Issues affecting the Quality of Life

A. Prisoners and Death Penalty

1. Read Matthew 25:34-41
2. The PCP II recognizes the urgency of the Church’s apostolate for prisoners. The
Lord Himself suffered in prison.
The Church has two overriding considerations in her special concern for
prisoners. The first is based on the attitude of the Lord towards those who have
strayed from the right path. He sought them and aided them, reconciling Him
with his Father [ the Prodigal Son ]. The second, Jesus underlined assistance to
prisoners as one of the works of love that is a mark of discipleship: “ I was…in
prison and you visited me..whatever you did for one of these least brothers of
mine, you did for me.”

In the future the Church has to identify its advocacy of more humane conditions
in prisons, more humane treatment of prisoners, the release of those unjustly
detained., as well as the integration of those who have been released into life in
society. Above all, the Church must ensure that the Church can offer by way of
Catechesis, prayer, and the sacraments.

3. To be a prisoner means to cease to live a life, to stop from growing and from
moving on---and may even mean dying.
The dignity of the human person is not only made available to those who are
righteous but to the sinners as well.
• Christ brings dignity to humankind and the reason why he was sent here is for the
sinner to be liberated and be given a new hope and life.
• This dignity is not only true to the righteous persons but greatly is address to all
sinners… especially the neglected, those people being imprisoned.
• Jesus underlined assistance to prisoner as one of the works of love that is mark of
discipleship… “I was in prison you visited me… whatever you did for one of these least
brothers of mine, you did it for me… Mt. 25:31-46
• Jesus himself showed a compassionate heart to the sinners, this is the very reason
why he was sent by the Father and offered his very life – for the sinners, out cast.
• Freedom is a shared capacity with other in the community for choosing – not
anything at all – but what is the good, in order to become our true selves. It involves both:
Freedom from, whatever opposes our self-becoming with others in the community.
Freedom from growing as full persons before God and our fellow human persons, in
authentic love. (CFC # 720)
• We experience freedom most naturally in our free choice to act or not to act, or not
to do something. We accept responsibility for these acts. Besides our individual free acts
there is the very freedom of our very self formed gradually by our free acts. Often called
fundamental freedom or option, is not primarily a psychological term, but rather refers to
our “moral being”. (CFC # 721)
• We also oppose death penalty because it is contrary to our belief to a God who
gives life and forgives a repentant sinner. Every sinner has the capacity by the help of the
grace of God to renew him/herself and to start anew.
Issues Affecting the Value of Human Work

A. Child Labor

Gen. 1: 27-28 God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male
and female he created them, saying: “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea, birds of the air, and all the living things that
move on the earth.’

Laborem Exercens 40 (LE40) - Work is a good thing for man – a good thing for his
humanity – because through work man not only transforms nature, adapating it to his
own needs, but he also achieves fulfil,ent as as human being and indeed, in a sense,
becomes “more human being”

LE defines work as a transitive activity. It is a sustained human effort done for a purpose.
It includes the ordinary, everyday routine work from homemaking in the family, to the
production of goods in the companies, and running the work agencies. Hence, work
refers not only to paid jobs but covers all human activities without which the human race
would not be fed, clothed, kept healthy,

The Value of Human work may be classified into two aspects

1. Objective Dimension – Work as an output
a. This refers to work as a source of output, products of human efforts; the goods
made or the services rendered which enable man to earn a living (daily bread)

2. Subjective Dimension – Work gives man his greatness

a. Work is a force that contributes to the progress and development of the self
and the society
b. Work is an avenue for self- actualization and assertion of human dignity
c. Work helps build relationships and promotes responsibilities.
d. Works is for the common good – Every piece of work done by any person is a
part of the whole daily operation of the world – it serves to add to the heritage of the
whole human family , of all the people living in the world (LE 10)
e. Labor is more important that capital.

In the context of child labor, most, if not all the basic principles under the subjective
dimension of work are violated. Children forced to do tasks which are neither age-
appropriate, nor developmentally appropriate.

Spirituality of Human Work

As Christians, we see our work as our way to participate in God’s creative and
redemptive works
1. Participation in God’s creative Work. – work is mandated to human persons as a
vocation through which they can manifest their being creted as suc and at the same time,
share in God’songoing creation. God’s creative power is reflected inhuman work, which
is both unique and universal in character.

2. Collaboration with Christ’s redemptive mission. – Work is supposed to help us turn

our daily activities as experiences of the Christ’s ongoing epiphany (Christophany –
Christ’s ways of making himself known and fostering his friendship to us)

3. Cooperation with the work of the Holy Spirit. In the Spirit of Christ’s Salvific
Mission, we are called to conquer our laziness and transcend to our self vested interests.

Church Teachings on Child Labor

1. The Church’s social doctrine onstatnlypoints out the need to respect the dignity of
children. “ In the family, which is a community of persons, special attention must be
devoted to the children by developing a profound esteem for their personal dignity, and a
gret respect and generous concern for their rights. Familiaris Consortio111-112

2. The rights of children must be legally protected within juridical systems.

3. The situation of a vast number of the world’s children is far from being satisfactory,
due to the lack of favourable conditions for their integral development despite the
existence of a specific international juridical instrument for protecting their rights, an
instrument that is binding on practically all members of international community.
(Convention on the Rights of the Child),

Issues Affecting the Poor and the Vulnerable

Homelessness and Hunger

The principle of the universal destination of goods requires that the poor, the
marginalized and in all cases those whose living conditions interfere with the proper
growth should be the focus of particular concern. To this end, preferential option for the
poor should be reaffirmed in all its force. (pls. read the CLE book – “Called to Grow in
Christian social Responsibility - Chapter 7)

Biblical References on Hunger and Homelessness

1. Mt 25: 40, 45
2. Mt 26: 11, Mk 14: 7, Jn 12: 8
3. Mt. 25: 31- 46