We watched a documentary titled Pinakatagong Lihim ng Simbahan (The

Innermost Secret of the Church) which focuses on the Churchs social teachings
regarding workers and laborers. It also expounds on the Churchs contributions
to the society via its basic ecclesial communities (BEC) which aims to contribute
to the well-being of the society. The documentary began by briefly explaining the
Social Teachings of the Church. The documentary explains that in 1991, Pope John
Paul II wrote Centissimus Anus to stress the social teachings of the Church which was
emphasized in Pope Leo XIIIs Rerum Novarum in 1891. The first part shows the
plight of informal settlers in Paco, Manila. As we watched the documentary, I felt
pity towards these oppressed poor people and how the government apparently
failed to protect their rights during those times. (There was even a segment wherein
the informal settlers failed to petition the Manila City council to intervene in their land
dispute, only because the councilors themselves were absent.) Clearly, these peoples
rights to a full and descent life as stated in the Seven Key Themes of the Catholic Social
Teachings are violated. The Preferential Option for the Poor, as how the Church
teaches, should be the basis of public policy in governments. We should always
have a preferential option for the poor, namely, to create conditions for
marginalized voices to be heard, to defend the defenseless, and to assess
policies and social institutions in terms of their impact on the poor. The
documentary teaches how the Church of the Poor "gives preferential attention
and time to those who are poor, and will generously share of their own resources
in order to alleviate their poverty and make them recognize the love of the Lord
for them despite their poverty." The documentary also vividly describes how the
informal settlers were forced to live in houses only suitable for dogs, a very pitiful
statement that shows that their situation is undignified for a human person. The
Church teaches that we should be Stewards of Gods Creation and that the abuse of
the environment by the powerful few results to poverty. Since the first part of the
documentary exposes the inequality of land distribution, it taught us that owning a
property should not be absolute, and should be limited by the concepts of the "universal
destiny of the goods of the earth". I felt that there is a need for this doctrine to be taught
and implemented more aggressively among the faithful, as large conglomerates
continue to own excessive amounts of land, forcing the poorer masses of people to
squat and suffer in poverty. I sincerely believe that everyone has a right to have a full
and decent life that is, they should have a decent employment, education and health
care.

The second part of the documentary shows the churchs contributions in
protecting the environment. It also depicts the lives of the people in a Basic
Ecclesial Community (BEC). For me, it was heartwarming a good to see the faithful of
Bukidnon celebrating mass together and even eating together with the parish priest. It
reminds me on how Jesus disciples used to break bread together. It was very nice to
see how the Archbishop of Bukidnon led the priests and the faithful in a tree-
planting project in an attempt to reforest the already deforested mountains of
Bukidnon. It is also good to see the lay people, members of the BEC, conduct
Bible sharing among each other. The churchs projects there are effective in
maintaining solidarity a key theme in the Catholic Social Teachings. The BEC also
serves another key theme, a Call to Family, Community, and Participation as the
Diocese of Bukidnon enhances social and economic unity among the lay faithful. With
these projects, I believe that the Church of the Poor is definitely seeding societal
progress and good environmental stewardship. Overall, these projects fulfill the
Churchs Social Teachings.

On Some Contemporary Issues
Injustice, or should we say, rampant injustice and/or abuse of authority, is a
contemporary moral issue we are currently facing. It is defined as either the absence, or
the opposite, of justice. It is also tied to corruption; since corrupt minds have the
tendency to misjudge between what is right or wrong. Here I shall also tackle a severe
form of injustice, human rights violations.As I have observed, injustice was already
rampant since ancient times. Even in Biblical times, particularly in the Old Testament,
injustice was present even in the Israelite society. In Ecclesiastes 3:16, it says, I saw
under the sun in the place of judgment wickedness, and in the place of justice
iniquity. (Douay-Rheims Version) I have observed that even Gods chosen people were
susceptible to being harbingers of injustice. Some Kings of Israel and Kings of Judah
were corrupt and disobedient to the Lord. According to tradition, King Manasseh of
Judah had the Prophet Isaiah sawn in half. In my opinion, this is an example of injustice
as Isaiah wasnt evil and he didnt deserve such inhumane treatment. He merely did his
job as a prophet. Another example is Naboths execution brought by a false accusation.
The conspirers were King Ahab of Israel and Jezebel his wife, a Phoenician. Daniel the
post-exilic prophet was placed in the lions den being innocent, as his opponents
manipulated a loophole in the kings edict to have him imprisoned. Finally, Jesus the
very Son of God was crucified despite being sinless. This shows how even Biblical
characters, especially the godly pious ones, experienced injustice here on earth. Even
until modern times, some people are falsely accused. The United States Department of
Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, admits that statistically 8% to 12% of all state
prisoners are either actually or factually innocent. In the Philippines, it is sometimes
fairly common to hear innocent prisoners suffering in prison due to a slow justice
system.This I have observed. Sometimes, even those who commit petty crimes are
viciously tortured to death. This is a clear violation of human rights. Everyone has the
right to due process. Justice should be served in the correct way.

I felt pity to them, and I think I could help by raising awareness against the dangers of
being falsely convicted. I have also learned that many great thinkers have discussed on
this subject, emphasizing human weakness (imperfect mankind) as the common cause
of falling into sin. I believe we should strive hard and lessen our blame on our inherent
susceptibility to sin. St. Augustine, in his De Libero Arbitrio, states that "All nature in so
far as it is nature is good. For if it is incorruptible it is better than a corruptible nature;
and if it is corruptible, since in corruption it becomes less good, it without doubt is good.
But all nature is corruptible or incorruptible. Consequently all nature is good." I believe
there are many root causes in such cases, ranging from human imperfection to pure evil
malignant intentions. We should continue to strive and take action, if we can help,
against anything that would take away the dignity of the human persons. In 1965, Pope
Paul VIs Pastoral Constitution titled GaudiumEtSpes tackled many things. In Chapter
IV, it reads: With integrity and wisdom, they must take action against any form of
injustice and tyranny, against arbitrary domination by an individual or a political party
and any intolerance. They should dedicate themselves to the service of all with sincerity
and fairness, indeed, with the charity and fortitude demanded by political life.

It is clear that all of us, the Faithful, lay or clergy alike, has a role in being social
transformers helping drive out any form of injustice that degrades the dignity of the
human person.