26. Social Action

26. Lineamenta on Social Action

THE ROLE OF SOCIAL ACTION IN A RENEWING CHURCH

“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.” (Mark 10:45). Jesus’ entire life is one of doing good, of service and of love. He preached and healed the people of their ailments (Matthew 4:23-25). He teaches His followers a new way of living based on Christian “diakonia” or service (Matthew 20:26-28). The Early Church emulated this social care and concern that they were recognized by other people through their Christian way of life and concrete ministry of love. As John Chrysostom (d. 407) said, “God is glorified not only by right doctrines but also by the best possible [Christian] way of life.” (Gen. Sermo 1,3 quoted in Norbert Brox, ‘Making Earth in Heaven’: Diakonia in the Early Church, Concilium, August 1988, p. 37). Christ Jesus is encountered through the least of our brothers and sisters who are in need of food and clothes, a stranger, sick and in prison who are in need of care (Matthew 25:35-46). Our Lord calls us to diakonia and to serve our fellowmen as He did.
Our call to diakonia or service has to be seen in the context of our situation. Our situation today is marked by capitalist globalization, graft and corruption in government, consumerist and individualist culture amidst scandalous poverty and injustice. Instead of people being their brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, we have to deal increasingly with egocentrism and aloofness, pleasure-seeking and materialistic attitude. We live in a time of egotistical postmodernist culture wherein a greater number of people pursue an intense self-interest which blinds them to what communal life and the social order really demand from each person. The range and complexity of the present political, economic, cultural and social situation demand a comprehensive approach to Christian diakonia or service and to bear in mind that God created the earth to serve the needs of every human being and people (Cf. Populorum Progressio [PP], 10)
Diakonia no longer means being intent on alleviating the sufferings of the poor and the weak by providing caring assistance, but means instead being with them and sharing life with the affected ones. In the course of this unconditional immersion in the life of the poor and solidarity with the least of our brothers and sisters, our involvement in social action is to uphold human dignity and rights of the poor farmers, fishermen, farm and factory workers, employees, the indigenous peoples, overseas contract workers, the unemployed and landless people. In this light, the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II) urged to strengthen social action apostolate by setting up working structures, by involving the people and establishing inter-sectoral and inter-faith linkages under the direction of the diocesan Bishop (PCP II Decrees, art. 25).
Our solidarity with the poor in their struggle to achieve qualitative life with justice, peace and freedom, provides an impetus to Church renewal and commitment to integral evangelization and comprehensive pastoral involvement. This is in line with the Decree of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines on Social Action which states: “The social action apostolate of the Church must set up special programs to address such crucial issues as peace and economy, the exploitation of women and minors, migrant and overseas workers, children and youth, and intensify the organization of the grassroots people or empowerment and self-reliance through cooperatives and livelihood programs and projects” (PCP II Decrees, art. 23, no.1)
In our Diocese, our Social Action Apostolate has the following components:1) Calamity Assistance, 2) Ecology, 3) Health, 4) Human Rights, 5) Indigenous Filipinos, 6) Justice and Peace, 7) Migrants, 8) Political Education, 9) Prison Ministry, 10) Socio-Economic Program and 11) Women and Children Protection. At present our Social Action Apostolate focus its programs and services on a) Alternative Health Care Program, b) Children’s Feeding Program, c) Good Governance, d) Livelihood and Cooperatives, e) Seminarians Immersion and f) Sustainable Agriculture Program. The arena of Social Action Apostolate is vast and its involvement is varied but all of these are for the fulfillment of Christian stewardship. As Vatican II exhorts us, “True apostles.. are not content with this activity alone, but look for the opportunity to announce Christ to their neighbor” (Apostolicam Actuositatem [AA], 13).

Questions for small group discussion:
What are the Social Action programs and activities that are present in our parish / quasi-parish / chaplaincy / mission station?
How are we involved in these programs and activities and how do we support them?
What can we do more in order to improve our social action programs and activities?

25. Social Communication

25. Lineamenta on Social Communication

SOCIAL COMMUNICATION MINISTRY

God wills to communicate with man in many different ways and forms. He created the human being in his image and likeness (Genesis 1:26) in order “to embrace divine revelation and to enter into loving dialogue with Him. Because of sin, this capacity for dialogue at both the personal and social level has been altered, and humanity has had to suffer.. the bitter experience of incomprehension and separation” (John Paul II, Rapid Development [RD], January 24, 2005, no. 4). God, however, did not abandon us. He “loved the world so much that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16), Jesus Christ, and through Him “communication itself takes on its most profound saving meaning” (RD, 4). “The communication between God and humanity has thus reached its perfection in the Word made flesh” (RD, 5). Consequently, the Church has been commissioned by Christ to bring salvation to all men and to proclaim the Gospel and, with this, claims “her duty to preach the news of redemption with the aid of the instruments of social communication” (Vatican II, Inter Mirifica [IM], 3).
The Church recognizes the importance of these instruments of social communication, which are a product of human genius, because of its great influence on human society. “As a Mother, the Church welcomes and watches such inventions with special concern.. Such would be the press, the cinema, radio, television, and similar media, which can be properly classified as instruments of social communication” (IM, 1). She recognizes the importance of mass media in evangelization and said that “if these instruments are rightly used they bring solid nourishment to the human race. For they can contribute generously to the refreshment and refinement of the spirit, and to the spread and strengthening of God’s own kingdom” (IM, 2). Pope John Paul II had also seen this important contribution of the mass media to the Church when he said, “Communication permeates the essential dimensions of the Church which is called to announce to all the joyful message of salvation. For this reason, the Church takes advantage of the opportunities offered by the communications media as pathways providentially given by God to intensify communion and to render more penetrating the proclamation of His word” (RD, 6). She is also aware that mass media can be exploited for perversion and Vatican II states, “the Church grieves with a motherly sorrow at the damage far too often inflicted on society by the perverse use of these media” (Ibid.)
We acknowledge that in our present world, the means of social communications are effective tools in promoting unity and solidarity among humankind. Certainly, the media of social communication has a tremendous potential because through “the mass media not only news or images but values are communicated to millions. And right into the very homes of people. Hence the imperative need for media education and media awareness” (The Second Plenary Council of the Philippines [PCP II], 653). More particularly, there is a need to foster movements of renewal among practitioners and consumers in the field of social communication and to have priests who will exercise pastoral care and promote spiritual formation for mass media practitioners (PCP II, 655 & 656). The practitioners or the communicators who actively employ the media have a duty in conscience to make themselves competent in the art of social communications, have objectivity and truth in their information, have the facts honestly reported in their proper context and their services grounded on the standard of Christian morality and the system of human values. The consumers or the recipients, who use, read, listen to and view the various media, should interpret the message correctly and to reap some benefits on the process even as they continue to be vigilant in their proper use of media and its meaning to life. They have to be conscious of the great power of the media in conditioning and reshaping people’s way of thinking even to the point that the reality for many is what the media recognize as real. Hence, silence can be imposed upon important issues, individual and groups whom the media ignore which may lead to the danger that the Gospel can be muted, though not entirely stilled, in the process (Aetate Novae [AN], 4). The Church plays a vital role in social communications to maintain her role as promoter of integral human development, human rights and Christian values and to exercise her primary duty to preach the Gospel to every creature (Mk 16:15). In our diocese, we have to look into the proper way of utilizing print, broadcast and cyber media and to design a comprehensive program of evangelization in the context of the present technological development of communication for the well-being of the people and the Church and for the greater glory of God.

Questions for small group discussions:
What are the existing means of social communications in your parish/quasi-parish/chaplaincy/ mission area? What are their impact and sphere of influence among the people?
How can we use the Mass Media for our Evangelization Program, for worship services and for other activities of the Church?
How can we have a media education and media involvement that is attuned to the times, contextualized to our place and promotive of Christian values?