SPIRITUAL GROWTH PROJECT Carpool Week! Drive to and from school (and other

places) with at least one other person you don’t normally drive with. Or ride with someone else.

Begin tomorrow (Thursday) morning and continue through Wednesday of next week.

CARPOOL WEEK QUOTES After this the Lord appointed seventy [-two]*

 others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. Luke 10:1

We are not proving ourselves spiritually worthy of our material progress.  We have not been neighborly, courteous, and kind upon the highway.  Our lack of decency toward our fellow men is a definite black mark against us.  ~Cary T. Grayson

Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the road to a happier life. ~Pythagoras

FOR EACH BOOK CHAPTER Teaching Presentation (Mr. Schafer) Homework Excerpt from a Church document

(Everyone) Quiz

FOR THREE CHAPTERS… Current event presentation & discussion

4 individuals per chapter Culture connector - examples of where the

theme is present or lacking in culture (movie, tv, songs, etc) and discussion Individual or groups of 2 or 3

Prayer Service or Artwork incorporating themes Groups of 3-5

Over the course of the Semester, each student will do one current event, one culture, and one prayer service or artwork.

SEVEN THEMES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING Life and Dignity of the Human Person Call to Family, Community, and

Participation Rights and Responsibilities Option for the Poor and Vulnerable Dignity of Work & Rights of Workers Solidarity Care for God’s creation

HUMAN DIGNITY Human Dignity - (Dignity of Being) -

inherent worth of every human being because they are made in the image of God.

Basis of all Catholic Social Teaching Encompasses Respect for life and

working toward life to the fullest. People come first.

MEANING OF LIFE What does it mean to be fully human

and fully alive? Cannot be tied to money, career,

possessions because these things come and go.

Imitating the perfect love of God To be in right relationship with God,

others, and the world.

CULTURE OF DEATH (WORLDVIEW OF DEATH) Identity is tied to what we have Focus is on what we can do and obtain Quality of life is more important than life

itself

CULTURE OF LIFE (WORLDVIEW OF LIFE) View life and everything in life as a gift Life is worth living through suffering Since relationship are most important,

giving more important than having

CONSISTENT ETHIC OF LIFE Protect and support the fullness of life

from conception until natural death Ties together all themes of Catholic

Social TeachingAbortionEuthanasiaCapital PunishmentWarSlavery/human trafficking

MODERN DAY SLAVERY True of False: Slavery is illegal

everywhere True In the world today, there is an

estimated:1 million slaves9 million slaves27 million slaves

27 million slaves

HUMAN TRAFFICKING Handout with Group discussion

questions

“GOSPEL OF LIFE” OPEN NOTES QUIZ List three of the signs of hope John Paul

II sees in promotion of the Gospel of Life.

List three of the “structures of sin” that John Paul II describes as promoting the individual decision of abortion.   

Give two points that John Paul II makes about how to renew the culture of life.

State two of the underlying causes of the culture of death discussed by John Paul II.

GOSPEL OF LIFE - SIGNS OF HOPE Initiatives of support for weak and

defenseless.   Responsible and generous parents, adoptive

parents, pregnancy support groups Advances in medical science to promote life,

medical missions, natural disaster relief movements to raise social awareness Daily unselfish care of those in need,

religious who are dedicated to the poor Public opposition to war and death penalty Greater attention to ecology and quality of

life.

STRUCTURES OF SIN SUPPORTING ABORTION  Lack of responsibility on part of father Pressure of family & friends Doctors and nurses using skills for

promotion of death Legislators who promote laws of abortion Those who encourage sexual

permissiveness Lack of support for families International institutions that lobby for

abortion worldwide

RENEWING THE CULTURE OF LIFE Need to begin within Christian community by connecting

faith and life through awareness, questioning, discussion. To transform culture, need to form consciences in worth

of every human life Link between freedom and life - there is no true freedom

where life is not respected; freedom and truth (not subjectivity) Admitting dependence on God Adopt a new lifestyle of the primacy of being over having

(person over things) Others are brothers and sisters, not rivals Inclusion and valuing the contribution of all. Responsibility of the media to support culture of life Witness of women for life

UNDERLYING CAUSES OF THE CULTURE OF DEATH Excessive concern with efficiency creates

tension between powerful and weak Rights once used to defend human life are now

used to destroy it Selfishness of rich countries over poor countries Rights are tied to autonomy, making people

reject one another Freedom which exalts isolated individualism

instead of freedom as gift of self and openness to others.

Lack of link between freedom and truth leads to self as sole reference of truth (relativism)

THOUGHT EXPERIMENT If you were starting from scratch, how

would you set up society? Image you do not know your position

and particulars of life (gender, race, nationality, intelligence, family background, socioeconomic status, etc).

What principles would be necessary to create a just society?

JOHN RAWLS 20th century American political

philosopher. Harvard Professor Viewed justice as fairness. To find principles of justice, one must try

to beyond one’s own particular state in life.“Veil of ignorance”

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF SOCIETY Basic rights and freedoms should be

safeguarded.Utilitarianism does not work - why?

Inequalities in distribution of goods is ok, under certain conditions.Communism does not work - why?

SET UP SOCIETY AS A… Feudal Aristocracy

Life path is based solely on birth.Based on accident of birth, it is not fair.

Freedom to choose careerLife not based on accident of birth, but on

choice of what they want to do.But of the 146 top colleges and universities:

Over 70% of students are from top 25% in income

Only 3% are from the bottom 25% in incomeStarting points are different, so it is not fair.

SET UP SOCIETY AS A… Meritocracy

Give everyone equal opportunity/education to ensure justice in society.

Other factors are out of our control. Birth order affects work ethic & effort; firstborn

are more likely to succeed. Effort often depends on circumstances we don’t

have control over. Success also depends on what society values

Artist or video game programmer Teacher or lawyer

There is the “natural” differences of “fastest,” so it is not fair.

CREATING A JUST (FAIR) SOCIETY School teacher average annual salary $45,000 David Letterman annual salary $31,000,000 Is this Just? “Difference Principle” (Rawls)

Permit people to exercise differences as long as the differences benefit the least well off in society.

CREATING A JUST (FAIR) SOCIETY Supreme Court Justice annual salary $250,000 Judge Judy annual salary $45,000,000 Is this just? As long as it benefits the least members

of society.

HOW DOES RAWLS RELATE TO THE GOSPEL OF LIFE? Worldview that life is gift. Balance of importance of both personal

responsibility and societal/family influence.

Focus on the good of the entire community.

Reminder of the individual’s dependence on and responsibilities toward society.

SPIRITUAL GROWTH PROJECT Traditional Fasting Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting (no

eating between meals) and abstinence (no meat).

For the following 6 days through Tuesday, dedicate yourself to continuing the fast in some way: No eating between meals, no meat, no eating

after a certain time at night, eating smaller portions

Think of the personal, interpersonal, and societal aspects of fasting…

SGP QUOTE “Dear brothers and sisters, may this Lenten season

find the whole Church ready to bear witness to all those who live in material, moral and spiritual destitution the Gospel message of the merciful love of God our Father, who is ready to embrace everyone in Christ. We can do this to the extent that we imitate Christ who became poor and enriched us by his poverty. Lent is a fitting time for self-denial; we would do well to ask ourselves what we can give up in order to help and enrich others by our own poverty. Let us not forget that real poverty hurts: no self-denial is real without this dimension of penance. I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt.” Pope Francis

TYPES OF JUSTICE commutative - regulates exchanges between

persons, and among persons and institutions safeguards property rights, paying debts, and

fulfilling obligations freely contracted distributive - what the community owes its

citizens in proportion to their contribution and needs Ensuring that everyone in the community has

what they need. To those who have been given much, much is

expected in return. Special care is due the weak members

TYPES OF JUSTICE retributive justice - punishment or

revenge to address an injustice - “an eye for an eye”

restorative justice (reparation for injustice) - making things right after committing a wrong restoring the good that has been harmed

because of injustice“The antidote to violence is love, not more

violence.” (Living the Gospel of Life, 22) focus on healing and correction of behavior

over revenge

HOMEWORK Read pages 132-139 in text book. Describe some of the suggestions for

building a culture of life. How would you assess these

suggestions? What other suggestions do you have? Write a half a page response.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT How many death row inmates are there

in Ohio? 145 How many death row inmates are there

in the United States? 3,095

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT Arguments for: Deterrence - keeps other from violent

crimes Retribution - must pay for crime/taking

life Costs - Cheaper than life in prison To protect society - Keep guilty from

harming others.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT Responses: Deterrence

There is little evidence that it deters crimeViolent crime rate continues to be more

prevalent in states that have the death penalty

Retribution“Eye for an eye” was meant to limit

violenceNothing can bring a loved one backVengeance is unhealthy for all involved

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT Costs

Studies show it is less expensive to give a life sentence without parole

To protect society Prisons are secure enough to keep society

safe Frodo meets Gollum…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrOqnZdvI6M

OTHER POINTS TO CONSIDER… 1) the death penalty removes the

possibility of reform and rehabilitation; 2) there is the possibility of putting an

innocent person to death; 3) carrying out the death penalty causes

anguish not only for the convict's loved ones but also for the executioners and witnesses;

4) executions attract great publicity, much of it unhealthy;

5) there is legitimate concern that people are sentenced to death in a discriminatory way

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT Personal Witness Other witnesses against death penalty

HUMAN DIGNITY ESSAY One page typed essay Citing information from class notes and

“The Gospel of Life” explain the Church’s understanding of human dignity and how it relates to Rawls’ theory of justice. Incorporate the Consistent ethic of life and

current human dignity issues. Due next Tuesday (March 18)