From the talk of Bishop Honesto Pacana

After the convention, we were having our late lunch before going home. Bishop Honesto Pacana, SJ who is the Bishop of Malaybalay went to our table carrying his lunch tray. As he ate his lunch, we took the opportunity to discuss with him the contents of his talk that morning entitled "Who is my brother: (The Compendium of the Social Teachings of the Church)". We had a very interesting discussion on how the lay people understood the social teachings of the church. Some are into gift giving (charity). Some are into poverty alleviation like building houses for the poor. Some are into poverty eradication by undergoing developmental works which will help change the structural causes of poverty.

He also cracked a joke about government's response to poverty. He said that if somebody is helping the poor, people in the government clap their hands and sing praises to that person. But if somebody asks "WHY are the people poor?", people in the government will brand that person as a subversive or a communist.

Here are some excerpts from the talk of Bishop Honesto Pacana, SJ:

• The best kept secret of the church is the prayer "Our Father" because it teaches the truth that we belong to God's family with God as the Father of all.
• All individuals are living images of God (Imago Dei), thus they possess the dignity of a person who is not just something but someone, that all human rights flow from this dignity
  

• There are people whom culture and society tend to look down as dropouts, marginal or insignificant. Some may still say that the poor deserve their lot.  They are lazy.    We would rather not think or talk about those behind bars packed like sardines.  Anyway criminals must pay for their crimes.   We turn a deaf ear to the cry of the tribal peoples who are forcibly driven from their ancestral homes and branded as land grabbers or squatters.  Think to minors victimized by human traffickers, exploited by those engaged in procuring cheap labor or commercial sex through media.
  

• The dignity of man is not measured by he has done or achieved, disgrace or honor; or his situation of poverty and sickness like Lazarus or living in luxury and comfort like the rich man, Dives.  The truth of the matter is that man’s inherent dignity is not diminished even if he has nothing to show for himself.  All are equal in their inherent dignity as image and likeness of God no matter what.

• The human person has the right to live in dignity—right to life, food, shelter, participation, clothing, employment, clean environment, etc.

• Conversion is incomplete if the truth about our inherent dignity does not bear fruit in personal or social change, if we are not aware of the demands of the Christian life and if we do not strive to meet them.  Hence,  conversion to the Gospel means to revise "all the different areas and aspects of life, especially those related to the social order and the pursuit of the common good"... .

• Two brothers live a boarding house.  The younger one is into all vices. The elder one is a good person.  One occasion the younger brother returns in the middle of the night full of blood and trembling with fear…etc.  Elder brother and he exchange clothes.  The elder brother dies so that the younger brother will live.  A brother must love another brother the point of dying to self.  Jesus is one such a brother.

• The dignity of the human person is the underlying moral value of the social teachings of the Church.