Klouie C.

Montalbo TTh 9:00-10:30am

GR 12 Block A Mrs. Carloman

I. Christian Morality

Morality has to do with right and wrong, good and bad personal or social
behaviour, based on a certain standard of conduct. Biblical morality is a set of
standards described in the Bible for such behaviour.

Christian morality is a set of moral standards based on the teachings of the

Bible, especially the teachings of Jesus. In the Sermon on the Mount, for example, in
Matthew chapters five and six, Jesus sets out a whole new standard of moral
behaviour for those who follow Him.

II. Moral Agent: The Human Person

Christian moral life is simply the call to become loving persons, in the fullness of
life-with-others-in-community before God, in imitation of Jesus Christ. The key to moral
life, then, is the human person, considered in the light of both reason and faith. All
human rights, personal and social, all moral duties and responsibilities, all virtues and
moral character __ all depend directly on the answers we give to the questions: who am I
as a person in community? as a disciple of Jesus Christ, in his Church.

Persons in Christ. For Christians, the answer can only be grounded on Jesus

Christ himself. “In Christ and through Christ, we have acquired full awareness of our
dignity, of the heights to which we are raised, of the surpassing worth of our own
humanity, and of the meaning of our existence” (RH 11). “For by his incarnation, the
Son of God has united himself in some fashion with every person” (GS 22).

Christ reveals how the essential dignity of all persons is grounded directly on

their origin, meaning and destiny. We believe all persons are created by God in His
image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:26) through our Lord Jesus Christ, “through whom
everything was made and through whom we live” (1 Cor 8:6). We believe all
areredeemed by the blood of Christ (cf. Eph 1:7; Col 1:14), and are sanctified by the
indwelling Holy Spirit (cf. Rom 8:14-16; 1 Cor 6:19). We believe all persons are called
to be children of God (cf. 1 Jn 3:1), destined for eternal life of blessed communion
with the Father, His Risen-Incarnate Son, and their Holy Spirit (cf. CCC 1692).

But, despite their firm belief in these basic truths of the Christian Faith, many
Catholics do not realize how these truths touch their day-to-day moral attitudes, acts
and choices. Only if these credal truths are linked directly with the Filipinos’ experience
of themselves as persons, will they influence their moral living. Hence, we have to relate
these Christian truths to the common experience of “being a Filipino person.” Although
we tend to take these characteristics of our own person for granted, we nevertheless
need to become more conscious of them to gain a true knowledge of self and of our
relationships to others and to God.
 
III. Persons in Experience
  
Persons are open and relational by nature. No man is an island; we grow into
our full selves as persons only in relating to others. We Filipinos are outstanding in this
regard: it is said “Filipinos are never alone.” We realize being a person means
being by others (our conception, birth, upbringing), being with others (our family, friends,
neighbors, business associates), and being for others (love, service). This is how we
have been created by God __ as social beings. This is how we have beenredeemed by
Christ __ as a people. This is how the Holy Spirit works not only within but among us as
the people of God, journeying toward our common destiny in God.
 
Persons are conscious beings, aware of themselves in their outgoing acts. We
possess this self-awareness through our knowing and free willing (cf. CCC 1704-7; GS
14-17). Thus we “image” in our small way the Creator’s infinite knowing and loving.This
is the basis for our moral life.
 
Persons are embodied spirits. This stresses the unity between our “body and
soul.” Our bodies are an essential part of our being human, not merely an “instrument”
we “use” according to our whims. Contrary to those who look down on the body, and
make it the source of all evil, Christian Faith regards the body as “good and honorable
since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day” (GS 14).Moreover, God the
Son further dignified the body through his Incarnation __ “The Word became flesh and
dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14). And St. Paul admonishes us: “You must know that your
body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is within __ the Spirit you have received from
God. . . . So, glorify God in your body” (1 Cor 6:19-20). All our relationships with others
and with God are expressed through our bodies, which are the “natural sacrament” of
our spiritual depth.

Persons are historical realities. We are pilgrims on-the-way, who gradually,

through time, become our full selves. In exercising freedom, we decide for ourselves
and form ourselves; in this sense we are our own cause. We develop as persons in
discernible stages, described in great detail by modern psychology. Salvation history
narrated in the Bible shows the dynamic interplay between good and evil, success and
failure, within the lives of the great biblical figures. It recounts how God progressively
brought His Chosen People to a clearer understanding, and higher moral vision, of their
own being and of God Himself.

Persons are unique, yet fundamentally equal. Despite physical differences as

well as differing intellectual and moral powers, we instinctively realize that as
persons, in some basic way, we are all equal. This is what our Faith explains: “All men
are endowed with a rational soul and are created in God’s image; they have the same
nature and origin and, being redeemed by Christ, they enjoy the same divine calling and
destiny; there is here a basic equality between all men” (GS 29). Yet, each of us is
called to “image” God in a unique way __ no one can “take our place,” as it were. To
each of us Christ says: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name:
you are mine” (Is 43:1). Thus, within the fundamental equality of all persons, we
recognize the unique identity of each person.

This fundamental equality of all individual persons also grounds the participation
and solidarity of all peoples. “Since God the Father is the origin and purpose of all
people, we are all called to be brothers. Therefore, if we have been summoned by the
same destiny, which is both human and divine, we can and should work together to
build up the world in genuine peace” (GS 92).
 

IV. Human Freedom

 Throughout the world today there is an unprecedented drive for freedom, for
breaking out of all the old structures of political oppression, racial prejudice, economic
injustice, and constricting cultural mores. “The demand is increasingly made that men
should act on their own judgment, enjoying and making use of a responsible freedom,
not driven by coercion but motivated by a sense of duty” (DH 1). Since “the Gospel of
Jesus Christ is a message of freedom and a force for liberation” (ITL), we recognize
here “an authentic sign of God’s presence and purpose . . . for authentic freedom is an
exceptional sign of the divine image within man” (GS 11, 17).

But it is so easy to confuse human freedom with simply “doing what I

want.”Authentic freedom is not “the right to say and do anything,” but to “do the
good” (cf. CCC 1740). It is not my own individual private possession, but a shared
freedom with others in community. It is not found in prejudice, deceit, or ignorance,
but in truth.Christ’s words, “the truth will set you free” (Jn 8:32), set truth as both the
condition for authentic freedom and a warning against “every kind of illusory freedom,
every superficial unilateral freedom, every freedom that fails to enter into the whole truth
about man and the world” (RH 12). “Lovers of true freedom [are those] who come to
decisions on their own judgment and in the light of truth, and govern their activities with
a sense of responsibility, striving after what is true and right” (DH 8). The pillarsof this
freedom are “the truth about Jesus the Savior, the truths about the Church,and the
truth about man and his dignity” (ITL, XI, 5).

Freedom from Authentic human freedom has many aspects. Ordinarily we

become sharply aware of the value of our freedom only when we are forced to do
something against our will. Then we realize how much we long to be free from things
imposed on us. But this “freedom from” all restraints can often result in following selfish
inclinations or blind prejudices rather than seeking what is truly good. So St. Paul warns
us:It was for liberty that Christ freed us. So stand firm, and do not take on yourselves
the yoke of slavery a second time! My brothers, remember that you have been called to
live in freedom—but not a freedom that gives free rein to the flesh. Out of love, place
yourselves at one another’s service. My point is that you should live in accord with the
spirit and you will not yield to the cravings of the flesh (Gal 5:1,13,16).
And St. Peter adds: “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cloak for vice.
In a word, live as servants of God” (1 Pt 2:16).

Authentic freedom, therefore, involves first of all freedom from everything that

opposes our true self-becoming with others in community. Such, for example,
are interior obstacles like ignorance, or our disordered passions, fears, personality
defects, bad habits, prejudices or psychological disturbances, and exterior forces, such
as violent force or even the threat of violence. These impediments to authentic freedom
are commonly traced to three sources: biological, which include inherited handicaps and
defects as well as external substances like drugs; psychological, or interior
compulsions, including those originating in the unconscious; and social pressures such
as the many economic, political, and cultural obstacles which impede the right to
freedom (cf. ccc 1740) All these factors diminish our freedom and thus moral
imputability and our responsibility (cf. CCC 1735). But the greatest single obstacle to
authentic freedom isSIN. Liberation to true freedom means “first and foremost
liberation from the radical slavery of sin” (Instr. on Christian Freedom and Liberation
23).
 
Freedom for. But this freedom from is obviously directed towards a second
freedom, the more important “freedom for.” Beyond being liberated from all the
obstacles to authentic freedom is the freedom for growing as full persons and
children of God, sharing in the life of Christ our Liberator through his Spirit. It is the
freedom found in authentic love. Of this many-sided freedom we treat only of
thepersonal dimension here; its social dimensions are explained in the next chapter.
Two levels of the individual person’s “freedom for” stand out: 1) the freedom of choiceby
which I direct my moral acts, and 2) the fundamental freedom of my very self. In
the first level, we have the freedom to choose to act in this or that way, to do good or
evil. But by consistently choosing to do the good, we gradually become free loving
persons, the second level (cf. VS 65-68). This shows how our personal “freedom for” is
both a process and a task. Through our free choices, striving to overcome the
obstacles from within and without (task), we gradually grow (process) towards authentic,
mature fundamental (self) freedom.
 
Freedom of the Children of God. The goal of this process and task of personal
freedom is “to be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of
the children of God” (Rom 8:21). Christ has freed us by giving to everyone the power to
conquer sin and to recover the meaning of our freedom and so attain the good and
accomplish our calling as children of God (cf. CCC 1741).Freedom “to attain the good”
simply means to “act as Jesus did” __ to “mirror in life the Fatherhood of God as
the Father’s adopted sons and daughters in Jesus, the Son, and through Jesus’
indwelling Spirit. Promised by Christ, the Holy Spirit is within us creating space for our
freedom and making us alive. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor
3:17; cf. CCC 1742).
 
Thus it is the power of Christ’s Spirit within us that liberates us from sin, the law
and death (cf. Rom, chap. 5), for a life of loving service of our fellowmen, wherein we
find our true selves by imitating Christ Jesus, our Lord. For “the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-
control” (Gal 5:22f).
  Exercise of Responsible Freedom. But how do we learn to exercise our
freedom responsibly? As Christians, we come to know what is moral good in the light of
the Gospel and human experience. “For faith throws a new light on everything and
manifests God’s design for our total vocation, and thus directs the mind to solutions that
are fully human” (GS 11). This “new light” regarding our moral life works through
our conscience, “the most secret core and sanctuary of a man, where he is alone with
God, whose voice echoes in his depths” (GS 16). Moral conscience is the expression
of the divine law, defining what is good and what is evil. It impels us to do the good
and to avoid evil. It judges our behavior, approving what is good, condemning what is
evil” (cf. Rom 1:32; CCC 1778). Thus, it is our conscience that indicates for us how, in
our daily thoughts, words and deeds, we are to love God and our neighbor.

V. Conscience

For most Filipinos, conscience is understood as a kind of inner voice (tinig ng

budhi) which guides us in our moral life. This can mean our basic tendency toward the
good, the “voice always summoning us to love the good and avoid evil.” More
concretely it refers to applying objective moral norms to our particular acts: “the voice of
conscience can, when necessary, speak to our hearts more specifically: do this, shun
that.” As such, conscience acts as “the proximate norm of personal morality”(VS 60) for
discerning good and evil (cf. CCC 1796).On our part, we perceive and acknowledge the
imperatives of the divine law through the mediation of conscience. In all our activity we
are bound to follow our conscience faithfully, in order to come to God, for whom we
were created (DH 3).To obey conscience is “our very dignity; according to it we will be
judged” (GS 16; cf Rom 21:15f).

A common misunderstanding arises here. How can I be free if I am “bound,”

morally obliged, to follow the moral law and dictates of conscience? This complaint is
based directly on the misconception of freedom as “doing what I want.” Our built-in
tendency toward self-centered use of freedom is so deep that only the liberating grace
of God can help us work against this abiding inner effect of original sin (cf. GS 17).
 
The truth is that freedom of conscience carries with it a
corresponding dutyto respect the same freedom in others. Each person has the
right, original in human nature, to be recognized and respected as a free and
responsible being (cf. CCC 1931; GS 27). Moral obligation, then, far from destroying
authentic freedom, pertains onlyto our free thoughts, words and deeds, and guides
them toward true, genuine freedom. Whenever we try to free ourselves from the moral
law and become independent of God, far from gaining genuine freedom, we destroy it.
Vatican II admirably captures this apparent paradox of freedom and moral obligation co-
existing: “God calls us to serve Him in Spirit and in truth. Hence we arebound in
conscience but stand under no compulsion . . . we are to be guided by our own

Formation of Conscience. But our conscience is not something “automatic.” It

is gradually shaped through all the many and complex factors that enter into our growth
to Christian maturity. Family upbringing, basic education and catechesis in the Faith,
our cultural attitudes and values, the friends we grow with in school, and the larger
social environment of the community __ all influence the development of conscience.
Crucial to correct understanding of our conscience is its essentialrelational
dimension. Our ongoing moral experiences, within which our consciences gradually
take shape, are never isolated, but rather always involve countless interactions with
parents, guardians, relatives, friends, neighbors, teachers, religious and priests, within
the social groupings of family, school, parish and community.

When the circumstances of life challenge us with difficult choices, we become

more aware of the need to form a right conscience. In complex modern conditions,
with new sensitivities (e.g., solidarity, social justice, peace), new demands and hopes
(equal rights, liberation movements, feminism), moral judgments are more difficult and
less certain. In such cases, where there are often legitimate differences among
Catholics, we must be careful not to identify our opinion with the authority of the
Church (GS 43). Rather, our conscience therefore needs to be both enlightened and
informed (cf. CCC 1783-85).

Levels of Conscience. We realize that “the education of conscience is a lifelong

task. From the earliest years, it awakens the child to the knowledge and practice of the
interior law recognized by conscience” (CCC 1784).
Due weight being given to the advances in psychological, pedagogical and intellectual
sciences. Children and young people should be helped to develop harmoniously their
physical, moral and intellectual qualities. They should be trained to acquire gradually a
more perfect sense of responsibility. . . . Children and young people have the right to be
stimulated to make sound moral judgments based on a well-formed conscience and to
put them into practice with a sense of personal commitment (GE 1).

Forming a Christian Conscience. But to form the conscience of a disciple of

Christ, the key is obviously Christ and his Spirit, experienced within Christ’s
community, the Church. The formative process takes place in faith and through prayer,
by attending to the Word of God and the teachings of the Church, and by
responsiveness to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Critical reflection on the events and
experiences of our life helps us in forming moral judgements. It is in living out the
faith that we form our Christian consciences. Two types of formative factors, are
stressed: 1) “heart” factors such as reading and reflecting on Jesus’ teaching and
actions, and our affective prayer and sacramental life wherein we encounter the Risen
Christ; and 2) “mind” factors __ attending “to the sacred and certain doctrine of the
Church, whose duty is to authoritatively teach that Truth which is Christ himself, and
also to declare and confirm those principles of the moral order which have their origin in
human nature itself” (DH 14).
 
Types of Conscience. St. Paul distinguishes good people from the bad,
according to their faith and good or bad consciences. He admonishes Timothy: “Hold
fast to faith and a good conscience. Some, by rejecting the guidance of conscience,
have made shipwreck of their faith” (1 Tim 1:19). He warns against “the hypocrisy of
liars with branded consciences” (1 Tim 4:2), and “those defiled unbelievers . . . [whose]
minds and consciences are tainted” (Ti 1:15). This manifests the critical importance of
conscience for becoming an authentic person and disciple of Jesus Christ.

But even within sincere believers, conscience at times can be erroneous __ we

mistakenly judge something that is really evil to be good, or something good to be evil.
“Conscience frequently errs from invincible ignorance without losing its dignity”(GS 16;
cf. CCC 1791-93). Forming a Christian conscience, therefore, includes correcting any
errors in conscience by instruction in the relevant moral values and precepts which
provide a correct vision of Christ’s moral witness. “The more a correct conscience
prevails, the more do persons and groups turn aside from blind choice and try to be
guided by the objective standards of moral conduct” (GS 16).
 
At other times we experience feelings of guilt __ when we are bothered by having
acted against some norm or rule. These guilt feelings can be a result of an authentic
Christian conscience __ when we have acted contrary to the Gospel. But the guilt
feelings could also be the result merely of shame over breaking some social or cultural
“taboo.” Formation of an authentic Christian conscience here means clarifying
the difference between true moral guilt (a true “guilty conscience”) and psychological
guilty feelings which do not necessarily involve any moral fault. “The [genuine] sense of
sin disappears when it becomes identified with morbid feelings of guilt or with the simple
breaking of rules or precepts of the law” (RP 18).
 
Work of Conscience. Chapter 15 takes up moral norms which our consciences
use in discerning good from evil. Here we wish to treat only of what makes our acts
good or evil. What does conscience have to decide on?
Traditionally three dimensions of every moral act have been highlighted: 1) the act
chosen, 2) the intention, and 3) the circumstances (cf. CCC 1750-56). The three are
dimensions of the one moral act; hence they must always be considered together to
make an adequate moral judgment. For to focus only on the “act chosen” would forget
the personal agent and the context. To stress only the “intention” neglects the objective
nature of the moral act: a good intended end does not justify using means that are evil.
Finally, considering only the circumstances would be to close one’s eyes to the
objective nature of the act chosen, and all moral norms.

VI. Divine Law and Natural Law

Law in Scripture

The Old Testament. Through His revealing word, God gave to Israel, His chosen

people, the Law of the Covenant (cf. CCC 1961-64). This Law or Torah, called by
various names such as instruction, witness, precept, and word, went far beyond the
limits of merely human law. It governed the whole Covenant relationship.
The priestspromulgated the law to Israel (cf. Dt 33:10), instructing the people in the
knowledge of Yahweh and His ways (cf. Jer 18:18; 5:4). The prophets reproached the
priests for failing in their duty to the Law (cf. Ez 22:26; Hos 4:6), and warned: “Cursed
be the one who does not observe the terms of this covenant” (Jer 11:3). The Wisdom
authorsextolled the Law: “The book of the Most High’s covenant, the law which Moses
commanded us, . . . overflows . . . with wisdom” (Sir 24:22f), and the psalmist sang:

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.

The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.

The command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes. . .

The ordinances of the Lord are true, and all of them just.

          (Ps 19;8-10; cf. Ps 119 passim; 147:19f)

The Old Testament Law covered not only moral demands, and prescriptions for
religious ritual, but even legal stipulations for social behavior as well. Instructive for us
are certain basic characteristics.
a)  The Law flowed directly from the Covenant relationship of Yahweh’s loving
call creating His Chosen people. This means the whole law was based on the vision
and values of God’s Covenant with His people.
b) Obedience, then, to God’s comprehensive Law was the hallmark for the
believing Israelite. All sin was viewed primarily as an offense against the Lord with
whom the Israelites were “bonded” in every aspect of their lives by the Covenant.
c)  The law, then was God’s great gift, bringing great joy to His people: “In your
decrees I rejoice and in your statutes I take delight” (Ps 119).

But the history of Old Testament Law has also unfortunately manifested how all
law is dangerously open to the serious abuse of legalism. The Israelites “without guile”
saw the actions commanded by the law more as symbols of love of God, the Covenant
Lord, than as means of accomplishing specific tasks. Thus seemingly insignificant acts
could have rich devotional potential. But the temptation to mistake the precept for the
value, the external compliance for “obedience of the heart,” was ever present (cf. Is
29:13; Mt 13:15; Acts 28:26). Two specific abuses stand out.
a) By putting all the law’s ordinances __ moral, religious, civil and ritual __ on equal
footing, an impossible burden was placed on the people (cf. Lk 11:46), and the
“weightier matter” were lost (Mt 23:23).
 b)  By so extolling obedient observance of the law, it seemed that persons could
save themselves simply by perfectly keeping the law, without any need for God’s grace.

The New Testament. Even while they vigorously attacked these abuses, the Old
Testament prophets had prophesied the coming of a New Covenant. “I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel . . . . I will place My law within them, and write it upon
their hearts” (Jer 31:31, 33). “I will put My spirit within you, and make you live by my
statutes” (Ez 36:27). So Christ came not to “abolish the law and the prophets, . . . but
to fulfill them” (Mt 5:17). He did this, first, by inaugurating the new law of the Kingdom.
“The law and the prophets were in force until John. From his time on, the Good News of
God’s Kingdom has been proclaimed” (Lk 16:16). Secondly,Christ removed the
imperfections allowed because of their “stubborness of hearts”(cf. Mt 19:8) by
proclaiming his new commandment of love which transcends all human wisdom and all
morality, and summons his disciples to the sovereign demands of their calling. “Be
perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48; cf. CCC 1967-72).

This is possible only by the interior strength offered by the Spirit (cf. Jn 16:13;
Acts 1:8). The presence of the Holy Spirit gives an absolutely new meaning to
moral life. Present in the hearts of the baptized, the Spirit is himself in a way the New
Lawwhich is the law of LOVE. The Spirit signifies this law because He is love.
He realizes it because He is the gift of the love of the Father. He calls to love because
the whole life of the baptized should express this gift (cf. CCC 1966).
 
Thirdly, Christ perfected the dietary laws regulating eating and purity of food, so
important in Jewish daily life, by disclosing their “pedagogical” meaning, and the
Sabbath Law by recalling that the sabbath rest is not broken by the service of God or of
one’s neighbor (cf. Mt 12:5; Lk 13:15-16; 14:2-4). Lastly, he set the precepts of the law
in a hierarchical order in which everything is subordinated to love of God and
neighbor. His law of love which “sums up the law and the prophets” (Mt 7:12)radically
transformed the ancient ‘Golden Rule’ from a law of simple mutual give-and-take to a
law of positive love (cf. CCC 1789, 1970).
 
The Great Commandments. When asked “which commandment in the law is
the greatest?” Jesus replied: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with
all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the
prophets depend on these two commandments” (Mt 22:37-40; cf. CCC 2055). In this
reply Christ brought together two well known precepts of the Old Testament (Dt 6:5 and
Lv 19:18) in a novel fashion.
 First, he brought out the inner bond between love of God and love of
neighbor. This is stressed in John’s first letter: “We can be sure we love God’s children
when we love God and do what He has commanded” (1 Jn 5:2).
 
Secondly, Christ exemplified the triple “heart, soul, and strength” of the “love-
of-God-injunction” in his life and teaching. Old Testament interpreters had
identified“heart” with our inner and outer desires and longings; “soul” with obeying God
at the risk even of one’s life; and “strength” with all one’s resources of wealth, property
and reputation. But these three dimensions must be concretized. One necessary way is
by making use of the rich Filipino cultural terms and values so expressive of these
dimensions: with “buong
puso/loob/kalooban”; with “buong kaluluwa,” and “buonglakas.”
 
Another way is to bring out their social and contextual effects, as Christ does in
his teaching, for example in his parable of the sower, depicting three groups who failed
to respond to God’s word: the “path” group had no real desire or understanding, so the
devil easily steals away the word from their hearts. The “rocky soil” group withers away
under heat because it has no “soul” to risk life for God. The “weeds and thorns” group
allows other interests to divide its attention and choke out undivided commitment of
resources (strength) to God (cf. Mt 13:4-9, 18-23).

But perhaps the best Scriptural concretization of loving God with all one’s

heart, soul and strength is not in Christ’s teaching, but in his very life. In his triple
temptation in the desert, Christ first refused to satisfy his own basic needs in view of an
undivided heart for God’s word. Second, in refusing divine intervention, he risked his life
(soul) for God. Finally, ignoring all enticements of the devil, Jesus committed all
his strength to God alone (cf. Mt 4: 1-11).

These temptations were faced by Christ all through his life as is shown by the
jeers at the Cross that parallel the three temptations. 1) “If you are the Son of God,save
yourself!” 2) “He relied on God, let God rescue him now if He wants to. For he claimed ‘I
am the Son of God.’ ” 3) “So he is the King of Israel. Let us see him come down from
the cross, and we will believe in him” (Mt 27:41). The temptation “Come down from the
cross” has echoed through the centuries. But so too has “Father, . . . not my will, but
yours be done” (Lk 22:42).

Third, Christ gave a radically new interpretation to “neighbor.” It is now to be

understood universally, to cover everyone: those in need, as taught by the parable of
the Good Samaritan (cf. Lk 10:30-37), and even our enemies (cf. Mt 5:44). Christ went
further and made everyone “neighbor” by identifying himself with them as Vatican II has
pointed out, “Christ wished to identify himself with his brethren as the object of this love
when he said: ‘As often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me’ ” (Mt
25:40; cf. AA 8).
 
Fourth, Christ reduced the whole law and the prophets to this __ and only
this__ double commandment, because “the law of love is at the heart of each of the
commandments. Love is the source of their value and obligation” (cf. CCC 1971,
2055).“The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall
not steal; you shall not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are
summed up in the saying: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love is the
fulfillment of the law” (Rom 13:9-10).
 
PCP II focuses on “loving faith,” an active love like that of Christ, a participation in
God’s own love which comes to us through His Son” (PCP II 71). Thus, love is the
summary of the whole law because it is the reflection in human life of God’s very being.
“Beloved, let us love one another because love is of God; everyone who loves is
begotten of God and has knowledge of God” (1 Jn 4:7-8).
 
Now we are empowered to love both God and neighbor since God’s own love
“has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to
us” (Rom 5:5). In the strength of this divine Spirit of love, Christ gave his own command:
“This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12). Christ
thus overcame the greatest weakness of the Old Law, namely, it showed people what
sin was without empowering them to avoid it. But now St. Paul declares, “The law of the
spirit, the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, has freed you from the law of sin and death. The
law was powerless because of its weakening by the flesh. Then God sent His
Son” (Rom 8:2-3).
 
Christ’s Liberating Law. It is this new law of love through Christ’s Spirit that is
liberating, for to be conformed to the law of Christ, is to know freedom. Christ’s new
law comes to us as a gift that the Holy Spirit places in our hearts.  It carries the
imperatives of the law beyond the mere external moral behavior and beyond even a
sense of obligation. Christ’s law is a law of love, grace, and liberty (cf. CCC 1972). It
touches the spirit rather than the letter. It requires a change of heart from which a
change in behavior will follow. It names that self-giving openness to God and to others
from which all the commandments derive their redemptive vitality; which changes them
from servile constraints into a force which liberates our true humanity.
 
Beatitudes. Christ’s law, then, liberates from mere externalism, from being
bound to the letter of the law, endured as servile constraints, for a life graced by the
Spirit’s gift of a change of heart. By inspiring a new vitality in us, the Spirit enables us to
experience our true humanity. Positively, as inwardly transformed by grace, re-created
in God’s im-age, we are enabled to gradually establish our moral life on a different
basis. The idea of simply avoiding sin, being legally “justified,” is replaced by an ideal
arising faith and love, the fruit of the indwelling Spirit. This “new basis” for moral life is
graphically portrayed in Christ’s poetic sketch of those “blessed.” The Beatitudes
oppose the wisdom of the world (cf. 1 Cor 1:20): materialism, the cult of wealth, the lust
for power, ruthless competition, the ethic of success. In God’s Kingdom, these values
are reversed.

In the Beatitudes, Christ describes those who are truly “happy” in the Kingdom of
God. Most people, according to St. Thomas, relate happiness to: 1) sensible pleasures
and satisfaction of desires, or 2) success in undertakings and interpersonal relations, or
finally 3) deep reflection and contemplation. Christ claims that instead of sensible
satisfaction and many possessions (1), detachment (poverty of
spirit), meekness and compassion bring us true happiness. Instead of completely self-
centered activity (2), thirsting for justice for all and merciful forgiveness offer
authentic human interpersonal relationships. Instead of withdrawing from the problems
and concerns in the world to seek contemplation, those who are single-minded/clean of
heart, and work for peace among all will find God. Such a life will undoubtedly bring
trials and persecutions because of our sinful selves and the world; but it is the life of
faith, hope and love of the disciples of Christ (cf. CCC 1717).
 
Law in the Church

Christian moral tradition has developed another type of law

called “NaturalLaw” because it expresses the wisdom of God in His creation and
because it belongs to the very nature of human persons. It is not imposed on them from
the outside like an arbitrary restriction, but as a call coming from their deepest
selves (cf. CCC 1954).Already within Sacred Scripture, moral knowledge is related to
human “nature,” in the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament. But it is especially St.
Paul who brings this out: “When Gentiles who do not have the [Jewish] law keep it as by
instinct, . . . they show that the demands of the law are written in their hearts. Their
conscience bears witness together with that law” (Rom 2:14f). In Catholic
morality, natural lawmeans the sum of the rights and duties which follow directly
from the nature of the human person, endowed with reason and freedom, not to be
confused with social norms and conventions, nor with public opinion, nor with civil
law (cf. CCC 1954-60).
 
Three basic convictions of the natural law approach are central to Catholic
morality. First, the basis for the “natural law” is the truth that God has created everything
and is the root of all things. The natural law written in the heart of man manifests the
order willed by God in creation. Human moral life is grounded in reality __ our moral
responsibilities flow from the very structure of who we are as persons in society through
history. Therefore, secondly, natural law morality is knowable by all
persons, independent of their religious faith. Engraved in the conscience of each, the
natural law is accessible to all (cf. CCC 1954). Thirdly, there are objective moral
values and teaching that can be universalized, addressed to all people of good will.
“All are required to follow its precepts” (CCC 1956). Paul VI offers a concrete
description of the natural law in life:

In the design of God, all are called upon to develop and fulfill themselves, for
every life is a vocation. At birth, everyone is granted, in germ, a set of aptitudes and
qualities to bring to fruition. Their coming to maturity, which will be the result of
education received from the environment and personal efforts, will allow all to direct
themselves toward the destiny intended for them by their Creator. Endowed with
intelligence and freedom, they are responsible for their fulfillment as for their
salvation (PP 15).

But to avoid abusive rationalistic and narrowly legalistic interpretations,

thenatural law must be viewed in terms of certain fundamental
aspects. First, as real:morality is based on reality, not just on commands as the legal
positivists hold. Moral life means doing the good, not just blindly following
law. Second, it is experientialbecause it directly concerns our relationships with
ourselves, with others, and with society. Third, it is historical since our human nature is
involved in the historical process of our self-becoming growth. Fourth, it deals
with the specific nature and consequences of our free acts, and therefore, fifth, is
basically personal, since it is grounded in the human person’s nature. These features
indicate how the natural law approach can be effective in today’s moral climate.

Christ and the Natural Law. But what has this “natural law” got to do with God’s
Law as manifested in “Christ, our Moral Norm”? (cf. # 796) Many seem to
misunderstand and think of the natural law in purely philosophical terms, as completely
separated from God’s law. In reality they are intimately connected, for in obeying the
natural law, we obey the divine law itself __ “eternal, objective anduniversal” (DH 3), of
which it is the expression (cf. CCC 1955).
 
We see natural law and God’s law united in Christ. First in their very
being:since God creates all persons in and through Christ (cf. Jn 1:3; Col 1:16f), Jesus
is the model for both our human nature [natural law] and all our free moral
acts. Second, existentially and operationally they are one because Christ is both our
final destiny built into our human nature, and the norm for our free moral thoughts,
words and deeds by which we journey toward this destiny. Third, historically they are
united in Christ because through the historical event of the Incarnation, Passion, Death
and Resurrection, Christ manifested and actualized all the above links. In Christ God
ratified the dignity of all human persons, our unity with Him, and our path to Him through
our human world and activities. Fidelity to the human in history is fidelity to Christ’s
presence. In the end, then, “the New Law or the Law of the Gospel is the perfection
here on earth of the divine law, natural and revealed” (CCC 1965).

VII. Sin

Sin in Sacred Scripture

The Old Testament presents three basic notions for what we call sin.

a) “Missing the mark” focuses on the offense inflicted on another by failing to

meet one’s covenant obligations. Since the first law of the Covenant is worship of
Yahweh, idolatry is its clearest expression. “The worship of infamous idols is the reason
and source and extremity of all evil” (cf. Wis 14:27).
 b) Depravity and perversity refer to the defect of character or disorder that
weighs the sinner down. “For my iniquities . . . are like a heavy burden, beyond my
strength” (Ps 38:5).

c) Rebellion and transgression picture sin as a conscious choice which destroys

positive relationships. “See what rebellious Israel has done! She has . . . played the
harlot” (Jer 3:6).

More importantly, the Old Testament manifests certain shifts of emphasis in its
conception of sin. A more primitive, less morally developed idea of sin pictures it as
defilement or “stain,” the sense of being unclean before the face of God, the All-Holy.
“You shall warn the Israelites of their uncleanness, lest by defiling my Dwelling, their
uncleanness be the cause of their death” (Lv 15:31). Strong in its sense of God’s
holiness, this “stain” image manifests a rather primitive ethical sense by: 1) missing the
inner evil of sin in not seeing the difference between responsible free acts and
involuntary evils; 2) fixing on sexual taboos and ritual cleanliness, but ignoring
interpersonal and societal justice; and 3) being motivated by a self-centered fear that
shuts out authentic faith in the transforming merciful forgiveness of God.

A more ethical view of sin is presented in the Old Testament prophets and
“covenant” narratives. Sin is seen as a crime, an internal, willful violation of Yahweh’s
covenant relationship. Isaiah warns: “It is your sins that make Him [Yahweh] hide His
face,” and lists their sins: their works are evil, their lips speak falsehood, their hands are
stained with innocent blood, their feet run to evil, and their thoughts to destruction,
plunder and ruin on their highways. Crooked have they made their paths, and the way
of peace they know not (cf. Is 59:2-8). Viewing sin as crime emphasizes its juridical
aspect, with its concern for determining the nature of the crime, the culpability of the
sinner, and the appropriate punishment.

A third model of sin is personal rejection of a love relationship. It draws on the

Bible’s covenantal language of personal vocation, discipleship and conversion, to
reduce the fire and brimstone emphasis of the more juridical “crime” image. The evil of
sin in this basically personalist model is located not in the violation of an extrinsic law,
but rather in the free, responsible malice of the sinner and the harm inflicted on other
persons. Sin is seen as truly interpersonal: the personal malice of the sinner offending
the persons of God and neighbor. By sin, sinners alienate themselves from their
neighbors, all creation, God, and from their own true selves.

Today, perhaps more important than the different models of sin, is the loss of the
sense of sin and its link with conscience. John Paul II quotes Pius XII: “the sin of the
century is the loss of the sense of sin.” He explains how this sense of sin is rooted in our
moral conscience, and is, as it were, its thermometer. . . Nevertheless it happens not
infrequently in history, for more or less lengthy periods and under the influence of many
different factors, that the moral conscience of many people becomes seriously
clouded. . . . It is inevitable in this situation that there is an obscuring also of the sense
of sin which is closely connected with moral conscience, the search for truth, and the
desire to make a responsible use of freedom. . . . [This] helps us to understand the
progressive weakening of the sense of sin, precisely because of the crisis of conscience
and the crisis of the sense of God (RP 18).

New Testament authors identified Christ as the suffering Servant who has come
to “justify many, bearing their guilt” (Is 53:11). Christ calls all to a radical conversion
from the power and deadly evil of sin, to the Kingdom of his Father. To all entrapped in
the snares of sin, he offers forgiveness: “Your sins are forgiven” (Lk 7:48). “Sin no
more!” (Jn 5:14; 8:11) In St. John we meet the contrast between many “sins” (plural) or
conscious acts against the Kingdom, and “sin” (singular) meaning the “world” as hostile
to God and to God’s word (cf. Jn 1:29). This contrast is repeated today in our
Eucharistic celebrations in the Gloria and the Lamb of God prayers. Much like “world” in
John’s Gospel is St. Paul’s notion of “flesh.” As contrasted with “Spirit,” it stands for the
power of sin that permeates the human condition and grounds all individual sinful
thoughts, words, and deeds (cf. 1 Cor 5:5; Rom 7:5, 18).

Church Teaching on Sin

The Church’s doctrine of original sin was taken up in Part 1, Chap. 8, as were the
seven “deadly [capital] sins” of Christian tradition. Original sin also appears briefly below
in Part III, Chapter 25 on Baptism. The distinction between mortal and venial sin is
treated in Chapter 27 on the Sacrament of Reconciliation. But two more recent
approaches to sin that add considerably to a fuller pastoral understanding of sin must
be briefly treated: the different dimensions of sin; and “social sin.”

Sin can have different dimensions. It can be described as a spiral, a sickness,

addiction. 1) As a spiral that enslaves us in a contagious, pathological habit of vice that
acts like a virus, infecting social attitudes and structures such as family, social groups
and the like. 2) As sickness, drawing on St. Luke’s trait of linking healing with
forgiveness of sin (Lk 5:18-26). 3) As addiction, a process over which we become
powerless as it becomes progressively more compulsive and obsessive. Sin as
addiction leads to a pattern of ever deeper deception of self and others, ending in the
inevitable disintegration of all our major personal and social relationships. Examples
given of sin as addiction are consumerism and militarism.

Due consideration of these dimensions of sin helps to have:

• a more realistic appraisal of the sinner’s actual operative freedom;

• a positive orientation toward a process of healing and forgivness; and

• a stress on the over-riding importance of the social and structural dimensions of sin.
 “Social sin,” stresses complicity in evil by showing how members of the same
group are mutually involved. It can refer to:

• sin’s power to affect others by reason of human solidarity;

• sins that directly attack human rights and basic freedoms, human dignity, justice, and
the common good;

• sins infecting relationships between various human communities such as class

struggle, or obstinate confrontations between blocs of nations; and

• situations of sin, or sinful structures that are the consequences of sinful choices and
acts, e.g., racial discrimination, and economic systems of exploitation (cf. RP 16).

Regarding the last meaning, PCP II urges Filipinos “to reject and move against sinful
social structures, and set up in their stead those that allow and promote the flowering of
fuller life” (PCP II 288).

VIII. Catholic Social Teaching

1. The principle of the Dignity of the Human Person.

“Every human being is created in the image of God and redeemed by Jesus Christ, and
therefore is invaluable and worthy of respect as a member of the human family.”

This is the bedrock principle of Catholic social teaching. Every person _ regardless of
race, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, employment or economic
status, health, intelligence, achievement or any other differentiating characteristic _ is
worthy of respect. It is not what you do or what you have that gives you a claim on
respect; it is simply being human that establishes your dignity. Given that dignity, the
human person is, in the Catholic view, never a means, always an end.

The body of Catholic social teaching begins with the human person, but it does not end
there. Individuals have dignity; but individualism has no place in Catholic social thought.
The principle of human dignity gives the human person a claim on membership in a
community, the human family.

2. The principle of Respect for Human Life.

“Every person, from the moment of conception to natural death, has inherent dignity and
a right to life consistent with that dignity.”

Human life at every stage of development and decline is precious and therefore worthy
of protection and respect. It is always wrong directly to attack innocent human life. The
Catholic tradition sees the sacredness of human life as part of any moral vision for a just
and good society.

3. The Principle of Association.

“Our tradition proclaims that the person is not only sacred but also social. How we
organize our society– in economics and politics, in law and policy– directly affects
human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community.”

The centerpiece of society is the family; family stability must always be protected and
never undermined. By association with others _ in families and in other social
institutions that foster growth, protect dignity and promote the common good _ human
persons achieve their fulfillment.

4. The Principle of Participation.

“We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together
the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.”

Without participation, the benefits available to an individual through any social institution
cannot be realized. The human person has a right not to be shut out from participating
in those institutions that are necessary for human fulfillment.

This principle applies in a special way to conditions associated with work. “Work is more
than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If
the dignity of work is to be protected, then due basic rights of workers must be
respected _ the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to organize and join
unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.”

5. The Principle of Preferential Protection for the Poor and Vulnerable.

We believe that we touch Christ when we touch the needy. The story of the last
judgment plays a very important role in the Catholic Faith tradition. From its earliest
days, the Church has taught that we will be judged by what we choose to do or not to do
in regard to the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, the homeless, the prisoner. Today the
Church expresses this teaching in terms of “the preferential option for the poor.”

Why a preferential love for the poor? Why put the needs of the poor first? Because the
common good _ the good of society as a whole _ requires it. The opposite of rich and
powerful is poor and powerless. If the good of all, the common good, is to prevail,
preferential protection must move toward those affected adversely by the absence of
power and the presence of privation. Otherwise the balance needed to keep society in
one piece will be broken to the detriment of the whole.

6. The Principle of Solidarity.

“Catholic social teaching proclaims that we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers,
wherever they live. We are one human family…. Learning to practice the virtue of
solidarity means learning that `loving our neighbor’ has global dimensions in an
interdependent world.”

The principle of solidarity leads to choices that will promote and protect the common
good.

Solidarity calls us to respond not simply to personal, individual misfortunes; there are
societal issues that cry out for more just social structures. For this reason the Church
often calls us today not only to engage in charitable works but also to work towards
social justice.

7. The Principle of Stewardship.

“The Catholic tradition insists that we show our respect for the Creator by our
stewardship of creation.”

The steward is a manager, not an owner. In an era of rising consciousness about our
physical environment, our tradition is calling us to a sense of moral responsibility for the
protection of the environment _ croplands, grasslands, woodlands, air, water, minerals
and other natural deposits. Stewardship responsibilities also look toward our use of our
personal talents, our attention to personal health and our use of personal property.
8. The Principle of Subsidiarity.

This Principle deals chiefly with “the responsibilities and limits of government, and the
essential roles of voluntary associations.”

The principle of subsidiarity puts a proper limit on government by insisting that no higher
level of organization should perform any function that can be handled efficiently and
effectively at a lower level of organization by persons or groups that are closer to the
problems and closer to the ground. Oppressive governments are always in violation of
the principle of subsidiarity; overactive governments also sometimes violate this
principle.

On the other hand, individuals often feel helpless in the face of daunting social
problems: unemployment, people sleeping in doorways or begging on street corners.
Since these problems have societal dimensions, no one person or one group can do
much about them. While giving due regard to subsidiarity, the government entity that
collects taxes should help individuals, smaller communities, and the national community
to “do something” about such social problems. When we pay taxes, therefore, we are
contributing to the establishment of social justice.

IX. Basic Problems of Philippine Society

Because the Philippines is going through a transition process from semi-

feudalism to semicapitalism, it is beset with a complex web of old and new problems.
The following basic problems are the key links in this complex web:

1. Malgoverment.

The three aspects of malgovernment are concentration of power, oligarchic

leadership, and corrupt bureaucracy. Concentration of power suppresses the voice of
communities and ordinary people. Oligarchic leadership adopt policies that favor the
rich and discriminate against the poor. The corrupt bureaucracy makes it doubly difficult
for the poor to rely on the government for services and for redress.

2. Concentration of wealth.

The concentration of land, capital and information in the hands of a small elite is
growing more intense. Land concentration leads to widespread landlessness in both
rural and urban areas. Capital concentration widens further the gap between rich and
poor. Information concentration, often by the same elites who hold the most land and
capital, speeds up the pace of land and capital concentration.

3. Nature-abuse.

The abuse of nature through relentless exploitation of our natural resources has
been going on since the beginnings of colonialism. It advances without let-up today, as
logging, mining and quarrying keep on ravaging the land and destroying the very basis
for our existence and livelihood.

4. Toxic-capitalism.

We often hear about the good side of technologies first, from the profit-seeking
corporations which are marketing them. Only later do we learn their dark side, when
anomalies materialize and disasters strike. The worst of these technomalies is toxic-
capitalism. In pursuit of profits, it releases into our air, water, soil and the rest of our
living environment toxic, radioactive, or otherwise harmful substances. They disrupt
normal human body functions, cause cancers and other diseases, harm the unborn
child, or induce mutations. The problem of toxic-capitalism is worsened by the
government's unselective open-door policy on foreign investments.

5. Chronic violence.

Violence is commonplace in Philippine society. In the home, it expresses itself as

domestic violence, its most common victim being women and children. At work, farmers,
fisherfolk, and workers who assert their rights are frequent targets of class violence.
During elections, politicians often deploy private armies to ensure their victory. Among
the police and the military, violent methods have become standard procedure against
the powerless or underprivileged. Organized crime is on the rise. Chronic violence
reflects an ideology of domination that targets women, the poor, and nature.

6. Culture-aggression.

We are assailed daily by foreign icons that are supposed to represent the ideal
lifestyle, but which are mostly cultural junk. The resulting miseducation and foreign-
 worship blinker us, make us vulnerable to the evils of foreign exploitation, and suppress
the positive in local culture. The most aggressive promoter of junk culture is corporate
advertising, made worse by the foreign control of media, the media's aggressive
intrusion into the countryside, the convergence of entertainment, media,
communications, and information technology, and the globalization of information
economies.

7. Globalization.

This is nothing but the relentless and ruthless transfer of wealth from poor
countries to global elites. In the past, this was accomplished through direct conquest,
colonialism and slavery. With the defeat of colonialism, this transfer of wealth then
changed its shape, expressing itself in the worldwide spread of capital and markets.
With the globalization of information economies, a third shape has emerged. Whatever
the shape, the result is the same: global elites control our economy and transfer our
wealth into their hands.

References:

Chapter 14 – The Challenge of Following Christ. (2012, February 10). Retrieved November

19, 2017, from https://justmehomely.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/chapter-14-the-

challenge-of-following-christ/
(n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2017, from http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-

teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/seven-themes-of-catholic-social-

teaching.cfm

What Is Christian Morality? (n.d.). Retrieved November 19, 2017, from

https://newlife.bible/article/what-is-christian-morality/