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We watched a documentary titled Pinakatagong Lihim ng Simbahan (TheInnermost Secret of the Church) which focuses on the Churchs social teachingsregarding workers and laborers. It also expounds on the Churchs contributionsto the society via its basic ecclesial communities (BEC) which aims to contributeto the well-being of the society. The documentary began by briefly explaining the

Social Teachings of the Church.The documentary explains that in 1991, Pope JohnPaul II wrote Centissimus Anus to stress the social teachings of the Church which wasemphasized in Pope Leo XIIIs Rerum Novarum in 1891. The first part shows theplight of informal settlers in Paco, Manila. As we watched the documentary, I feltpity towards these oppressed poor people and how the government apparentlyfailed to protect their rights during those times. (There was even a segment whereinthe informal settlers failed to petition the Manila City council to intervene in their landdispute, only because the councilors themselves were absent.) Clearly, these peoplesrights to a full and descent life as stated in the Seven Key Themes of the Catholic SocialTeachings are violated. The Preferential Option for the Poor, as how the Churchteaches, should be the basis of public policy in governments. We should always

have a preferential option for the poor, namely, to create conditions formarginalized voices to be heard, to defend the defenseless, and to assesspolicies and social institutions in terms of their impact on the poor. Thedocumentary teaches how the Church of the Poor "gives preferential attentionand time to those who are poor, and will generously share of their own resourcesin order to alleviate their poverty and make them recognize the love of the Lordfor them despite their poverty." The documentary also vividly describes how theinformal settlers were forced to live in houses only suitable for dogs, a very pitifulstatement that shows that their situation is undignified for a human person.TheChurch teaches that we should be Stewards of Gods Creation and that the abuse ofthe environment by the powerful few results to poverty. Since the first part of thedocumentary exposes the inequality of land distribution, it taught us that owning aproperty should not be absolute, and should be limited by the concepts of the "universaldestiny of the goods of the earth". I felt that there is a need for this doctrine to be taughtand implemented more aggressively among the faithful, as large conglomeratescontinue to own excessive amounts of land, forcing the poorer masses of people tosquat and suffer in poverty. I sincerely believe that everyone has a right to have a fulland decent lifethat is, they should have a decent employment, education and healthcare.

The second part of the documentary shows the churchs contributions inprotecting the environment. It also depicts the lives of the people in a BasicEcclesial Community (BEC).For me, it was heartwarming a good to see the faithful ofBukidnon celebrating mass together and even eating together with the parish priest. Itreminds me on how Jesus disciples used to break bread together. It was very nice tosee how the Archbishop of Bukidnon led the priests and the faithful in a tree-planting project in an attempt to reforest the already deforested mountains ofBukidnon. It is also good to see the lay people, members of the BEC, conductBible sharing among each other. The churchs projects there are effective inmaintaining solidarity a key theme in the Catholic Social Teachings. The BEC also

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serves another key theme, a Call to Family, Community, and Participation as theDiocese of Bukidnon enhances social and economic unity among the lay faithful. Withthese projects, I believe that the Church of the Poor is definitely seeding societalprogress and good environmental stewardship. Overall, these projects fulfill theChurchs Social Teachings.

On Some Contemporary IssuesInjustice, or should we say, rampant injustice and/or abuse of authority, is acontemporary moral issue we are currently facing. It is defined as either the absence, orthe opposite, of justice. It is also tied to corruption; since corrupt minds have thetendency to misjudge between what is right or wrong. Here I shall also tackle a severeform of injustice, human rights violations.As I have observed, injustice was alreadyrampant since ancient times. Even in Biblical times, particularly in the Old Testament,injustice was present even in the Israelite society. In Ecclesiastes 3:16, it says,I sawunder the sun in the place of judgment wickedness, and in the place of justiceiniquity.(Douay-Rheims Version) I have observed that even Gods chosen people weresusceptible to being harbingers of injustice. Some Kings of Israel and Kings of Judahwere corrupt and disobedient to the Lord. According to tradition, King Manasseh ofJudah had the Prophet Isaiah sawn in half. In my opinion, this is an example of injusticeas Isaiah wasnt evil and he didnt deserve such inhumane treatment. He merely did his

job as a prophet. Another example is Naboths execution brought by a false accusation.The conspirers were King Ahab of Israel and Jezebel his wife, a Phoenician. Daniel thepost-exilic prophet was placed in the lions den being innocent, as his opponentsmanipulated a loophole in the kings edict to have him imprisoned. Finally, Jesus thevery Son of God was crucified despite being sinless. This shows how even Biblicalcharacters, especially the godly pious ones, experienced injustice here on earth. Evenuntil modern times, some people are falsely accused. The United States Department ofJustice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, admits that statistically 8% to 12% of all stateprisoners are either actually or factually innocent. In the Philippines, it is sometimesfairly common to hear innocent prisoners suffering in prison due to a slow justicesystem.This I have observed. Sometimes, even those who commit petty crimes areviciously tortured to death. This is a clear violation of human rights. Everyone has theright to due process. Justice should be served in the correct way.

I felt pity to them, and I think I could help by raising awareness against the dangers ofbeing falsely convicted. I have also learned that many great thinkers have discussed onthis subject, emphasizing human weakness (imperfect mankind) as the common causeof falling into sin. I believe we should strive hard and lessen our blame on our inherent

susceptibility to sin. St. Augustine, in his De Libero Arbitrio, states that "All nature in sofar as it is nature is good. For if it is incorruptible it is better than a corruptible nature;and if it is corruptible, since in corruption it becomes less good, it without doubt is good.But all nature is corruptible or incorruptible. Consequently all nature is good." I believethere are many root causes in such cases, ranging from human imperfection to pure evilmalignant intentions. We should continue to strive and take action, if we can help,against anything that would take away the dignity of the human persons. In 1965, PopePaul VIs Pastoral Constitution titledGaudiumEtSpes tackled many things. In Chapter

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IV, it reads: With integrity and wisdom, they must take action against any form ofinjustice and tyranny, against arbitrary domination by an individual or a political partyand any intolerance. They should dedicate themselves to the service of all with sincerityand fairness, indeed, with the charity and fortitude demanded by political life.

It is clear that all of us, the Faithful, lay or clergy alike, has a role in being socialtransformers helping drive out any form of injustice that degrades the dignity of thehuman person.