Reflections on CFC-ANCOP in the

Light of Caritas In Veritate1

1. The "Common Good"
The more we strive to secure a common good corresponding to the real needs of our
neighbours, the more effectively we love them. (para 7)

The "common good" that ANCOP aims to address is assumed but not categorically stated. GK's attempt
to categorically state the "common good" as "nation-building" has caused its leadership to be alienated
from the "common good" that the Church wants: is no less than preparing everyone to the borderless
Kingdom of God on earth. It's more than just loving God and neighbor, which almost sounds like a one-
way street. With technology that destroys borders among nations today, it seems easier for the people of
today to see what the Church means; and why.
It is useful to remember that while globalization should certainly be understood as a socio-
economic process, this is not its only dimension. Underneath the more visible process,
humanity itself is becoming increasingly interconnected. (para 42)

I think it will be in greater communion with the Catholic Church to state that ANCOP wants everyone
(the rich and the poor) to contribute productively to the progress of mankind, leaving no one behind (yes,
this can refer to either rich and poor too). We don't want anyone to go to hell, as much as we don't want
anyone to beg for scraps on earth (Luke 16:19-31)2.
The development of peoples depends, above all, on a recognition that the human race is a
single family working together in true communion, not simply a group of subjects who happen
to live side by side. (para 53)

1
A discussion document submitted by Bro Marvin Macatol to the leadership of CFC West B on April 3, 2010, Black
Saturday, for purposes of clarifying the direction of Ligaya-Escopa 3 GK Village in its transition to ANCOP
2
Luke 16: 19-31 - The Rich Man and Lazarus ...

19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was
laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the
dogs came and licked his sores. 22 "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's
side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far
away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip
the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

25 "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received
bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great
chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there
to us.' 27 "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let
him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

29 "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' 30" 'No, father Abraham,' he said,
'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' 31 "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and
the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "
2. The Value of Human Life
A society lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it asserts values such as the dignity
of the person, justice and peace, but then, on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by
allowing or tolerating a variety of ways in which human life is devalued and violated, especially
where it is weak or marginalized. (para 15)

The intensity with which the Church reminded CFC to uphold

life---even to the extent of not accepting donations from
pharmaceutical companies---shows up again here. This
therefore validates the vision of ANCOP, which includes
among others the defense of life and creation.

Openness to life is at the centre of true development.

When a society moves towards the denial or
suppression of life, it ends up no longer finding the
necessary motivation and energy to strive for man's true
good. (para 28c)

3. The Holistic Approach

The truth of development consists in its completeness: if it does not involve the whole man and
every man, it is not true development. (para 18)

Even as we attempt to address the material (or economic) needs of our beneficiaries, Caritas In Veritate
says that it will not be complete without addressing the "whole man" and "every man." That to me means
a "total work" involving the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs of the beneficiaries.

My first reaction to this was, "this is going to be a lot of work!" But that very reaction stemmed from a
subliminal assumption that it is us who will do all the work. That's not the case. In fact, a lot of
development work performed below expectations because of this assumption.

First and foremost, it is God's work. While we are God's instruments, it is our duty to look at beneficiaries
as capable people, for the simple reason that they too are God's creations. Every ANCOP volunteer
therefore, me included, need to be reminded that all our prayer, words and actions in the field must be
aimed to build up the people into their truest nature: capable beings made in the image and likeness of
God, just like the rest of us.

4. Building up the "Will"

The causes of underdevelopment are not primarily of the material order. He invited us to
search for them in other dimensions of the human person: first of all, in the will, which often
neglects the duties of solidarity; secondly in thinking, which
does not always give proper direction to the will. (para 19)

Mention of the word "will" has that struck me. Indeed, many of
the beneficiaries that we encounter have lost the motivation to go
beyond mere survival. Isn't this what Pope Benedict XVI refers to?
I think it is.

Loss of "will" causes people to be indifferent to events around

them. The resulting "thinking" or world view is "victim thinking"
or lack of responsibility over things that happen to them. To me, reawakening the "will" is a critical part
in the intervention of ANCOP; without which, other programs---especially those pertaining to Livelihood-
--will not be absorbed well.

Rekindling hope to me is one thing. It offers a good start. But

rekindling the "I will succeed by grace" is the next step. How
do we rekindle that? How do we help them put up livelihood
groups and cooperatives and rest on the thought that the
people have the will to sustain it? How do we organize
scholarship and rest on the thought that the scholars will have
the will to find good jobs or put up businesses?

These are questions in my mind that search for answers as of this writing; but they're good questions to
ask, especially in the light of the following:

Being out of work or dependent on public or private

assistance for a prolonged period undermines the
freedom and creativity of the person and his family and
social relationships, causing great psychological and
spiritual suffering. (para 25)

The challenge for us isn't just to provide all the assistance we

can muster; but to also work and pray for their psychological
and spiritual healing. They need to develop the mindset that:

(a) they are precious enough in God's eyes to deserve all the help they are getting
(b) they are capable of being responsible stewards of such blessings.

(Thinking out loud: we all need to have this mindset)

5. Catholic Religiosity vs Living in the Modern World

Deliberate promotion of religious indifference or practical atheism on the part of many
countries obstructs the requirements for the development of peoples, depriving them of
spiritual and human resources. (para 29b)

Contrary to the mindset of nominal Catholics, the Church has

been empowering the laity to participate more actively in
developing paths towards holiness under the teachings of the
Magisterium. This is precisely to ensure that the Church
remains to be relevant to the lives of the faithful. We can't all
be priests, nuns or monks. So where does that lead us? We're
either led towards practical atheism (Sunday Catholics) or led
towards associations of the laity, among which is Couples for
Christ, in order to live out our faith on a daily basis.

Still others need more than just that. They want the Church to help them succeed in business and life.
Oxymoron? Not so, according to Bo Sanchez, the popular lay Catholic preacher who dedicates his life to
teach Catholics to draw inspiration from their faith in pursuing success in the modern world. I happen to
be a big listener of this guy. Many of those who come to his "Feasts" on Sundays are professionals and
businessmen who want to listen to something new and refreshing from Church preachers. They are
looking, most of all, for teachings that they can readily apply to their life.
How do we present ANCOP to the villages such that we don't just become the instruments of material
blessings; but also as messengers for them to succeed in life? I think the key is in developing a program
that seek to awaken their "will" (see Item #4 above) in the light of the inspiration from the gospel.

6. Duties and Rights

An overemphasis on rights leads to a disregard for duties. Duties set a limit on rights because
they point to the anthropological and ethical framework of which rights are a part (para 43)

Our country's history had a period of widespread oppression in

the 1970s and early 80s and subsequent revolt of the people in
1986. This then was a time when the words "people's rights"
became a rallying cry in almost every rally.

Incidentally what I saw followed was a time when people

forgot about their duties. Vote buying was (and is) rampant.
Yet, it was always someone else's fault. Blame was (and is)
the name of the game.

In the context of our present socio-political environment,

reminding people about their duties is of prime importance.
This is where, I think, GK is correct in instituting values
formations and Kapitbahayan Management Trainings at the
outset. But it soon proved not enough in many cases; because
much as we remind them about their civic duties, we need to
help them be grounded on the more fundamental duties
towards God. It has been a common experience in GK villages
to "solve" intra-Kapitbahayan conflicts by letting everyone go
through a Christian Life Program.

Reminding people about love for God and neighbor as basic commandments has the "magic" of rendering
moot and academic many of the petty quarrels that plague the villages. When people are in the mode of
sharing each one's time, talent and treasures, it is amazing how no one has to fight for his "right" for they
become freely given and given away. This is what builds community.
Because it is a gift received by everyone, charity in truth is a force that builds community (para
34b)

The work in ANCOP is more than just work for the poor. It is part of the overall work of God in building
his Kingdom here on earth, through the Catholic Church. It is the Kingdom with a "yoke" that is easy: to
love God and neighbor. God is the root of human values that many secular people espouse. To isolate
human value from God is to isolate human value from its source.

Openness to God makes us open towards our brothers and sisters and towards an
understanding of life as a joyful task to be accomplished in a spirit of solidarity. On the other
hand, ideological rejection of God and an atheism of indifference, oblivious to the Creator and
at risk of becoming equally oblivious to human values, constitute some of the chief obstacles to
development today. (para 78)

A fundamental part of our job in ANCOP therefore is to guide people towards being mindful of their
duties as God's creations, first and foremost; and, secondly, of their duties towards fellow man.
Knowledge of our duties to God make us more able to deal with our duties to our neighbors.
7. Fruitful Dialogue Between Believers and Non-Believers
Fruitful dialogue between faith and reason cannot but render the work of charity more effective
within society, and it constitutes the most appropriate framework for promoting fraternal
collaboration between believers and non-believers in their shared commitment to working for
justice and the peace of the human family. (para 57)

A nagging thought in the work for the poor is the fact that not all donors and beneficiaries share the same
faith as we do. What Pope Benedict XVI prescribes is fruitful dialogue. This may in fact be what GK is
already doing, which has paved the way for GK to operate in Muslim areas in the south.

In the light of ANCOP, I don't see why we should do things differently. We may however need to be
more conscious of the word "Fruitful" that goes with the word "Dialogue." What can "fruitful" mean?

From the context of the paragraph, it sounds to me that, to engage in "fruitful dialogue" is to develop the
skills to translate Church doctrines into the language of the listener. Saint Paul did this in Athens in Acts
17:16-343 ANCOP volunteers, it appears to me, needs to develop the same courage and articulateness.

8. An Affirmation for Cooperatives

In the retail industry, particularly at times like the present when purchasing power has
diminished and people must live more frugally, it is necessary to explore other paths: for
example, forms of cooperative purchasing like the consumer cooperatives that have been in
operation since the nineteenth century, partly through the initiative of Catholics. (para 66)

That's self explanatory. Let's go all out with Coops for Christ and the CFC Coop Federation.

3
Acts 17:16-34 (New International Version)

16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So
he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day
with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him.
Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign
gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they
took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new
teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what
they mean." 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about
and listening to the latest ideas.)

22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very
religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this
inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples
built by hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men
life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the
whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this
so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28
'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

29 "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—
an image made by man's design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all
people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has
appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear
you again on this subject." 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 A few men became followers of Paul and believed.
Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.