Half-yearly

• Sanctity


  The state or quality of being holy, sacred, or morally pure
• Stewards


  People who are responsible for taking care of something or managing its resources
• Sanctity of Human Life and Dignity of Every Person

  • Fundamental Belief: Every human life is sacred and possesses inherent dignity
  • Moral Vision: The dignity of each person is the foundation of a moral society
  • Priority: Human beings must be prioritised over material possessions and institutions
• Call to Family, Community, and Participation

  • Social Nature: Humans are social beings; family and community are central to human dignity
  • Participation: Individuals have a right and duty to engage in society, contributing to the common good
  • Support: Marriage and family should be supported and strengthened as key social institutions
• Rights and Responsibilities


  • Human Rights: Essential for protecting human dignity and achieving a healthy community
  • Basic Necessities: Fundamental rights include the right to life, food, shelter, education, and employment
  • Duties: Responsibilities to one another, families, and society to uphold these rights
• Preferential Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

  • Moral Test: Society's integrity is measured by its treatment of its most vulnerable members
  • Priority: Prioritising the needs of the poor and vulnerable ensures justice and equity
  • Action: Addressing disparities and providing support to marginalised communities
• The Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers

  • Work's Value: Work is a form of participating in God's creation and is fundamental to human dignity
  • Workers' Rights: Protection of rights, fair wages, safe conditions, and the right to organise
  • Economic Justice: The economy should serve people, not the other way around
  • "Fight for $15" movement aims to raise the minimum wage to a livable level
• Solidarity


  • Unity: All humans are part of one family, regardless of differences in nationality, race, or economic status
  • Global Responsibility: Duty to care for each other across the globe, promoting justice and peace
  • Peacemaking: Commitment to justice is essential for achieving lasting peace
• Care for God's Creation

  • Stewardship: Respect for the Creator is shown by caring for creation
  • Environmental Responsibility: Protecting the planet and ensuring sustainable use of resources
  • Ethical Dimension: Environmental issues have moral and ethical implications that demand action
• Corporal Works of Mercy

  Acts of love that address the physical and material needs of others
• The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy

  • Feed the Hungry
  • Give Drink to the Thirsty
  • Clothe the Naked
  • Shelter the Homeless
  • Visit the Sick
  • Visit the Imprisoned
  • Bury the Dead
• Matthew 25:35-36: 'For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'
• James 2:15-16: 'If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?'
• Caring for Our Common Home & Stewardship of Creation

  • Responsibility as God's children to care for Earth
  • Earth is a gift from God, reflecting His love and effort
  • Pope Francis' statement: "A Christian who doesn't safeguard creation, who doesn't make it flourish, is a Christian who isn't concerned with God's work, that work born of God's love for us."
  • God's creation deemed "good"; hence, it must be protected
  • CST urges collective responsibility to preserve the environment
• The Common Good


  • Treat the Earth with respect and care
  • Ensuring a fair and healthy world for future generations
  • Addressing environmental injustices collectively
  • Purpose of humanity to follow God's will and path to righteousness
  • Working for the common good means: Serving others, Serving the Earth
  • Worshipping the Lord through actions and deeds
• Environmental Rights


  • Everyone has the right to see the Earth in its natural, undamaged form
  • Destruction and deterioration violate this right
  • Participation in society should consider the welfare of future generations
  • Golden Rule (Luke 6:31): "And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them."
  • Applying this rule to environmental actions ensures consideration for future generations
• Dignity of the Human Person

  • Every person is made in God's image, indicating inherent dignity and sacredness of life regardless of circumstances
  • Catechism of the Catholic Church: "It is essential to a human being freely to direct himself to this fulfilment"
  • U.S. Catholic Bishops' pastoral letter "Economic Justice for All" (1986): "As Pope John XXIII declared, "all people have a right to life, food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, education, and employment.""
  • Homelessness deprives people of their fundamental rights
• Preferential Option for the Poor

  • Prioritising the well-being of the poor and powerless in society
  • Bible (1 Samuel 2:8): "He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor."
  • Emphasises following in the footsteps of the Lord by prioritising the poor
  • Beatitude (Matthew 5:3): "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
  • Catholic organisations and charities (e.g., Caritas Australia) supporting the poorest within communities
  • Pope Francis's encyclical letter "Laudato Si": "The principle of the common good immediately becomes, logically and inevitably, a summons to solidarity and a preferential option for the poorest"
• Responsibility


  Accountability for the consequences of our actions or choices
• Moral decision


  Reflects a deeper consideration of ethical principles and the broader implications for both oneself and others within the community or society
• Catholic Social Teaching (CST)


  Writings by Popes and other Catholic leaders, often encyclicals, about social issues that affect society
• Oppressed workers demanded justice, leading to the beginning of modern Catholic Social Teachings


  1891
• Pope in 1891


  Pope Leo XIII
• Stages of Moral Development

  • Pre-conventional: Morality determined by outside authority, focus on rewards/punishments
  • Conventional: Focus on expectations of others, desire to follow rules and please authority figures
  • Post-conventional: Personal ethics and human rights, consideration of broader consequences
• Obstacles affecting decision making

  • Parents
  • Friends
  • Schooling/education
  • Drugs
  • Influence of media
  • Mental health
• Cognitive capacity


  Limits ability to think through and plan decisions, leading to rash, poorly thought-out decisions with harmful consequences
• God and his relationship with his people in the Old Testament

  • Mentor and Guide: God is seen as a mentor, guide, and protector for His people
  • Correct Worship: God calls people to the correct worship of the one true God
  • Ritual Purity: Emphasises the importance of maintaining ritual purity
  • Sexual Morality: Highlights the need for sexual morality
  • Just Behaviour: Advocates for just behaviour
• Rational


  Able to consider the outcome of their choices and recognise the net benefits of each one
• Individuals are able to think beyond societal norms and laws, and instead focus on universal ethical principles
• Individuals are more likely to consider the consequences of their actions on a broader scale, rather than just personal gain
• Obstacles that affect a person's decision making

  • Parents
  • Friends
  • Schooling/education
  • Drugs
  • Influence of media
  • Mental health
• Cognitive capacity


  • Limits ability to think through and plan decisions
  • Rash, poorly thought-out decisions with harmful consequences
• Cognitive capacity


  • Making impulsive decisions under stress leading to negative outcomes
• God's relationship with his people in the Old Testament

  • Mentor and Guide
  • Correct Worship
  • Ritual Purity
  • Sexual Morality
  • Just Behaviour
  • Contextual Understanding
  • Survival and Flourishing
• Noah's call to social justice

  1. Building the Ark

  2. Spreading Righteousness

  3. Equality and Opportunity
• Moses' call to social justice

  1. Liberation from Slavery

  2. Advocating for Oppressed

  3. Promised Land

  4. Divine Intervention
• Abraham's call to social justice

  1. Faith and Perseverance

  2. Testing Faith

  3. Trust in God
• Amos' call to social justice

  1. Revealing Injustices

  2. Repentance and Justice

  3. Caring for Marginalised

  4. Denouncing Corruption
• Micah's call to social justice

  1. Prophetic Messages

  2. Inspiring Change

  3. Moral Actions
• Synoptic Gospels


  The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which describe events from a similar point of view, as contrasted with that of John