Activity on Social JusticeA. From the list of issues on social Justice, ask the students whether they AGREE or DISAGREE. Let them support their choice with fair and reasonable justification.
1.) A very generous family man gives a substantial portion of his salary to the poor thus denying his family members luxuries and sometimes even necessities. 2.) You are asked to write a letter of recommendation for a fellow worker who is rather mediocre on the job. You write a very flattering letter. 3.) No one should be refused membership in a club or institution or organization on the basis of sex. 4.) Poor people who are exempted from the payment of tax have no right to goods or services for which they cannot pay. 5.) The state should provide free abortions to anyone on request because all women have the right to control their own bodies. 6.) Rich Industrial Country’s disproportionate consumption of the world’s goods while so many are in abject poverty is objectively unjust. 7.) Every Filipino has the right to a college education. 8.) Health care should be provided by the state to all whether they can pay or not. 9.) Private schools have the right to exclude individuals who cannot meet their admission standards. B. (This is about a famous medical case which took place in recent years) A 39-year-old man was dying of a rare form of a bone marrow disease. He requested his cousin, the only suitable donor they could find, to undergo a painful operation, the purpose of which would be a bone marrow transplant. The cousin refused, saying he himself was in poor health and that his sick cousin had only a 50-50 chance to survive even with the transplant. In effect, he was saying he was under no obligation to donate his bone marrow. His sick cousin went to court to force the donation. The judge in the case declared that the cousin did not have to submit to the operation since he was under no legal obligation to do so. Discussion: In light of justice, did the cousin have the duty to donate some of his bone marrow? Why? C. Scripture Assignment. Check out the following references and make a short report on biblical teaching on justice. 1.) Lv. 19:9-10 (portion of harvest for the poor) 2.) Dt. 10:14-19 (the Lord and justice) 3.) Ps. 146:5-8 (the just Lord who feeds the hungry) 4.) Prv 21:13 (hear the cries of the poor) 5.) Am 5:21-24 (justice) 6.) Mt 14:15-21 (Jesus feeding the multitude) 7.) Lk 4:16-21 (helping the poor and oppressed) 8.) Lk 12:32-48 (to whom much is given is much required) 9.) Lk 16:19-31 (rich man and Lazarus) 10.) Jn 6:1-14 (Jesus as the bread for the world) 11.) Acts 2:42-47 (early Christian sharing) 12.) 1 Cor 11:17-33 (selfishness in the Christian community) 13.) 1 Tm 6:6-19 (be rich in generosity) 14.) Jas 2:14-17; 26 (faith without works is dead) D. Church Social Teaching Assignment. Check out the following major Church documents on social justice and make a short report on the following: 1.) their recommendations which would help poor nations develop; 2.) factors that prevent rich nations from helping the poor nations to a greater degree; and 3.) possible consequences of not helping the poor nations. 1.) Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum: On the Condition of Workers. Issued on the 15th of May 1891. Literally "Of New Things," on capital and labor and the condition of the working class. This was the most significant of all the encyclicals before or since. Rerum Novarum broke down the barriers that separated the church from the worker. Never before had the church spoken on social matters in such an official and comprehensive fashion. 2.)Pope Pius XI, Quadragesimo Anno: On the Reconstruction of the Social Order . Issued May 15, 1931. Literally "In forty Years," commemorating the fortieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum. 3.) Pope John XXIII, Mater et Magistra: Mother and Teacher and Pacem in Terris: Peace On Earth. Issued May 15, 1961. Literally "Mother and Teacher," on Christianity and Social progress. This encyclical gave an updated interpretation of the classic theme of private property and introduced the notion of private initiative as an extension of private property. While Rerum Novarum and Quadragesimo Anno left responsibility for social justice with the individual, Mater et Magistra placed some in the hands of the state. (this encyclical needs to be read in conjunction with Pacem in Terris, literally "Peace on Earth," Pope John XXIII's other great encyclical.) 4.)Pope Paul VI, Octogesima Adveniens: A Call to Action (May 14, 1971) Issued for the Eightieth Anniversary of Rerum Novarum Populorum Progressio: On the Development of People . Issued March 26, 1967. Literally "On the Progress of Peoples." A vigorous endorsement of Mater et Magistra, Populorum Progressio presented Catholicism as no longer tied to a social system based on natural law, but rather as a proponent of a pluralistic, decentralized approach to economic problems. 5.) JUSTICE IN THE WORLD, Synod of Bishops, Date: November 30, 1971 6.) Pope John Paul II, Laborem Exercens: On Human Work, Issued on September 14, 1981. Literally "On Human Work." Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, Populorum Progressio, Issued on December 30, 1987. Literally "On Social Concerns," commemorating the twentieth anniversary of Populorum Progressio. Centesimus Annus: The Hundredth Anniversary of Rerum Novarum, Issued on May 1, 1991. Literally, "The Hundredth Year," commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of Rerum Novarum. E. Locate local civic and religious organizations that need your help. Report on their needs. Participate in a fund-raising activity to arouse public attention to the problem at hand. F. Projects. 1.) Collect clothing for the needy 2.) Take some poor kids to an amusement park 3.) Visit a nursing home 4.) Check out and compare food prices in two or three different grocery stores in the city 5.) Interview at least 5 to 10 public utility jeepney (PUJ) drivers on their income and expenses per day. 6.) Tutor some public elementary school kids or street children. 7.)The students are asked to write an essay on “The contribution of the Catholic Church in the Philippines to Social Justice.” 8.) The students will summarize the social teaching of PCP II on the pertinent marginal sector where their immersion took place. |
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