Hotline Asia -- Social Concern Notes

Parish Social Concern Groups - Church's Social Teachings
~ Crash: Dignity of Human Person ~
Lesson 5

Question & Answer || Church Teaching || Thinking About Justice
 

Introduction

THE CRASH

There are five people aboard a small aircraft:

  1. Young woman who is suffering form an incurable illness.

  2. Wealthy man who always gives a great deal of money to help the poor.

  3. Filipino domestic worker.

  4. Mentally handicapped teenager.

  5. The governor of Hong Kong.

THE PLANE WILL CRASH IN A FEW MINUTES! Fortunately there are three parachutes on board. So only two persons will perish. To which three persons would you give the parachutes?

  1. _____________

  2. _____________

  3. _____________

Lesson:   Because we live in a world of limited resources, everyday society and each of us make decisions based on our estimate of the value of a human person.
 

Social Teachings of the Church

"The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation in the image and likeness of God...The divine image is present in every man. ... Respect for the human person entails respect for the rights that flow from his dignity as a creature. These rights are prior to society and must be recognized by it." Catechism of the Catholic Church, Mission Hills: Benziger Publishing Company, 1994, #1700, #1702, #1930 pp. 424-425, 469.
 
Question & Answer
Question:   How do Christians estimate the worth of a human person?
Answer:   The dignity of the human person arises not from his/her value to society but because each human person is made in the image and likeness of God.
 

Thinking About Justice

  1. What does the Hong Kong budget tell us about the government's attitude toward the various segments of society? E.g. sick, mentally ill, tax payers, property owners, children, elderly, street dwellers, new immigrants?
  2. What do you think is the meaning of the term: "Welfare for the rich?"
  3. How does the make-up of the Diocesan Synod, indicate the value that the Church attaches to the various segments of the Christian community?
 

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