respect to those in
authority who have charge of the common good.
- CCC 1880
Common Good: Three Essential Elements

• First, the common good presupposes respect for the person

as such.
• Second, the common good requires the social well-being
and development of the group itself. Development is the
epitome of all social duties.
• Finally, the common good requires peace, that is, the
stability and security of a just order.

 Each human community possesses a common good which

permits it to be recognized as such; it is in the political
community that its most complete realization is found.
Both the Church and the State
recognizes family as the most
important unit of the society.
• It is the original cell of social life.
A natural society in which husband
and wife are called to give
themselves in love and in the gift
of life...
• The family is the community in
which, from childhood, one can
learn moral values, begin to honor
God, and make good use of
freedom.
• Family life is an initiation into life
in society. - CCC 2207
Thus, the family must be helped and
defended by appropriate social
1987 Philippine Constitution
Article XV. The Family
Section 1. The State
recognizes the Filipino family
as the foundation of the
nation. Accordingly, it shall
strengthen its solidarity and
actively promote its total
development.
Section 2. Marriage, as an
inviolable social institution, is
the foundation of the family
and shall be protected by the
State.
Where families cannot fulfill
their responsibilities, other
social bodies have the duty
of helping them and of
supporting the institution of
the family. Following the
principle of subsidiarity,
larger communities should
take care not to usurp the
family's prerogatives or
interfere in its life. - CCC
2209
For example, the Department of
Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD) has a mandate to take
custody of abandoned children:
"In response to inquiries on cases
of child abandonment, the
Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) stressed
that its primary mandate is to
intervene on behalf of abandoned
children to ensure their welfare
and protection. This came at the
heels of cases of children being
abandoned in public places.."
- "DSWD can take custody of abandoned children,
foundlings." Department of Social Welfare and
Development website. March 28, 2018
To promote the participation of the greatest number in the
life of a society, the creation of voluntary associations and
institutions must be encouraged... This "socialization" also
expresses the natural tendency for human beings to associate
with one another for the sake of attaining objectives that
exceed individual capacities. It develops the qualities of the
person, especially the sense of initiative and responsibility,
and helps guarantee his rights.
- CCC 1882
Our laws also support the formation of these organizations:
a. 1987 Philippine Constitution
Article XIII. Section 23. The State shall encourage non-
governmental, community-based, or sectoral organizations
that promote the welfare of the nation.
b. Civil Code of the Philippines
Article 32… (12) The right to become a member of
associations or societies for purposes not contrary to law;
Excessive intervention by the state
can threaten personal freedom and
initiative. The teaching of the
Church has elaborated the principle
of subsidiarity, according to which
"a community of a higher order
should not interfere in the internal
life of a community of a lower order,
depriving the latter of its functions,
but rather should support it in case
of need and help to co- ordinate its
activity with the activities of the rest
of society, always with a view to the
common good."
- CCC 1883
Enumerate various organizations here in
UST (or other schools), from NGOs,
Church or Government and assess if their
objectives correspond to the basic
concepts of man and society learned.