MODULE 1.

1: RELIGION 11
THE DIGNITY OF HUMAN WORK
WHAT’S NEW
Human work is the fulfilment of human dignity by engaging in and cooperating with the
creative work of God. Work has a place of honor because it is a source of riches or at least of the
conditions for a decent life and is in principle, an effective instrument against poverty. Work is
essential. Work is essential, but it is God- and not work who is the origin of life and the final
goal of man.
WHAT’S IN IT
To better understand the lesson, please spare some time to read and understand the key pointers
I have provided below.
Definition of Work
1. Activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.
A task or tasks to be undertaken, something a person or thing has to do.
2. Activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something. Activity
that a person engages in regularly to earn a livelihood, people looking for work.
3. Be engaged in physical or mental activity in order to achieve a purpose or result,
especially in one’s job; do work. Operate or function or function especially properly or
effectively.
4. A specific task, duty, function, or assignment often being a part or phase or larger
activity.
5. To perform or carry though a task requiring sustained effort or continuous repeated
operations.

THE CHRISTIAN VIEW OF HUMAN WORK

Dignity in work
-Human work has a twofold significance: objective and subjective
OBJECTIVE
-it is the sum of activities, resources instruments and technologies used by men
and women to produce things.
SUBJECTIVE
-work is the activity of the human person as a dynamic being capable of
performing a variety of actions that are part of the work process and that correspond to his
personal vocation.

-Work in the objective sense constitutes the contingent aspect of human activity, which
constantly varies in its expressions according to the changing technological, cultural, social and
political conditions. Work in the subjective sense however, represents its stable dimension, since
it does not depend on what people produce or on the type of activity they undertake, but
exclusively on their dignity as human beings.
-Catholic social teaching holds that work is dignified and an intrinsic good, and workers must
always be respected and valued. Jesus became “like us in all things, devoted most of the years of
his life on earth to manual work at the carpenter’s bench.” (St. John Paul II-Laborem Exercens,
on Human Work.)
-Work is also an obligation that is to say a duty on the part of man. Man must work both because
the Creator has commanded it and in order to respond to the need to maintain and develop his
own humanity.

PRODUCTIVE DIMENSION OF STEWARDSHIP

1. Work should enable the person to subdue the earth, to have dominion over the visible
world.
2. Work is meant to uphold the value of the persons and give life to those who are in need.
3. Work is defined as human activity done for a purpose.
4. Work is a duty. Every human person works.
5. Work is meant to give life to the worker.
6. Work is something intrinsically good, we are co-creators of God’s world and work is a
part of our contribution

PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN WORK

 We have the rights and obligations as we engage in human work.
1. Suitable employment for all.
2. Fair compensation for workers.
3. Various social benefits that would ensure the life and health of workers and their
families.
4. Right to rest.
5. The right to a decent and a safe environment.
6. The right of association. The right to participate in the fruits of work and in management.
7. The right to strike under certain conditions.
MODULE 1.2: RELIGION
LESSON TOPIC: THE CHRISTIAN VIEWS OF HUMAN DIGNITY
WHAT’S IN IT
To better understand the lesson, please spare some time to read and understand the key pointers
I have provided below.
WHAT IS DIGNITY?
Dignity as defined by the Caritas Aotearoa of New Zealand is about understanding that
each of us is created in God’s image. Every one of us has an innate human dignity that no one
can take away. Our human dignity has also been there since the moment we are born. Human
dignity is given to all human beings; regardless of whether you’re a saint or a sinner, a prisoner
or an ordinary citizen, and a powerful or a marginalized individual.

HUMAN DIGNITY ACCORDING TO OUR FAITH

“God created man in His image, in the divine image He created him, male and female, and He
created them.” (Genesis 1: 27)

HUMAN DIGNITY: THE RELIGIOUS FRAMEWORK

In relation to the definition of dignity stated above, the concept of human dignity is not
only limited to human rights. In fact, it has been for centuries that religions around the world
have recognized a form of human dignity as we now understand it. Most of the religions teach
that humans are essentially equal for one reason or another. In our own religion as Catholics, we
humans were created in the image of God, becoming children of God. Dignity is something that
a divine being (God) gives to people. Therefore, in Catholic social teaching, the phrase “Human
Dignity” is used specifically to support the church’s belief that every human life is sacred. This
defines the denomination’s dedication to social issues like ending the death penalty. (Human
Rights Careers)

IMPLICATIONS OF HUMAN DIGNITY:

1. Humans share in the Divine image of God
 We participate in God’s Divine Trinitarian nature and called to belong in the community
of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
 We are called to be in communion with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as children of
God.
2. Humans are called to live in a community
 We are communitarian at our core.
 We are called to live as brothers and sisters.
 We are called to live in justice and respect/abide the law of the community.
 Human is the intrinsic worth of every person of EVERY HUMAN PERSON based on his
nature, affirmed and deepened by our Christian faith. Every human person has human dignity
naturally from birth.
The Human person is rounded on the truth that all humans are:
 Created in the image of Christ,
 Redeemed by His Paschal Mystery,
 Empowered by the Spirit and
 Destined for life with God
The revelation of our human dignity as CREATION. We are created in the image and
likeness of God. Our special status of creation reveals how much value we have, especially as
creations of God.

Our human dignity is revealed through the fact that we are REDEEMED. Jesus Christ
saved us from sin, therefore showing us what it means to love. Our redemption shows that our
dignity is our true value, worth protecting, respecting and loving.

3. We are EMPOWERED.
We are sanctified and made holy by the movement of the Holy Spirit in us, strengthening
us to love. The Holy Spirit continually affirms our dignity in the good that we can do.

4. We are DESTINED.
We are called to be adopted children of God and destined to share in God’s life (Gal 4:4-
7) specifically “so you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then an heir, through God.
The ultimate meaning of human dignity is that all human beings are destined for eternal life,
since they share humanity with the one who rose from the dead.
MODULE 1.3: RELIGION 11
LESSON TOPIC: THE DIGNITY OF HUMAN PERSON
WHAT’S IN IT
To better understand the lesson, please spare some time to read and understand the key pointers
I have provided below.
DEFINITION OF HUMAN DIGNITY
Human dignity is the recognition that human beings possess a special value intrinsic to their
humanity and as such are worthy of respect simply because they are human beings. This concept,
once foundational to ethical reflection in such diverse areas of engagement as social ethics and
human rights on to the clinical bedside and bioethics, has come under increasing criticism. As
part of our institutional identity as a Christian bioethics center, The Center for Bioethics &
Human Dignity is firmly committed to the belief that human dignity is an inherent quality in all
human beings in virtue of our having been created in the image of God. Thus every human
being, regardless of age, ability, status, gender, ethnicity, etc., is to be treated with respect.
Furthermore, we believe that how one understands this concept affects how one views and
engages bioethical issues across the entire life span. The articles in this section explore this key
concept in both its foundational development and its application to the broader concerns of
bioethics.

NOTIONS ABOUT HUMAN DIGNITY

The model consists of four kinds of dignity:
a. the dignity of merit
b. the dignity of moral stature
c. the dignity of identity
d. Menschenwurde.

a. The dignity of merit depends on social rank and formal positions in life. There are many
species of this kind of dignity and it is very unevenly distributed among human beings.
The dignity of merit exists in degrees and it can come and go.

b. The dignity of moral stature is the result of the moral deeds of the subject; likewise, it can
be reduced or lost through his or her immoral deeds. This kind of dignity is tied to the
idea of a dignified character and of dignity as a virtue. The dignity of moral stature is a
dignity of degree and it is also unevenly distributed among humans.

c. The dignity of identity is tied to the integrity of the subject's body and mind, and in many
instances, although not always, dependent on the subject's self‐image. This dignity can
 come and go as a result of the deeds of fellow human beings and also as a result of
changes in the subject's body and mind.

d. Menschenwurde is the universal dignity that pertains to all human beings to the same
extent and cannot be lost as long as the person exists.

1. Human dignity-person’s possession of basic rights:

 The essential rights to clothing and shelter.
 The right to free-expression within the context of social cooperation
 The right to basic equality before the law.

2. Human Dignity-Basic respect of persons:

 The respect that will allow them to develop their own potential.
 To make some personal contribution to common goals and to feel at home in an
environment within which they are known and acknowledged.

3. Human dignity-human being has a personal worth:

 The task of society is to acknowledge and develop the worth.

4. Human dignity-emphasizes that social or biological handicaps affecting an individual do

not lessen his or her personal worth.

5. Human dignity-does not admit degrees and is universal regardless of gender, age,
religion, creed, race or color.

FUNDAMENTALLY EQUAL BUT UNIQUE

There is a fundamental equality among human persons by virtue of our common dignity as
persons.
Equality allows us to take interest in everything that is human and to understand the moral
obligations which obligations which inform our common humanity.
However, human persons are sufficiently diverse so that we must also take into account the
originality and uniqueness of each person.
This means that while everyone shares certain common features of humanity each one does so
different and to different degrees.
MODULE 1.4: RELIGION
LESSON TOPIC: THE CHURCH AS PEOPLE OF GOD
WHAT’S IN IT
To better understand the lesson, please spare some time to read and understand the key pointers
I have provided below.
What is a Church?
You may be used to thinking of the church as a building - a place where you go. But
God’s Word talks about the church as a gathering - a people you belong to.
The word “church” is used in the Bible three different ways:
 the universal church -- all the people who were, are and will ever be followers of Jesus
 the city or regional church -- all the people who follow Jesus and live in or around a
certain area of the world
 the church at home -- all the people who follow Jesus and meet where one or more of
them live
Simple churches are spiritual families with Jesus as their center and their King. They are
spiritual families who love God, love others and make disciples. When groups of these simple
churches connect to do something bigger together, they can form a city or regional church. The
universal church is made up of all the simple churches networked together into regions and
stretches across history.
It is first and foremost people. It is also an institution. But it is primarily a community.
The church is us.
A second major ecclesiological principle adopted by the Second Vatican Council is
embodied in its teaching that the church is the whole People of God.
In other words, the church is not only the hierarchy, the clergy, and/or members of
religious communities. It is the whole community of the baptized.
One of the council's most important affirmations, the Dogmatic Constitution on the
Church, known by its Latin title as Lumen gentium, declared that charisms, or gifts of the Holy
Spirit, are available to all the faithful.

What is a disciple?
The meaning of the word disciple is a follower. A disciple is a follower of God. Jesus
said, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Me." So in God’s kingdom, Jesus is
our King. We are His citizens, subjects of His will. His desires, purposes, intentions, priorities
and values are the highest and best. His Word is the law.
In Christianity, disciple primarily refers to a dedicated follower of Jesus. This term is
found in the New Testament only in the Gospels and Acts. In the ancient world, a disciple is a
follower or adherent of a teacher. Discipleship is not the same as being a student in the modern
sense. A disciple in the ancient biblical world actively imitated both the life and teaching of the
master. It was a deliberate apprenticeship which made the fully formed disciple a living copy of
the master.
The New Testament records many followers of Jesus during his ministry. Some disciples
were given a mission, such as the Little Commission, the commission of the seventy in Luke's
Gospel, the Great Commission after the resurrection of Jesus, or the conversion of Paul, making
them apostles, charged with proclaiming the gospel (the Good News) to the world. Jesus
emphasised that being his disciples would be costly.
HERE ARE THE STATEMENTS FROM LUMEN GENTIUM:
(LG #1) From the beginning, God the Father has desired to share his own divine life with
all people. When human nature fell into sin, God did not abandon us, but rather chose to extend
to us the gift of salvation through his Son, Jesus Christ. “He chose to call together in a holy
Church those who should believe in Christ.” (LG #2)
Thus, Christ came into the world to be our Redeemer, and through his preaching,
miracles, death and resurrection, inaugurated the kingdom of heaven on earth, which is the
kingdom of Christ, the Church. When Christ completed his work, he sent the Holy Spirit, “that
he might continually sanctify the Church, and that, consequently, those who believe might have
access through Christ in one Spirit to the Father.” (LG #4)
The Holy Spirit dwells within the Church, and within the hearts of the faithful, guiding
the Church and unifying her in all her ministries, and “by the power of the Gospel permits the
Church to keep the freshness of youth.”
(LG #4) “Henceforward the Church, endowed with the gifts of her founder and faithfully
observing his precepts of charity, humility and self-denial, receives the mission of proclaiming
and establishing among all peoples the kingdom of Christ and of God, and she is, on earth, the
seed and the beginning of that kingdom.” (LG #5)
Christ sustains his Church as a community of faith, hope and love, and through the
Church communicates to each of us his truth and grace. While it is tempting to think of the
Church as two separate realities, one flowing from heaven with the other existing on earth, “they
form one complete reality which comes together from a human and a divine element.” (LG #8)
This is important for us to understand, the Church is at one and the same time, human and
divine! In these days when we are confronted with the sinful reality of the human members of
the Church, it is comforting to recall the holiness of the Church, which is ever present in her
divine nature.
Because Christ is our head, we share even now in the dignity and freedom of God’s
children. Christ has given us the commandment to love as he first loved us. On this earth, we are
a pilgrim people, journeying in a foreign land, our destiny being the kingdom of God, already
present, yet to come in all its fullness.
As members of the Church, we are the holy People of God. Therefore, we are tasked and
obliged to live by:
a. Faith and love. We must give a living witness to Christ.
 b. Growing in holiness by receiving the Sacraments and exercising the unique gifts given
to each of us by the Holy Spirit. It is through this working of the Holy Spirit, in the
Church and each of her members, that we are made capable and ready for the renewal
and building up of the Church. (see LG #12)
c. Joining fellowship and communion of persons. Although each one has a special call
and charism, a particular mission and function, all together in Christ they make up a
single and united people. All receive the same Spirit in Baptism and Confirmation and
all are nourished in the Eucharist.

AS BAPTIZED CHRISTIANS, WE LIVE OUR SHARING IN CHRIST’S THREE FOLD

MISSION (PRIESTLY, KINGLY & PROPHETIC)
We can perform our priestly mission in three ways:
1. First of all, by being consecrated to God through the sacrament of baptism, we commit
ourselves to doing the will of the Father in our lives in everything we do.
2. We are called to be God’s instruments in his plan and purpose of transforming and
saving the world.
3. Above all, to worship God and live a life of holiness. When we offer our lives as a
sacrifice in union with Christ in the Eucharist, we express in the best way our being
the Church, the People of God.

We can perform our prophetic mission in:

1. Witnessing to Christ’s presence by our words, actions, and life. By our works of
Justice and compassion, we proclaim to the rest of the world that God does not want
his children to suffer in poverty and powerlessness. Christians are called to be signs of
Christ’s peace and compassion in the face of violence and injustice.

We can perform our kingly mission in:

1. Sharing the mission and power of Christ as king who came to serve and to give his life
as ransom for all. To be a king is to minister and serve others.
2. Becoming a servant of all. In giving ourselves in service to others, we make present
the love of Christ as the Servant King.
MODULE 1.5: RELIGION
LESSON TOPIC: THE CHURCH AS HIERARCHY
WHAT’S IN IT
Let’s begin our lesson. Please take time to read the key pointers to understand more about the
hierarchy of the Catholic Church.
The need for social order and structure with patterns of authority and leadership becomes
a practical necessity in every organization. More so, this authority assesses the weaknesses and
strengths of its members in responding to the situations that confront them and helps them grow
as better persons.

Just as the family needs the parents to plan for their child’s education, the school also
needs administrators in authority to design consistently what is best for the teachers and students.

Likewise, the Church, as an organization, needs leaders to guide the faithful and
constantly bring them in union with Christ. This is the essence of the church as an institution.

The Church, as an institution, has a written set of laws, a permanent structure of

sacramental celebrations and ordained priesthood, hierarchy and official teaching channel known
as the magisterium, plus members devoted to special works. This structural view of the Church
gives us a clearer understanding that it is indeed an established community.

The church felt the need to create structures in response to the demands of new situations,
especially those pertaining to important matters about faith and morals. Patterns of leadership
began to take shape as the apostles fulfilled their duty to preach the Risen Christ. The apostles
(leaders of the community) took leadership over the communities they themselves converted as
they taught them about the values and principles of Christ. Disputes occurring within these
communities were also settled. Soon local Churches were managed by individuals with evident
leadership qualities.

Other leadership positions were established as the Church continuously responded to new
needs arising over the centuries. The bishops acted as “overseers’, looking after the local
Christian communities. They had the power to appoint priests/ who acted as models in the
community and preached to the people.

Offices with specific concerns were also create. Today, there are many offices and
leadership positions in the hierarchy geared towards the realization of the Church mission.

The diagram below shows an arrangement of these officials according to their rank of
authority and their designated geographical assignment.

DIAGRAM OF THE HIERARCY OF THE CHURCH

POPE
UNIVERSAL CHURCH
Head of the church, he is based at the Vatican. The pope is infallible in defining matters of
faith and morals.

CARDINALS
ECCLESIASTICAL PROVINCES
Appointed by the pope, 178 cardinals worldwide, including 13 in the U.S., make up the
College of Cardinals. As a body, it advises the pope and, on his death, elects a new pope.

ARCHBISHOPS
ECCLESIASTICAL PROVINCE
An archbishop is a bishop who head an archdiocese. An archdiocese is a group of dioceses
forming together an ecclesiastical province.

BISHOPS
AUXILIARY COADJUTOR
A bishop, like a priest, is ordained to this station. He is the Head of a diocese, teacher of
church doctrine, a priest of sacred worship.
What does it mean to say that the Church is hierarchical?
What does it mean to say that the Church is hierarchical? Why is it necessary for the
Church to be hierarchical? The Church is hierarchical because her leaders and institutions are
organized in a specific order instituted by Christ himself. This structure does not mean that
anyone is more important than another. But the Church, like any group, needs organized
leadership to avoid chaos. In particular, the Church’s leadership, as instituted by Christ, is
necessary to make him present through the Sacraments.
MODULE 1.6: RELIGION
LESSON TOPIC: THE CHURCH AND THE
KINGDOM OF GOD

WHAT’S IN IT
1.) THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH
We are the Church. We are commissioned to
continue Christ’s work of spreading God’s word of love. We
are tasked to teach everyone how to love his fellowmen. We
demonstrate this by committing ourselves to genuine and
loving service to man.
As servants, we, the Church, are involved in our
spiritual, emotional, physical, social and psychological
development. We promote man’s total wellbeing by
protecting him from harm, clothing him, feeding him, and
comforting him.

 We have duties and responsibilities as the Church of

Christ. In fulfilling these duties, various activities and
projects are undertaken. Some activities and duties are:
a. Religious in nature
b. Service-oriented
c. Serving men
d. Love and to serve one another
When this finally happens, we have successfully
fulfilled our mission of bringing God’s Kingdom to the
world we live in.

2.) THE PARISH

 Since communities have diverse needs and concerns,
Church activities though having the same end vary from one
locality to another depending on the needs of a particular
community.
A parish is a certain community of Christ’s faithful
firmly established within a particular Church
(diocese) whose pastoral care under the authority of
the diocesan bishop is entrusted to a parish priest as
its proper pastor.
Parishes vary in size, character, management, and
style. One parish is usually composed of all Catholics living within the same barangay or
municipality.
Some parishes are composed of people coming from different places brought together by
the same profession or common interest.
An ideal parish consists of a parish church where people converge on Sundays, a rectory
where the priest resides, and normally a parochial school where parishioners are provided
with Christian education.
 Parochial schools usually run by sisters who live in homes called convents.
The parish church is the most important center of the complex. This is where the
parishioners receive the sacraments and other external manifestations of their Christian
life.
 For big parishes, multi-purpose community centers are erected to accommodate
various existing parish clubs and organization in their meetings and activities. The
parish complex is just the physical aspect of the parish.

The life of the faithful is made more meaningful by the diverse activities and projects
geared towards the realization of the goals and objectives of the parish.
 The thrust of the parish are carried out through the active involvement of the different
sectors, namely, the youth and adult sectors.
 Different clubs and organizations are created to bring about a dynamic response to the
rising needs of the community.
 The congregation is represented by a parish council whose main task is to help and
coordinate with the priest in planning and implementing the projects and programs of
the parish.
 Various group like the:
a. Knight of Columbus
b. CWL Charismatic group
c. Legion of Mary
d. Youth Ministry
e. Children of Mary and other activities.
 In line with Vatican II’s vision, the parish focuses its attention on the religious
formation of the faithful. Renewal programs like:
a. Youth encounter (YE) for the youth
b. Marriage encounter (ME) for married couples
c. Retreats
d. Recollections
These programs are all geared towards the spiritual development of the people.