TIPS AND GENERAL POINTERS FOR CLE TESTS (as per Ms.

San Gil)

1. Make sure statements are specific to the concepts being defined and the context applied to. General
statements do not point to a specific understanding of the concepts, and cannot be an evidence of
accuracy and complete understanding.
2. If you have difficulty expressing yourself in writing, define the concepts first (use the words in the
lesson first if you have to) just so you are sure that you have explicitly articulated it before you apply it.
3. If you are asked to make connections, make sure to define that concepts you are supposed to be
connecting together.
4. Use supporting key ideas and don't limit yourself to the "slide definition" - that one slide that has the
definition - and not caring about the subsequent slides/supporting ideas that were discussed to elaborate
on the concept. Be careful with statements like, "If there's one thing that this means..." because it is rarely
only one thing
5. Explain and apply. Explain the concept don't just mention it, and then apply by showing how it is
manifested/shown, where it is present/not present
6. Correct application is an evidence of understanding only if the concept being applied is explained first.
Otherwise if you just say that it is connected and then just repeat what is there in the reading material, but
don't explain how or why, it is not an accurate evidence of your understanding. If you don't articulate the
concepts, application cannot be presumed as correct and comprehensive.
7. Before adding a new insight or including other concepts (such as Scripture) make sure the required
concepts is correctly and sufficiently discussed first.
8. Annotate the questionnaire to help you make better sense of it. identify the concepts and supporting
ideas required for each item before starting
9. Personal reflections may be added ONLY IF: ALL REQUIRED CONCEPTS ARE SUFFICIENTLY
EXPLAINED AND APPLIED TO THE GIVEN CASE, AND THAT THEY ARE ALIGNED AND NOT
CONTRADICTORY
10. Articulate explicitly; don't just imply it. For a test, it's not the thought that counts. What counts is what
you put on paper. Remember the tip:ii answer as if you are writing to someone who was not in the
classroom with you. Don't just assume that it is understood.
11. PLEASE WRITE LEGIBLY.

Unit 1: Ignatian Spirituality as Practical and Balanced

Spirituality
Worldviews

Worldviews
● a set of assumptions we, either as an individual or as a group, hold about how things
work
 ○ e.g. how society functions, society’s relationship with the natural world, what is
valuable, what is permissible
● expresses..
○ what we commit ourselves to
○ what we value the most
● are lenses..
○ through which we view the world
○ that frame and shape our reactions and responses to situations/social issues
○ that serves as a basis for evaluating what is true, just, good, and right

● is as indispensable for thinking as air is for breathing

● largely determine people’s opinions on matters of ethics and politics
● greatest single influence on the way we interpret our experiences and respond to those
experiences
● serves as the necessary foundation and framework for our thoughts and actions

Elements
● view on human nature
● equality with others
● view of a good life
● responsibility to others
● relationship of humans to nature
● source of ethical wisdom

Ingredients
● Theology
○ perspective on God
● Anthropology
○ our perspective on humanity
○ on our fundamental nature and purpose
● Ethics
○ our take on goodness/morality
○ our answer to how we live our lives
● Salvation
○ our perspective on human problems and how we are to solve them

Classification
● Absolutism
○ full submission to authority
○ no evidence/reasoning

○ very little room for reasoning or for critical thinking

○ you have a truth claim but non-decidable
 ○ uncritical reliance on authority, full submission of opinion, full commitment to one
view, limited regard for evidence/reasoning
● Relativism
○ “everything is subjective”
○ disregard for authority, evidence, and reasoning

○ no room reason or for critical thinking

○ no truth claim
○ rebellion against authority, idolatry of opinion, no commitment to any view,
uncritical disregard for evidence/argument
● Evaluativism
○ own opinions but with authority and evidence/critical thinking reliance
○ critical reliance on authority, evidence, and reasoning

○ reason + evidence + critical thinking

○ you have a truth claim, but is decidable
○ critical reliance on authority
○ tentative commitment to best available view

Tests for Worldviews

● empirically adequate
○ acceptable & correct
○ aligned with the ​world
○ must match what we see in reality
● existentially relevant
○ relatable
○ aligned with our ​experiences
○ must speak directly on how we ought to live our lives

Ignatian Spirituality
“Finding God in All Things”

Elements
● First Principle and Foundation
● Finding God in all things
● Walking with Christ
● Consolation and Desolation
● Ideal of Social Justice

First Principle and Foundation

 ● God is active, personal, and present
● God’s footprints can be found everywhere; in sorrows and joys, beauty of nature, etc.
● the choices we make either push us away from God or draw us closer to Him

● first thing: a life of praise, reverence, and service to God

● second thing: other things on Earth
○ we must use second things to lead us to the first thing
○ if second things become an obstacle to living out the first thing, then we should
get rid of it

Finding God in All Things

● God is active, personal, and present [kind of God]
● God is experienced in and through human relationships [where we can find God]
○ human relationships are therefore sacramental

Parable of the Merciful Father

● fathers can be empathetic
● reversal of expectations

● Patriarchy
○ Jesus portrayed a father who listens instead of one who commands
● Father’s Compassion
○ instead of scolding the son, he empathized

Walking With Christ

(under Ignatian Spirituality)

Imagination
● a means to knowledge
● leads us to ask
○ What if?
○ Why not?
● imagination is endless

● enables empathy, which inspires kindness, consideration, awareness, respect, and

compassion

Parable of the Good Samaritan

● those who are marginalized can be good
 ● Context
○ Purity Society
■ purity laws by “holiness people”
■ social constructs to control people using the categories of clean/unclean,
pure/impure
■ systematic exploitation and marginalization by the ruling elite to maintain
their status quo

■ elite did not want to be impure; priests did not want to lose their temple
tax
● should the priest have helped, he would be deprived of his temple
tax

○ Samaritan
■ despised as “half breed” and a presumed outlaw is the source of ethical
action
● his social status allowed for him to help without losing anything
■ compassionate
■ gave generosity that is intense, extraordinary, and unheard of

● challenging social constructs is one work of social justice

● Jesus was rejecting the social hierarchy that excluded people out

● we humans have a tendency to categorize people and exclude them based on

categories
● Jesus seeks to destroy the dividing walls of hostility, and to build a renewed community
that is more inclusive, compassionate, and caring

● KOG is not structured in a hierarchy

○ it cannot be limited by boundaries that exalt and marginalize others

Think Parabolically
● reversal of expectations
● possibilities
● challenge the way things are
● a need for social transformation in order for all to experience God in their lives

● Jesus challenges us to “make a world that is more human and is more just”

To imagine Jesus is to..

● open ourselves to possibility of forming new ideas which can change the world
● raise “what if” questions for possible answers
● develop values towards finding God in all things
 Discernment, Consolation, & Desolation
(under Ignatian Spirituality)

Discernment
● decision anchored on God
● a quality of life; not just present in major decisions

● decision making process that honors God’s will in our lives

● to align our will with the will of God; to discover what God is calling us to do
● every choice we make, no matter how small, is an opportunity to line ourselves with
God’s will

Three Key Beliefs

● God created us out of love
● All created things can be utilized to help us know, love, and serve God
● Freedom & indifference is needed to respond to this love

● What helps us in our goal?

● What displaces God in our lives?
● What draws us closer to God?

Freedom & Indifference

● detachment [from prejudices, biases, outcome, etc]
● weigh all things equally

Consolation & Desolation

● two opposite directions when discerning

● Desolation (driven)
○ turns us in ourselves
○ spiral of negativity
○ no community
○ clouded visions
○ drains energy
○ gives up what’s important

● Consolation (drawn)
○ community
○ gives energy
 ○ balanced vision
○ lifts our heart
○ shows us God
○ beyond ourselves

● happiness does not always mean consolation

○ it is possible to be in consolation and be very close to God at times of real,
objective pain

○ Where can I find God in this situation?

○ Where am I being called to love?
○ Who am I serving through the choices I am making? Who gains from it?
○ What will increase my love for God?

Synthesis
● empowers us to see God’s presence more clearly and activity in our lives
● gives us the opportunity to align ourselves with God’s will
 Unit 2: The Church and the Work of Integral
Evangelization in the Modern World
Nature & Mission of Church

Serve God as a Church

● understanding of the Church affects faith-life, participation [in it], relationships
● evaluativism in personal perspectives towards finding God through participation in the
Church

Case: The Church and the care for immigrants

● God in all things: The Parable of the Good Samaritan and the issue of immigrants
(outcast & marginalized)
○ welcoming the stranger
○ integration of all aspects of life, whether spiritual or secular (not related to
spirituality)
■ no separation between secular and spiritual
■ no such thing as “part-time Christian”
■ we don’t leave God behind in the Church
○ no separation of politics and economics with religious values and judgement

● Protecting the rights of the vulnerable; promoting a government for the common good
○ Should the Church be engaged in this?

The Workers in the Vineyard

● Challenging the meaning of justice
○ Agreement of 1 denarius daily wage
■ wage considers the needs of people
○ Fairness ensures reward is proportionate to different efforts

● Justice
○ not defined by merits, but by needs
■ Poverty, unemployment, daily basic needs for oneself and one’s family
■ 1 denarius = living wage
■ Not generous but just—recognizing the need of people
○ Justice = meeting people’s needs regardless of what they deserve
■ God’s attitude to us

—————

● Context
 ○ unemployment
○ scarcity of work, taxation, slavery
○ their difficulty and poverty were a result of an exploitative socio-economic
system, discrimination, and lack of protection from the government
○ indifference of the rich to the cares and concerns of the poor
■ situation of extreme poverty and lack of work opportunities
■ socio-economic system that favors the rich
■ hand-to-mouth existence, heavy taxes, huge debts, landless

● Message
○ a challenge of contradiction
■ reversal of expectations
● Part 1: ordinary landowner-worker relationship
○ “I pay you for the work/service you rendered.”
● Part 2: landowner behaved contrary to the usual
○ good, generous, and non-discriminating

● generosity goes beyond justice

○ God is a gracious god who does not discriminate based on merit

■ God acts contrary to set norms in order to respond to the needs of the
poor

○ it is only through solidarity with the poor and willingness to share one’s goods
and possessions can these people experience the good life that God intended for
all

○ serve not only those who deserve it; good life is not only for those who deserve it,
but for everyone, because God is generous

● What does this parable show us?

○ lack of care and concern for the poor
○ address those social structures that are oppressive, live not in isolation of others
but in solidarity

○ How can we make everyone, especially the poor and the marginalized,
experience the KOG, which is intended for everyone to experience?

○ it encourages us to examine the way we relate with our possessions, the way we
relate with others, the structures in our society, and how these structures affect
the lives of all people

● This parable tells us what the Church is called to do

 ○ good news = social justice
○ social justice deals with the application of the Gospel to the structures, systems,
and institutions of society
○ social justice is NOT donating, but changing the structure itself

Threefold Mission of the Church

● to be herald of the Gospel
○ proclaiming the message of the Gospel during masses, etc.
● to be the sign of the Gospel
○ live as Jesus taught
● to be the servant of the Gospel
○ witness God’s saving love for the world by working on behalf of justice for all
people
○ by creating the KOG

Church
● lives within the world at the service of people
○ transforming the world into the KOG
○ God is in all things—no exceptions
● Church’s mission is contemporal (secular) and spiritual

● Should the Church focus more on development, liberation, or evangelization?

○ Convergence.

Mapping the Convergence: Development, Liberation, & Evangelization

1. Relief and Development
○ The Church does not only seek to address the effects of evil, but seeks to
overcome evil itself and its causes

○ relief - body needs

○ development - allowing others to be part of the society

2. Liberation and Humanization

○ The Church endeavors to liberate people from structures that marginalize in
order to build a just and humane society

3. Evangelization
○ spreading the word of God
○ bring the Good News to all

Good news = social justice

witness = action
 ○ carried out through..
■ Word and Witness
● witness is interpreted by the word; word is authenticated by
witness

■ Witness Apostolate
● taking care of the handicapped, homeless, sick, and other
marginalized people

■ Prophetic Ministry
● denouncing evil and announcing the KOG
● promoting peace and human rights, just economic order,
participative social system, and respect for the environment

Synthesis
● in doing social justice the Christian way, we bring the word of God to bear upon our
concrete situations, and we are helped to evaluate our worldviews ​to include how God
would like us to respond to unjust social situations
● the Church builds and promotes the KOG by striving to bring about development and
liberation that extend to every aspect of human life

● Evangelization
○ bringing Jesus’s life and words into action, which therefore gives meaning to
liberation and development

● The Christian faith inspires the Church to work for INTEGRAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

● The mission and work of the Church is a convergence of development, liberation, and
evangelization in order to successfully be a herald, sign, and servant of the Gospel.

Catholic Social Teaching

Two Ways to be Relevant

● to embrace the world such that we become like it in every way
● to take a counter-cultural position in order to guide
○ the stand the Church makes

God has a plan to build his Kingdom of peace, love, and justice
● The Church is involved to continue God’s work
 ● i.e. making present KOG, permeating our culture with the values of KOG, making
everyone experience God’s presence and love in their lives

Catholic Social Teaching

● guiding instead of following
● papal reflections about how we live this vocation for the common good in our world
● the Church’s guide in making herself relevant to the world
● consistent effort to guide culture to something better

● all the ideas and theories throughout the history of the Church on matters of social life
● responses of the Church to various political, economic, and social issues of the modern
times
● lens through which social structures and economic related concerns are evaluated
● standard for finding justice in the world
● authoritative Church teaching on social, political, and economic issues
○ authoritative because it is based from the Gospel
● it is part of the work of the Church to examine human society in light of the Gospels and
Church tradition
○ it applies the Gospel to bring about social justice and social love

● Principle of Action
● Criteria for Judgement
● Guidelines for Action

● What form of government and economic system is best for promoting human freedom?
● Why must faith be part of the public life?
● What are social diseases destroy our culture and identity, and how do we fix them?
● How should we address the issues of developing countries?

Four Key Principles of CST

● Human Dignity
○ every human being is made in the image and likeness of God
○ dignity is inalienable and transcendent
○ dignity gives rights: right to life
○ equal in dignity = equal in rights
○ equality in a sense that everyone is treated according to their context and
circumstances

○ refers to the equal worth or value of all persons that cannot be removed or
changed because it comes from being created in God’s image

● Common Good
○ helping people reach their maximum potential by committing to help
 ○ we are all responsible for one another
○ sum total of social conditions that ensure full human potential and full human
dignity
○ takes into account the rights and aspirations of other groups and the well-being of
the whole human family
○ paying attention to those that are excluded

○ sum total of social conditions that ensure respect and fulfillment of human dignity
that requires taking into consideration the good of individuals as well as the
whole human family, particularly those who are excluded

● Solidarity
○ understanding that we are interdependent and choosing to empathize
○ “Human beings are social by nature. We cannot survive without others and can
only grow and achieve our potential in relationship with others.”
○ we are interdependent
○ commitment to the ​common good
○ intimate bond between solidarity and common good; solidarity and universal
sharing of good
○ requires empathy
○ more clearly seen in solidarity with the poor
○ begins in recognizing people’s need

○ it is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of

others, but a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the
common good, that is to say, the good of all and of each individual because we
are all responsible for all

● Subsidiarity
○ allowing participation of and empowering every group or body in society to
exercise their freedom and the means to do what it can best do for itself
○ bigger groups have a responsibility to support
○ recognize local realities
○ requires all other principles

○ “On the basis of this principle, all societies of a superior order must adopt
attitudes of help (‘subsidium’)—therefore of support, promotion,
development—with respect to lower order societies. In this way, intermediate
social entities can properly perform the functions that fall to them without being
required to hand them over unjustly to other social entities of a higher level, by
which they would end up being absorbed and substituted, in the end seeing
themselves denied their dignity and essential place.”