CLE NOTES:

Chapter 1- Living the Faith: Christian Morality

CHRISTIAN
- Christ
- Words, Thoughts, Actions of Jesus
- Teachings of Christ
- People who believe in Christ

MORALITY
- quality of HUMAN ACTS by which they as constituted as GOOD, BAD,
MORAL, or IMMORAL

CHRISTIAN MORALITY
- the morality of Christ
- standard of living according to Christ
- morality based on the WORDS, ACTIONS, and TEACHINGS of Christ

What does it entail when we talk about Christian Morality?

1. What do I do?
2. Being True to our relationship with God - because God himself
commanded through Jesus
3. Keeping the Commandments- CM is based on the words and
teachings of God. CM is based on the Bible.
4. Following Christ- who else do we follow as Christians, syempre si
Christ jud!

Sources of CM:
1. BIBLE
2. CHURCH (Magisterium eg. Pope, Bishops, Clergy, etc.)
3. CHURCH TRADITION

Christian Morality - living the faith we received from Christ.

We are called CHRISTIAN because with out Christ, I Am Nothing

Actus Humanus (Human Acts)

- you have the choice to do it or not.

Actus Homini (Acts of man)

- part of physiological management
- normal acts of a human person

Christian Morality will judge our Actus Humanus according to Jesus

Christ.

Chapter 2- Being Human, Being Moral

Being Human- Who am I? Identity

Being Moral- What should I do? Actions
Unsay primero nga angay tuan-an?

Being Human is what comes first. You will not know how to act if in the
first place, you do not know your identity.

Agere sequitur credere. - Our actions follow our belief.

Being Human
Based on human knowledge (Philosophy, Sociology, Psychology)

1. Historical Beings
- we have a past, present, and future
- we grow, mature in discernible stages.
- growth/maturity takes time

2. Embodied Spirits
- not only work for our body, but also for the good of our spirit

3. Conscious Beings
- we know who we are, kabalo ta sa atong kaugalingon ug sa atong
gibuhat
- we have to be responsible with our actions

4. Relational Beings
- relationship
- cannot be alone, “no man is an island”
- respect others (I cannot do whatever I want)

5. Unique/ Fundamentally Equal

- we as persons are different
- we are not the same
- Our dignity before is the only same thing between us
- We should not compare ourselves to other

Based on the Bible, Faith, and Divine Revelation

1. Created in the Image and Likeness of God

- SACRED, HAS DIGNITY/VALUE
- is not something but a someone
- Respect myself and others

2. Redeemed by Christ
- Human person was saved by no less than God through Jesus His son.
- We are not yet saved, but only redeemed
- Respect the Redeemer

3. Empowered by the Holy Spirit

-powered by the Holy Spirit
- do not say that you are weak, you have the Holy Spirit with you
- because you have the Holy Spirit, you can differentiate the Good and
the Bad

4. Destined to Eternal Life

- YOU ARE A CANDIDATE TO HEAVEN!
- You are special, important!

Intelligence come from the 2 latin words

Intus- enter
Legere- to read

Chapter 3- Growing in Authentic Human Freedom

What is Human Freedom? What does it mean to be free?

2 Expressions/ Manifestations of Human Freedom

1. Independence
2. Capacity to do many things

2 Tendencies of Human Freedom

1. Human Freedom is absolute
- “Res ipsa loquitur” “A thing speaks for itself”
- If you are a person, you are a finite being.
- Only God is the infinite one
2. We are not free at all
- You can say no and yes
- You have the heredity, instinct, sexual drive but it does not have full
governance over your body.

1. Freedom and God’s Law

- You cannot talk about freedom without talking about God’s law
- Failure to follow God’s law, is failure to execute true Freedom
- Freedom is synonymous to Happiness
- No freedom without considering God’s Law

2. Freedom is Relational
- persons of community, persons by relation
- your freedom ends where the freedom of others begin
- we were created by God through relationships in the community
- ALWAYS THINK OF OTHERS!!!

3. Freedom is doing Good

- In goodness, there is happiness. Where happiness is, there is freedom.
- doing Bad brings fear, guilt
- doing Good brings calmness, fear

“Fuera dela ley, no hay libertad” “Outside the law, there is no

freedom”

Chapter 4- Exercising Christian Conscience

What is Human Conscience?

- voice within us
- we cannot hear it literally but it is there

What conscience is not?

- wrong notions and misinterpretations of it

1. Conscience is Individualistic
- wrong, because the standard is the I, Me, and Myself
- whether we like it or not, we are relational beings
- we live in this world with others

2. Conscience is God’s Voice within us

- partly yes, partly no
- depends on the formation, education, and maturity
- not an absolute expression of God’s voice within us
- cannot put our conscience on the same level as God
- conscience can be used by God, but we should not equate

3. Conscience is our feeling of guilt

- partly yes, partly no
- do not absolutize
- depends on the maturity

4. Media’s Depiction of Conscience as an External Reality Is Accurate

- media has been made the conscience of the people
- ug unsay giingon sa social media mao na atong gibuhat
- dili tanan isulti sa social media is tama
- pwede makahatag ug maayo nga influence
- not all is good

Conscience Morally Obliges Us

The Subjective Dimension of human conscience

- no one/ nobody can use our conscience on our behalf
- simply his/hers and no one else’s
- our conscience cannot be borrowed by others

The Objective Dimension of human conscience

- formed by the universal values and norms we learn from others
- tinood nga ang konsensya imo ra, pero dili lang ikaw ang mag husga
- apart from us
- dili maka operate ang conscience kung walay lain
- I will judge according to values, laws, norms, balaod. We will not be able
to function well, if imo ra kaugalingon ang base-an.

Values, Moral Laws, and Human Conscience

- to understand conscience we should consider values and moral laws
- kining values ug moral laws, they are related. Cannot be seperated
- They are the foundation of conscience.

Follow your Conscience

- partly yes/no
- depends on the maturity of the conscience
- “In the depths of our conscience, we detect a law which we did not make
but we must obey… For, there is in our hearts a law written by God”
(GAUDIUM ET SPES 16)

Forming your Conscience

- It is our moral responsibility as human persons to develop a correct
conscience, one that accurately judges moral goodness or evil according
to what is objectively good or evil.

Forming a Christian Conscience

A proper Christian understanding of conscience asserts that:
1. Conscience is God’s gift
2. Our Conscience is motivated and illumined by the teachings and
example of Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Toward a Mature Christian Conscience

- ang konsensya dili mo mature in just 1 day, lahi ang conscience sa usa
ka Grade 1 pupil ug College student.

3 DISTINCT STAGES:
1. Instictive Level - will judge according to rewards and punishments.
2. Ethical or moral Stage - Uphold universal human values, see/judge
according to the values.
3. Christian or Religious Level - Will judge not just according to universal
values but also because God/Jesus told me so.

Our Conscience is influenced by what we learn and how we feel by our

mind and our heart, by our intellectual and emotional (affective)
aspects.

WAYS OF FORMING OUR MIND

1. Learning from experiences or reflections of friends
2. Taking time to read and study Sacred Scripture
3. Listening to parents advice or engaging in dialouges with them over
important issues.
4. Learning in school: listening to teachers, asking questions, participating
in classroom discussions, doing research
5. Studying the teachings and stand of the Catholic Church on moral
issues
6. Consulting parents, teachers, and counselors on issues and life
situations
WAYS OF FORMING OUR HEARTS
1. Spending moments alone in quiet personal prayer and reflection
2. Attending and participation in the Eucharistic liturgy
3. Joining reflection sessions, prayer groups, or youth recollections with
friends
4. Celebrating the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and the
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Chapter 5- Understanding the True Value of Law

Law and Personal Freedom

-Freedom and Happiness cannot be considered without the Law.
-Fuera de la ley no hay libertad. (Outside the law there is no
freedom)
-Without your personal law, you cannot have your personal freedom.

Law and Our Nation’s Freedom

-Freedom and Happiness cannot be considered without the Law.
-Fuera de la ley no hay libertad. (Outside the law there is no
freedom)
-Without the national law, you cannot have national freedom.

(LAPF AND LAONF IS PAREPAREHA LANG)

WHAT IS A JUST LAW?

- According to the Philosopher and one of the brilliant thinkers St. Thomas
Aquinas, just law is:“an ordinance of reason promulgated by competent
authority for the sake of common good.”

1. A just law is an ordinance of reason

-use of the mind, not of the emotions.
-good law must be reasonable, a product of careful and serious
deliberation,
-it should not be merely based on the whim, emotions, or sentiments of
an individual or a group.
-DILI MAGBINULOK,MAG BRINIGHT

2. A just law is properly promulgated

-it must be clearly communicated to all the people concerned.
-vacatio leges (the vacation of the law)

3. A just law is decreed by competent authority

-only persons with legitimate authority have the power to create and
implement laws for their respective communities.
EXECUTIVE- President
LEGISLATIVE- Congress
- Senate
JUDICIARY- Judges

4. A just law ought to be for the sake of the common good

-Common good is the good of each and every person/individual.
-Truth does not depend on numbers.
-You should not only base upon your group but also to everyone.

DIFFERENT LAWS, DIFFERENT GOALS

Natural Law
-is the universal moral law grounded on human nature and knowable
through human reason. (VERITATIS SPLENDOR 79)
-it does not mean “the law of nature” which includes scientific laws, but
rather “the law of human nature.”

Divine Law
-revealed to us by God
Old- through the patriarchs and prophets
- The Decalouge (10 words/10 commandments)
New- Jesus Christ
- 8 beatitudes and Mandatum Novum Amoris (The New Commandment of
Love)

10 COMMANDEMENTS
1st 3- duties towards God
Last 7- duties towards one another
1st Commandment: I am the Lord your God, you shall not have other
gods besides me
-We recognize the One God as the sole transcendent center of all reality.
2nd Commandment: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in
vain
-Reverence God’s name and that of Jesus, The Blessed Mother, and the
saints.
3rd Commandment: Remember to keep holy the Sabbath Day
-Value the indispensable role of worship (both personal and communal)
4th Commandment: Honor your father and mother
-Respect for parents, elders, and superiors
5th Commandment: You shall not kill
-Cherish and uphold God’s gift of human life.
6th Commandment: You shall not commit adultery
9th Commandment: You shall not covet your neighbors wife
-Respect the gift of human sexuality and the sacredness of marriage.
7th Commandment: You shall not steal
10th Commandment: You shall not covet your neighbors goods
-Respect property of all persons and create justice for all
8th Commandment: You shall not bear false witness against your
neighbor
-Value the right of all persons to a good name and uphold the value of
honesty in all our interpersonal relations.

8 BEATITUDES
-respond to the natural desire for happiness. This desire is of divine
origin: God has placed it in the human heart in order to draw man to the
One who alone can fulfill it.

1-Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
-We are called to recognize our dependence on God, from whom all that
we have and are.
2-Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
- We are called to have sincere compassion for all who suffer.
3-Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
- We are called to relate with others humbly in the grace of Christ’s love.
4-Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will
be satisfied.
- We are called to actively strive for justice and reject the injustices in our
community.
5-Blessed are the merciful, for will be shown mercy.
- We are called to be compassionate and concretely show it in our acts.
6-Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
- We are called to be upright and truly Christ-centered in our love for God
and others.
7-Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
- We are called to promote peace that founded on truth, justice, and the
grace of God.
8-Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you
and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely]
because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in
heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
- We are called to do what is right even in the face of strong opposition.
Commitment to Jesus demands a willingness to confront the reality of
“not being too popular” because of choosing what is good.

Church Laws
-a translation/derivation/concretization of Divine Laws and Natural Laws
Magisterium- teaching body of the church, constituted by the Pope and
the bishops in union with him. Its authority comes from Christ, and its
guidance comes from the Holy Spirit.

Civil Laws
-Human made decrees that are binding to all citizens of a nation. They
are often particular applications of the natural law and are made by duly
elected or assigned officials for the welfare of society.
- law of the land
- based on natural law

Chapter 6- Making Moral Decisions

- Everyday we make decisions. Every decision that we make with

determine our future.

DIFFERENT WAYS PEOPLE MAKE DECISIONS

1. External Events
- partly good, partly bad
- good to consider but not all time

2. The Spiritual Exercises

-started by St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus/Jesuits
and patron of retreats and prayer.
- before making a decision, he/she would pray.
- partly good, partly bad. There are things that you do not need prayer to
decide.

3. Bible Cutting
- absolutely wrong
- used by our Protestant brothers and sisters
- understand the Word of God by the context of every chapter, the
language, the cultural background, etc.

4. Individualistic Mindset
- according to the I, Me, Myself
- based on the persons ego
- partly good, partly bad

5. Passive Conformists
- cannot decide on his/her own
- will do what others are doing
- partly good, partly bad

6. Holistic Decisions
- a decision that considers everything in life
- all dimensions of life

IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN MAKING MORAL DECISIONS

INVESTIGATE the facts of the moral act.

- “Bonum ex integra causa malum ex quoqumque defectu” (“An
action is good when in every respect it is wrong when wrong in
every respect”)

INQUIRE about the moral norms affecting your act.

- Wala ba akoy gisagasaan nga balaod? Have I not disobeyed any law?
- Ask yourself if what you are doing has any moral effect.

IMAGINE alternatives and consequences.

- What can happened if I choose to do this act?
- What alternatives can I choose given the limitations of my situation?

INTROSPECT. Listen to your emotions.

- In making moral decisions you have use your head. But not all the time
you will listen to your head or mind, you should also listen to your heart.
Decide with your mind but also listen to your heart.

IMPLORE God’s help in prayer.

- St. Teresa of Avila, Reformer of the Carmelite Order, Doctor of the
Church, and considered one the greatest mystics of the church, describes
prayer as an: “intimate conversation with God, who we know loves us.”
- Reading and praying using the Bible, Visiting the Blessed Sacrament,
Exercising the Examen of Consciousness, and Journaling are some ways
to pray.

THE CARDINAL VIRTUES

- called cardinal from the latin word “cardo” which means “hinge” because
all other virtues eminate from them. These four foundational virtues are
found in the Book of Wisdom.

1. Prudence
- given a circumstance, you what is good. You can decide right there and
then.

2. Fortitude
- came from the latin word “fortis” which means “strength”.
- will give us strength to choose what is really good.

3. Justice
- We always have to consider this.
- Giving to the person what is due to him/her

4. Temperance
- Moderation
- You are able to moderate your desires.
- Options are good, no bad.

THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES
- directed immediately to God, who infinitely trustworthy and lovable.
- they flow and deepen our relationship with God Himself.

1. Faith
- virtue of believing in God.
- seeking to know and do His will.

2. Hope
- Even if there are many problems, you do not need to give up. The Lord
is always with you.
3. Love
- Love is a decision. A decision to be kind, to be good, to stay, to be with
that person no matter what. Love is constant. We don’t feel to love, we
decide to love. Feelings and emotions are just part of love.
-Two infinitive verbs in Latin that mean to love
Amare- to love with feelings
Deligere- to love with a decision
- Feelings and emotions come and go, they are not constant. Decision is
a constant thing. The true meaning of love is always deligere.

Chapter 7- Struggling with Moral Evil: Sin

Following Christ- is always in the context of human sinfulness and Gods

healing, reconciling love.

Sin- is breaking our fundamental loving relationship with God, others, and
even ourselves.

Sincere awareness of our sinfulness- can be a moment of grace for us.

Through the empowering grace of the Holy Spirit, we come to realize that
we are persons created to love and that by choosing to sin, we fail to love
as we should.

Gods healingband forgiveness of sin- is the primary reality for Christians

and not human suffering and sin.

WHAT IS SIN? WHY DO COMMIT SIN?

SIN
- has an I in the middle.
- are occasions when we fail to love others because we only think of
ourselves.
- the moment we think of the I, Me, Myself we sin.
- Sin is morally evil.
- following sin or embracing it goes contrary to our commitment to
following Christ.

Following Christ- having an accurate "sense of sin," which itself is a grace

often grasped only at the foot of the Cross.

Downplaying the Existence and Gravity of Sin

- people who dont care about sin.
- people continue to sin because they could not see the gravity of sin.
- some people trivialize the reality of sin and seem to think little of it.
- an act is not evil if almost everybody is doing it.
- ang mga tawo, pangutan-on ug unsay sala. They would think of it as,
"gamay raman na."

CHARACTERISTICS OF THOSE WHO DOWNPLAY SIN:

1. People who have lost the sense of sin.
- loss of knowledge of sin
- cannot differenciate from what is right or wrong
2. People who never think about sin.
3. People who think little about sin.
- people who never think or think little of sin
4. People who consider sin as a natural stage of our personal growth or a
normal sociological phenomenon or a bothersome guilt.
- natural
- tungod kay natural, buhaton nimo/sundon nimo.
5. People who tend to rationalize sin, taking away the obligations of their
actions, desuspecting the freedom of others.
- kung makasayop, mo reason out
- pirmi may rason
- pirmi may explanation
6. People who consider sin is not evil or bad if almost everybody is doing
it.
- ok lang buhaton kung naandan na nga buhaton, ok lang kung ginabuhat
na sa tanan

SUMMARY OF THE 6: People think little about sin, that does not deserve
attention from us human beings.

Overstressing the existence of sin

- tungod kay siya nakasala, the tendency is i overstress.
- tungod lang kay nakasala, dili na mudangop sa Ginoo.
- makaingon na ang tawo nga if siya nakasala, dili na siya pasayloon sa
Ginoo, silutan na siya.
- think big to the point that they loose hope.
- God is a God of Second Chances, para kita mubalik kaniya. We need to
take advantage of this in a good and positive way.
- Yes, we have sins. But, we have a God who is merciful and loving, who
is ready to forgive us.
- God knows our intention.
- “Dum spiro, spero” “As long as I live, I hope”

JESUS TRIUMPHS OVER SIN

The Crucified Christ- we have to look at it, fix our ryes on it, in order to
understand the depth of our human sinfulness and the greatness of Gods
reconciling love.

- Ang Diyos/Amahan pinaagi kang Jesu Kristo nagmadaogon diha sa

Krus.

- Diha sa iyang paglansang ug pagkamatay sa Krus, nagmadaogon si

Kristo!

- Sa Old testament daghang nangamatay, death was a mystery for them.

They could not understand what death was all about. They could not find
the answers to the question about death.

- Pagabot ni Hesus, namatay siya sa Krus. Pagkamatay, nabuhi.

Pagkabuhi ni Hesus, diha nakaintindi ang mga apostoles ug unsay
kamatayon.

2 REVELATIONS FOUND ON THE CROSS:

1. The love of God, ang kaayo sa Dios.
2. The wickedness of sin, ang kamaot sa tawo.

Dying on the cross- the ultimate saving act.

Nganong si Jesus man jud? Because he was God and Man, makaintindi
siya sa tawo ug sa Dios.

Nganong sa Krus man? God took us seriously. That is the highest

expression of love, greater sacrifice, greater love.

ORGINAL SIN

- Everything was provided for Adam and Eve. Walay kulang. But, there
was a prohibition. Sa tanan nga gihatag sa Ginoo, sa tanan nga puyde
nila buhaton. Naa ra gyud usa ka butang nga dili pwede nila buhaton.
The Sinful Act of our First Parents: Originating Sin
- God is not the source of sin.
- we live in a "STATE OF SINFULNESS" because the first members of
the human race, abused their freedom and chose to reject Gods
friendship.
- naghingyap/desired to "BE LIKE GOD."

Personal sin- the sin of Adam and Eve, that they commited against God.

Virtue of our Unity- through this with the whole human race, we inherit
and continue to suffer from the effects of this first sin.

The harmony in which they had found themselves,…is now destroyed:

the control of the soul's spiritual faculties over the body is shattered; the
union of man and woman becomes subject to tensions, their relations
henceforth marked by lust and domination. Harmony with creation is
broken: visible creation has become alien and hostile to man. Because of
man, creation is now subject "to its bondage to decay".Finally, the
consequence explicitly foretold for this disobedience will come true: man
will "return to the ground",for out of it he was taken. Death makes its
entrance into human history.- CCC 400

The Sinful Condition within Us and in our World: Originated Sin

- There is what we call, “RUPTURE OF HUMANITY.” Pagdala sa sala,
nagkada ug conflict. Between, you and yourself, you and God, and you
and fellow creation.
Kasalanang mana- how orginal sin, is translated in Filipino sometimes.

- We inherit the effects of the first sin, not the sin itself.

Sin Within Us
Effects of sin: Concupisence, Reato, Fomes Pecati

Reato comes from the ideas of St. Augustine

Fomes Pecati comes from the ideas of St. Thomas Aquinas

Kana nga mga cocupisence, reato, fomer pecati. Dili na nimo Makita, they
are immaterial. It will just have an expression once imo nang ipagawas.

Bisan pa kung ikaw nabunyagan, you still have the tendency to sin. Diha
raka ma perfect, once mubalik na si Jesus Christ.
The higher the rank, the higher the punishment.

THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM AND ORIGINAL SIN

Sacrament
sacra- sacred, holy
mentum- instrument, tool

Elements
Matter- material used, eg. water, oil
Form- accompaniying words

Sacrament
- visible sign of an invisible reality
- channel of Grace
- we dont see Grace floating in the air, but the sacrament symbolizes the
invisible reality which is sanctifying grace.
(Read 2nd paragraph p. 150-151 top part, that is the important
paragraph)

We remain in this sinful world, this valley of tears. We continue to wrestle

with our own inner tendencies to sin and struggle against the enticements
of our sinful world. But now, we are "MARKED WITH CHRIST, INDWELT
BY THE SPIRIT, AND SUPPORTED BY THE CHRISTIAN
COMMUNITY."

Mary, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception

- Pagkasala ni Adam and Eve, diha² dayun nasuko ang Diyos, pero diha²
dayun kahuman sa iyang kasuko, naluoy siya.
- Gitagaan dayun ta ug primero nga Good news, nagpromise ang Dios
nga muabot ang usa ka lalaki ang manluluwas, i-anak ug babaye.
- The promise was Jesus, the woman foretold was Mama Mary.
- Mama Mary was preredeemed tungod kay siya mamahimong Mother of
the Savior.
- Paggawas sa mahal nga virgen sa tiyan ni Sta. Ana, gisalo siya sa
grasya sa Diyos.
- Mama Mary was gipanganak ug gipanamkon nga walay buling sa sala.
- Mama Mary was conceived sa sinapupunan ni Sta. Ana nga walay stain.
Nganong kinahanglan nga Immaculate si Mama Mary?

- Ang Diyos is pure goodness

- Si Jesus kinahanglan ibutang sa sudlanan nga limpyo kaayo, 100%
- Because of her mission to be the Mother of God, Mary was conceived
without original sin.
- Because Grace and Evil cannot go together.

Nganong Virgin gihapon si Mama Mary bisan nanganak na?

- Pagpanganak ni Mama Mary, wala mawagtang ang virginity niya.

Tungod kay, it was the work of the Holy Spirit.

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL SIN

1. Personal sin- ikaw mismo nag desisyon sa imong kaugalingon nga imo
nang buhaton.
2. Social sin- any circumstance that support our personal sin.

THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

Kung ikaw makasala, you have a wound. There are wounds that are not
physical, but spiritual.

Sacrament of Baptism- we first receive God’s healing and forgiveness in

this sacrament.
Sacrament of Reconciliation- the sacrament of healing through which we
experience God’s forgiveness for sins committed after baptism and for
which we are truly repentant.

- kung ikaw mangumpisal pasayloon ka sa Ginoo.

- Ang healing nga mahatag ni Jesus Christ, gibilin niya diha sa simbahan
pinaagi sa Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Jesus Christ, The Sacrament of God’s Reconciliation

- Jesus, shared God’s healing and reconciliation to everyone.
- He offered conversion, brought sight, extended loving forgiveness.

Loving Father extravagant in His mercy and forgiveness- this is what

Jesus revealed what God to be
- Naa puy spiritual healing, dili lang kay physical.
- Gipadala sa Amahan ang iyang pagpasaylo dinhi sa kalibutan pinaagi ni
Hesus nga iyang anak.

The Church, The Sacrament of Christ’s Gift of Reconciliation

- Pagsaka ni Kristo sa lagit, iyang gibilin dili lang ang Reconciliation,
kundili ang 7 sacraments para mapadayun ang iyang healing ngadto sa
tanan nga nasakit sa lawas ug kalag.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation: God’s Gift

- Through our lives, God offers us the gift of conversion.
- But while it is a gift, this grace is not something that God imposes on us.
- Ang Diyos, wala ka gipugos pagbalik kaniya, pagconvert back to him,
pagdawat sa iyang healing. Kinahanglan kinasingkasig gayud ang imong
conversion ug ang pagdawat sa healing presence of God.
- Kung mangumpisal ka, kinahanglan mayda ka genuine contrition or
heartfelt sorrow. Kinahanglan, imo gayud kining pagbasulan.

CHAPTER 8- Loving our Christian Family

The family finds in the plan of God the Creator and Redeemer not only its
identity, what it is, but also its mission, what it can and should do. The
role that God calls the family to perform in history derives from what the
family is; its role represents the dynamic and existential development of
what it is. Each family finds within itself a summons that cannot be
ignored, and that specifies both its dignity and its responsibility: family,
become what you are. – Familiaris Consortio 17, Pope John Paul II

WHAT IS A FAMILY?

Center and the heart of the civilazation of love- is what Pope JPII
described the family in his Letter to Families

- sa familia ta una makabalo unsaon paghigugma.

- we first learn about love in the family

Conditions besetting the family today

- unsa may atong ma obserbaran sa familia karon? How is the family
today?
1. A mindset that reduces relationships to a mere exchange of goods
- some people treat others as objects
- purely materialism and pragmatism
- ang basehan ini sa relasyon dili gugma kondili material goods na

2. Many parents feel the growing pressure to devote their energies solely
to providing foe the families needs
- dili na feel sa kabataan ang guidance sa ginkanan
- relationship is olny reduced to materialism

3. Due to dreaming a good life, families neglect their obligation to be

moral and spiritual foundations of society
- gusto magdato, gusto magkaada ug good life but at the expense of
others.
- tungod sa kagustuhan sa us aka good life nakalimtan na ang pagiging
moral.

CHRISTIAN VIEW OF A FAMILY

The Christian Family as a covenant relationship

- the operating principle is love
- the very essence of the family is love. Promise of love and determined
by it.
- a covenant is a promise, a holy contract.

The Christian Family as a domestic church

- Ecclesia Domestica, Little Church
- our spiritual life, our faith starts and begins in the family.
- the church teaches us about the faith, but this teaching has already
started in the family.
- whatever is taught in the big church, has already begun in the respective
families.

The Christian Family as the first and vital cell of society

- ang gobyerno, diha nagsugod sa familia, pati sa simbahan.
- a government is composed of families, kung ang familia daot, di daot
ang gobyerno. Kung maayo kini, di maayo usab ang gobyerno.
- basic reality of society is the family.
- you want to destroy the church, government? Destroy the family first.

HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER

- To honor one’s father and mother means, proper gratitude, affection,
respect, obedience, and care to them. [CFC 1023]

Scriptural Meaning
- the 4th commandment links the 1st 3 to the other 6 commandments
about love of neighbour.
- We express our utmost love for God first and foremost through our
loving concern for our parents.
- we begin our love of neighbour in the way we relate to the members of
our own families.
- true love of God can be proven with our love of family. True love of
neighbour can be proven with love of family.
- Utang na loob is the utang that is most expensive, it cannot be paid
back.

Obstacles to honouring our parents

- difficulty cannot be equated to impossibility, puyde ma solusyonan.

1. Parents who been abusive and neglectful of duties.

- gin-abanduna ang familia
- wala na ma guide ang mga kabataan

2. Natural process of growing up

- may mo compete na nga values of the world

3. Generation gap
- results from the changing historical and social conditions experienced by
parents and their children.

Bisan pa sa taliwala ini nga mga obstacles, possible jud gihapon kita nga
mahigugma, mo respeto.

Our duty to Care for the Elderly

- importante kini nga commandment sa mga Anak sa Dios kaniadto,
tungod kay sa ilang panaw sa disyerto. Hapit sila ma kabig nga ibilin nala
ug pasagdaan ang mga edaran.
- dili lang kang ang biological parents and I care, pati sad ang elderly.
- in the Filipino culture we have what we call as close family ties.
- we take care not only of our biological parents, but also the elderly in
general.
Our duty to love our Brothers and Sisters
- the 4th commandment also entails our love for siblings

IN GENERAL: Ang 4th commandment nagsugo kanato sa paghigugma

dili lang sa atong ginikanan kundili, sa ato usab mga katigulangan ug
igsuon.

- The 4th commandment also calls parents to respect their children.

DUTIES OF THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY TO SOCIETY

- love begins at home.

- our families we first experience and share God’s love.
- our being persons-for-others should not end in the home. We should
reach out to other families and share what we have received through
God’s graces.

The attitude of indifference towards others probably stems from our

angkan-angkan mentality. This narrow minded “love of family” is the root
of many sinful structures in Filipino society: palakasan system, padrino
system, nepotism, and cronyism.
- usahay tungod kay dato naman, dili nata maminaw sa plight of others.

GROWING IN LOVE AS A FAMILY

1. Learn to listen
- we learn more by listening, we learn less by talking.

2. Do things together
- synodality
- journeying together as one family

3. Learn to say “sorry” and “I forgive you.”

- makasala man jud ang tawo
- the antidote of sin is forgiveness.

4. Learn to say “I love you”

- these three words is a clear way of communicating our love for our own
family

5. Serve the poor as a family

- this is one way of growing closer as a family.

Chapter 9- Celebrating God’s Creative Gift of Life

Life is a precious gift from God. When a new member of the family is
born, the parents, siblings, and other relatives come together to
welcome the baby into this world.

The birth of a baby reminds us that life is a gift worth celebrating and a
miracle beyond our making. The innocent and the delicate nature of the
baby reminds us of our responsibility to value and protect human life.

Ang kinabuhi usa ka misterio. Not only the life that we have, but also
biological life. There is something in a child nga makaingon gayud ta nga
life is really a mystery.

HOW PRECIOUS IS HUMAN LIFE?

Filipinos: A Life-loving people

The 1987 Philippine Constitution, the highest law of our land is a

testament to our reverence for human life. In Article II, Section 12, we
read: “[The State] shall equally protect the life of the mother and the
life of the unborn from conception.”

As Filipinos, we express our respect for life in the way we care for the
youngest members of our family, our parents and other elders, our
teachers and friends, our ailing loved ones, as well as our needy brothers
and sisters.

Teenagers and the Gift of life

As teens, we experience a natural thirst for life and living.

We strive to live our lives to the fullest and heed the advice in the Book of
Ecclesiastes (11:9): “Rejoice o young man [and woman], while you
are young, and let your hearts be glad in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart, the vision of your eyes.”
The impermanence of youth thus becomes a reminder for us: Carpe
diem! Seize the day!
Those who do not understand the real meaning of this maxim may
interpret it as license to do whatever one wants or rephrasing of the
hedonistic saying “Eat, drink, and merry, for tommorow we die!”
- gina misinterpret na kini nga maxim ug verse sa mga kabataan karon
nga panahon.

Indeed, part of our growing up is realizing that respect for life is an

essential element of true freedom.

LIFE IS COMING FROM GOD. IT IS A GIFT!

We need to understand that life is a gift from God, who created us and
sustains us. We are called at all times to be responsible for it by
respecting and defending life at all stages. This becomes a way to true
freedom. God offers us countless opportunities to experience real joy and
true freedom through the gift of life we have received from Him. The
things that are happening in our life everyday are all invitations to
celebrate God’s gift of life.

Confronting the Culture of Death

-Instead of taking care of life, they initiate programs that promote death.
- We live in a society where, for some people, death has become a way of
life. Everyday we are confronted with mindsets, attitudes, and acts that
oppose the true reverence for life - a worldview that St. John Paul II in
his encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) calls the culture
of death.
We encounter the culture of death very subtly in everyday events:

1. When the worth of persons is judged based solely on their efficiency,

competence, or looks and when they are treated as mear means to an
end - materialism and pragmatism
2. When the weakest members of society are regarded as obstacles to
freedom, career, advancement, or fulfillment in life and thereby deprived
of love.
3. When people subscribe to the mentality of curbing population growth. -
pasumanginlan ang kinabuhi maski walay sala
4. When people resort to violence when dealing with conflict
5. When civic leaders propose to legalize direct attacks toward human life
6. When people are indifferent to poverty, subhuman living conditions,
discrimination, social injustice, and other situations in society where the
dignity of persons is threatened.

These 6 do not promote the value of human life.

YOU SHALL NOT KILL

Old Testament Significance

- the 5th commandment forbids us from making a direct attack towards
human life.
- refers to visible killing, more on physical
- To attack the person is to attack God
- To dishonor life is to dishonor God
- Human life has immeasurable worth.
- This commandment obliges us to respect the life of every human person
from conception up to death.
- This commandment was give to the Israelites to build a new community.
- Ang tawo pwede physically alive but spiritually dead.

New Testament Significance

- more on spiritual, moral, physical
- If human thoughts could kill, many of us would be dead.
- more on invisible killing.

CHRIST OUR LIFE

-Jesus’ person, action, life was a testimony to the promotion of life.

- He taught about life, he promoted life, and all his life was a testament to
it.
- Through Christ’s loving example, he reveals that life is not a private
possesion but a gift that inspires us to love and give life to others.
- By allowing us to share in God’s eternal life through triumph over sin
and death, Christ revealed the full meaning ad dignity of our lives.

According to Jesus:
“EGO SUM VIA, VERITAS, ET VITA” “I AM THE WAY, TRUTH, AND
LIFE”

“God can write straight even with crooked lines.” “God can convert
mistakes into a moment of grace.”
VIOLATIONS OF THE DIGNITY OF HUMAN LIFE
Abortion
- it is murder
- termination of pregnancy
- a deliberate and direct killing according to Evangelium Vitae
- wala itawoy sala ang bata
- Sala sa inahan, dili sa bata
Usually, women who subject themselves for an abortion procedure do so
for the following reasons:
- Pregnancy outside marriage (premarital or extramarital)
- External pressure from the child’s father or the woman’s family
- Other priorities (the advancement of one’s career or education,
maintaining one’s figure)
- Poverty
These reasons are not valid for you to commit sin.

Substance Abuse
- smoking, drinking alcohol, use of prohibited drugs
- you are killing yourself, little by little

Suicide
- this is an immortal sin, a sin against the Holy Spirit
- sin against hope
- Dili dapat mawagtangan sa paglaum, tungod kay naa man ang Diyos
- God is so big that He can accommodate all the problems in this world.
- Suicide is an insult to God
- Mas dako pa ang solusyon sa Diyos
AYAW JUD BUHATA!

Capital Punishment
- also called death penalty
- kita as judge, we can make errors in our judgement
- Sa Pilipinas, dili gyud kini mahimo. Tungod kay corrupt ang gobyerno
dinhi.

Euthanasia
- also called mercy killing
eu- good
thanatus- death
- Kung mamatay, mamatay. Naa pamay pagkabanhaw
- Death does not have the last word.
- As Christ’s followers, we are obliged at all times to care for our loved
ones who are sick and suffering.
- As Christ healed, we should heal. As Christ promoted life, we should
promote life.
- We have a duty to give ordinary means to preserve the life of those who
are terminally ill or dying.

THE SACRAMENT OF THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK

- one of the sacraments of healing
- this sacrament is not only for those with terminal illness

Effects
- healing
- forgiveness of sins
- prepared to face death

Jesus Christ, the Sacrament of God’s Healing

- Jesus Christ is the healer
- Christ’s many healings were signs of His loving presence and the
coming of God’s kingdom, prefiguring His own triumph over sin and death
through his Paschal Mystery.

The Healing Church, The Sacrament of Christ’s Healing

- gibilin ni Kristo kini nga sakramento sa simbahan
- the church is where you can find healing
- the church now became the custodian of the sacraments of healing

The Sacrament of Anointing: An Empowering Sacrament

- A person who receives the sacrament may be restored to physical
health, if it will be for the benefit of the person’s salvation. But we need to
understand that the healing received by the sick through the Sacrament
of anointing is not the same as the curing performed by doctors and
brought about by medical treatment. Rather, the Sacrament of Anointing
heals the spiritual weakness, discouragement, and loneliness
experienced by those who receive it by making present the consoling joy,
peace, and hope of Christ and the compassion of His church.

In this Sacrament, you are healed deeply maong dili na mahadlok sa

kamatayon.
CHAPTER 10- Integrating Oneself: The Virtue of Chastity
Our sexuality is a good and beautiful gift from God. Through this gift
we ca share God’s love. Our sexuality reminds us that alone, we are
incomplete. By creating us as either MALE or FEMALE, God calls us
from our aloneness and invites us to grow in a life of loving service for
others. Through this gift, we are able to respond to God’s invitation: “Be
fertile and multiply”

- tanan parte sa lawas, gihimo sa Dios nga adunay purpose

- This gift nga gihatag is may gamit kana!

THe Good News about human sexuality, however, is often lost amidst the
many forces within and outside us that portray human sexuality as being
completely unrelated to God. Because of self centeredness, some
have used the gift of sexuality as a mere object for self pleasure.

- Because of selfishness, we claim something that is not of our own.

WHAT IS HUMAN SEXUALITY?

- gift from God
- given with a purpose
- EITHER A MALE OR FEMALE

Yes, God made only Man and Woman. But, we must also respect and
dawaton ang mga LGBT because human life is bigger than human
sexuality. BUT, AYAW GAYUD PAGHIMO UG STRUCTURE THAT
PROMOTES THAT SIN OR THAT DEFECT!!!

LEARNING ABOUT SEX

- gift from God

- given with a purpose
- sacred act between married people
- tungod kay gibuhat ang premarital sex sa uban, buhaton pud nimo?
NO!!

THE VIRTUE OF CHASTITY

- for both the youth and single adults, being chaste means abstaining
from sexual union.

CELIBACY=priesthood
CHASTITY=marriage
If a person is not in chastity, he/she will not destroy not just the life of one,
but the life of many.

“When you do a good act, you will never know how far it reaches. Same
as your bad acts.” - Fr. John

Old Testament Significance

- Protected by the 6th and 9th commandment
“You shall not commit adultery” 6th
“You shall not covet your neighbors wife” 9th

- the 6th commandment protects not just the sanctity of marriage but also
the integrity of the family, the basic unit of society. (CFC 1066)
- reminds us that the only proper context by which children, the fruit of
sexual union, ought to be raised and cared for is a loving family. By
protecting the family, the sixth commandment draws out the
interrelationship of the values of family, life, and chastity.

- the 9th commandment “completes the sixth…by going to the interior root
and the sources of [the] disorders of the flesh: covetoussness of the
heart.” (CFC 1089)
- the ninth commandment reminds us that the source of our sinful acts is
our disordered desires and appetites.
- it also demands that we become more keenly aware of our emotions,
thoughts, and desires. By doing so, we become more open to the grace
of a clean heart ans the courage to use the gift of sexuality to genuinely
love God and others.
- to be able to fulfill the 9th commandment, we need to practice prudence,
temperance, and moderation.

New Testament Significance

- Jesus Christ proclaimed the virtue of chastity by word and deed.
“Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God” 6th beatitude
- Jesus taught us that those who strive to be clean of heart, will
experience the great reward of personally seeing God in perfect joy and
freedom.
- the 6th beatitude upholds and perfects the sixth and ninth
commandments.
- the beatitude then places the virtue of chastity at the service of the
family.
- GOD IS PURITY, CLEANLINESS!!!
- challenges us to practice this because it protects the sanctity of life.
- mga tawo nga hugaw, bisa unsaon ug ampo dili gyud maka ampo.
- ingun sa mga santos, ang pagiging impure bisan unsaon pa nimo ug
luhod-luhod dili gyud na maklaro ang imong mga pag-ampo.
- impurity is not the worst sin, impurity is something unique like rubber
that covers your entire being.

OBSTACLES TO GROWING IN CHASTITY

1. Masturbation
2. Premarital sex
3. The use of Artificial Contraception
4. Pornography and Prostitution
5. Homosexual Acts

CHAPTER 11- Respecting Truth

WE CANNOT LIVE WITHPUT THE TRUTH

- the live in this does not mean physically, but understood as malipayon
nga kinabuhi.

As Christians, God calls us to walk in the light (First Letter of John 1:7) by
following Christ, because according to him: “Ego Sum Via, Veritas, et
Vita/ I am the way, truth, and life.” (John 14:6)

Only in Christ do we see and understad the truth about what it means to
love God and others, and ultimately what our dignity is as LUX IN
DOMINO or LIGHT IN THE LORD. (Ephesians 5:8)

LEVELS OF TRUTH

Unsa ang kamatuoran?

Veritas?
Adequatio rei et intellectus (the congruence of thing and intellect)

1st- we uphold the truth when our thoughts correspond to the reality we
experience and are not in error. (CFC 1218)

2nd - we uphold truth in our words when we express in all honesty what
we think and do not lie. (CFC 1218)
3rd- we value truth in our actions when what we do corresponds to our
thoughts, words, when “we are not hypocrites who say one thing and do
another” (CFC 1218)

In Morality, lying is not telling the truth to the person who has the right to
know it. Not everyone has the right to know the intimacy of the person.
Ang tawo nga walay katungod makahibaw, ok ra nga dili sultian.

YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST YOUR

NEIGHBOR
- do not lie
- respect the name of the person

- The 8th commandment upholds the value of truth not only by prohibiting
lying in court but also by positively commanding us to respect the good
name of others. The truth and “speaking the truth,” after all, are not a
private matter but are always in the context of our relationship with others
and with God (CFC 1221)
- God reminds is people that the very life or freedom of the accused
person depends so much on the truthfulness of persons summoned to
testify in a court of law. To proclaim the truth then, is a direct act of
respect for human dignity and for the sovereignity of the one true God.
- God who desires our only good, reminds us of our human obligation to
stand against all perversions of truth that can threaten the very foundation
of a just and loving community. (CFC 1222)
- In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned us against false oaths and in
fact challenged us to be truthful in our thoughts and words.
- Let your Yes mean Yes and your No mean No (Matthew 5:33-34, 37)

THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE

- kanang mga bakakon they are not really free.
- kung naa ka sa bakak mangulba gyud ka

OBSTACLES TO RESPECTING TRUTH

Direct Violations of Truth

- Lying a direct violation of eight commandement, a person who lies under

oath before a court of law is guilty of Perjury
- Slander or Calumny is to speak falsely against someone with the goal of
destroying the persons good name
- Detraction is to speak out what is publically true but is unecessarily
destructive of a persons good name and reputation.

Gossping and Backbiting

Name-calling, Teasing, Verbal Abuse

Negative Values Presented by the Media

- not everything the social media tell, is true.
- dili tanan naa sa social media tama!