The Historical

Development of the Social

Teaching of the Church.
 INTRODUCTION
Social Teaching of the Church is
in the core of the tradition of
Christians

(Acts 1:1-11)

Christ is the social agent of his

time

First Christians’ commitment to

continue the mission of Christ:
embracing the poor the slave and
the down trodden
(Matthew 25:40)
 The way of worship of the early Christian
communities follows three parts.
First, they listen to the word of God.
Second, they break bread together.
What is the third part?

a. proclaim the creed f. collect tithes

b. pray the Lord’s g. evangelize
pray
h. receive
c. do charitable works
d. go into a communion
procession j. all of the above
e. bless each other i. none of the above
The way of worship of the early Christian
communities follows three parts.
First, they listen to the word of God.
Second, they break bread together.
What is the third part?

c. do charitable
works
 INTRODUCTION

CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY

(Matthew 25: 35-40)

• To feed the hungry;

• To give drink to the thirsty;
• To clothe the naked;
• To shelter the homeless
(harbour the harbourless)
• To visit the sick;
• To ransom the captive;
• To bury the dead.
 INTRODUCTION

SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY

• To instruct the ignorant (Mark 16:15)

• To counsel the doubtful (John 14:27)
• To admonish sinners (Luke 15:7)
• To bear wrongs patiently (Luke 6:27-28)
• To forgive all injuries (Matthew 6:12)
• To comfort the sorrowful (Matthew 11:28)
• To pray for the living and the
dead (Jn 17:24)
 In the Bible, it is stated only
once that Jesus truly felt angry.
To whom did Jesus got angry?
a. tax collectors
b. prostitutes
c. money changers
d. temple vendors
e. centurions
f. children
g. pharisees
h. all of the above
i. none of the above
 In the Bible, it is stated only
once that Jesus truly felt angry.
To whom did Jesus got angry?

g. pharisees
(Mark 3:5)
 INTRODUCTION
Down to the Middle Ages, the
Church continues to speak about
social issues.

Thomas Aquinas continued to

speak on important social issues
including questions about the
practice of simony, usury, private
property, just war and other social
problems and topics.
 Which among the statements may
not be a pronouncement of the
Church during the middle ages?
a. The world is flat.
b. Reason and faith work together.
c. The earth is the center of the universe.
e. God created only man and woman.
f. Sin will bring one to eternal damnation
g. Outside the Church, there is no salvation.
h. Heaven is for real!
i. Listen to your priest.
 Which among the statements may
not be a pronouncement of the
Church during the middle ages?

b. reason and faith are

not contradictory.
 AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

Enlightenment is the reaction to

Middle Ages (Dark Ages)

Enlightenment criticized the

Church as having dominated the
social and political landscape of
the past.

They argued that the Church

used the concept of Faith and
Obedience in order to subjugate
and oppress the people.
 AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

They wanted to do away with

ideals of FAITH and OBEDIENCE
and replaced them with REASON
and AUTONOMY.

These ideals and other ideals of

enlightenment became the
jumping board of the first social
encyclicals.
 THE INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION

• ca 1760-1850 - innovation in
technology
• from PAROCHIAL (feudalism -
fuedus - fief or fee) to
UNIVERSAL implications
• MASS PRODUCTION became
possible
• The idea of SURPLUS was
born
 INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
PAVED THE WAY IN
WRITING THE FIRST
KNOWN ENCYCLICAL

New technology brought new way

of life. Workers changed from
farmers to factory workers.
Industrial revolution encouraged
the emergence of salaried
workers.
 Rerum Novarum is the first known
encyclical given by Leo XIII. Rerum
Novarum can be literally translated in
English as “Revolutionary Change”. What
is the english subtitle of this encyclical?

a. on the conditions of labor

b. on labor rights
c. on capitalists and workers
d. on the principles of labor
e. on the distribution of profit
f. on capitalism versus socialism
g. on a new economic trend
 Rerum Novarum is the first known encyclical
given by Leo XIII. It’s major theme is labor.
Rerum Novarum can be literally translated in
English as “Revolutionary Change”. What is
the english subtitle of this encyclical?

a. on the conditions of labor

Major theme of Rerum Novarum:
MAIN FOCUS IS LABOR
TWO COMPETING IDEOLOGIES
CAPITALISM VS SOCIALISM
 TWO COMPETING IDEOLOGIES
The rise of the SURPLUS paved the way for the
birth of the CAPITALIST (16th-17th) ideology -
bringing to power the bourgeoisie (bourgeois)

For exchanges of goods to get facilitated, it

becomes necessary that workers do their task
in order to create the surplus. It has then
become the ideal of capitalism to work towards
PROFIT.

It is characterized by laissez-faire (free

market) which is freedom from government
intervention or intrusion. Capitalists hold the
ultimate power in defining everything in the
economic realm.
 One may associate Capitalism to
the Latin word caput. What is the
literal meaning of the Latin word
caput which can be the etymology
of the word Capitalism which also
the part of the human body?

HEAD
 TWO COMPETING IDEOLOGIES

Capitalism proclaimed the values of SELF-

DIRECTION and SOCIAL MOBILITY

SELF-DIRECTION: one’s future is one’s

responsibility

SOCIAL MOBILITY: every human person

can climb up the ladder of the social status
 Which among the choices
may not be a statement
from a Capitalist?
a. Laborers should work hard so that they can
achieve their goals.
b. All of us have a good future but it depends on
our choices.
c. Your achievement depends on how much profit
you contributed to the capital.
d. Everyone has the power to be rich.
f. All must work for profit.
g. None of the above
 Which among the choices
may not be a statement
from a Capitalist?

g. None of the above

 TWO COMPETING IDEOLOGIES
SOCIALISM was brought about by the French Revolution (1789)
and the Industrial Revolution

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote the Communist Manifesto

(1848) which moved Europe in such ideology like a storm.
 TWO COMPETING IDEOLOGIES
REACTION OF SOCIALISM: Capitalism’s values are myth. They do
not happen in reality.

Competition favors the strong and the rich, and so only the RICH,
STRONG and POWERFUL can self-direct.
 TWO COMPETING IDEOLOGIES
Capitalism fails to address its inherent moral problem in the issue of
DISTRIBUTION.
surplus and profit only goes to those who provide the capital, while
the workers remained to be unpaid.
ISOLATION of the poor: the communal ties have been severed
(survival of the fittest).
power of the proletariats (proletarian)
 Which social or political
system cannot be
connected to socialism?
a. communism
b. totalitarian government
c. dictatorship
d. democracy
e. utopia
f. anarchism
g. none of the above
 Which social or political
system cannot be
connected to socialism?

g. none of the above

 TWO COMPETING IDEOLOGIES
SOCIALISM COUNTER PROPOSAL
Direct the community towards a
common direction
or COMMUNAL OWNERSHIP

Devalues the sanctity of personal

freedom and individual participation:
individual must be made subject to
TOTALITARIAN and government control.

Communism is the extreme form

of Socialism.
SEAT WORK

(1) Does capitalism still manifest

itself today?
(2) Do you think the Philippines
will be prosperous if she will a
communist country?