CLE God’s Creation

• Ka


  Refers to the mutual reciprocity between the speaker and the object being referred to, suggesting a certain relationality
• Likas


  Refers to the essential nature of an organism that defines or puts a limit to what can be derived from its nature
• Pa


  Shortened expression of "paki" meaning "please", suggesting the environment should be treated with concern and kindness
• Ligid


  Refers to the surrounding horizon of one's universe depending on one's consciousness
• An


  Refers to the local contexts where humans find themselves in relation to their environment, giving locality to words
• Filipinos regard the environment as: something related or connected to us, something to be treated with kindness, something that has order to be respected, something that we are conscious of, and something tangible, localized, and concrete
• Environment


  A relationship existing between nature and the society which lives in it
• Creation and Nature


  Creation has a broader meaning than nature, referring to God's loving plan in which every creature has its own value and significance
• The world is a gift which we have freely received and must share with others
• Dominion


  About stewardship, cultivating, protecting, overseeing, and preserving the garden of the world
• Modern anthropocentrism disrespects the dignity of the world
• There is a danger of putting ourselves at the center
• Population is not the real problem, it is extreme and selective consumerism
• There is goodness in each creature
• Everything is connected
• Ecological Conversion


  Being protectors of the environment is our Christian vocation
• Moderation and simplicity


  The key to Christian spirituality
• Pope Francis: '"Every creature reflects something of God and has its own message to convey to us. We must be attentive to the particular goodness of every creature, to avoid any disordered use of things".'
• Everything is connected


  • Concern for the environment needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society
• Ecological Conversion


  The effects of our encounter with Jesus Christ becoming evident in our relationship with the world around us
• Being protectors of the environment


  Our Christian vocation, not an optional or secondary aspect of our Christian experience
• Christian spirituality


  Growth marked by moderation and the capacity to be happy with little, a return to simplicity
• If development is the new name for peace, war and preparations for war are the major enemy of the healthy development of peoples
• If we take the common good of all humanity as our norm, instead of individual greed, peace would be possible
• Peace


  A basic attribute of God, creation reflects the divine glory and aspires to peace
• Peace


  Founded on the primary relationship between every human being and God, marked by righteousness
• Peace


  Not merely the absence of war, requires the establishment of an order based on justice and charity
• Peace


  The fruit of justice, understood as the respect for the equilibrium of every dimension of the human person
• Peace


  The fruit of love which goes beyond what justice can provide
• Saint John Paul II: '"War is the most barbarous and least effective way of resolving conflicts"'
• Pope Paul VI: '"The Church cannot accept violence, especially the force of arms--which is uncontrollable once it is let loose--and indiscriminate death as the path to liberation, because she knows that violence always provokes violence and irresistibly engenders new forms of oppression and enslavement which are often harder to bear than those from which they claimed to bring freedom"'
• Conditions for legitimate defense by military force

  • The damage inflicted by the aggressor must be lasting, grave, and certain
  • All other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective
  • There must be serious prospects of success
  • The use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated
• Catholic Church's two guideposts regarding war


  • Any use of force must be undertaken with the ultimate purpose of promoting genuine peace, military force is meant to serve the ends of justice and true peace
  • It is morally necessary to distinguish between military targets and innocent civilians, it is wrong to intentionally target civilian populations in warfare
• Non-violence


  Not passivity or a sit-back-and do-nothing approach, requires courage, patience, action, creativity, and a passionate commitment to seek justice and truth
• The People Power Revolution in 1986 was a classic example of non-violent protest that brought down the Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines