Theology 104. NOTES

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Theology 104: MORAL THEOLOGY

I. The Nature of Catholic Morality or Moral Theology

Moral Theology

Sometimes called Christian or theological ethics, moral theology focuses on the


implications of faith for the way of life. As a theological discipline, it is concerned with God’s
revelation of divine love in Jesus and through the Spirit as an invitation calling for response. It
regards the response to the initiative of God’s offer of love as the very soul of moral life. Moral
theology makes clear how faith shapes Christian life, both the lives of individual Christians and
the life of the Church. As Fr. Pasquale Giordano, S.J. in his book, Evangelizing Presence:
Living the Moral Life Today, He said that, “Moral Theology is about making decisions in life
that enable us to become more fully human, to enable us to come to God as our final end.”

Christian moral theology is interested in the implications of Christian faith for the sort of
persons Christians ought to be (ethics of being or character ethics) and the sort of actions
Christians ought to perform (ethics of doing). Both being and doing, character and action are
interdependent concerns that are taken together in the complete project of moral theology.

ETHICS AND MORAL THEOLOGY

1. ETHICS AS A SCIENCE

ETHICS comes from the Greek word ethos which means a character, or “a characteristic way of
thinking.” MORALITY comes from the Latin word moralis meaning customs or manners.

In Philosophy, the term ETHICS is used to refer in a specific area of study – the area of morality
which concentrates on human conduct and human values. Ethics in this regard is considered a
science that guides human judgments in determining the morality of human acts.
- is a natural science that employs the power of human reason.
- is a practical science. It binds human persons in conscience to apply its principles to
their conduct.
- is a moral science which deals with the free acts of human persons.

DEFINITION: ETHICS is the STUDY OF THE MORAL BEHAVIOR OR CONDUCT OF


HUMAN PERSONS AS VIEWED FROMULTIMATE PRINCIPLES INSOFAR AS THESE
PRINCIPLES ARE KNOWN BY HUMAN REASON.

1.1. THE MATERIAL AND FORMAL OBJECT OF ETHICS


MATERIAL OBJECT: human acts
FORMAL OBJECT: the moral rectitude of the human acts of human persons in
relation to their natural end.

1.2. ETHICS AND MORAL THEOLOGY.


Ethics, which is also called Moral Philosophy, is distinct from Moral Theology, though
they are intimately related.

ETHICS, which is based on HUMAN REASON, is directed towards the natural end.
MORAL THEOLOGY, which is based on FAITH and REASON, is directed towards the
supernatural end.
MATERIAL OBJECT: human act
FORMAL OBJECT: the morality of the human action in relation to the
supernatural end of the human person.
SOURCES OF MORAL THEOLOGY:
- Divine revelation as interpreted by the Church
- Human reason
- Human experience

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ETHICS AND MORALS


- ETHICS IS THE SCIENCE THAT GUIDES HUMAN JUDGMENTS CONCERNING
MORALITY OF HUMAN ACTIONS. It is a SCIENCE of IDEALS which demands the
TRAINING of the MIND.
- MORALS IS THE HUMAN CONDUCT IN THE LIGHT OF ETHICS. It is the
APPLICATION of ETHICS which demands the TRAINING of the WILL.

1.1. DIVISION OF ETHICS

1.3.1. General Ethics – presents the truths about human acts, and from these truths
deduces the general principles of morality.

1.3.2. Special Ethics – is called applied ethics. It is the application of the principles of General
Ethics in different departments of human activity that involves the human person as an
individual and as a member of human society.

1.3.2.1. Individual Ethics or Ethics of the Person – this considers the person with regards
self, others, and God. A person becomes more of the person in relationship, in
intersubjectivity and in communion through authentic social relationships. This is
centered on bioethics, love and sexuality, and interpersonal relationships.
In order to grow as a mature social being, human persons have to develop social
conscience, social virtues, and values, thus ethics, which is the science of human conduct
and life, implies social ethics, the normative science of social relationships and structures.

1.3.2.2. Social Ethics – the object of Social Ethics is “the reflection on the social
structures and the collective action directed towards the reforms of these
structures or the establishment of new ones. These reflection and action are
headed by the basic ethical question, namely, What kind of human being do we
want to form?” (I. Camacho, Praxis Cristiana). Social ethics deals with human dignity
and rights, and the ethical dimension of economics, politics, culture, development, social
change, violence, etc.

Christian Ethics – is the science of Christian praxis that aims at helping Christians to become
better creatures and children of God.
Christian Social Ethics – is the ethics of Christians who are called to commit themselves with
other humans to work for the building up of God’s Kingdom.

According to Vatican 11, these are the characteristics of a Catholic morality:

1. Theocentric- Morality is a response to God’s call out of love.


2. Christocentric- Moral theology explicitly deals with the way of the following from the
Christian’s being-in-Christ. The person of Christ and our being-in-Christ is the center and focus
of moral theology.
3. Ecclesial- Christ is present to us and is setting in us today ion and through the Church. His
salvific work is directed towards building up of his mystical body. Moral theology emphasizes
the communitarian dimension of Christian life.
4. Biblical- The word of God is authoritative in matters of faith and morality. The fundamental
orientation and conception of morality should be derived from scriptures.
5. Sacramental_ Moral theology should develop the sacramental dimension of the Christian life.
Progressive sacramental incorporation into the ecclesial community brings about a gradual
transformation into Christ.
6. Personalistic- Moral theology emphasizes the human person in its totality: body, intellect,
will, conscience, relationship, family, church, and society.

7. Ecumenical- The universality of the Gospel of Christ.

2. The Place of morality in the Catholic faith

Our life as catholic has three parts:


a. How Catholics think—Catholic theology--- Creed---Words---Mind
b. How Catholics live----- Catholic Morality--- Code---Works-- Will
c. How Catholics pray---- Catholic Worship--- Cult----Worship-Heart

These three come simultaneously. The more prayer, the more virtue; the more virtue, the more
faith.

The three parts are like the three legs of a tripod. If all three legs are not there, it is not a tripod.
A person is not a catholic without belief in the essence of what the Catholic Church teaches as
God’s revealed truth or without sincere effort to obey what the Church teaches as God’s
commandments or without facing God in prayer as the Church does. God alone can know
whether you are a strong or a weak Catholic. But you can know whether you are a Catholic or
not.

These three parts of the Catholic life are three aspects of the same single reality. The reality that
we confess in our creed is the same reality that we obey in the commandments and worship in
prayer. That one reality is the life of Christ.

3. The Centrality of Christ in Catholic Morality.

Luke 10:41-42 “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one
thing is needful.” That ‘one thing’ is Christ Himself.

Christ is not merely a teacher of a moral code but God himself, the One who is the sole source of
all good things (the moral law and our obedience to it). Christian morality is not merely a means
to the end of a better world, peace and Justice, the welfare of the family, or social harmony.
These things are relative to Christ, not Christ relative to them. They are ways of obeying his will.
They are good because they are from him. He is not good because he is for them.

Catholic morality is a love affair with Christ and his people, thought not ‘romantic love’. It has
its laws and rules, as a city has its streets. Streets are essential to a city, but they are not the very
essence of a city. Streets are a means to the end of getting home. Home is where the real living
takes place. Similarly, moral rules are the means to the good life, but they are not the thing itself.
The thing itself is a relationship of love. Though laws are only a means to the greater end of the
good life, laws are essential means. You cannot be a Christian without following the laws of
morality.

So Catholic morality is a way of being; of becoming a new creation, becoming ‘little Christ’ (2
Cor. 5:17). Christians love goodness most of all where we saw it perfectly on earth: in Christ, the
God-man. It looked like a cross: God loving us to death, to the end, no matter what it cost him
and no matter how undeserving we are.

4. The relation between religion and morality

“If God does not exist, everything is permissible”, according to Dostoyevsky. When we destroy
religion, we destroy morality.
Pagan thinkers knew much of the content of the moral law and recognized its binding force
without knowing much of God. St. Paul in Rom. 1:17-21) wrote that all men know God’s moral
law through natural reason and conscience. So there can be true morality without true religion.

If you can live a good moral life without being a Catholic, why be one?

You can live a long and healthy life without knowing or practicing anything about diet or
exercise or medicine. But it is not easy!

5. Importance of Morality today

Human civilization has ceased to believe in an objectively real, universally binding moral
law and that civilization used to be called “Christendom”. European countries and in
America, Catholics believed that morality is subjective and relative. So the critical
teachings of the Church today are her moral teachings, her response to the moral crisis both
in the Church and in the world.

Human nature is the basis for morality

There are two very different ideas in the world today about the basis for morality. The
typically modern idea is that moral laws are man-made rules like the rules of a game such
as tennis, created by human will and therefore changeable by human will. The traditional
idea, on the other hand, which is taught only by the Catholic Church but by all the world’s
major religions and nearly all pre-modern philosophies, is that the laws of morality are not
rules that we make but principles we discover, like the laws of science such as anatomy.
They are based on human nature, and human nature is essentially unchanging; and
therefore the laws of morality are also essentially unchanging, like the laws of anatomy.
Just as our anatomical nature makes it necessary for us to eat certain foods and to breathe
oxygen for our bodies to be healthy, our moral nature makes certain virtue necessary for
our souls to be healthy. There are universal principles, based on human nature, for bodily
health and for mental health- and also for moral health.

The meaning of the natural law

A morality of natural law means that; moral laws are based on human nature, derived from
human nature; and, that they are naturally and instinctively known by human reason.

Moral laws are based on human nature. That is, what we ought to do is based on what we
are. “Thou shall not kill”, for instance is based on the real value of human life and the need
to preserve it.

The natural law is also naturally known, by natural reason and experience. We do not need
religious faith or supernatural divine revelation to know that we are morally obligated to
choose the good and avoid evil or to know what good and evil mean. No culture in history
has thought that love, kindness, justice, honesty, courage, wisdom, or self-control was evil,
or that hate, cruelty, injustice, dishonesty, cowardice, folly, or uncontrolled addiction was
good.

Natural law is called ‘natural’, not in reference to the nature of irrational beings, but
because reason which decrees it properly belongs to human nature (CCC 1955). For
example, the Catholic Church teaches that artificial contraception is against the natural law,
not because it is rational human intervention rather than an irrational biological process, but
because it is contrary to right reason. It violates the integrity of human nature by divorcing
the two naturally united aspects of the essence of the sexual act, “the unitive and the
procreative” that is, personal intimacy and reproduction.

The Characteristics of the natural law

1. The natural law, present in the heart of each man and established by reason, is universal
in its precepts and its authority extends to all men. (CCC, 1956). It is not universal
obeyed, or universally admitted, but it is universally binding and authoritative-
Authority mean, that it is right, not might.
2. Even when it is rejected in its very principles, it cannot be destroyed or removed from
the heart of man. It always rises again in the life of individuals and societies. (CCC
1958)
3. The natural is immutable and permanent throughout the variations of history, because it
is based on God-made essential human nature, which does not change with time and
place, rather than man-made cultural developments, which do.
4. Because man’s essence does not change but his accidental features do, application of
natural law varies greatly. For instance, capital punishment may be morally necessary
in a primitive society but needlessly barbaric in a society with secure laws and prisons;
and the moral restrictions on welfare today, with its weapons of mass destruction, must
be far stricter than those in the past.
5. It provides the necessary basis for the civil law (CCC 1959), for civil law forbids many
acts, such as rape and torture and slavery, because they are morally wrong and harmful
to human nature’s health and flourishing. Without a natural law basis for civil law, civil
law becomes based on power, whether collective or individual. The French
revolutionary slogan “The voice of the people is the voice of God” is just as idolatrous,
and proved to be just a totalitarian, as “the divine right of kings, which it replaced.

How is a natural law morality Christian?

Since human nature finds its perfection and ultimate meaning in Christ, the one perfect man, and
since morality is based on human nature, therefore morality finds its perfection and ultimate
meaning in Christ. The moral law finds its fullness… in Christ. Jesus Christ is in person the way
of perfection (CCC 1953). The ultimate end of all morality is to become Christlike, to be able to
say, with St. Paul, “For to me to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21)

Four kinds of law

1. Human laws are laws made by communities of men and are therefore changeable or
revocable by men.
2. Natural law. It is the law of human nature.
3. The natural law, in turn is man’s participation in the eternal law of God. This law refers
to the moral character of God, the ultimate reason why we must be moral: “ Be holy, for I
the Lord your God am holy” Lev. 11:44
4. Divine law means laws supernaturally revealed by God, whether for all or for one people.
Eternal law is the eternal nature of character of God Himself; divine law is God’s choice
to intervene at a certain time to reveal a command or establish a covenant.

Man according to natural law (Reason)

Morality is about human persons in their relationships with other human persons, with
themselves, and with God. Therefore the nature and dignity of man is the fundamental basis for
morality.
a. Man is spiritual: For Catholic morality, as for all the world’s religions, man is a spiritual
being, with a soul. He is not a mere clever ape, a mere biological organism. He is
endowed with a spiritual and immortal soul (GS 14,2).
b. The human body as part of man’s dignity and God’s image.
- God deliberately designed and made our bodies
- No temple in the world is holier than the human body.
- God has this human body forever.
- Our bodies are ours as much as our souls are ours.
- Our bodies shared the fall of our souls into sin by receiving death as their penalty

Man according to divine revelation (Faith)

So God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him. (Gen. 1:27)

Christ… in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and of his love, makes man fully
manifest to himself and brings to light his exalted vocation (GS 22). It is in Christ, “the image of
the invisible God”, that man has been created “in the image and likeness” of the Creator. It is
Christ, Redeemer and Savior, that the divine image, disfigured in man by the first sin, has been
restored to its original beauty and ennobled by the grace of God (GS 22).

The divine image is present in every man. It shines forth in the communion of persons, in the
likeness of the unity of the divine persons among themselves.

Endowed with “a spiritual and immortal” soul, the human person in the communion of person is
“the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake” (GS 24). From his conception,
he is destined for eternal beatitude.

The human person participates in the light and power of the divine spirit. By his reason, he is
capable of understanding the order of things established by the Creator. By free will, he is
capable of directing him self toward his true good. He finds his perfection “ in seeking and
loving what is true and good.

By virtue of his soul and his spiritual powers of intellect and will, man is endowed with freedom,
an “outstanding manifestation of the divine image”.

By his reason, man recognizes the voice of God which urges him “to do what is good and avoid
what is evil”. Everyone is obliged to follow this law, makes itself heard in conscience and is
fulfilled in the love of God and of neighbor. Living a moral life bears witness to the dignity of
the person.

“Man, enticed by the Evil One, abused his freedom at the very beginning of history”(GS 13, 1).
He succumbed to temptation and did what was evil. He still desires the good, but his nature bears
the wound of original sin. He is now inclined to evil and subject to error.

Jesus as the model of true humanity

By his Passion, Christ delivered us from Satan and from sin. He merited for us the new life in the
Holy Spirit. His grace restores what sin damaged in us.

He who believes in Christ becomes a child of God. This filial adoption transforms him by giving
him the ability to follow the example of Christ. It makes him capable of acting rightly and doing
good. In union with his Savior, the disciple attains the perfection of charity which is holiness.
Having matured in grace, the moral life blossoms into eternal life in the glory of heaven.

“When God disappears, men and women do not become greater; indeed, they lose the divine
dignity, their faces lose God’s splendor. In the end, they turn out to be merely products of a blind
evolution and, as such, can be used and abused. This is precisely what the experience of our
epoch has confirmed for us”. Pope Benedict XVI.

Human Freedom

St. Ireneaus, “Man is rational and therefore like God; he is created with free will and is master
over his acts.

In the first place, freedom is not “the power do to whatever we like”, since man is simply
incapable of doing always what he likes. There are many things which man would like to do but
he cannot, because his power is always limited. He would like to live forever, not to have any
illness, to be always young, to know everything… but it is evident that he “cannot have his cake
and eat it”.

How can we think of freedom as the power to do what we like, when we know that this is not
possible? This mirage is the product of a transposition of a divine attribute to the creature: it is
the illusion of man who wants to be like God. Only God has “omnipotence”, i.e. the power to do
what he wants: divine freedom is infinitely greater than created freedom (the latter is participated
only).

Nevertheless, in spite of his limitations, it is true that man is free in his choices. Where is then
the freedom of man exactly? In the fact that when he chooses something, he does so by himself,
and there is no power whatsoever that can force his choice (this is the dignity of man). He can be
induced or persuaded or attracted, but never force. This free choice on the part of man, however,
relates not to the end of man in the sense that man would be free to make his own real end, but
only in the sense that man is free to determine himself towards that end, as well as to the means
to reach it.

St. Thomas defines human freedom as “that property of the human will whereby man determines
himself in his acts towards the end”. Obviously, this freedom is limited, and so it is not
omnipotence. It is simply that man determines himself, and there is no force from outside
himself that can determine him in his choice. What does the intelligence do to the will? It
specifies the choice, but it does not determine it. It presents things to the will, the will chooses. It
is true that the will cannot operate without the intelligence. How can I want something I do not
know? In order to will, I must know: There is no intellectual appetite without previous
intellectual knowledge. But still, the intelligence does not determine the will: it acts as a final
cause, or even formal cause, but never as the efficient cause of the will.

St. Thomas also observes that on the will depends “to will” or “not to will”, i.e. the will has the
power to move itself, as we have explained. This means that creatures with will, i.e. spiritual
creatures, order themselves towards the end, unlike other creatures, which are already ordered to
their end by the fact that they exist.

Inner freedom and exterior freedom

So far, we have been talking about the inner freedom of the will, namely the freedom (i) to want
or not to want (freedom of exercise), or (ii) to want this or that (“freedom of specification).

But there is also an exterior freedom to perform operations externally, which can be curtailed by
forces outside man. If a man is put in jail, he has lost his exterior freedom; but no one can take
away from him or his inner freedom: it is something inalienable, i.e. it cannot be lost or taken
away from anybody. Political freedom, professional freedom, academic freedom are exterior
freedoms.

This freedom of the will is also a proof of the spirituality of the act of the will, because purely
material acts are always necessary, in such a way that they are directed to the end without any
choice. On the other hand, the act of the will is directed to the end in such a way that there is an
alternative.

Freedom means the power to act and not to act

- it is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness


- as long as freedom is not bound itself definitely to its ultimate good which is god,
then, there is a possibility of choosing between Good and Evil.
- The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom
except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an
abuse of freedom and leads to the slavery of sin. ( Rom.6:17)
- freedom makes man responsible for his acts to the extent that they are voluntary.
- Progress in Virtue , Knowledge of the good, and ascesis enhances the mastery of the
will over his acts
- action directly willed is imputable to the actor
examples: Gen. 3:13; Gen.4:10; 2 sam. 12:7-15

- responsibility can be diminished or even nullified.


a. Ignorance
Example: accident arises due to ignorance of the traffic laws.
b. PASSION
Positive- if it is toward desirable objects
Negative- if it is away from undesirable things.

Other factors: inadvertence, duress, fear, habit, inordinate attachments


and other psychological or social factors.

- Freedom is exercise in relationship between human being. All owe to each the duty to
respect the right to the exercise of freedom, especially in moral and in religious
matter is an alienable requirement of the dignity of a human person.

Man’s freedom in the plan of Salvation

- Mans freedom is limited and fallible


- The exercise of freedom does not imply a right to say or do everything
- Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is Freedom.
- The more docile we are to the prompting of grace, the more we grow in inner
freedom and confidence living trials.

Freedom of choice: determinism

It has been said that man has no freedom of choice that he chooses as necessarily as anything
else. This is called determinism, and there are many types of it, depending on what they think
determine the will, e.g.:

(i) Physiological determinism: the will is determined by the biochemistry of the body, by
the so-called gut feeling.
(ii) Sociological determinism: man is determined by the cultural values he has inherited.
(iii) Economic determinism: man’s choice is determined by the economic infrastructure.
(Marxism)
(iv) Fatalistic determinism: the choice is determined by fate (good or bad luck).
(v) Theological determinism: God determines the choice of man. (Calvinism)
(vi) Psycho-analytical determinism: choices are determined by the basic “complexes” of
man, a combination of “libido” (Freud) and all the accumulated experiences of the
past (Jung).
The logical consequence of determinism (and we can see that all these types are largely
materialistic in inspiration) is that man is stripped of his moral responsibility: his guilt is
“transferred” to some other sources. Thus, in the last analysis they are all forms of escapism.

The existence of freedom of choice in the human will(and consequently moral responsibility) is
shown by appealing to two types of evidence.

(i) The evidence of self-consciousness, whereby any man can verify within himself that
when he chooses, he could perfectly well have chosen the opposite if he only wanted
to.
(ii) The evident fact of a universal acceptance of a moral code and of legal responsibility,
which would be unwarranted if man were not responsible for his actions. What would
be the point of a legal system, judges and courts? If man is determined in his choices,
no one can attribute any responsibility to his acts: he would always be like an
irresponsible minor, who cannot be tried by any court.

Those who deny human freedom of choice live in a society which does not accept
such a denial. Since the moral order and the social order are built on the assumption
that man is free, and thereby responsible, the acceptance of determinism would spell
the collapse society.

The root of the freedom of man

Why man is free and not necessitated in his choices? What is the metaphysical root of this
freedom? It lies in the object of the will, namely the good “in a universal sense. Let us recall that
this is why the will is directed to the fullness of real good. And this is where man’s self-
determination lies, since in this life, man can never be confronted with the fullness of the good,
(i) because no created good is the fullness of the good, and (ii) because even God, in this life, is
only known by man imperfectly, and therefore this knowledge is not the fullness of good either.

Therefore, since no good in this life is the fullness of good, none of them can determine the will
of man necessarily. They can attract the human will, but not determine it necessarily. This is why
the human will is free, and not necessitated: no outside force can overcome it or coerce it, as long
as man is in possession of his faculties.

Freedom and the good

Man sometimes chooses evil things. What is the relationship between freedom and the good? We
have said that the object of the will is good as such. The freedom of choice with regard to created
things is pointless if it is separated from the love of God, who is the total good.

Now human choices with regard to created goods condition our lives to concrete situations which
exclude other situations. If I choose to travel to a certain town, I cannot at the same time go to
another town. When I make a choice, I condition my life: freedom of choice is conditioned.

Nevertheless, in every concrete situation man can and should love God and give glory to Him by
relating all his choices to the last end, and thus increasing his freedom.

The Morality of Human acts

Nature of Human Actions:

St. Thomas defines moral acts as the human acts of which man is the master, i.e. the deliberate
human acts of the will or endowed with willfulness.
The objective foundation of morality is the ordination to God as the last end. Every human act
has an ordination to God, whereby it is morally right if it agrees with the will of God, or morally
wrong if it disagrees. But what is the subjective foundation of morality? What makes the act
moral subjectively speaking, i.e. from the point of view of the subject who performs it? This
subject is the person: what does the person need in order to be responsible for his act, and so
make the act moral? He must be free or master of his act: the act must be deliberate or willful.

Freedom, then, is the subjective foundation of morality. Without freedom, the human act is not
moral, even though, objectively speaking, it may be related to the moral law: whatever
diminishes the freedom or willfulness of human acts, diminishes also their moral value.

The intelligence specifies what should be done, but it is the will that moves to action. In this
sense, man should want the good always: he should be ordained to the good through the will. If
he freely withdraws from the good, he sins. Therefore, the decisive factor is the will. That is why
the will is regarded as the faculty of man closest to his own self. Each man must be ordain
himself, by himself, to the end. This consists essentially in a conversion to God, to be sustained,
or remade if it has been lost.

What are the characteristics of the voluntary act? First of all, it has to be conscious, i.e. with full
advertence. Can physical violence destroy the willfulness of an act? To answer this, we have to
distinguish two types of acts of the will.

(i) Elicited acts: flowing directly from the will; also called decisions.
(ii) Commanded acts: performed by other faculties of man but at the command of the
will.
Physical violence can only interfere with the second type of acts. No force whatever can
overcome the will itself in its decision, unless the will consents.

Can ignorance diminish the willfulness of an act? Yes, as long as the ignorance is not willed in
itself: one may choose not to find out about something so as to avoid responsibility, in which
case the ignorance is willful.

Can passions or emotions affect the morality of our actions? They undoubtedly have an
influence, but to what extend can they act on the will? It depends on the will itself, since man sis
free. Since passions are rooted in the bodily organs, man, with his will, can act of his senses so as
to thereby restrain his passions, for example by restraining his imagination or his memory.

On the other hand, passions can increase both the goodness and the malice of actions if the will
channels them in that direction, whether preceding or accompanying the act of the will itself.
For example, to love God with passion or passionately increases the consequent merit, and so
does to hate sin passionately.

The Three Moral Determinants

The morality of human acts depends on;


1. The object chosen
2. The end in view or the intention
3. The circumstances (CCC 1750)

That is, (a) the act itself, (b) the motive, and (c) the situation

a. The object chosen is a good toward which the will deliberately directs itself. It is the
matter of a human act. (CCC 1751)

Matter here does not mean merely physical matter, like giving a man money or fighting a
war, but the moral raw material or content of the act, what the act objectively is in itself.
For instance: is this money bribery or repayment of a debt? Is this war aggression or
defense?

b. In contrast to the object, the intention resides in the acting subject/person. (CCC 1752
But although personal intentions are subjective, they can be good or evil just as objective
acts can be good or evil. An objectively good act can have a good or a bad intention. For
instance, giving alms is a good act; relieving another’s suffering is a good intention for it,
but showing off is not. An objectively evil act can also have a good or bad intention. For
instance, a robbing a rich man is an evil act; the intention of harming the rich man a bad
intention, and the motive of helping the poor with the money is a good intention.

But a good intention does not excuse an evil act, any more than a good act excuses an
evil intention. This is why mercy killing is wrong: though its intention is mercy (to
relieve pain), it is an act of killing. A good intention does not make behavior that is
intrinsically disordered, such as lying or calumny, good or just. The end does not justify
the means (CCC 1753). If Hitler had instigated the holocaust to improve the human race
and not to vent his hate and prove his power, it would still have been a terribly evil deed.

c. The third element is the situation, or the circumstances. The circumstances, including the
consequences, are secondary elements of a moral act. They contribute to increasing or
diminishing the moral goodness or evil of human acts (for example, the amount of a
theft). They can also diminish or increase the agent’s responsibility (such as acting out of
a fear of death). Circumstances of themselves… can make neither good nor right an
action that is in itself evil (CCC 1754). They can, however, do the reverse: they can make
an act that is good in itself evil: for example, making love to your spouse when it is
medically dangerous, or giving sugar candy to a diabetic.

Any one of three elements alone is enough to make an act evil, but one alone is not
enough to make it good, because for any human work to be good, each of its essential
elements must be good. For instance, a good building can be spoiled by a bad foundation,
bad walls, or bad electrical wiring. In a story, a good feature (for example, a good plot) is
not enough to make a good story if the story lacks good characterization or a good theme.
So with a human act. The act itself and the motive and the circumstances must all be
right. You must (a) do the right thing (b) for the right reason (c) in the right way.

Each of the three common oversimplified moralities focuses on only one of the three
factors and ignores the other two. Legalism focuses only on the objective act itself, as specified
by the moral law. Subjectivism focuses only on the subjective intention. And Situation ethics or
moral relativism is more complete, realistic, and balanced.

The three kinds of acts:

a. Morally indifferent act


b. Morally evil act
c. Morally good act

Within the third category, some morally good acts are strictly commanded or required as our
moral duties. Other moral acts are not commanded but commended, as going beyond the call of
duty, such as martyrdom, heroic sacrifice, and turning the other cheek. These are the evangelical
counsels, summarized in Christ’s Beatitudes (Mt. 5). They go beyond the Ten Commandments.
One does not sin against thee Commandments if one is less that heroically saintly in following
these higher counsels, or ideals. We should not feel guilty about not being heroes all the time.
But if we never aim higher than the minimum, it is very unlikely that we will attain even the
minimum. And, above all, we will miss the joy and drama and beauty of morality- the Beatitude.

Beatitudes
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of
Heaven
Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you
falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in Heaven, for so men
persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Mt. 5:3-12).

On this road to life, the Ten Commandments summarizes a kind of minimum, or what is
necessary, and the Beatitudes summarizes a kind of maximum, or what is sufficient. The
beatitudes describe the perfection of charity and supreme happiness. Beatitude is supernatural in
three ways: It is beyond human nature, beyond human reason, and beyond human power.

Beatitude makes us partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life. With beatitude, man enters
into the glory of Christ (Rom. 8:18) and the joy of the Trinitarian life (CCC 1721). Such
beatitude surpasses the understanding and powers of man. It comes from an entirely free gift of
God: whence it is called supernatural (CCC 1722).

This supernatural end gives Catholic morality a greater hope and a greater joy than any other.
True morality is a prescription for joy-in Heaven and also on the way to Heaven. The Church
will not canonize a saint without evidence of heroic, supernatural joy in his life as well as heroic
virtue. It is secular, godless morality that is joyless and dull. Catholic morality is something more
full of joy than the joy of sex. It could rightly be called the joy of love.

The importance of the beatitudes.

Those who yearn for the Kingdom of God look to Jesus’ list of priorities: the Beatitudes.
From Abraham on, God made promises to his people. Jesus takes them up, extends their
application to Heaven, and makes them the program for his own life: the Son of God becomes
poor so as to share our poverty; he rejoices with those who rejoice and weeps with those who
weep (Rom. 12:15); he employs no violence but rather turns the other cheek (Mt. 5:39); he has
mercy, makes peace, and thereby shows us the sure way to Heaven.

Happiness

God has placed in our hearts such an infinite desire for happiness that nothing can satisfy it but
God himself. All earthly fulfillment gives us only a foretaste of eternal happiness. Above and
beyond that, we should be drawn to God.

“God wants us to be happy. But where the source of this hope lies? It lies in a communion with
God, who lives in the depths of the soul of every man” (Brother Roger Schultz).

“Happiness is not in us, nor happiness outside of us. Happiness is in God alone. And if we have
found him, then it is everywhere” (Blaise Paschal).

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

"Poor in spirit" means to be humble. Humility is the realization that all your gifts and blessings
come from the grace of God. To have poverty of spirit means to be completely empty and open
to the Word of God. When we are an empty cup and devoid of pride, we are humble. Humility
brings an openness and an inner peace, allowing one to do the will of God. He who humbles
himself is able to accept our frail nature, to repent, and to allow the grace of God to lead us to
Conversion.

It is pride, the opposite of humility, that brings misery. For pride brings anger and the seeking of
revenge, especially when one is offended. If every man were humble and poor in spirit, there
would be no war!

"Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

If we are humble and appreciate that all of our gifts and blessings come from God, we grow in
love and gratitude for Jesus Christ our Savior. But this can only produce mourning and regret
over our own sins and the sins of this world, for we have hurt the one who has been so good to
us. One also mourns for the suffering of others.

St. Gregory describes another reason to mourn: the more one ascends in meditation of Divine
Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, and then realize the poverty of human nature, man can only be left
in sorrow. When one contemplates that we were made in the image and likeness of God and
lived in Paradise, the Garden of Eden, and compare that to our present state after the Fall, one
can only mourn our present condition. But the sentence continues that they shall be comforted,
by the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, and hopefully one day in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Mourning in this context is called a blessing, because mourning our fallen nature creates in us a
desire to improve ourselves and to do what is right!

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

St. Gregory of Nyssa taught that the Beatitudes build one upon another. A humble person
becomes meek, or becomes gentle and kind, and exhibits a docility of spirit, even in the face of
adversity and hardship. A person that is meek is one that exhibits self-control. St. Augustine
advises us to be meek in the face of the Lord, and not resist but be obedient to him. Obedience
and submission to the will of God are certainly not in vogue these days, but they will bring one
peace in this world and in the next.

"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."

A continuous desire for justice and moral perfection will lead one to a fulfillment of that desire -
a transition and conversion to holiness. This is true for all the virtues - if you hunger and thirst
for temperance, you will head towards the goal you have in mind. St. Augustine called the
Beatitudes the ideal for every Christian life! In his discourse on the Lord's Sermon on the Mount,
he noted the correspondence of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and their necessity in fulfilling
the Beatitudes. For example, one must have the gift of fortitude so one may be courageous in
seeking justice.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

Mercy is the loving disposition towards those who suffer distress. Love, compassion, and
forgiveness towards one's neighbor will bring peace in your relationships. We say in the Lord's
Prayer: Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. As we are
merciful to others, so our Heavenly Father will be merciful with us! Jesus reminds us that
whatever "you did to the least of my brethren, you did it to me (Matthew 25:31-46)." St. Paul
calls for the obedience of faith in the beginning and end of his Letter to the Romans (1:5, 16:25-
27). The following are ways to be merciful to your neighbor as well as to be obedient in faith to
Christ our Savior.
The Corporal Works of Mercy
1 Feed the Hungry
2 Give drink to the thirsty
3 Clothe the naked
4 Shelter the homeless
5 Comfort the imprisoned
6 Visit the sick
7 Bury the dead

The Spiritual Works of Mercy


1 Admonish sinners
2 Instruct the uninformed
3 Counsel the doubtful
4 Comfort the sorrowful
5 Be patient with those in error
6 Forgive offenses
7 Pray for the living and the dead

"Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God."

Moses (Exodus 33:20), John (1:18), and Paul (1Timothy 6:16) all say that no one can see God
here on earth! But Jesus says the pure of heart shall see God! To be pure of heart means to be
free of all selfish intentions and self-seeking desires. What a beautiful goal! How many times
have any of us performed an act perfectly free of any personal gain? Such an act is pure love. An
act of pure and selfless giving brings happiness to all.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God."

Peacemakers not only live peaceful lives but also try to bring peace and friendship to others, and
to preserve peace between God and man. St. Gregory of Nyssa calls a peacemaker a man who
brings peace to another; but one cannot give another what one does not possess oneself. Hence
the Lord wants you first to be yourself filled with the blessings of peace and then to
communicate it to those who have need of it. By imitating God's love of man, the peacemakers
become children of God.

"Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."

Jesus said many times that those who follow Him will be persecuted. "If they persecute me, they
will persecute you" (John 15:20-21). Stephen, Peter and Paul, nearly all of the Apostles, and
many Christians in the Roman era suffered martyrdom. Oppressive governments and endless
conflicts in the last one hundred years, such as World Wars I and II, and the Middle East Wars in
Iraq, Egypt, and Syria have seen their share of martyrs, such as Maximilian Kolbe, Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, Latin American martyrs, and Middle East Christians. The Central American Martyrs
include the 38 recognized martyrs of La Cristiada, the Cristero War from 1926 to 1929, when the
Mexican government persecuted priests of the Catholic Church, such as St. Christopher
Magallanes, St. ToribioRomo Gonzalez, and the 14 year old martyr Blessed Jose Luis Sanchez
del Rio. St. Maximilian Kolbe offered his life in place of a stranger at the Auschwitz death
camps on August 14, 1941. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor who was hung on April 9,
1945 for condemning the leadership of Hitler in Nazi Germany. Another Central American
martyr was Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, who was assassinated while saying
Mass at Divine Providence Hospital on March 24, 1980 for speaking out against government
human rights violations. Middle Eastern Christians have suffered severe persecution since the
Iraq War. At least 58 Christians were slaughtered at Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Salvation
SyriacEastern Catholic Church in Baghdad on October 31, 2010. The present turmoil in Syria
has left 500,000 Christian refugees displaced from their homes, having fled to Jordan, Lebanon,
and other Middle Eastern countries. But the Lord promised those that suffer for his sake will be
rewarded with the Kingdom of Heaven!

Nature and object of the will. The emotions

First, let us distinguish between knowledge and appetition. Knowledge can be either sensible or
intellectual, but every act of knowledge is followed by an appetition, i.e. a tendency (from Latin
ad-petere= to tend to) either towards or away from the object. From the feeling of the instinct
about the goodness or badness of the object follows a sensitive tendency (also called emotion or
passion) towards or away from the object respectively; and from the judgment of the intelligence
follows the free intellectual tendency of the will.
Sensitive appetition or emotion is therefore the tendency to the sensitive good. There are
two types:
(i) Concupiscible emotion: the tendency to the good as enjoyable;
(ii) Irascible emotion: the tendency to the good as difficult to attain.
( to the good as ( like - dislike
( Sensitive ( enjoyable ( desire - aversion
( (emotion) ( (concupiscible) ( joy – sorrow

( ( to the good as ( hope – despair


Appetition ( ( difficult ( courage- fear
( ( (irascible) ( anger

( Intellectual
( ( the will)

( Sensitive ( External senses ( sight, hearing…

( ( Internal senses ( coordinating


( memory
Knowledge ( ( imagination
( instinct

( Intellectual

There are then eleven sensitive appetites or emotions. Animals also have them, and this
explains their rich psychological life. In fact, the way to understand the nature of the will, as
distinctly human faculty, is to compare it with the emotional life of the animal. On the same
object, the emotion and the will can easily differ: a man may choose (will) not to drink a glass of
whiskey even though emotionally he may be attracted to it. “I like it, but I don’t want it”. This is
very important for moral choices, as we must distinguish between a feeling (and consequent
emotion) and the judgment (and consequent decision): only the latter carries moral
responsibility, since only the latter is “human” as distinct from “animal”.
The object of the intelligence is “being”, as we have seen, while the object of the will is
the “good” as apprehended by the intelligence, not as felt by the senses. This is why the will can
be directed to objects which are not sensible at all, such as power, wisdom, honor, glory and so
forth.
Now, how does the intelligence apprehend the good, as “particular” or as “universal”? let
us recall that concepts (the products of the intelligence) are universal; so, when the intelligence
looks at being in its aspect of goodness or desirability, it does so in a universal sense, i.e. in the
global context of the totality of the reality: In an absolute sense, not in a relative and particular
sense; in short the good as such. This does not mean that the will is moved by “abstract” good. In
fact, it’s the very opposite: the will is attracted only by the concrete real actual being (only real
being is good), but it moves towards it because the intelligence presents it as good in an absolute
sense.
Not only is the will attracted only to the real good (never to a concept as such), but to the
fullness of good, which is the perfection of “good as such”, and therefore the only object that can
truly satisfy the will completely. This explain man’s natural tendency to God. man is never
satisfied with particular goods: he always wants more.
It follows from this also that the will can never want evil in itself, since it is the very opposite of
its object, which is the good. What then is the “inclination to evil”? it is not really an inclination
to evil as such, but to a certain good in a disorderly way, i.e. without relating it to the ultimate
good. All the things that exist are good, because they have been created by God, and “to be” is
always better than “not to be”. Evil, then, is not in wanting them, but in wanting them in a
disorderly way: only human choices can be evil, not the things themselves.

PASSIONS

The term "passions" belongs to the Christian patrimony. Feelings or passions are
emotions or movements of the sensitive appetite that incline us to act or not to act in regard to
something felt or imagined to be good or evil.

The passions are natural components of the human psyche; they form the passageway and
ensure the connection between the life of the senses and the life of the mind. Our Lord called
man's heart the source from which the passions spring.40

There are many passions. The most fundamental passion is love, aroused by the attraction
of the good. Love causes a desire for the absent good and the hope of obtaining it; this movement
finds completion in the pleasure and joy of the good possessed. The apprehension of evil causes
hatred, aversion, and fear of the impending evil; this movement ends in sadness at some present
evil, or in the anger that resists it.

“To love is to will the good of another."41 All other affections have their source in this
first movement of the human heart toward the good. Only the good can be loved. 42 Passions "are
evil if love is evil and good if it is good."43

THE MORALITY OF THE PASSIONS

One of the real benefits of modern psychology has been more attention to and
understanding of the emotions, including their role in making moral decisions. Though they are
not free, like the will, they are important for morality because emotions are closely connected
with the will and powerfully help or harm it. Well ordered emotions make moral goodness more
attractive and easier; unnatural, unrealistic, or uncontrolled emotions make it unattractive and
difficult. Thus, good psychological counseling can be a powerful aid good morality (as can good
bodily health habits). Just as a good instrument helps a musician makes a good music, good
emotions help us to live good moral lives.

In themselves passions are neither good nor evil. They are morally qualified only to the
extent that they effectively engage reason and will. Passions are said to be voluntary, "either
because they are commanded by the will or because the will does not place obstacles in their
way."44 It belongs to the perfection of the moral or human good that the passions be governed by
reason.45

Strong feelings are not decisive for the morality or the holiness of persons; they are
simply the inexhaustible reservoir of images and affections in which the moral life is expressed.
But this expression is a part of human perfection: “The perfection of the moral good consists in
man’s being moved to the good not only by his will but also by his heart (emotions)” (CCC
1775).

Emotions are part of God’s design for human nature. Even emotions we find hard to
control, like sexual desire, anger, and fear, are not evil but good in themselves and play a
necessary role; without them we are not completely human. Christ did not ignore or suppress his
emotions but accepted and used them rightly, including “negative” ones like sadness (see Mt.
14:4, Jn. 11:33-36) and anger (Jn. 2:13-17).
It belongs to the perfection of … human good that the passions be governed by reason
(CCC 1767). Emotions are like horses. Some are tame, some are wild, all need to be cared for
and ruled by prudence (practical wisdom), fortitude (courage), temperance (slf-control), and
justice ( fairness), as a horse needs to be ruled by a rider. The horse should not lead the rider, nor
should the rider lock the horse up in the stable all the time. Wise governance is good for the
horse as as for the rider; and wise governance of the emotions is good for the emotions as well as
for the mind and will that govern them.

In the Christian life, the Holy Spirit himself accomplishes his work by mobilizing the
whole being, with all its sorrows, fears and sadness, as is visible in the Lord's agony and passion.
In Christ human feelings are able to reach their consummation in charity and divine beatitude.

Moral perfection consists in man's being moved to the good not by his will alone, but also by his
sensitive appetite, as in the words of the psalm: "My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living
God."

Love

This point is especially important when it comes to love. The essence of love in the biblical sense
(agape) is not an emotion or feeling: the essence of love is a choice of the will, good will, the
willing of the other’s good, the choosing of what is really best for the other. This is the
unspectacular, unemotional essence of love. The exciting feelings are additions to the essence.

We can love someone even when we do not feel loving toward them. We can will someone’s
good even when we feel aversion or embarrassment toward them. For we often do this to
ourselves, we do not always “feel good about ourselves”, but we always will good to ourselves,
we always seek our own welfare and happiness. When we feel sick, we seek healing; when we
feel stupid, we seek to be wise; when we feel evil and guilty, we seek to become better persons.

Christ commands us to love our neighbor “as ourselves”, that is, as we already do love ourselves.
This love cannot be a feeling because feelings cannot be commanded: only free choices of the
will can. Therefore love- the love Christ commands- is essentially a free choice of the will rather
than a feeling.

This point becomes extremely practical when applied to questions like homosexuality.
Homosexual feelings are not sins, since they are not freely chosen. Homosexual acts are sinful
insofar as they are freely chosen acts of disobedience to God’s known will and law. Homosexual
desires, feelings, and emotions are disordered; they are troubles, but not sins, unless freely
chosen by the will.

Conscience

What is conscience?

Conscience is our morality-detector.


“Deep within his cosncience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which
he must obey... calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil” (GS 16).
Conscience is the inner voice in a man that moves him to do good under any circumstances and
to avoid evil by all means. At the same time it is the ability to distinguish the one from the other.
In the conscience God speaks to man. (CCC, 1776-1779)
Conscience is compared with an inner voice in which God manifest himself in a man. God is the
one who becomes apparent in the conscience. When we say, i cannot reconcile that with my
conscience, this means for Christian, I cannot do that in the sight of my Creator. Many people
have gone to jail or been executed because they were true to their conscience.
“Anything that done against conscience is a sin”. St. Thomas Aquinas
“To do violence to people’s conscience means to harm them seriously, to deal extremely painful
blow to their dignity. In a certain sense it is worse than killing them”. John XXIII, the one who
convoke the 2nd Vatican Council.

Three functions of conscience.

Conscience gives us three things:


a. An awareness of good and evil
b. A desire of good and evil
c. A feeling of joy and peace and rightness at having done good and of unease and guilt at
having done evil.

These three functions of conscience correspond to the three parts of the soul, (a) the mind, or
intellect, or reason, (b) the will, and (c) the emotions or feelings.
Conscience is a judgment of reason “whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of
a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has already
completed (CCC, 1778).

Moral conscience... enjoins him at the appropriate moment to do good and to avoid evil. (CCC,
1777).

Conscience is also an intuitive feeling approving those that are good and denouncing those that
are evil. (CCC, 1777).

Can someone be compelled to do something that is against his conscience?

No one may be compelled to act against his conscience, provided he acts within the limits of the
common good (CCC, 1780-1782).
Anyone who overlooks the conscience of a person ignores it and uses coercion, violates that
person’s dignity. Practically nothing else makes man more human than the gift of being able
personally to distinguish good from evil and to choose between them. This is so even if the
decision, seen in an objective light, is wrong. Unless man’s conscience has been incorrrectly
formed, the inner voice speaks in agreement with what is generally reasonable, just, and good in
God’s sight.

Can a person form his conscience?

Yes, in fact he must do that. The conscience, which is innate to every person endowed with
reason, can be misled and deadened. That is why it must be formed into an increasingly fine-
tuned instrument for acting rightly. (CCC, 1783-1788, 1799-1800)
The first school of conscience is self-criticism. We have the tendency to judge things to our own
advantage. The second school of conscience is orientation to the good actions of others. The
correct formation of conscience leads man into the freedom to do what has been correctly
identified as good. With the help of the Holy Spirit and Scripture, the Church over her long
history has accumulated a vast knowledge about right action; it is part of her mission to instruct
people and also to give them directions.
Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is
upright and truthful. It formulates its judgment according to reason, in conformity to the true
good willed by the wisdom of the Creator.
The formation of the conscience is life-long task.
In the formation of conscience, the word of God is the light of our path.

Types of conscience.
1. Certain
2. Doubtful
3. Righteous
4. Erroneous

Is someone who in good conscience acts wrongly guilty in God’s sight?

No. If a person has thoroughly examined himself and arrived at a certain judgment, he must in
any case follow his inner voice, even at the risk of doing something wrong.(CCC, 1790-1794,
1801-1802)
God does not blame us for the objective harm that results from a wrong judgment of conscience,
provided that we ourselves are not responsible for having a badly formed conscience. While it is
quite true that ultimately one must follow ones conscience, it must likewise be kept in mind that
people have swindled, murdered, tortured, and betrayed others on the basis of what they wrongly
suppose to be their conscience.

Certain errors about conscience.


1. Conscience is not just a feeling.
2. Conscience is not infallible.
3. Conscience is not passive.

Principles guiding conscience

(1) Only the true and certain conscience is the right proximate rule of morality.
(2) Man has the obligation, therefore, to make sure his conscience is “true”, i.e. sufficiently
formed and informed.
(3) Man has the obligation to follow not only his true conscience, but also his erroneous
conscience if it is invincibly erroneous.
(4) It is not right to follow a culpably erroneous conscience or a doubtful conscience.
(5) Doubts can be resolved by means of sincerity, upright intention, the desire to seek the
will of God in everything, and a sense of responsibility in consulting the right person.

Sin
What is sin?

A sin is a word, deed, or intention by which man deliberately and voluntarily offends against the
true order of things, as God’s loving providence has arranged them. (1849-1851, 1871-1872)

To sin means more than to violate some rules about which men have agreed. Sin turns freely and
deliberately against God’s love and ignores him. Sin is ultimately “love of oneself even to
contempt of God” (St. Augustine), and in the extreme case the sinful creature says, “I want to be
like God” (see Gen. 3:5). Just as sin burdens me with guilt, wounds me, and by its consequences
ruins me, so too it poisons and damages the world in which I live. It becomes possible to
recognize sin and seriousness by drawing near to God.

The root of sin is in the heart of man, in his free will, according to the teaching of the Lord “ For
out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery… These are what defile a man” (Mt. 15:
19-20).Sin is the only evil absolutely speaking, because it is the deordinationof the created will
with respect to God. Every being is ordained to God, but the human will can deordinate itself
from God, and this is the only thing that is really evil: all other “evils” are not really so.

There are two elements of sin:

(a) Turning away from God, which is pride, or the disorderly desire for one’s excellence
(b) Turning to creatures, which is covetousness or greed, manifesting itself in envy, anger,
lust, gluttony, or sloth.
Sin does not separate the creature from God absolutely, since that would be annihilation: rather,
it separates man from God to the extent that it depends on man’s freedom.

Conversion from sin requires doing the opposite of the above mentioned elements of sin which
are;

(a) Humility
(b) Trust

How does a person know that he has sinned?

A person knows that he has sinned through his conscience, which accuses him and motivates him
to confess his offenses to God. (1797, 1848)

Why must a sinner turn to God and ask him for forgiveness?

Every sin destroys, obscures, or denies what is good; God, however, is all-good and the author of
all good. Therefore every sin goes against God (also) and must be set right again through contact
with him. (1847)

How do we know that God is merciful?

In many passages in Sacred Scripture God shows that he is merciful, especially in the parable of
the merciful father (Lk.15) who goes out to meet his prodigal son, accepts him unconditionally,
and celebrates his return and their reconciliation with a joyful banquet (1846, 1870)

Already in the Old Testament God says through the prophet Ezekiel: “I have no pleasure in the
death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezek. 33:11). Jesus is sent
“to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 15:24), and he knows that “those who are well
have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Mt. 9:12). Therefore he eats with tax
collectors and sinners, and then toward the end of his earthly life he even interprets his death as
an initiative of God’s merciful love: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for
many for the forgiveness of sins” (Mt. 26:28)

“Never doubt God’s mercy!”ST. Benedict of Nursia- Founder of western monasticism.

“Many say, ‘I have done too much evil; the dear Lord cannot forgive me’. That is an outright
blasphemy which sets a limit to God’s mercy. But it has none: It is infinite. Nothing offends our
dear Lord so much as to doubt his mercy.” ST. JonhVianney-Patron saint of secular priest.

There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy
by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit
( Pope John Paul II, D.V.)

How can we distinguish serious sins (mortal sins) from less (venial) sins?

Serious sin destroys the divine power of love in a person’s heart, without which there can be no
eternal beatitude. Hence it is also called mortal sin. Serious sin breaks with God, whereas venial
sin only strains the relationship with him.

A serious sin cuts a person off from God. One requirement for such a sin is that it be opposed to
an important value, for instance, directed against life or God (for example, murder, blasphemy,
adultery, and so on) and that it be committed with full knowledge and full consent. Venial sins
are opposed to secondary values(honor, truth, property, and so on) or are committed without full
knowledge of their seriousness or without full consent of the will. Such sin disrupts the
relationship with God but do not sever it.

“I have just produced expensive ashes: I have burned a five-hundred-franc note. Oh, that is not as
bad as if I had committed a venial sin.” St. John Vianney

How can a person de delivered from a serious sin and reunited with God?

In order to heal the break with God that is caused by a serious sin, a Catholic Christian must be
reconciled with God through confession. (1856).

“ If there were no forgiveness of sins in the Church, there would be no hope for eternal life and
eternal deliverance. Let us thank God, who gave his Church such a great gift”. St. Augustine.

Are we responsible for the sins of other people?

No, we are not responsible for other people’s sin, unless we are guilty of misleading or seducing
another person to sin or of cooperating in it or of encouraging someone else to sin or of
neglecting to offer a timely warning or our help. (1868)

Is there such a thing as structures of sin?

Structures of sin exist only in a manner of speaking. A sin is always connected with an individual
person, who knowingly and willingly agrees to something evil. (1869)

nevertheless, there are social situations and institutions that are so contradictory to God’s
commandments that we speak about “structures of sin”. Yet, these too, are the consequences of
personal sins.

HormisMynatty in his studies of social sin (1991), defines social sin as the conscious and willful
participation of a group or society in cooperating with sinful social structures, maintaining and
perpetuating them, and failing to do anything to change them when possible.

In the Philippine society the existence of graft and corruption, breakdown of peace and order,
poor working conditions, environmental degradation, Extra-judicial Killing, human trafficking,
prostitutions are examples of social evils.

Seven Deadly sins or capital sins. St. John Cassian and ST. Gregory the Great called these sins as
“capital sins” because they engender other sins, other vices.

Pride is self assertion and selfishness (opposite of poverty of spirit or humility)

Avarice is greed, the selfish reach to grab and keep for oneself (opposite of mercy)

Envy resents another’s happiness (opposite of mourning)

Wrath wills harm and destruction (opposite of meekness)

Sloth refuses to exert the will toward the good even when it is present (opposite of hunger and
thirst for righteousness)

Lust dissipates and divides the soul, desiring every attractive body (opposite of purity of heart)

Gluttony wants to consume an inordinate amount of worldly goods (opposite of being


persecuted, deprived even of necessities)

Virtue and Grace


What is meant by a “Virtue”?

Virtue (from Latin vis- strength) empowers the will to act effectively. A virtue is an interior
disposition, a positive habit, a passion that has been placed at the service of the good (1803-
1833). . It is a particular type of quality which inclines the will to good acts (its opposite is called
“vice”).

“You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:48). That means we
must change on our way to God. By our human abilities we can do that only in fits and starts.
With his grace God supports the human virtues and gives us, above and beyond that, the so-
called supernatural virtues, which help us to come closer to God and live more securely in his
light.

Why do we have to work to form our character?

We must work at forming our character so that we can freely, joyfully, and easily accomplish
what is good. A firm faith in God, in the first place, helps us to do this, but also the practice of
the virtues, which means developing within ourselves, with God’s help, firm dispositions, not
giving ourselves over to disorderly passions, and directing our faculties of intellect and will more
and more consistently toward the good. (CCC, 1804-1805, 1810-1811, 1834, 1839)

The most important virtues are: prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance. These are called the
“cardinal virtues” (from Latin cardo=hinge, or from cardinalis=principal).

“To live well is nothing other than to love God with all one’s heart, with all one’s soul, and with
all one’s efforts; from this it comes about that love is kept whole and uncorrupted (through
temperance). No misfortune can disturb it (and this is fortitude). It obeys only God (and this is
justice) and is careful in discerning things, so as not to be surprised by deceit or trickery (and this
prudence).” (St. Augustine)

The four cardinal virtues are natural. That is, (a) they are known by natural human reason; (b)
their origin is human nature; (c) their goal is the perfecting of human character and life

What is prudence?

It is defined as the intellectual virtue which rightly directs particular human acts, through
rectitude of the appetite, toward a good end. Emotional well-being, we will argue, comes about
through a certain structuring of the entire network of human emotions, one that results from a
proper disposing of the emotions by the virtues. If we are correct, then prudence is the mother of
emotional health. And if virtue is the secret to looking beautiful, then prudence is, in many ways,
the mother of beautiful character. For it is prudence that determines the mean of reason in all
human actions and situations.

Prudence, however, is not merely an intellectual virtue; it is also a moral virtue.  A moral virtue
is a habit that makes its possessor good.  One may be brilliant and learned without being morally
good, but it is not possible to be prudent and not morally good.  The prudent man is one who
does the good, as opposed to one who merely knows the good.  There are many moral
philosophers and theologians around, but prudent persons are probably not as common.  It is
much easier to talk about virtue — including prudence — than it is to actually be virtuous.  And
one who does not behave well cannot be said to be prudent, even though he happens to be very
learned.
Prudence is the application of universal principles to particular situations, and so an
understanding of universal moral principles is absolutely necessary.  But since prudence deals in
particulars, in the here and now of real situations, a number of other intellectual qualities are also
necessary if one is to choose rightly, qualities that one does not necessarily acquire in a
classroom setting.  St. Thomas refers to these as integral parts of prudence, without which there
is no prudence, just as there is no house without a roof, walls, and a foundation

Integral Parts of Prudence

1.  Understanding of First Principles (Human Goods)

Prudence begins with an understanding of the first principles of practical reason, which St.
Thomas calls synderesis.  Synderesis is a natural habit by which we are inclined to a number of
ends.  Now the good is the object of desire.  Hence, the objects of these inclinations are goods. 
And since these goods are not outside the human person, but are aspects of the human person,
they are called human goods. 

These intelligible human goods include human life, the knowledge of truth, the intellectual
apprehension and enjoyment of beauty, leisure (play and art), sociability, religion, integrity, and
marriage. 

These are the primary principles of practical reason.  They are the starting points of human
action, the motivating principles behind every genuinely human action that we choose to
perform.  Now the very first principle of morality is self-evident and is presupposed in every
human action.  That principle is: good is to be done, evil is to be avoided.

The secondary precepts derived from the first principle of morality:


 One ought not to willingly destroy an instance of an intelligible human good for the sake
of some other intelligible or sensible good.
 One ought not to treat another human person as a means to an end.
 One ought not to treat certain others with a preference based purely on feeling, as well as
to treat others in a way that fails to respect their status as equal in dignity to oneself.
 One ought not to willingly act alone and individualistically for human goods.  
 One ought not to act purely on the basis of emotion, either on the basis of fear, aversion,
hostility, or desire.

If prudence is the proper application of universal principles to particular situations, then


prudence demands that one continue to ponder the implications of the first principle of morality
and the secondary precepts of natural law.

2.  Memory

Prudence requires a sensitivity and attunement to the here and now of the real world of real
people.  It requires a great deal of experience. Memory is more an ability to learn from
experience.  And so it involves an openness to reality, a willingness to allow oneself to be
measured by what is real. 
3.  Docility
Those who lack memory will more than likely lack docility, another integral part of prudence. 
St. Thomas writes:
…prudence is concerned with particular matters of action, and since such matters are of infinite
variety, no one man can consider them all sufficiently; nor can this be done quickly, for it
requires length of time.  Hence in matters of prudence man stands in very great need of being
taught by others, especially by old folk who have acquired a sane understanding of the ends in
practical matters.  (ST. II-II. 49, 3)
Docility is open-mindedness, and so it requires a recognition of one’s own limitations and ready
acceptance of those limits. 

4.  Shrewdness (solertia)

Shrewdness is the ability to quickly size up a situation on one’s own, and so it involves the
ability to pick up small clues and run with them.  The shrewd are highly intuitive, subtle and
discreet.  A shrewd teacher, for example, will pick up subtle clues that reveal just who it is he is
dealing with in his classroom and what the needs of his students really are, which allow him to
determine quickly the approach best suited to their particular way of learning.  The shrewd are
also able to detect evil behind a mask of goodness, so as to be able to plan accordingly.

But just as memory and docility presuppose a good will (right appetite), so too does shrewdness. 
It can be the case that the inability to see is rooted in a will not to see; for sometimes people
would rather not think about what the clues could mean for fear of what they might discover
about someone, which in turn will affect their security in some way.  As the old saying goes:
“There are none so blind as those who will not see”.  On the other hand, it is possible that a
person wants to see evil where there really is none.  This is not shrewdness, but suspicion, and it
is often rooted in a spirit of pride.

5.  Reasoning

Once a person sizes up a particular situation, he needs to be able to investigate and compare
alternative possibilities and to reason well from premises to conclusions.  He will need to be able
to reason about what needs to be done, that is, what the best alternative or option is that will
realize the right end.  Prudence thus presupposes a knowledge of the basics of logical reasoning. 
If a person cannot see through the most common logical fallacies, he will unlikely be able to
consistently make prudent decisions.

6.  Foresight
Foresight is the principal part of prudence, for the name itself (prudence) is derived from the
Latin providential, which means “foresight”.  Foresight involves rightly ordering human acts to
the right end.  This of course presupposes that the person is ordered to the right end, which is the
possession of God through knowledge and love.  The greater his love for God, that is, the greater
his charity, the greater will be his foresight: “Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see
God” (Mt. 5, 8).  The more a person is familiar with the city towards which he directs his steps,
the more able he is to see which roads lead to that end and which roads lead away.  The more a
person is familiar with God, the more readily able he is to discern behaviour inconsistent with
that friendship. 

7.  Circumspection

It is possible that acts good in themselves and suitable to the end may become unsuitable in
virtue of new circumstances.  Circumspection is the ability to take into account all relevant
circumstances.  Showing affection to your spouse through a kiss is good in itself, but it might be
unsuitable in certain circumstances, such as a funeral or in a public place.  Telling certain jokes
might be appropriate in one setting, but inappropriate in another.  Circumspection is the ability to
discern which is which.  This too, however, presupposes right appetite.  A person lacking proper
restraint (temperance) will lack thoughtfulness and the ability to consider how the people around
him might be made to feel should he take a certain course of action.  The lustful, for example,
lack counsel and tend to act recklessly.  An egoist is also less focused on others and more on
himself, and so he too tends to lack proper circumspection. 

8.  Caution
  Good choices can often generate bad effects.  To choose not to act simply because bad
consequences will likely ensue is contrary to prudence.  But caution takes care to avoid those
evils that are likely to result from a good act that we contemplate doing.  For example, a priest
who is about to speak out publicly against a piece of unjust legislation might anticipate offending
members of his congregation.  Out of cowardice or an inordinate love of comfort, he might
choose not to say anything at all and thus risk harming others through his silence.  A prudent
priest, on the other hand, will speak out when not doing so will harm others, yet caution will
move him to prepare his congregation with a thorough preamble so as to minimize the chances of
misunderstanding.  One must never do evil that good may come of it, but one may at times
permit evil on condition that the action one is performing is good or indifferent, that one does not
will or intend the evil effect, and that the good effects of one’s action are sufficiently desirable to
compensate for the allowing of the evil effect. 
The Potential Parts of Prudence

(a) Good Counsel (euboulia)


Counsel is research into the various means to the end and the circumstances.  A person not
entirely pure of heart, that is, whose charity is very defective, will have more options before him,
poorer options that nevertheless have some appeal.  The better the character, the less will these
poorer options present themselves; for they will drop out of the picture very quickly.  This can be
compared to a person who is physically healthy and has good eating habits and one who is
unhealthy with poor habits.  A typical menu will be more appealing to the one with poor eating
habits, while the former deliberates over a few options, the healthier options on the menu. 
We’ve all heard the expression, “Where there is a will, there is a way”.  Good counsel, resulting
from a greater hope in and love for God, generates the energy and imagination needed to
discover the best alternative to achieve the best end.  
(b) Good Judgment (synesis and gnome)
Judgment is an assent to good and suitable means.  Synesis is good common sense in making
judgments about what to do and what not to do in ordinary matters.  It is possible to take good
counsel without having good sense so as to judge well, but to judge well on what to do or not to
do in the here and now requires a right mind, that is, an understanding of first principles and
precepts and indirectly a just will and well disposed appetites (both concupiscible and irascible
appetites).  Without these, one’s ideas will likely be distorted, and one’s judgment regarding the
best means will be defective; for as Aristotle points out, as a person is (character), so does he
sees.

Gnome refers to the ability to discern and apply higher laws to matters that fall outside the scope
of the more common or lower rules that typically guide human action.  It involves good
judgment regarding exceptions to ordinary rules.  For example, students ordinarily are not
permitted to play walkmans in a classroom, but a possible exception to the rule might be the case
of a student with a serious learning disability and who is highly sensitive to the slightest
distractions.  One may be able to think of similar examples on a more judicial level. 

(c) Command
Command, which is the direct application of good counsel and judgment, is the principal act of
prudence; for it cannot be said that one who takes good counsel and judges well, but fails to act,
is a prudent man. 

Vices Contrary to Prudence (Impetuosity, Thoughtlessness, Inconstancy, Negligence)


Impetuosity is the vice contrary to good counsel and amounts to a failure to adequately consider
all available means to a particular end.  Consider the teenager who is tempted to skip class, or lie
for something or other, or become sexually intimate with someone.  Rather than thinking things
through and considering other alternatives, he skips a major test, or lies to get out of it, or
immediately surrenders to the temptation to be sexually intimate for fear that further
consideration will ruin the prospects.  Impetuosity often results from an impulsive will or
inordinate sense appetite, or from contempt for a directive (i.e., contempt for one's parents or the
Church).  Impetuosity is a defect of memory, docility, and reasoning. 

Thoughtlessness is a defect of practical judgment and amounts to a defect of circumspection and


caution.  Consider the young person who curses in a public place, totally unaware of how his
actions might affect others, or the young girl who, caught up in the excitement of having an older
student take interest in her, gets into his car and drives off with him.  Thoughtfulness, on the
other hand, is a necessary condition of gratitude, which in turn is a prerequisite of the virtue of
justice. 

Inconstancy is contrary to command, the principal act of prudence, and is a failure to complete a
morally good act by refusing to command that an act be done, a refusal rooted in inordinate love
of pleasure.  Consider the person who just can't get around to doing what he knows ought to be
done, because of laziness or attachment to some pleasure.
Negligence is also contrary to command, but it differs in that it is a defect on the part of the
intellect to direct the will in carrying out some good action.  These vices involve a defect in
understanding, foresight, and shrewdness. 

How does a person become prudent?

A person becomes prudent by learning to distinguish what is essential from what is non-
essential, to set right goals and to choose the best means of attaining them. (1806, 1835)

The virtue of prudence directs all the other virtues. It is called by St. Thomas Aquinas as
“aurigavirtutum”- the charioteer of the virtues, for it guides other virtues by setting rule and
measure. For prudence is the ability to recognize what is right. After all, someone who wants to
lead a good life must know what the “good” is and recognize its worth. Like the merchant in the
Gospel “who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it”
(Mt. 13:46). Only a prudent person can apply the virtues of justice, fortitude, and moderation so
as to do good.

“Prudence has two eyes, one that foresees what has to do, the other that examines afterward what
one has done”. St. Ignatius Loyola

What is temperance?

Temperance is the first virtue that perfects man’s ability to act well with one’s self from within
one’s self. For it brings order to the concupiscible appetite, and thus to the emotions of love,
hate, sensible satisfaction, desire, aversion and sorrow as they bear upon a pleasant good.

The real needs of this life constitute the rule of reason that makes temperance a virtue. Thomas
writes: "Wherefore temperance takes the need of this life, as the rule of the pleasurable objects of
which it makes use, and uses them only for as much as the need of this life requires."

Why is it virtuous to me moderate?

Moderation is a virtue because immoderate behavior proves to be a destructive force in all areas
of life (1809, 1838). It is directed to the good as enjoyable.

Someone who is immoderate abandons himself to the rule of his impulses, offends others by his
inordinate desires, and harms himself. In the New Testament words like “sobriety” and
“discretion” stand for “moderation”.

Insensibility is one vice opposed to temperance. Pleasure itself is not evil, but is part and parcel
of the natural operations that are necessary for man's survival. Hence it is fitting and reasonable
that we make use of these pleasures to the degree that they are necessary for our well-being (our
own, or that of the species). To reject pleasure to the extent of omitting things that are necessary
for our preservation is unreasonable and immoderate

Gluttony is, of course, a vice against temperance. Principally, this vice regards not the quantity,
but the desire for food and drink, a desire that is outside the order of reason.

Loquaciousness, or inordinate words, is another offspring of the gluttonous heart. We all know
people who can't seem to "shut up", or who "love to hear themselves talk."

The virtue of temperance is thus not enough for emotional well-being, since temperance deals
with the greatest pleasures, not the greatest difficulties. Rather, it belongs to fortitude to remove
the obstacles that withdraw the will from following reason on account of difficulties that give
rise to fear and sorrow.

What is fortitude?

The virtue which enables


the person to withstand the
But the one lacking fortitude loves "external goods" and
greatest difficulties that the goods of the body (temporal goods) more than his
block him from attaining character, more than the common good, and more than
his goal. the sovereign good, namely God. His love is thus
disordered.
Fortitude binds the will
firmly to the good of
reason in the face of the
greatest evils, and the most fearful of all bodily evils is death

Strictly speaking, FORTITUDE / COURAGE is the virtue of bravely facing the danger of death.

FORTITUDE puts down the paralysis of fear that would keep a person from facing up to danger.
It follows that courage is “Knowledge of the grounds of fear and hope.” On the other hand, it
moderates daring or courage which without it, might lead a man to WILDLY IMPULSIVE and
INEFFECTIVE ACTION.

It helps one deal with the passions of fear and confidence brought on my facing evil/evils:
DISGRACE, POVERTY, DISEASE and FRIENDLESSNESS

Four Essential parts of Fortitude:

(a) MAGNIFICENCE: literally means doing great things in quality, quantity, value and
dignity.The planning and execution of great and expensive projects by putting forth ample and
splendid effort of mind. Opposed to it is the vice of littleness or meanness (aspires little things
only when greater should be attempted).

(b) MAGNANIMITY (CONFIDENCE): means strong hope that good will be attained despite
difficulties. Defends what is noble and honorable. Magnanimity refers to honor and glory is an
effect of honor BUT

GLORY CAN BE VAIN IN 3 WAYS:

 WHEN IT IS PRAISE FOR SOMETHING UNWORTHY.

 WHEN IT IS PRAISE GIVEN BY UNWORTHY PERSONS.

 WHEN IS PRAISE UNRELATED TO GOD DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY.

(St. Gregory): VAINGLORY gives directive to- DISOBEDIENCE, BOASTFULNESS,


HYPOCRISY, etc.

As St. Thomas Aquinas writes: "Humility makes us honor others and esteem them better than
ourselves", for we see some of God's gifts in them, gifts that we don't have.

(c) PATIENCE: is the virtue by which a man bears up against the evils that tend to make him sad
and to break his spirit. It comes from love or charity; that is, from the grace and friendship of
God. It is possible only when the soul loves something good with love strong enough to make it
bear up under oppressing evils. PATIENCE cannot be a perfect virtue unless the love of God
above all is its core and essence.

(d) PERSEVERANCE: is the virtue which disposes a person to hold steadily to a good purpose,
keeping the end steadily in view, despite delays, fatigue, and temptations to indifference.

What does it mean to have fortitude?

Someone who practices fortitude perseveres in his commitment to the good, once he has
recognized it, even if in the extreme case he must sacrifice even his own life for it. (1809, 1837).
It is directed to a good that is difficult to attain.

“For the valiant man, fortune and misfortune are like his right and left hands; he uses both.” St.
Catherine of Siena.

What is Justice?

Justice is the virtue that perfects the will. It is defined as the constant and perpetual will to render
each person his due. The word “justice” comes from the Latin word jus, which means “right”.
Right mean that which is equal. If you lend someone a certain amount of money, it is your right
to receive back what you lent (commutative Justice).

Distributive justice exists principally and primarily in those having charge of the common
good.This type of justice orders the relation between the social whole and the individual person.
Those who hold political office should apportion to citizens what is their due by proportional
equality. Ex. Those who earn big, pay higher taxes.

How does one act justly?

One acts justly by always making sure to give God and to one’s neighbor what is due to them.
(1807, 1836)

The guiding principle of justice is: “To each his due”. A child with a disability and a highly
gifted child must be encouraged in different ways so that each may fulfill his potential. Justice is
concerned with equity and longs to see people get that to which they are entitled. We must allow
justice to govern our relations with God also and give him what is his: our love and worship.
Justice toward God is called the “virtue of religion”

“You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge
your neighbor” (Lev. 19:15).

“Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you have a Master in heaven”.
(Col.4:1)

“Justice without mercy in unloving; mercy without justice is degrading”. (Friedrich Von
BodelSchwingh-Lutheran theologian and founder of the Bethel Hospitals)

Grace

“For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, training us to renounce irreligion
and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world”. (Tit. 2:11-12)

Fr. Pasquale T. Giordano, S.J. and Nancy Russell Catanwrote in their book “Living the Moral
Life Today” mentioned types and manifestation of Grace.
(a) Sacramental Grace or sanctifying Grace- Received through the sacraments, perfects the soul
to enable it to live with God and to act by his live. It is life giving.

(b) Actual Grace- Refers to God’s interventions that produce acts of love.

(c) Healing Grace- removes fear, hurts, frustrations, conflict, and anxiety. It builds and
strengthens relationship and promotes understanding.

(d) Illuminating Grace- Inspires truth, beauty and goodness; releases God’s creative powers in
man; inspires from within one’s heart and soul; inspires through the medium of another’s
person’s love.

(e) Grace of State or Apostolate- Enables exercise of the responsibilities of Christian life and of
ministries within Church and its Body of people.

(f) Special Graces or Charism- Favors, gifts from God intended for the common good of the
Church. It is used to build up the Church and Community of God’s people.

(g) Other Graces- like Grace of generosity, of cheerfulness and encouragement…etc.

Theological Virtues

Operative principles by which men are ordained directly & immediately to God as supernatural
end.

What are the three supernatural virtues?

The supernatural virtues are faith, hope, and charity. They are called “supernatural” because they
have their foundation in God, are directly related to God, and are for us men the way by which
we reach God directly. (1812-1813, 1840)

The three theological virtues are supernatural, for they are (a) revealed by God and known by
faith, (b) infused by God into the souls of the faithful, and (c) their good is our participation in
the divine nature.

“So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor. 13:13)

Why are faith, hope, and charity virtues?

Faith, hope, and charity, too, are genuine powers-bestowed by God, of course- that a person can
develop and consolidate with the grace of God so as to obtain “the abundant life” (Jn. 10:10)
(1812-1813, 1840-1841)

Order among Virtues

in Time = simultaneous (all of them)


in Nature = Faith – Hope – Charity
in Excellence = Charity – Faith – Hope
Faith Hope

Love

FAITH w/o Love is DEAD, LOVE w/o Faith is SENTIMENTALITY, HOPE w/o Faith is wishful thinking

FAITH w/o Hope is BLEAK LOVE w/o Hope isLOVE


DESPERATION, HOPE w/o Love is SELFISH

HOPE

FAITH

What is faith?

Gk. ______ “ (to hold something as true)

Lt. “Fides” (intellectual conviction)

St. Thomas = “an act of the intellect when it ascends to Divine truth under the influence
of the will moved by God through grace”.

Faith is the power by which we assent to God, acknowledge his truth, and commit ourselves
personally to him, (1814-1816, 1842)

Faith is the path created by God leading to the truth that is God himself. Because Jesus is “the
way, the truth, and the life” (Jn.14:6), this faith cannot be merely an attitude or “confidence”
about something or other. On the one hand, the faith has definite contents, which the Church
professes in the Creed- profession of faith, and it is her duty to safeguard them. Anyone who
wants to accept the gift of faith, in other words, anyone who wants to believe, acknowledges this
faith, which has been preserved constantly through the ages and in many different cultures. On
the other hand, part of faith is a trusting relationship to God with heart and mind, with all one’s
emotional strength. For faith becomes effective only through charity, practical love (Gal. 5:6).
Whether someone really believes in the God of love is shown, not in his solemn affirmations, but
rather in charitable deeds.

“He who says, ‘I know him’, but disobey his command is a liar, and the truth is not in him”. (1
Jn. 2:4)

“Every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is
in heaven”. (Mt. 10:32)

Sin against Faith

A. By omission = ignorance of the truth


B. By commission= breaking of the Bond.
1. By Excess
Rash credulity = believing what actually is not part of Faith
Superstition = Worship of false gods
Improper worship of God
2. By Defect
Negative = lack of Faith to person in authority
Positive = lack of Faith in a person who refuses to believe
*Heresy *Skepticism
*Apostasy *Atheism
*Schism *Agnosticism

Duties from Faith

AssensusFidei = absolute assent to the doctrines of ordinary & Extraordinary infallible


magisterium
Assensusreligiosus = reverential & filial adherence to the Infallible magisterium
RCC = knowledge of the mystery (objective)
*Faith
Protest = reliance on God’s mercy (affective – subjective)

What is hope?

“Gavah” (Heb.) = “waiting for”

“A habit divinely infused & residing in the will which enables man with perfect confidence
based on God’s Almighty help to await & obtain eternal happiness & the means necessary for
obtaining it”.

HOPE = it will really come (REAL)


WISH = it may or may not (CONTINGENT)

Hope is the power by which we firmly and constantly long for what we were placed on earth to
do: to praise God and to serve him; and for our true happiness, which is finding our fulfillment in
God; and for our final home: in God. (1817-1821,1843)

Hoping is trusting in what God has promised us in creation, in the prophets, but especially in
Jesus Christ, even though we do not yet see it. God’s Holy Spirit is given to us so that we can
patiently hope for the truth.

“Eternal glory means that the door on which we have knocked for a lifetime is finally opened to
us.” C.S. Lewis.

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but
the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words”. (1 Cor. 13:2)

What is charity?

Charity is the power by which we, who have been loved first by God, can give ourselves to God
so as to be united with him and can accept our neighbor for God’s sake as unconditionally and
sincerely as we accept ourselves. (1822-1829, 1844)

Jesus places loved above all laws, without however abolishing the latter. Therefore St. Augustine
rightly says, “Love, and do what you will”. Which is not at all as easy as it sounds. That is why
charity, love, is the greatest virtue, the energy that inspires all other virtues and fills them with
divine life.

“If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing”. (1 Cor. 13:2)

“God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1Jn. 4:16)

Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit

These are the gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of
the Lord. With these the Holy Spirit “endows” Christians, in other words, he grants them
particular powers that go beyond their natural aptitudes and gives them the opportunity to
become God’s special instruments in this world. (1830-1831,1845)

We read in one of Paul’s letters: “to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and
to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same
Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another
prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of
tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues” (1Cor. 12:8-10)

Fruits of the Holy Spirit

Charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty,
self-control, and chastity ( Gal. 5:22-23)

In the “Fruits of the Holy Spirit” the world can see what becomes of people who let themselves
be adopted, led, and completely formed by God. The fruits of the Holy Spirit show that God
really plays a role in the life of Christians.
Person and Society
The Communal Character of the Human Person.

Can a Christian be a radical individualist?

No, a Christian can never be a radical individualist, because man is by nature designed for
fellowship.

Every person has a mother and a father; he receives help from others and is obliged to help
others and to develop his talents for the benefits of all. Since man is God’s image, in a certain
way he reflects God, who in his depths is not alone but triune (and thus life, love dialogue, and
exchange). Finally, love is the central commandment for all Christians; through it we profoundly
belong together and are fundamentally dependent on one another.

“The greatest gift that man can have this side of heaven is to be able to get along well with the
people with whom he lives”. Blessed EGIDIO of ASSISI (one of the closest companions of St.
Francis of Assisi)

“Even if you are not afraid to fall alone, how do you presume that will rise up alone? Consider:
two together can accomplish more than one alone”. St. John of the Cross

What is more important, society or the individual?

In God’s sight every individual matters in the first place as a person and only then as a social
being.

Society can never be more important than the individual person. Men never be means to a
societal end. Nevertheless, social institutions such as the State and the family are necessary for
the individual; they even correspond to his nature.

“Each of us is the result of a though of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us
is necessary”. Pope Benedict XVI

How can the individual be integrated into society in such a way that he nevertheless can develop
freely?

The individual can develop freely in society if the principle of subsidiarity is observed.

The principle of subsidiarity, which we developed as part of Catholic Social Teaching, states;
What individuals can accomplish by their own initiative and efforts should not be taken from
them by a higher authority. A greater and higher social institution must not take over the duties
of a subordinate organization and deprive it of its competence. It’s purpose, rather, is to intervene
in a subsidiary fashion (thus offering help) when individuals or smaller institutions find that a
task is beyond them.

Conversion and Society

On what principles society is build?

Every society builds on a hierarchy of values that is put into practice through justice and love.

No society can last unless it is based on a clear orientation toward values that are reflected in a
just ordering of relationships and an active implementation of this justice. Thus man may never
be made into a means to an end of societal action. Every society needs constant conversion from
unjust structures. Ultimately this is accomplished only by love, the greatest social
commandment. It respects others. It demands justice. It makes conversion from inequitable
conditions.

The Social Teachings of the Catholic Church: The Church’s teaching about the ordering of life in
society and about the attainment of individual and social justice. Its four central principles are:
Personhood, the common good, solidarity, and subsidiarity.

Participation in social life


Authority

What is the basis for authority in society?

Every society relies on a legitimate authority to ensure that it is orderly, cohesive, smooth-
running and to promote its development. It is in keeping with human nature, as created by God,
that men allow themselves to be governed by legitimate authority.

Of course an authority in society must never originate in the raw usurpation of power but must
have legitimacy under the law. Who rules and what form of government is appropriate are left to
the will of the citizens. The Church is not committed to a particular forms of government but
only says that they must not contradict the common good.

“There is no society without an ultimate authority”. Aristotle

When does an authority act legitimately?

An Authority acts legitimately when it works for the sake of the common good and applies just
method of attaining the good thereof.

The people in A State must be able to rely on the fact that they live under a “government of
laws”, which has rules that are binding for all. No one is obliged to obey laws that are arbitrary
and unjust or that contradict the natural moral order. In that case there is a right, or in some
circumstances even the duty, to resist.

“In all sciences and arts the end is a good, and especially and above all in the highest of all- this
is the political science of which the good is justice, in other words, the common interest”.
Aristotle

The Common Good

The COMMON GOOD is the good that is shared by all in common. It includes “the sum total of
social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment
more fully and more easily”. (GS).
How can the common good be promoted?

The common good follows wherever the fundamental rights of the person are respected and men
can freely develop their intellectual and religious potential. The common good implies that men
can live in society with freedom, peace, and security. In an age of globalization, the common
good must also acquire a worldwide scope and allow for the rights and duties of all mankind.

The common good is best served where the good of the individual person and of the smaller
units of society (for instance, the family) is central. The individual and the smaller social unit
need to be protected and promoted by the stronger power of State in institutions.

Responsibility and Participation

What can the individual contribute to the common good?

Working for the common good means assuming responsibility for others.The common good
must be the business of everyone. This happens first of all when men get involved in their
particular surrounding- family, neighborhood, workplace- and take responsibility. It is important
also to exercise social and political responsibility. Someone who assumes this sort of
responsibility, however, wields power and is always in danger of misusing that power.
Therefore, everyone in a position of responsibility is called upon to engage in an ongoing process
of conversion, so that he can exercise that responsibility for others in lasting justice and charity.

“We must obey God rather than men”. Acts 5:29

“No one can claim, as Cain did, that he is not responsible for the fate of his brother”. Pope J.P. II

Social Justice
How does social justice come about in a society?

Social justice comes about where the inalienable dignity of every person is respected and the
resulting rights are safeguarded and championed without reservation. Among these is also the
right to active participation in the political, economic, and cultural life in the society.

Respect of the Human Person

The basis of all justice is respect for the inalienable dignity of the human person, “whose defense
and promotion have been entrusted to us by the Creator, and to whom the men and women at
every moment of history are strictly and responsibly in debt” (JP II, Encyclical
Sollicitudoreisocialis). Human rights are an immediate consequence of human dignity, and no
State can abolish or change them. States and authorities that trample these rights underfoot are
unjust regimes and lose their authority. A society is not perfected by laws, however, but rather by
love of neighbor, which makes it possible for everyone to “look upon his neighbor (without any
exception) as ‘another self’.

“Respect the good reputation of your enemies”. St. John Vianney

“All men are to deal with their fellows in justice and civility” Vat. II Council:
DignitatisHumanae

Equality and Differences

To what extent are all men equal in God’s sight?


All men are equal in God’s sight, every person possesses the same dignity and has a claim to the
same human rights. Hence every kind of social, racist, sexist, cultural, or religious discrimination
against person is an unacceptable injustice.

Why is there nevertheless injustice among men?

All men have the same dignity, but not all of them meet with the same living conditions. In cases
where injustice is man-made, it contradicts the Gospel. In cases where men have been endowed
by God with different gifts and talents, God is asking us to rely on one another: in charity one
should make up for what the other lacks.

There is a kind of inequality among men that does not come from God but rather originates in
societal conditions, especially in the unjust distribution of raw materials, land, and capital
worldwide. God expects us to remove from the world everything that is plainly contrary to the
Gospel and disregards human dignity. Yet there is another sort of inequality among men that is
quite in keeping with God’s will: inequality in talents, initial conditions, and opportunities. These
are an indication that being human means being there for others in charity so as to share and to
promote life.

“Nothing is really ours until we share it”. C.S. Lewis

“He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do
likewise”. Lk. 3:11

Human Solidarity

The Principle of Solidarity: from Latin solidus= thick, firm, strong; a principle of Catholic social
teaching that aims at strengthening community and promoting a “civilization of love”. Pope J.P.
II

How is the solidarity of Christians with other people expressed?

Christians are committed to just societal structures. Part of this is universal access to the
material, intellectual, and spiritual goods of this world. Christians also make sure that the dignity
of human work is respected, which includes a just wage. Handing on the faith is also an act of
solidarity with all mankind.

Solidarity is the practical hallmark of a Christian. Practicing solidarity is not just a command of
reason. Jesus Christ, our Lord, identified completely with the poor and the lowly (Mt. 25:40). To
refuse solidarity with them would be to reject Christ.

“Love the poor, and do not turn your back on them, for if you turn your back on the poor, you
turn your back on Christ. He made himself hungry, naked, homeless, so that you and I would
have an opportunity to love him”. St. Teresa of Calcutta.

Summary of the Social Teachings/Doctrines of the Catholic Church:

THE DIGNITY OF HUMAN PERSON. As children of God created in God’s image, human
person have a preeminent place in creation. Human dignity is the result of human existence. It is
not earned in the achievements or bestowed by any authorities other than God. It is not
dependent on race, creed,color,economic,class, political power,social status,culture,personal
abilities,gender,sexual orientation or any other dimensions by which people discriminate social
groupings. There is a unique and sacred worth that is present in each person simply because he or
she exists. The germinal aptitudes and abilities each person possesses at birth constitute a divine
vocation, a specific and unique calling to future the development of human society as a whole.
(The Development of people [PopulorumProgressiol])

Love and Justice:Love of neighbor is an absolute demand for justice, because charity must
manifest itself in actions and structures which respect human dignity, protect human rights and
facilitate human development. To promote justice is to transform structures which block love.
(Justice in the World). To love each and every person, as Jesus commands us to do, requires that
we establish structures of Justice which support and liberate all people.

THE DIGNITY OF HUMAN WORK.While work is not the source of human dignity, it is the
means by which persons express and develop both being and dignity. Persons are the subjects of
works and are not to be looked upon simply as a means of production or a human form of capital.
Work must be organized to serve the workers’ humanity,support their family life, and increase
the common good of the human community—the three purposes of work. Workers have the right
to organize and form unions to achieve these goals.(On human Work[Laborem

THE PERSON IN COMMUNITY. Human Dignity can be recognizes,develop and protected


only in community with others. Each person is brother or sister to every other and can develop as
a healthy human person only in a community of relationships rooted in love and justice. The
foundational community for each person is his or her immediate family;the full community of
each is the extended family of the whole human race through history within the larger
community of created being. Each person benefits from the efforts of the earlier generations and
of their contemporaries and are therefore under obligation to them as well. (The Development of
People[PopulorumProgressiol])

COMMON GOOD: The sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or
individuals, to reach their fulfilment more fully and more easily. G.S. 26. The common good
concerns the life of all. It calls for prudence from each those who exercise the office of
authority. Three essentil elements:

1. It presupposes respect for the person


2. The common requires the social well-being and devlopment of the group itself.
3. It requires peace, the stability and security of a just order.

Human freedom and social structures:Structures that support and facilitate human development
are called structures of grace. Those that obstruct authentic development are structures of sin.
Pope John Paul llidentifies two major and interwined structures of sin in contemporary
life: “ on the one hand, the all-consuming desire for profit, and on the other, the thirst for power
in the intention of imposing one’s will upon others” ( SolicitutoReiSocialis)
Liberation from oppressive social, political and economic situations and structures is an
important part of the Church’s activity.

PARTICIPATION is achieve first of all by taking charge of the areas for which one assumes
personal responsibi;ity: by the care taken for the education of his family, by conscientious work,
and so forth, man participates in the good of others and of society.
Participation of all in realizing the common good calls for a continually renewed conversion of
the social partners.
Participation begins with education and culture. “One is entitled to think that the future of
humanity is in the hands of those who are capable of providing the generations to come with
reasons for life and optimism.” G.S. 31

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITY. Human rights flow from the intrinsic sacred dignity of the
person in his or her vocation to serve the community. They are to be recognized by communities
and governments; they do not derive from the dictates of governments. Nor are they earned or
won by successful competition in the marketplace. Pacem in Terris presents the most extensive
delineation of human rights which include economic, social and cultural rights.
Human rights implies extensive responsibilities. The development of each person and the
common good of all human family are the responsibility of each and of all. (Mater etMagistra)

Subsidiarity:It is a two-edge instrument. It insists that it is wrong for higher levels of social
organization or government to do for individuals and groups what they can accomplish by their
own initiative and hard work. It also requires that what the individual and local organizations
cannot do for themselves to secure the common good must be done by higher forms of social
organization or government.
It calls for problem-solving initially at the community level: family, neighborhood, city, and
state. It is only when problems become too large or the common good is clearly threatened that
larger institutions are required to help. This principle encourages communities to be more
involved. ( Quadragesimo Anno)

OPTION FOR THOSE IN POVERTY. From the Jubilee vision laid out in the Book of Leviticus
through the passionate proclemations of the Hebrew prophets of Jesus’ identification of his
vocation as “bringing good news to the poor… proclaming the year of God’s jubilee”(Luke 4:16-
19), people in poverty have been at the heart of the Judeo-christian social vision. They are the
people most often forgotten, exploited and marginnalized in societies. Their sacred dignity and
authentic development are most likely to be overlooked or abused. They are the people who
experience and reveal the failings and shortcomings of our social systems. Their experiences,
insights and concerns offer important evidence in the search for the more systems of social life t
which God is calling the human community.

SOLIDARITY.We all belong to one human family. As such we have mutual obligations to
promote the rights and development of all people across communities, nations and the world,
irrespective of national boundaries. In particular, the rich nations have responsibilities toward the
poor nations, and people with wealth and resources are linked in the divine economy with those
who lack them. Those who remain untouched or unchanged by the suffering of their brothers and
sisters around the world are suffering from serious spriritualundevelopment. They need solidarity
for their own salvation. The structures of the international order must reflect true biblical justice.
And conflicts should always be resolve in the most peaceful ways available, ways which respect
and built solodaity among people.( P.C., G.S.)

CARE FOR CREATION. People are to respect and share the resources of the earth since we are
all part of the community of creation. By our work we are co-creators in the contiuning
development of the earth. Catholic social thought has explicitly address environmental and
ecological concerened only in rather recent times. But the concern for respecting, sharing and
caring for creation has always been part of the tradition.recent statement on the importance of
environmentally and socially sustainable patterns of consumption and development have built
solidly upon that part of the tradition. (Vat. 11, Episcopal Synod)

Grace and Justification


How are we saved?

No man can save himself. Christians believe that they are saved by God, who for this purpose
sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world. For us salvation means that we are freed by the Holy
Spirit from the power of sin and have been brought back from the realm of death to a life without
end, a life in God’s presence.

Paul observes: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Sin cannot exist
in the presence of God, who is justice and goodness through and through. If sin is worth nothing,
what about the sinner, then? In his love, God found a way by which he destroys sin and saves
the sinner. He makes him “right” again, that is to say, righteous or just. That is why from ancient
times salvation has also been called justification. We are not just by our own power. A man can
neither forgive his own sins nor rescue himself from death. For that, God has to act on our
behalf-out of mercy, not because we could deserve or merit it. In Baptism, god grants us “the
righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ” (Rom.3:22). Through the Holy Spirit, who is
poured into our hearts, we take part in the death and Resurrection of Christ- we die to sin and
born to a new life in God. The divine gifts of faith, hope, and charity come over us and make us
able to live in the light and to obey God’s will.

JUSTIFICATION is a central concept from the “doctrine about grace”. It means the restoration
of the right relation between God and man. Since only Jesus Christ achieved this right relation
(“righteousness”), we can come again into God’s presence only if we are “justified” by Christ
and, so to speak, enter into his intact relationship with God. To believe, therefore, means to
accept the righteousness of Jesus for oneself and one’s life.

GRACE

What is grace?

By grace we mean God’s free, loving gift to us, his helping goodness, the vitality that comes
from him. Through the cross and Resurrection, God devotes himself entirely to us and
communicates himself to us in grace. Grace is everything God grants us, without our deserving it
in the least.

“Grace”, says Pope Benedict XVI, “is being looked upon by God, our being touched by his
love”. Grace is not a thing, but rather God’s communication of himself to men. God never gives
less than himself (St. Augustine). In grace we are in God.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of
God-not because of works, lest any man should boast ( Eph. 2:8-9).

MERIT

What does God’s grace do to us?

God’s grace brings us into the inner life of the Holy Trinity, into the exchange of love between
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It makes us capable of living in God’s love and of acting on the
basis of this love.

Grace is infused in us from above and cannot be explained in terms of natural causes
(Supernatural grace). It makes us-especially through baptism- children of God and heirs of
heaven (Sanctifying or deifying grace). It bestows on us a permanent disposition to do good
(habitual grace). Grace helps us to know, to will, and to do everything that leads us to what is
good, to God, and to heaven (actual grace). Grace comes about in a special way in the
sacraments, which according to the will of our Savior are the preeminent places for our
encounter with god (sacramental grace). Grace is manifested also in special gifts of grace that are
granted to individual Christians (Charism) or in a special powers that are promised to those in the
state of marriage, the ordained state, or the religious state (grace of state).

“My past no longer concerns me. It belongs to divine mercy. My future does not yet concern me.
It belongs to divine providence. What concerns me is today, which belongs to god’s grace and to
the devotion of my heart and my good will (St. Francis De Sales)

How is grace related to our freedom?


God’s grace is freely bestowed on a person, and it seeks and summons him to respond in
complete freedom. Grace does not compel. God’s love wants our free assent.

One can also say No to the offer of grace. Grace, nevertheless, is not something external or
foreign to man; it is what he actually yearns for in his deepest freedom. In moving us by his
grace, God anticipates man’s free response.

And Mary said, “behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your
word” (Lk.1:38).

HOLINESS

Can someone earn heaven by good works?

No. No one can gain heaven by his own efforts. The fact that we are saved is God’s grace, pure
and simple, which nevertheless demands the free cooperation of the individual.

Although it is grace and faith through which we are saved, nevertheless, our good works ought to
show the love produced by God’s action in us.

Are we all supposed to become “saints”?

Yes. The purpose of our life is to be united with god in love and to correspond entirely to God’s
wishes. We should allow God “to live his life in us” (Mother Teresa). That is what it means to be
holy: a “saint”.

Every man asks himself the question: who am I and why I am here, how do I find myself? Faith
answers: Only in Holiness does man become that for which God created him. Only in holiness
does man find real harmony between himself and his Creator. Holiness, however, is not some
sort of self-made perfection; rather, it is union with the incarnate love that is Christ. Anyone who
gains new life in this way finds himself and becomes holy.

“Holiness is not the luxury of a few people, but a simple duty for you and me”. (Mother Teresa)

The Church, mother and teacher

How does the Church help us to lead a good, responsible life?

In the Church we are baptized. In the Church we receive the faith that the Church has preserved
intact down through the centuries. In the Church we hear the living Word of God and learn how
we must live if we want to please God. Through the sacraments that Jesus entrusted to his
disciples, the Church builds us up, strengthens, and consoles us. In the Church there is the
blazing of the saints, by which our hearts are kindled. In the Church the Holy Eucharist is
celebrated, in which Christ’s sacrifice and strength are renewed for us in such a way that, uniterd
with him, we become his Body and live by his strength. Despite all her human weaknesses, apart
from the Church no one can be a Christian.

“Even today the Church gives me Jesus. That says it all. What would I know about him, what
connection would there be between him and me without the Church? (Henri Cardinal De Lubac,
S.J.)

Moral life and the Magisterium of the Church.

Why does the Church also make declarations about ethical questions and about matters of
personal conduct?
Believing is a path. One learns how to stay on this path, in other words, how to act rightly and to
lead a good life, only by following the instructions in the Gospel. The teaching authority
(Magesterium) of the Church must remind people also about the demands of the natural moral
law.

There are not two truths. What is humanly right cannot be wrong from the Christian perspective.
And what is right according to Christianity cannot be humanly wrong. That is why the Church
must teach comprehensively about moral issues.

The precepts of the Church.

What are the five precepts of the Church?

1. You shall attend Mass on Sunday and holy days of obligation and abstain from work or
activities that offend against the character of the day.

2. You shall receive the sacrament of Penance at least once a year.

3. You shall receive the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.

4. You shall observe the prescribed seasons of fasting and days of abstinence.

5. You shall contribute to the material support of the Church.

What is the purpose of the precepts of the Church, and how binding are they?

The five precepts of the Church with their minimum requirements are supposed to remind us that
one cannot be a Christian without making a moral effort, without participating personally in the
sacramental life of the Church, and without union with her in solidarity. They are obligatory for
every Catholic Christian.

Moral life and missionary witness.

Why is not practicing what you preach such a serious deficiency in a Christian?

Agreement between one’s life and one’s witness is the first requirement for proclaiming the
Gospel. Not practicing what you profess is therefore hypocrisy, a betrayal of the Christian duty
to be “salt of the earth” and “light of the world”.

Paul was the one who reminded the Church in Corinth: “You show that you are a letter from
Christ… written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on
tablets of human hearts” (2 Cor. 3:3). Christians themselves, not the things they say, are Christ’s
“letters of recommendation” (2 Cor. 3:2) to the world. It is all the more devastating, therefore,
when they are even priests and religious who abuse children. They not only commit unspeakable
crimes against their victims. They deprived many people of hope in God and extinguish the light
of faith in quite a few souls.

The world is full of people who preach water and drink wine. (Giovanni Guareschi: Italian
author of the little world of Don Camillo)

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