ON PEACE, JUSTICE AND THE POOR

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PEACE

a rational and moral order of society that

is rooted in God, who desires that we all live in harmonious relationship with

one another in freedom and dignity

fullness of life, the respect for human

rights, and the development of human persons.

What

peace is not:

absence of war or conflict

this is why a person can be quiet and still

be in trouble.

UNDERSTANDING

THE TRUE VALUE OF LAW

Natural

Law –

the law that governs the human nature.

1-3: Love of God

4-10: Love of Neighbor

Acts

of Man – acts made by impulse

Human

Acts

– your choice to do whatever you did or when you think before you act

Why

follow law?

“Those who claim their rights yet altogether forget or

neglect to carry out their respective duties are people who build with one hand

and destroy it with the other.” – Pope John XXIII

Does

following the law violate personal freedom?

No. They help us achieve our personal goals. These laws

direct us to become the best person we could be.

What

is a just law?

1.

Ordinance

of reason.

-

a good law must be reasonable.

-

It must be a product of careful and serious

deliberation.

-

It should not be based merely on the whim,

emotions, or sentiments of individual or a group

2.

It

must be properly promulgated.

-

It must be clearly communicated to all

people.

LIMITATIONS

OF THE LAW

Limitation

of Words

-

Words are not enough to completely translate

or express the human values enshirened in the moral norms of the natural law

and so of human rights.

Unjust

Laws

-

Human-made laws, being a product of human

minds, so not necessarily correspond to, nor aptly reflect, the natural law.

-

Laws become unjust because of selfish

intents and abuse of power.

-

Because of the complexity of communal life,

it is difficult to give full justice to all in the face of conflicting claims.

Implementation

of Laws

-

The life of the law depends on human beings.

Even if the law is good and just, if it is implemented with people with selfish

motives, then it defeats its purpose and become unjust.

3.

It

must be decreed by competent authority.

-

Only persons with legitimate authority have

the power to create and implement laws for their respective communities.

4.

It

is ought to be for the sake of the common good.

-

It must promote and respect man’s dignity

and true freedom of each person.

-

It should foster the social well-being and

authentic development of the community itself.

-

It should promote true and lasting peace

within society.

Two

wrong attitudes towards the law:

-

Treating the law lightly

-

Following the law to the letter

JUSTICE

Commutative

-

The virtue that regulates those actions

which involves the right between one individual and another individual.

-

The rules of commutative justice are precise

and accurate. They concern the situations where one individual acts against

another. The crime, the perpetrator and the victim are all identifiable to

everyone.

Ex:

someone assaults you

-

Restitution is a requirement (punishment for

the perpetrator)

-

Measures the mutual exchanges between

persons in society.

-

Contracts must be honored.

Distributive

-

Governs the relationship between society and

members.

-

Specifies the community’s obligations to

distribute certain goods to the individual in just proportion to his

contributions and needs.

-

The government, which has the charge over

the people, should equitably distribute benefits as well as burdens to every

citizen.

What

then is the role of the government?

-

The government must create structures and

systems to deliver services like health, education, safety, good

infrastructures, etc.

Contributive

-

Is the obligation to contribute one’s fair

share of time, talent and/or money to the common good.

-

Is the moral obligation that is commonly

articulated and measured in terms of the people’s obedience to the legal

constitutions.

Social

-

Refers to the absence or eradication of

unjust social structures, systems, or constitutions.

-

Actual exercise of social justice, everyone

is involved: leaders and members, rich or poor.

PREFERENTIAL

OPTION FOR THE POOR

Myth #1: The poor are lazy.

The real problem: They are poorly educated.

Myth #2: The poor have many children to feed and

support.

The real problem: Unequal distribution of goods.

What

does the Church teach us about poverty?

-

The root of poverty is beyond laziness or

mismanaged economic goods. It is actually MORAL DEGRADATION.

-

When people begin to disregard others’

interests, they become selfish and selfishness is the root of poverty.

Response

of the Church to Poverty: Preferential Option of for the Poor

How

do we practice it?

Seeing

through the eyes of the poor

Working

with the poor

Working

for them

Trusting

God’s Providence

Practicing

the evangelical meaning of poverty:

Understand the proper

place and role of material things

Share what we possess to

the poor as a sign of gratitude to God.

Work hard to improve

society.

Continue to hope in

spite of material impoverishment.

PEACE & LAW

LAW

JUSTICE

JUSTICE pg.2

ON THE POOR