Principles of Catholic Social Teaching (CST)

As part of Catholic Social Teaching 504, we viewed various readings and videos.
The following points highlight what stood out for me:

• Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle states “If the church won’t do it then who else?” This is a relatively simple statement that has a powerful message.
• Recognising that everyone has something important to contribute to society.  In Pope Francis’ words…”each of us has a gift to share, a service to offer for building up the Body of Christ in love.” If the Church works with external support groups and we all do our bit then we can better contribute to our faith community and society. How do we band together with others to achieve this?
• Encountering the poor as a fellow poor person. God modelled this for us when he incarnated himself as Jesus in a poor family. Most of our students don’t see great needs of poverty in their daily lives. We need to determine who the poor and vulnerable in our society are and show them love by putting them first. I liked how the decile 7 school in Rotorua showed faith in action by helping those in need. Being charitable towards the poor is not that difficult for us. We could adopt a similar hands on approach.
• It is better to be proactive rather than reactive in terms of climate change. We seem to be in a reactive stage. We do basic recycling however, we need to do more by increasing awareness to care for generations to come and considering the reciprocal effects of our actions towards the poor and vulnerable.
• Msgr Ray East of Washington reminds us that God has given us gifts: spiritual, mental...to make the world a better place. Are we using these gifts to benefit needs in our society?
• Mary Throne reminds us of our calling to participate in God’s mission for the liberation of all creation. We need to show Solidarity through increasing awareness of issues in our community and the world we live, rather than simply being focused on ourselves This should begin at basic levels for students. How can we encourage students to contribute with joy and love?
• Everything is interconnected, therefore we should strive to work together for all creation. Pope Francis acknowledges that the earth is the poorest of the poor. He emphasises Common Good as a human connection. He highlights that we belong to the earth therefore we are all exposed to the dangers which are both serious and immediate if we don’t act. How can we encourage others to be stewards of creation?
• The work of Caritas in the Philippines demonstrated ways the community were supported by working with relief workers who planned how to help and determined immediate needs. This recognised local community knew their own needs best. It is significant to recognise a need for larger bodies to provide support, while ensuring some level of independence with lower levels. This accentuates the importance of providing the vulnerable with as much power as possible in decision making: giving them a voice in their own care rather than allowing them to become passive recipients of other people’s decisions.

As I reflect on these points I am drawn to the depths of my role as a teacher and the significance of the knowledge I impart on students as well as my actions and words and how this contributes to the future.