RELIGIOUS

EDUCATION 9
Learning Module 3
First Quarter
August 23 – 27, 2021

Module 3: “Civil Society for the Common

Good”
Introduction
Manifesting the magnificent gifts of God is granted only to a few; a mystical union with God exists for the
renewal of the faith of the community. Yet union with God in an intimate way is offered to all people of goodwill. The
Holy Spirit grants gifts to people, extraordinary graces to a few that all may be brought to sanctification and be justified.
To accomplish the work of the Divine for the good of the Body of Christ, to bring salvation to others, and to
become instruments of the kingdom of God on earth, the Church exists and serves the Body of Christ in her tasks as one,
holy, catholic, and apostolic
As a community of Christ, we are called to become holy and to be one with the community of believers. Since
we are a community of believers we are expected to understand each other’s opinion despite of divisiveness of cultures
and norms, by that we can possibly become a society or a Church for the common good.

LESSON TITLE TEXTBOOK PAGES

5 CIVIL SOCIETY FOR THE COMMON GOOD 232 - 242

Lesson Objectives Focus Skills

At the end of this lesson, you are expected to: At the end of this lesson, you are
Doctrine: expected to:
Describe how Christian moral values and virtues are exercised by
Research how each civil society
different civil societies in their work for common good.
responsibly performs its function
Morals: according to the Gospel values of
Research how each civil society responsibly performs its function social justice, economic viability,
according to the Gospel values of social justice, economic viability, people’s participation, care for the
people’s participation, care for the environment, peace, gender equality, environment, peace, gender equality,
and spirituality. and spirituality.
Worship:
Pray for the civil societies in the community, for their advocacies and
involvement in people’s lives.

OPENING PRAYER:

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and
sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends,
and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.
EXPLORE
#WeCAREasOneIHMA
START UP ACTIVITY

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 My dear student, you are now in your lesson 17. I am hoping that you learned a lot from the previous lesson about
The Nature of the Catholic Church. To start this new lesson kindly read the story below. Then, ponder and reflect on the
questions that follow.

A MAN OF PEACE IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS

In an era marked by growing conflicts in many parts of the world, today, more than ever, there is a need to
promote the powerful message of nonviolence. Every October 2 is the celebration of the International Day of
Nonviolence. As the world celebrates it, India also marks the birth of Mahatma Gandhi.
According to Msgr. Thomas Menamparampil, an Archbishop of Guwahati, India, “intolerance, ethnic conflicts,
economic interest, political violence, and terrorism are sadly common in every corner of the world, which is why today,
more than ever, we need to promote the powerful message of nonviolence, which Mahatma Gandhi borrowed from Jesus
Christ, making it His own in public life and politics.” Gandhi was able to mobilize the people in India to take up the
challenge to freedom in a nonviolent way and in this he was influenced by the teachings of Jesus Christ.
In one occasion, the Archbishop of Guwahati once again spoke of Mahatma Gandhi on the meditation on the
Stations of the Cross of the Pope. He saw the courage of the truth that comes from choosing the right path, the correct way
to solve problems. The peaceful, but at the same time, profoundly effective tactics of Satyagraha, which refers to
nonviolent struggle and its various components, civil disobedience, and peaceful noncooperation won independence for
India from a foreign power.
Mahatma Gandhi showed enormous courage and a boundless fortitude in the face of an enemy whom he
respected. This is a wonderful example of a man who walked in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, whose teachings Gandhi
often quoted. A picture of Christ adorned the wall behind his desk.
Adapted from World Mission November 2009, No. 228, Vol. XXIp.8
Questions:
1. What is the teaching of Jesus that was lived by Mahatma Gandhi?
2. What do you think made Mahatma Gandhi promote this teaching of Jesus?
3. What other teachings of Jesus can you promote to other young people of today?

FIRM UP
The teachings of Jesus has spread and reached the farthest corner of the world. We are able to hear people following
his example and living his teachings. Jesus Christ’ words are powerful. They move people and change the lives and
structure of society. This is an effect of the humble beginnings of Jesus’ disciples who were moved by the Holy Spirit to
proclaim the Good News to the world.
Read the Gospel of Matthew13: 3-9 on pages 233-234 of your textbook. Then, give what is being asked in the STEP
UP activity below.

STEP UP ACTIVITY
1. Cite personal experiences where you can relate the Parable of the Sower to your life as a student, friend, and son or
daughter.

DEEPEN
#WeCAREasOneIHMA
CATHOLIC CHURCH AS A CIVIL SOCIETY FOR COMMON GOOD

What do you mean by Church as One?

As Catholics we believe that the Church is one because the “Church shines forth as a people made one with the
unity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”. This means that the very source of the Church is the One Living God in
Three Divine Persons. Secondly, the Church is one with her founder who is Jesus Christ. Thirdly, the Church is one
because of her soul, the Holy Spirit.

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What does Church as Holy mean?

The catechism for Filipino Catholics teaches us that the Church is holy because of the following reasons:
1. Christ loved the Church as his bride and gave Himself up for her, to make her holy. Uniting her to Himself as
His body, He endowed her with the gift of the Holy Spirit”.
2. The Holy Spirit graces her with the fullness of the means of salvation and holiness. Such are the preaching of
the Gospel, the sacraments, the moral virtues, self-sacrificing service of neighbour, and charismatic gifts.
3. The sanctity of the Church is manifested in the lives of canonized and uncanonised men and women, ordinary
faithful and religious, who through the ages have led holy lives.

How is the Church apostolic?

According to tradition, the Church is apostolic in three basic ways:

1. Jesus Christ grounded the Church permanently “on the foundation of the apostles”;
2. The Church guards and transmits their teaching and witness;
3. The Church continues to be instructed, sanctified, and guided by the apostles through their successors.
Why is the Church Catholic?

The Catechism for Filipino Catholics teaches that the term “catholic” means “universal, complete, all embracing”. It
applies to the Church in two different ways. First, the Church is worldwide, sent to all peoples. Second, being endowed
with the “fullness of the means for salvation.” She announces the whole, true faith.

Source: Castillo, C. & Lagaya, R. (2014). KENOSIS: The Life-Giving Sacrifice of Jesus 8. Don Bosco
Press. Antonio Amaiz cor. Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City. pp. 6-7.

CIVIL SOCIETY: PERSONHOOD AND COMMON GOOD

With these four principles we can grasp human society in its entirety and consider this reality truthfully. They are
interrelated and we, as human beings, must act in accordance with them. No human can reasonably situate himself outside
of social life. We have responsibility through the Commandment of love of God and neighbour to help others, to serve the
common good, to help every individual live a dignified life, and to protect the intrinsic rights of groups and associations.

1. Personhood

The human person is essentially a social being and because of this human beings form communities, take responsibility
for them, and leave their distinctive mark on them. Human beings rely on all sorts of relationships, recognising the
necessity of collaboration.

Unfortunately, however, the social nature of human beings does not always lead to harmonious communion among
persons. Through pride and selfishness man discovers in himself the seeds of asocial behaviour, impulses leading him to
close himself within his own individuality and to dominate his neighbour.

It is out of love for one’s own good for and for that of others that people come together in stable groups with the purpose
of attaining a common good.

2. Common Good

Vatican II defined the Common Good as “the sum total of social conditions which allows people, either as groups or as
individuals, to reach their fulfilment more fully and more easily.” It is about the progress of persons.

A society that wishes and intends to remain at the service of the human being at every level is a society that has the
common good – the good of all people and of the whole person as its primary goal.

We must be interested in the good of all, even of people nobody thinks about because they have no voice and no power.
The goods of the earth are there for everyone. The common good consists not only of the material or external good of all
human beings; it also includes the comprehensive good of the human being, including even the spiritual good.

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The common good of society is not an end in itself. It is only part of a bigger picture, the ultimate end of which is God.
The common good, as a mere materialistic socio-economic ideal, would count for little without any transcendental goal.

 The Common Good and Politics

The Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly states that “it is the role of the state to defend and promote the
common good of civil society, its citizens, and intermediate bodies.”

The common good, in fact, is the very reason that political authority exists.

It is the role of political institutions to make available to persons the necessary material, cultural, moral and
spiritual goods required to allow each individual to achieve their full development. Among the duties of
government is the need to harmonise different sectoral interests with the requirements of justice. It is an extremely
delicate task but one of great importance.

 The Universal Destination of Goods

God created the world for all and the goods of the world should in principle, be at the disposal of all and for the
good of all, without preferential treatment. John Paul II in the encyclical letter Centesimus Annus states: “the
earth, by reason of its fruitfulness and its capacity to satisfy human needs, is God’s first gift for the sustenance of
human life.”

Every person has the right to what is vitally necessary and this must not be withheld from him. The Church
accepts that there is a right to property and that there will always be differences in how much people own, but if
some have more while others lack the bare necessities there is a need for charity and also for justice.

Is private property permissible? It is reasonable for there to be private property; through work and the acquiring of
private property a person shapes the earth and makes a piece of it his own. Private property encourages freedom
and independence and it also encourages the individual to preserve and care for his property. The Second Vatican
Council, in Gaudium et spes, states that private property and other forms of private ownership of goods “assure a
person a highly necessary sphere for the exercise of his personal and family autonomy and ought to be considered
as an extension of human freedom….stimulating exercise of responsibility, it constitutes one of the conditions for
civil liberty.”

It is, however, important that owners of private property make use of it in a manner consistent with the common
good; that is, the good of all. Property includes intellectual property, knowledge, and technology. This is
particularly important in the context of wealthy nations and their obligations to poorer nations.

 Preferential Option for the Poor

The principle of the universal destination of goods requires that the poor and the marginalised should be the focus
of particular concern. We imitate Christ by a loving preference for the poor, inspiring us to embrace the hungry,
the needy, the homeless, those without healthcare, and those without hope of a better future.

The Catechism (103) makes this abundantly clear: “Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from him if we
fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren.” It further states (2248) that the
Church, “since her origin and in spite of the failing of many of her members, has not ceased to work their [the
poor] relief, defence and liberation through numerous works of charity which remain indispensable always and
everywhere.”

The Church’s love for the poor is inspired by the Gospel of the Beatitudes, the poverty of Jesus and his attention
to the poor. The Church teaches that one should assist one’s fellow man in his various needs and fill the human
community with countless works of corporal and spiritual mercy.

‘When we attend to the needs of the poor, we give them what is theirs, not ours. We pay a debt of justice.’ (St
Gregory the Great, Regula Pastoralis

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TRANSFER
 TRANSFER 1 TRANSFER 2 TRANSFER 3 #WeCAREasOneIHMA
PERFORMANCE TASK
(August 2- 6 2021) (August 9 – 13, 2021) (August 16 - 20) (August 23 – 27)
It is important that a person values praying,
You are required to do a Using what you have Make a draft of your sharing, healing, breaking bread and loving
research on how each civil researched in transfer 1, digital poster that one another. Your GKK was chosen to
society responsibility Identify the most contains values promote these values. As a digital
performs its function essential and relevant praying, sharing, Artist/Programmer you are chosen by the
according to the gospel virtue and values. This healing, breaking leader of your GKK to promote these values
values of social justice; will be integrated in the bread and loving one by making a digital poster using photo shop,
economic viability; people’s mobile application of the another. This will be Canva, and the like, and to create a mobile
and care for the environment computer subject. displayed in the application using Mobile App Inventor. Your
peace, gender equality and mobile application of output will be graded and evaluated according
spirituality. This will be your computer to the rubrics below.
integrated in the mobile Submit your output in subject.
application of the computer our Schoolgy class in Performance task must be submitted on or
subject. the Module 2 Transfer before August 23 – 27, 2021 in our
2 Folder Submit your output Schoology class in FIRST QUARTER
Submit your output in our in our Schoolgy PERFORMNACE TASK FOLDER
Schoology class in the class in the Module
Module 1 Transfer 1 3 Transfer 3 Folder
Folder.

Rubrics for Performance Task

3 2 1
Criteria Excellence Satisfactory Needs improvement Score

Punctuality Submitted before the due Submitted on time Missed the deadline
2x date.
The poster and the The poster and the The poster and the
mobile application’s mobile application’s mobile application’s
layout, color harmony, layout, color layout, color
Creativity and graphical user’s harmony, and harmony, and
2x interface exceeds graphical user’s graphical user’s
expectation. interface meets the interface needs
expectation. improvement.

The poster and the The poster and the The poster and the
Relevance to the mobile application are mobile application mobile application
theme perfectly aligned to the are somewhat aligned are slightly aligned to
3x theme. to the theme. the theme.
The mobile application The mobile The mobile
Functionality exceeds expectation. application serves its application did not
3x purpose. function
Raw score:

TOTAL
Highest possible
score:
30

SUMMATIVE
Answer your summative test honestly. Try your very best because this is a recorded test. Please provide a concise answer
for each item.
1. How important Christian moral values and virtues in achieving the common good in the different civil societies.
Give a concrete examples. (5 points)
2. Enumerate and explain the different tasks of the Catholic Church? (15 points)

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CLOSURE
YOU DID A GREAT JOB! You completed the lessons. Now we are going to evaluate what you have discovered and
learned. Kindly provide brief responses to what is being asked in the table below.

WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT THE LESSON?

LET’S SUM UP OUR LESSON!!!

The challenge for us, Catholics as member of the society, is to be part of the Church’s mission and ministry in
order to achieve the purpose which is the common good. It means that we are called to work as faithful members and
carry on the original mission entrusted by Christ to His apostles. The apostolic activity of the Church does not stop with
the bishop, priest, and religious, but it is the mission of the entire People of God including the laity, young and old, rich
and poor. Hence, as a ninth grade student, you are called to bring people to the knowledge and love of Christ through
concrete actions. This can be done through conducting catechism, serving the poor through outreach programs or even
practicing charitable work to your family, friends, and with the people you meet daily.

Closing Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, Shepherd of souls, who called the Apostles to be fishers of men, teach us
to be faithful to the Church which you have built through the power of the Holy Spirit. Make
us more eager to spread your words and deeds to our neighbours. Help us to become your
living witnesses in the world today. Amen.

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