D-REED 213

Our Christian Commitment in

Contemporary Society
Unit I: Who Am I?
II. Authentic Personhood
A. Different Philosophies on
Human Person and How One
should Act
Objectives of the Lesson:

At the end of the lesson the students will be able:

1. To know and understand the different philosophies or

understanding on human person,

2. To value the essence of a human person with equal

dignity in the Christian Perspective.

3. To be aware of what is to be a true human person

based from the different philosophies..
ACTIVITY 1

1. What is your happiest moment/experience or greatest

achievement in living life so far? Why?

2. What talent/gift/skill can you share with others or

contribute to your community?

3. How important are other people (parents, siblings,

classmates, etc) to your life?

4. What is the attitude or characteristic that you want to

develop or improve in yourself? Why?
My Philosophy

Drive my attitudes and

behavior;

Dictate my values;

Direct my way of life

Different views of what a
person is:

1. Modern Advertising
What do they sell to become
a GOOD PERSON?

The emphasis is more on

external rather than internal.
2. World of business and
politics

Money is king.
“Buy everything”.

Politics is power.
PHILOSOPHY #1

“I cannot live locked up inside myself.

I must be open to the world and those around
me.
I must be meditative so that people and the forces
found in the universe can flow through me
-so that I can overcome all illusions about myself
and the world and thus discover an
ultimate reality.”
1. Oriental Philosophy
Try to live a gentle submissiveness to
the cosmic powers flowing in the
universe.

They try to let these powers control

their destiny.

The cosmic powers can be achieved

through meditation.
ORIENTAL VIEW

Some Buddhist, for

example, try to live a
gentle submissiveness to
the cosmic powers
flowing in the universe.

They try to let these

powers control their
destiny.
PHILOSOPHY #2

“I am here for one purpose: to get as much

out of life as I can. Pain and suffering are
evils that must be avoided at all costs. The
main thing in life is always to feel good.”
2. Playboy/Playgirl

This is also known as hedonism, in which

pleasure, especially of the physical,
sensual type, is almost considered a god.
It spouses advertisements and
popular magazines which highlight
PLEASURE (senses)

The main thing in life is to

always feel good.
PHILOSOPHY #3

“My purpose in life is to work for the

glorification of the group.

The individual has no worth as such.

I’m like a small cog in a big machine as I

submit my efforts to the larger efforts of the
state.”
3. Communistic
Philosophy
Fathered by Karl Marx, who preached
that individual has worth only to the
degree that he helps the interests of
the State.

Communism (from Latin:communis-

common, universal) is a movement which
creates a classless, moneyless, and stateless
social structure.
 Distribution
based on needs, class
 consciousness, worker participation.
PHILOSOPHY #4

“I must do whatever
I can to increase my
own ‘freedom’.
Freedom means
doing what I want to
do. To hell with other
people. What is good
is that which further
my interests.”
4. Individualistic
Philosophy

Also called atheistic existentialism, as

Jean Paul Sartre (Being and
Nothingness) claimed that each person
is radically alone and separated from all
others.

It refers to the exclusion of any

transcendental, metaphysical, or
atheistic
existentialism
(Jean Paul Sartre/
Soren Kierkeggard).
PHILOSOPHY #5

“In the light of death,

life has no real
meaning. It is a joke-
the tale of an idiot
signifying nothing.”
5. Nihilistic Worldview

From the Latin nihil, nothing.

One may develop upon realizing there
are no necessary norms, rules, or laws.

Life have no ultimate meaning.

Maintains that a person and
his/her life have no ultimate
meaning. This philosophy
maintains that material things
will give meaning to a
person’s life on earth; thus
the accumulation of material
wealth and properties leads
him/her not to long for the
ultimate things in life. Nothing
is more important than
material possessions.
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

Oriental
Playboy/girl
Communistic
Individualistic
Nihilistic
PHILOSOPHY #6.

“I have worth.

I must strive to live a life of loving service to my

fellow human beings, all of whom in the last
analysis, are my brothers and sisters.

Life has a final meaning which resides outside of

me, that is, in God and in my relationship to Jesus
Christ.”
Christian Philosophy

Relates life positively towards others

because he/she has accepted in faith
the word of God.

Life of loving service and sacrifice.

What matters most is to LOVE (God in

others)
CHRISTIAN WAY OF LIFE.
DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHIES OF
SOCIAL LIFE / LIVING

a. ORIENTAL: Divine or spiritual

dependence
b. PLAYBOY: pleasures matter most in
life
c. COMMUNISTIC: one’s worth
depends on his usefulness
to the state.
d. INDIVIDUALISTIC: independence
from the rest for a living.

e. NIHILISTIC : life is without future,

purpose or intrinsic meaning,
values are falsely invented.

f. CHRISTIAN: life of loving service and

sacrifice.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
MAY
GOD BLESS YOU
ALWAYS
B. Human Dignity
“A person is a
creature made
in the image of
God, fallen but
is given life in
the likeness of
Christ as an
active agent in
the history of
salvation.”
Objectives of the Lesson:

At the end of the lesson the students will be able:

1. To know and understand the Christian perspective

on human person as created in the image and
likeness of God and the concept of human freedom,

2. To value the essence of a human person as created

in the image and likeness of God (with equal dignity),

3. To live out the call, responsibility of being human by

sharing skills, talents and building up good and
harmonious relationships with his true self, others,
Mother Nature and Supreme God.
THE HUMAN PERSON

a. LOCAL: based on myths and

legends

b. SCIENTIFIC: based on facts

and theories

c. BIBLICAL: based on faith and

traditions
LOCAL: Myths &
Legends

a. Malakas at Maganda

b. God’s baking

c. Woman’s Pounding
SCIENTIFIC: Facts &
Theories

BIG BANG
Accidental events

EVOLUTION:
1. Bone structures
2. Hairy bodies
3. Walking lifestyles
BIBLICAL: Faith
& Tradition

IMAGE &
LIKENESS
Essentially Good
Has Intellect
Has Freedom
Social/Relational
Then God said: “Let us make man
in our image, after our likeness.
Let them have dominion over the
fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
and the cattle, and over all the wild
animals and all the creatures that
crawl on the ground.”
God created man in His image; in
the divine image He created him;
Male and female He created
them.

God blessed them, saying: “Be

fertile and multiply; fill the earth and
subdue it. Have dominion over the
fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
and all the living things that move on
the earth.”
And so it happened. God
looked at everything He had
made, and He found it very
good.
Created in the Image and Likeness
of God

BODY (Physical) and SOUL (Spirit)

+ Reason: human person is capable to understand
+ Freedom: is capable of directing himself/herself –
“to do good.”
Therefore, with these powers, human being can become the
best in God’s creation that make us different from /superior
to animals.
-And when these powers used to the purpose of God, it
promotes one’s dignity.
Human Being as
Essentially Good
Gen. 1:31 – “God looked at everything He had
made, and He found it good.”
*Human person is essentially good because
he/she is made in the image/likeness of God.
*He/she is born with a natural inclination to do
good and avoid evil and with the capacity to
distinguish between right and wrong.
Human person as an image of God
reflects God’s goodness:

== the more the person acts

according to the way he/she is
made, the more he/she reflects the
Creator.

*A person gives glory to God by

being man/woman.

*St, Ireneus, “the glory of God is

man/woman fully alive.”
God gave Man Human Freedom
*Meaning: the power rooted in reason and will, to
act or not to act, to do this or that, and to perform
deliberate actions anchored to one’s
responsibility.
*True/Authentic Freedom: freedom at the service
of what is good and just.
*DIGNITATIS HUMANAE: “… people should act on
their own judgment, enjoying and making use of
responsible freedom, not driven by coercion but
motivated by sense of duty.”
*CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: “,,, is
not ‘the right to say and do anything’ but to ‘do
good.’” (communal dimension of freedom).
*John 8:32 – Jesus said, “the truth will set you
free.”
The Freedom of the Human
Person is limited
“Man is certainly
free, inasmuch
as he can
understand and
accept God's
commands. But
his freedom is
not unlimited.
: it must halt before the
„tree of the knowledge
of good and evil', for it
is called to accept the
moral law given by
God.

In fact, human freedom

finds its authentic and
complete fulfillment
precisely in the
acceptance of that law”.
“Freedom From” means release
from any: Physical barriers, such
as, matter, energy, space and time.

Psychological barriers, such as,

disordered passions, fears,
personality defects, prejudices or
psychological imbalances.

Spiritual barriers, such as bad

habits, or vices .
“Freedom For” means an
authentic freedom growing as full
persons and children of God,
sharing in the life of Christ, Our
Liberator through the Spirit. It is the
freedom found in authentic love.

is attaining the fullness of life

or happiness.
What is CHRISTIAN
FREEDOM?
Jesus said, "Know the truth, and the
truth will set you free."

But what is free? It is “free from

guilt”, “free to sin”; as Paul says,
shall we sin, because we are not
under the law, but under grace?
God forbid! Rom 6:15.
Jesus said:
When you bear (produce) much
fruit, My Father is honored and
glorified, and you show and prove
yourselves to be true followers of
Mine. (John 15:8).
Concept of Fundamental
Freedom
*Freedom is at the center of human person where
he/she makes moral decision (good or evil).
Concept of Fundamental
Freedom
*Joseph Boyle (summary)
1. Fundamental Freedom is exercised at the
very core of human person, the locus of
self-determination and moral
responsibility.
2. Its object is not a particular action but
the entire self in its relation to God.
3. Fundamental Freedom is not an action
but a preference. Preference is more like
a stance or an attitude than an act of
choosing.
Human Person has a Free Choice
*St. Thomas Aquinas: “It is through free choice
that human persons are masters of their action.”
*Council of Trent: “Human persons are free to
choose… to become the persons that they want to
be.”
*Vatican II: “Free choice is an exceptional sign of
the divine image within human persons.”
*Pope John Paul II: “Self-determining character of
free choice.” Freedom of choice – is a decision
about oneself and a setting of one’s own life for
or against the Good, for or against the truth, and
ultimately, for or against God.”
The moral dimension of Christian
Faith resides in responding to God’s
grace by a wholehearted “YES” to all
dimensions of life.

*We gradually become

what we morally are
by what we
morally do.
As embodied spirits and relational
beings, we have natural
inclinations towards:
1. The Good/Happiness
2. Truth
3. Preservation of Being
4. Procreation and Marriage
5. Friendship and Life in Society
These
inclinations are
the
foundations of
freedom and are
cultivated and
refined by
cultivating the
virtues.
Fundamental Option of
Human Freedom
a. FREEDOM FOR
(inner) for one’s growth as full person and
in Christian Charity.
b. FREEDOM FROM
(external) force to do something against
our will.
c. FUNDAMENTAL OPTION
: a free and responsible determination of
one with regard to the totality of his
existence good or evil.
Threats to Inner Freedom
a. Subhuman living conditions,

b. Arbitrary imprisonment

c. Inhuman working condition

d. Exploitation

e. Tyranny
Interior Obstacles to
Authentic Freedom
a. ignorance
b. disordered passions
c. fears
d. personality defects
e. bad habits
f. psychological disturbances
g. exterior forces such as violence
Freedom and Responsibility
Doing evil is not freedom, nor a
part of freedom, but only a sign
that we have the capability to
choose.

Man gains dignity when he

freely chooses what is good.

The more one does what is

good, the freer one becomes.
Inner Freedom

External freedom refers to the

freedom of action, the freedom
to do whatever we want to do.

Inner freedom refers

to freedom to become
all we can possibly
be.
Human Person has Human
Freedom & Responsibility
Freedom to be oneself:

is a process of growth in freedom to

reach the ultimate goal of a person in
life.

Freedom that promotes the fulfillment

of life.
As CHRISTIANS, responsible
freedom leads us to the FRUITS
of the SPIRIT:
-love
-joy
-peace
-patience
-kindness
-generosity
-faithfulness
-gentleness
-self-control
Guide of Christians for
Responsible Decision-
Making (St. Paul)
1. Respect for yourself.
2. Respect for fellow
Christians.
3. Respect for the
Church.
4. Respect for the
outsiders.
C. Human Person as
Relational Being:
Persons is relational by nature
1. Being BY others
(conception,
birth, upbringing)
2. Being WITH
others (family,
friends,
neighbors, etc.)
3. Being FOR others
(love and service)
Relationship with
Himself/Herself
1. YES to ourselves –
seeing ourselves rooted
in God, meaningful
relationship with God.

2. YES to others –
compassion,
acceptance, mercy,
forgiveness, availability,
service, justice, and love.
YES to their dignity as
persons.
Relationship with Other
Human Beings & Nature
*To live in the
community/social groups
with appropriate structure
and institution (e.g.,
government, education, and
health care provide venues
for human interaction,
cooperation, and solidarity)
– social morality ought to look
into these institution if they
promote the growth of
human beings as persons
and contribute to the
common good.
We are created not to
destroy our lives and
the beauty of nature,
but to produce better
things for our
environment

We are created to
protect, respect,
preserve our lives, those of others,
and the beauty of nature
God created
man/woman in His
own image and
likeness and gave
him/her dominion
over all creatures

All things were

created in the service
and use of human
beings
Humans are
accountable for what
they have received. It
is God‟s prerogative

Everything comes
from God and
everything has to go
back to Him
according to His plans
and designs
A Useful Dominion
All things are meant for man/woman’s
use and service

–not to do with these things

as they please, but to
use these things
reasonably and
responsibly to satisfy
their needs according
to God‟s plans
Accountable Stewardship
over A Person‟s Life
Life is a gift from God

People are accountable to God for what

they are and for what they make of
themselves

Mission of man/woman is to develop

his/her talents and potentials to the
fullest and to reach the perfection he/she
is called to attain
Humans are responsible
for their actions

Humans are accountable stewards

of all things, over their lives and
that of others

Humans are not masters of their

lives nor have absolute dominion
over themselves. Everything they
have, comes from God.
They are accountable to God for
what they are and what they make
of themselves.
Relationship with God
God has created us to share with
Him the endless happiness which
our hearts naturally desires:

“God has place happiness in the

human heart in order to draw man
to the One who alone can fulfill it.
God alone satisfies”
Principle of Stewardship
(Gen. 1:26-28)
*Human person is given a
certain responsibility over all
creatures. All things were
created in the service and use
of human beings. But human
beings are accountable for
what they have received.
*Useful Dominion: All things are
meant for their use and service
– not to do with these things as
they please, but to use things
reasonably and responsibly.
Accountable stewardship
over a person’s life:

*Human life is a gift from

God. Human beings are
accountable to God for what
they are and for what they
make of themselves.

* In God’s plan, a human

person must realize his/her
mission “to develop the
talents and potentialities to
the fullest and to reach the
perfection he/she is called to
attain
Human persons must be
faithful to God’s call.

- Therefore, human life

becomes the basic and
fundamental
requirement for persons
to carry out their mission
(e.g., occasions that
destroy life especially in
the practice of medicine).
Human Person as Redeemed
in Christ
*”Who Am I?” – the answer
to the question is grounded
on Jesus Christ. He reveals
how the dignity of persons is
grounded directly on their
origin, meaning, and destiny.

+Catechism of the Catholic

Church: “By his passion Christ
delivered us from Satan and
from sin. His grace restores
what sin had damaged in us.”
+Vatican II: “Fully reveals
man/woman to himself…”

+John Paul II: “Jesus, in his

very person, fulfills the law,
brings it to perfection, and
reveals to man his/her
noble calling.”

*Thus, the moral life

ultimately means following
Christ.
We believed that all are
redeemed by the blood of
Christ and are sanctified
by the indwelling of the
Holy Spirit (Eph 1:7)

All persons are called to

be children of God
destined for eternal life of
blessed communion with
the Father, Jesus and the
Holy Spirit
Read Col 1:15-22, p.
24

Jesus is the
foundation of the
Christian moral life

Moral life ultimately

means following
We are “Other Christs”
(Alter Christus)

It is in Christ, the
Redeemer and Saviour,
that the divine image,
disfigured in man by the
first sin, has been
restored to its original
beauty and ennobled by
the grace of God.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
MAY
GOD BLESS YOU
ALWAYS