Hotline Asia -- Social Concern Notes

Parish Social Concern Groups - Church's Social Teachings
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Labour: Wages ~
Lesson 10

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

 

Introduction

THE MAN WITH THE MATCH

There was once a farming village set in a fertile valley. Once every ten years or so, the valley would flood. But the people had enough warning time to make careful preparations. The mountain top would be freezing but with careful preparations, all would be safe. The water would subside after a few weeks and the villagers would return. There was an old retarded gentleman, Paak Tsoi. He couldn't carry anything and would be a nuisance so they decided to leave him behind. When the villagers got to the top of the mountain and the flood waters began flowing into the valley, the leaders discovered that no one had brought matches to light the fire. Without a fire, all would freeze to death. In the valley belong they saw a red glow. It was Paak Tsoi sitting on the roof lighting his pipe with a match.

 
Question & Answer
Question:   What would have happened if they had brought Paak Tsoi with them?
     
Answer:   _____________________________________________________
 

Social Teachings of the Church

"Individuals, families, and various groups...are aware of their own insufficiency in the matter of establishing a fully human condition of life. They see the need for that wider community in which each would daily contribute his energies toward the ever better attainment of the common good... Now, the common good embraces the sum of those conditions of social life by which individuals, families, and groups can achieve their own fulfillment in a relatively thorough and ready way (#74). ...Every social group must take account of the needs and legitimate aspirations of other groups, and even of the general welfare of the entire human family. (#26)"

["Church in the Modern World", Vatican II Document. The Gospel of Peace and Justice, ed. Joseph Gremillion (New York, Orbis Books, 1975) pp. 263, 264 and 309.]

 

Thinking About Justice

  1. Is it true that Indonesian maids on Cheung Chau work at half the salaries of Filipina domestics and have no fixed holidays? If yes, what does the Church's teaching on "common good" demand of the Chinese and Filipino people of Our Lady of Fatima community?
  2. As a Catholic, do you believe that the death penalty in China is for the common good?
  3. Do you believe that China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) is for the common good?
 

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