THEO 4

CHRISTIAN
MORALITY

CONTENTS OF THE COURSE

PRELIMS
Lesson 1: Nature of Christian Morality and Beatitudes
Lesson 2: Natural Moral Law and Moral Conscience
(Assignments 1- 6)

MIDTERMS
Lesson 3: Moral Discernment, Virtue and Sin
Lesson 4: The Ten Commandments (Part-1)
(Assignments 7- 10)

FINALS
Lesson 4: The Ten Commandments (Part-2)
Lesson 5: Social Justice and Social Teachings of the Church
(Assignments 11- 15)

Note: Your assignments should be done in written form and be submitted to

your subject teacher. Your answer should be minimum of one page and it can be
done in a yellow pad (one whole), or A4.
(Each question is considered for one activity and so you need to
answer each question in a separate paper. It is applicable to all
assignments except assignment number 7).

1
 INTRODUCTION

Brief Historical Background

In the beginning, there was no special area of theology, or Religious Studies,

dealing exclusively with morality that would address fundamental mutual
relationships of the human person. The early Church's moral teaching was shaped
by the same essential concern for the coming Kingdom of God.
Christians find themselves praying, reading the Scriptures, seeking to
become better persons, and wrestling with problems of daily life. Christian
morality has been part of Christianity since the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles.
Until the sixteenth century, bishops and theologians addressed moral matters as
part of the whole cloth of Christian teaching.
In more recent times, however, theology has developed a specialization in
the area of morals. The field of moral theology names that portion of theology that
has Christian morality as its subject matter. This specialization developed within
the Catholic tradition as part of the Roman Catholic Church's attempt to counteract
the Protestant Reformation. The Council of Trent (1545-1563) stressed the
importance of the seven sacraments, especially the sacrament of penance. Trent
required each Catholic to confess serious sins by kind and number. Moral theology
was course of study in the seminary designed to train the priest to administer the
sacrament of penance.
Much of the distinctive form and content of the field of moral theology had
been determined by a practical concern for the administration of this sacrament.
Each priest needed to know not just the formalities of the practice, but had to be
fully able to respond to any question about whether or not a particular matter was
sinful. Looking at the practice of confession of sins from the penitent's perspective
is helpful here. The penitent comes to the priest having examined his/her own
conscience. He/she is aware of having committed certain acts which he/she knows
to be sinful. Frequently, he/she may be in doubt about something that is going to
happen and seeks moral guidance from his/her confessor. He/she expects the priest
to be ready, willing and able to accurately and immediately provide this guidance.
The course of study in moral theology was intended to prepare the priest for
this situation. For the four hundred years between the Council of Trent and the
Second Vatican Council, this course of study was usually contained in one work of
several volumes known as a "manual" of moral theology. Each manual was usually
divided into two parts: general moral theology and special moral theology. General
moral theology included topics, such as, nature of morality, an analysis of the

2
human act, conscience, law, and so forth, all in accord with the synthesis achieved
by St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica. The greater part of a manual,
however, was concerned with special moral theology, an extensive discussion of
the different kinds of sins in order to identify which were grave (mortal) sins and
which were not (venial sins).
To organize many issues of moral life, the manuals systematized sins in
accord with violations of the Ten Commandments or with the theological and
cardinal virtues. Within each topic a long list of typical cases was presented
showing how to apply the moral norms to each case. Each priest was expected to
master the analysis and to be able to respond in a consistent manner to a variety of
penitents with all their possible sins.
Moral theology has changed greatly since World War II and particularly
after Second Vatican Council. The course of study in seminaries has generally
discontinued the use of manuals. In addition, another major change in moral
theology was due to sociological change in setting. No longer is moral theology
almost exclusively limited to priests educating seminarians. Many moral
theologians are now in universities. Today they are challenged to educate
undergraduates as well as seminarians. Moreover, the ranks of professors of moral
theology now include Catholic laity, both men and women, with university degrees
rather than seminary education and a church-licensed degree. The goals of
education in universities are quite different from those of seminaries.

General objectives of the course

Christian Morality addresses four basic reciprocal relationships of the human self
(material, Interpersonal, collective and transcendental) that form the norms for
human ethics and the process by which these norms are transformed into Catholic
Moral Theology through faith in the Crucified/Glorified Jesus as Transcendental
Peace-Bringer present in the Church and in the world.
These objectives would somehow guide, for Christians, to answer the
following fundamental questions in moral life.
1. What sort of person should one become as a believer of Christ?
2. What does a Christian do?

Two parts of Moral Theology or Christian Morality

There are two major parts in this course in which the students shall be
immersed.

3
1. First is the General Moral Theology, which treats of the general
presuppositions of the moral act and the qualities with which every action must
be endowed in order that it may contribute to man's final goal. This includes, first
and foremost, the meaning and nature of Christian ethics, dignity of human person,
discernment, natural moral law, conscience, sin, the Beatitudes and virtues.

2. Second, Ten Commandments: It is a Special or Specific Moral Theology,

which treats with human behaviors in the different spheres and situations of human
life as a moral problem that needs Christian moral guidelines and spiritual
discernment.

Assignment 1

What are the differences between Ethics and Morality?

(Answer within a table, Refer the differences between Moral Theology and Moral
Philosophy in Lesson 1 for model). (As mentioned in the content page, each
question of your assignment is equal to one activity and so kindly answer each
question in a separate paper).

4
 LESSON 1

NATURE OF CHRISTIAN MORALITY AND BEATITUDES

Objectives:

At the end of the class, students are expected to:

• Define Moral Theology/Christian morality based on the teaching of the Church.

• Know the nature of Christian morality as a revealed morality.
• Link logic or critical thinking and Christian morality.
• Understand the four-sectors of moral theology (Christian morality)
• Reflect the responsive character of moral theology.
• Integrate the different models of Christian moral life.

Some writers distinguish ethics from morality by referring the former to theories
while the latter to praxis or practice. In a word, morality is the actualization of
ethics. But etymologically, there is no difference between ethics and morality. The
word “ethics” is derived the Greek word ethos which means custom. On the other
hand, the word “morality” comes from the Latin word mos or moris which also
means customs. As cited earlier, moral theology and Christian ethics are the same
subjects dealing with Christian morality.

Meaning of Christian Morality

`For Thomas Rausch, Christian morality is “the beliefs and practices of

Christians regarding what is good and evil and what is right and wrong in their
daily lives”. Bernard Haring pursued his moral theology as the science of Christian
life as “life in, with, and through Christ”. For him, it is a science of the imitation of
Christ, as the life in, with, and through. Karl H Peschke, on the other hand, defines
Christian Ethics as that pan of theology whose object is the foundations, attitudes
and guidelines which enable a person to attain his/her final goal. He came up
withthis definition based on its common understanding in the light of Christian
faith and reason.
But since Christian Ethics is the same with Moral Theology thatdeals with
Christian morality, we will now borrow the language of Pope John Paul II in his
encyclical letter Veritatis splendor in defining such term as follows:

5
Moral Theology is a science which accepts Divine Revelation while at the
same time responding to the demands of human reason. It is a reflection concerned
with "morality", with the good and the evil of human acts and of the person who
performs them. It acknowledges that the origin and end of moral action are found
in the One who "alone is good" and who, by giving himself to man in "Christ,”
offers him the happiness of divine life (no. 29).

The above definitive presentation of Moral Theology (Christian Morality)

gives us the following important elements.

1. Moral Theology (Christian morality) is a science. This means, we study

by collecting new information and at the same time seeking new answers. As
Michael Pennock says “The more we learn about ourselves, the more we learn
about what is right and wrong.”

2. It is guided by Divine Revelation. This is God's personal loving

communication to us of who He is and His plan to save us all in His love. It is God
reaching out to us in friendship, so we get to know and love Him

3. It is concerned with morality. In other words, it is concerned with what

ought to be, that is judging right and wrong in the light of who we are.

4. It is rooted in Jesus Christ. This means, the standard criteria in

determining the morality of human act and of the person who performs them is
Jesus Christ for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn 14:6).

5. It is a response. This means, it is a "YES" to the personal invitation of

Jesus Christ to love God and neighbour.

6. There is a process of reflection as well as an acknowledgment of Christ.

This makes also Christian ethics different from other sciences. Christian ethics,
therefore, is a thematic, systematic and reflective study of Christian morality.

7. Happiness of divine life is the ultimate goal. Christ claims that instead of
sensible satisfaction and many possessions, detachment (poverty of spirit),
meekness and compassion bring us true happiness. Instead of completely
selfcentered activity, thirsting for justice for all and merciful forgiveness offer
authentic human interpersonal relationships.

6
Christian Morality: A Revealed Morality

Christian morality is a revealed morality because it is cantered on God's

appeal to mankind in Jesus Christ and proposed as such by the Church teachings,
examples, and the Person of Christ constitute a morality in all-inclusive sense.
Christian morality facilitates man on the level of responding to God's self-
communication. It deals with the human conduct in the light of revealed values in
Christ. It connects man's ability to respond, the ability to say yes to God's personal
invitation in Jesus Christ.

Christian morality therefore is not limited just to man's preoccupation, his

exercise of rationality tending toward a natural end of self-flourishing. Christian
morality proposes God's own preoccupation for man and man's conscious choice of
responding. Hence, it is a dialogical life between God and man. It is said that man
is called to human flourishing or human perfection. And this is perfectly realized in
Christ. Jesus Christ, with his whole earthly life, is the Perfect Human Response to
the Call of the Father. Jesus Christ constitutes and clarifies both the Call and of the
exemplary response for every man. Jesus Christ is the Perfect Man, the Perfect
Image of the Father, the Fullness of God's Revelation.

The Logic for Christian Morality

In Christian morality, moral life is not considered just as a matter of

conformity to the human/rational structure, but a matter of conforming to the
supernatural structure of dialogical relationship with God. It is primarily a matter
of interiorizing and concretization
of God's revealed values in Christ. Christian morality proposes and maintains the
inseparable linkage between the horizontal and vertical dimensions of human life.
A Christian moral life is therefore lived in sharing the fullness of God's own logic
of Self-Giving. God revealed himself perfectly in Jesus Christ in the Trinitarian
Mystery, the Revelation of Love. The Mystery therefore of the Incarnation is the
Revelation of man's assumption of humanity and his history, ending in God's act of
giving himself: "Such as the Father has loved me so I have loved you" (Jn 15:9).
Christ's love for his Father is identical with his love for men. With the centrality of
Divine Revelation, Christian morality, which falls on the level of Theological
Enterprise, surpasses the short sightedness of just human and natural moral
philosophy.

7
Assignment 2
If a man lives totally isolated from other men, what could be the
consequences.

Moral Theology Distinguished from Moral Philosophy

While both Moral Theology (Christian morality) and moral philosophy, work for
the formation and education of a person's character and for the establishment of
guiding principles for the moral life, one can be distinguished from the other as
follows:

Moral Theology Moral Philosophy

It focuses on the foundational event of It focuses only on the insights of human
Divine Revelation in Jesus Christ who is reason which is grounded on the very
the perfect revelation of God as well as nature of man.
in the Sacred Scripture, the Church,
Sacred Tradition, and in Sacraments.
It deals with the supernatural goal of It deals with a merely natural goal of
man, which is the glory of God and man.
eternal life.
It reflects and thematises personal It criticizes only the human acts in
experiences in relation to the reality of relation to the subjective goodness and
Christian faith and Gospel values. values.
It belongs to the fourth theological zone Moral philosophy belongs to the third
of vitality and truth. philosophical zone of vitality and truth

Four-Sectors of Moral Theology

How should one examine and judge what is good or bad standard in respect
of Christian morality? To answer this question moral theology lays down the
principal sources of Christian morality.

1. Sacred Scriptures — the sacred texts in the biblical writings are

consulted because it has a special sacred claim on the Christian community. They
have always been granted a prominent place in theological argumentation.

8
2. Sacred Tradition — The historical development of a doctrine or moral norm is
examined, with particular emphasis of course on its history within
Christianity, though its non-Christian history is by no means ignored. This
represents the lived wisdom of the Christian community.

3. Magisterium — the official teaching of the ecclesiastical magisterium

and the concrete praxis adhered to by the Church is studied (which can be
considered a particular instance of the historical development of a doctrine).
Special authority in this regard is given to the teachings of the councils and popes.
Also, the recently created national bishops' conferences possess a doctrinal
authority of particular weight, though not equal to that of the popes or councils.

4. Signs of the times — this is the argument of reason or rational reflection

on the human experiences of the human community in light of a true human
flourishing. This form of argument should always be associated with the natural
law doctrine.

Responsive Character of Christian Morality

The word responsibility here means "liability or accountability to give an

answer for what one has done." Man is, whether we like it or not, responsible to
himself. It is a common understanding that man is responsible to (SONG) self,
others, nature, and God. Man is responsible to his neighbours and to the various
social groups, to which he belongs. He is responsible to the future generations, e.g.,
when exploiting the natural resources. Man has also cosmic responsibility for the
world at large.Finally, man is answerable to God.

In the work of Fr. William J. Malley, S.J., The Dynamics of the Filipino and
Human Faith Experience (pp. 3-5), he identifies four belongings in which man has
reciprocal relationships outside of himself. Hence, man is responsible to these four
belongings which are the following.

1. Material belonging — This unites man in a reciprocal relationship with

the material universe of time and space and with all others
2. Interpersonal belonging — this refers to one's reciprocal relationship
with other human persons. The persons with whom one has the closest and most
influential interpersonal relationships, such as those within a closely knit family,
are called significant others.

9
 3. Collective belonging — This is the reciprocal relationship of man with the
many social groupings like family, community, nation and even the universal
brotherhood of the human race.
4. Transcendental belonging -- This one is the self's reciprocal relationship
with the ultimate source of all reality and intelligibility in the universe and human
experience. This means that man belongs to God.

The Ultimate Purpose of the Moral Demand

Karl Peschke gives the different views with regard to the ultimate goal of
man and of his activity.

1. Temporal happiness and welfare — this means that pleasure and

happiness is the
only thing good in itself, while evil is what causes pain and sorrow. Thus,
consequence determines the goodness or badness of an action

2. Ethics of self-perfection and temporal progress — psychologically, this

refers to self-actualization and self-realization and promotes as the all-
encompassing goal of human life. But the morality of self-perfection is man-
centred and, if promoted within the context of religion, leads to an anthropocentric
orientation of religion. Thus, it seems to be individualistic type, which is contrary
to the views of the Church, which is communitarian and fellowship with God.

3. Morality for its own sake — Actions are valued as good or evil according
to their contribution to the realization of the values of happiness, self-perfection or
temporal progress. This approach is relativism.

4. God's glory and kingdom — the ultimate purpose of man and all creation
is the glory of God. Biblical texts in the Old Testament say, "Let them give glory
to the Lord, and declare his praise" (Is 42:12; Jer 13:16; Mal 22); "Everyone who is
called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made" (Is
43:7). In the New Testament, it was also the concern of Jesus Christ about
glorification of the Father in heaven. (Jn 8:49; 15.8; 17:4; Lk 2:14). St. Paul
earnestly urge the Christians, "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all
to the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31; Eph 1:12; Col 3:17); "To our God and Father be
glory for ever and ever" (Phil 4:20; Eph 3:20 1 Tim 1:17; Jud 25).

10
 5. Salvation — the motive of obeying God's commandment is man's
salvation. In the Old Testament, salvation is often understood as a liberation from
temporal afflictions, but it also constitutes an eschatological promise. In the New
Testament, Christ has come into the world for the salvation of all. He has come to
save the lost (Lk 19:9f; Jn 5:34; 6:39f), to save the world and not to condemn it
(Jn 3:17; 12:47). Christ "will save his people from their sins" (Mt 1:21).

Models of Christian Moral Life

Richard McBrien (Catholicism, pp. 921-923) proposed three different

models of the Christian moral life in the theological literature: the teleological, the
deontological, and the relational.

The teleological model views the Christian moral life in terms of the goal or
end (Greek — "telos" which means goal) to be achieved, namely, eternal union
with God. Something is good if it leads to the achievement of the goal, and evil if it
prevents one from achieving it. In the complexity of human historical existence,
however, one must distinguish the ultimate goal from immediate and subordinate
goals. Thomas Aquinas is a classic exponent of the teleological model of the
Christian life. Modern utilitarian also fit under this heading.

The deontological model views the Christian moral life primarily in terms
of duty (Greek — “deon" which means duty), law, or obligation. The categorical
imperative of Immanuel Kant is an example of that approach ("Acts as if the
maxim from which you act were to become through your will a universal law").
Popular Christian piety, in effect, adopts this approach also when it makes the Ten
Commandments the basis of the moral life. Although the traditional manuals of
moral theology assumed they were in the tradition of Thomas Aquinas (whose
approach was teleological), they were really operating within the deontological
model, with their heavy emphasis on law as the objective norm of morality and on
conscience as the subjective norm.

The relational model, developed especially in the writings of Bernard

Haring, views the Christian moral life primarily in terms of the Christian's multiple
relations with God, neighbour, world, and self. Although preferable to the
teleological and deontological models, the relational model does not exclude some
place for them in moral theology. Contemporary biblical studies indicate that it is
the relational model that is the primary in the Christian moral life. The ethical

11
concept in the Old Testament is not actually law but covenant. In the New
Testament, love occupies the central place. In fact, the nature of the Holy Trinity is
relational. Sacraments, especially the Sacrament of Reconciliation includes
relationships with God, neighbour, world, and self.

Assignment 3
When did you start to know about what is right and wrong? and
what are the basis of your judgment?

BEATITUDES

A. The Image and Likeness of God

• The divine image is present in every man. It shines forth in the communion
of persons, in the unity of the divine persons among themselves.
• The likeness denotes - our nature, means we think, feel, love and desire
like God. The image denotes our physical appearance.
• Man is divided in himself. As individual self and social self.

B. Desire and Longing for Happiness

• Man is obliged to follow the moral law, which urges him "to do what is
good and avoid what is evil" (cf. GS 16). This law makes itself heard in his
conscience.
• Man, having been wounded in his nature by original sin, is subject to error
and inclined to evil in exercising his freedom.
• He who believes in Christ has new life in the Holy Spirit.

C. The Desire for Happiness

The Beatitudes are the solution for our happiness. The Beatitudes are
at the heart of Jesus' preaching. They take up the promises made to the
chosen people since Abraham. The Beatitudes fulfill the promises by
ordering them no longer merely to the possession of a territory, but to
the Kingdom of heaven (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses....).

Beatitudes
• Mt 5: 3- 12.
• The Beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness. Because God
has placed in the human heart. We all want to live happily.

12
 • The Beatitudes reveal the goal of human existence. God calls us to his own
beatitude. This vocation is addressed to each individual personally, but also
to the Church as a whole.

What are the Beatitudes?

Beatitudes are the moral teachings of Jesus (Mt 5: 3-12).

Why are the Beatitudes important?

Beatitudes are important because they fulfill the promises of God. They show us
how was Jesus. They tell us which are the actions, attitudes and characteristics of
the Christian life. They point out our goal: eternal happiness.

What is the relationship between the Beatitudes and our desire for happiness?
We become happy when we live the Beatitudes.

What is eternal happiness?

To enjoy contemplating God in eternal life. To love God above all things.

The Effects of the Beatitudes

• The Beatitudes teach us the final end to which God calls us: The Kingdom,
the vision of God, participation in the divine nature, eternal life, divine filiation,
rest in God.
• The Beatitudes confront us with decisive choices concerning earthly goods;
they purify our hearts in order to teach us to love God above all things. • The
beatitude of heaven sets the standards for discernment in the use of earthly
goods in keeping with the law of God.Man’s Freedom

What is freedom?
It's the power given by God to perform deliberate actions on one’s own
responsibility. It's the possibility of choosing between good and evil.

What is the relationship between freedom and responsibility?

Freedom makes people responsible for their actions. Responsibility for an action
can be diminished or cancelled by: ignorance (of doing something wrong),
inadvertence (not being aware of doing something wrong), violence (being forced
to do something), fear (to act being afraid of what others may do or say), inordinate
attachments (being guided by desires) or habit, psychological and social factors.

13
Why does everyone have a right to exercise freedom?
Everyone have a right to exercise freedom because it is attached to our human
dignity. This right must always be respected, recognized and protected.

Definition of Freedom
• Freedom is the power to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to
perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility. By free will one shapes
one's own life.
• The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. The true freedom
exists in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is
an abuse of freedom and leads to the slavery of sin.

Definition of Responsibility
• An action can be indirectly voluntary when it results from carelessness
regarding something one should have known or done: for example, an accident
arising from ignorance of traffic laws.
• Thus, the Lord asked Eve after the sin in the garden: "What is this that you
have done?" [Gen 3:13] He asked Cain the same question. [Cf. Gen 4:10] The
prophet Nathan questioned David in the same way after he committed adultery
with the wife of Uriah and had him murdered [Cf. 2 Sam 12:7-15]. Freedom and
Sin Man's freedom is limited and fallible. In fact, man failed. He freely sinned. By
refusing God's plan of love, he deceived himself and became a slave to sin. This
first alienation caused a multitude of others. From its beginning, human history
proves the misery and oppression born of the human heart in consequence of the
abuse of freedom.

Threats to Freedom
The exercise of freedom does not mean a right to say or do everything.
Moreover, the economic, social, political, and cultural conditions that are needed
for a just exercise of freedom but they are too often violated. Such situations of
blindness and injustice injure the moral life and involve the strong and weak
temptation to sin against charity. By deviating from the moral law man violates his
own freedom, becomes imprisoned within himself, cut off neighborly fellowship,
and rebels against divine truth.

Liberation and Salvation

By his glorious Cross Christ has won salvation for all men. He redeemed
them from the sin that held them in bondage. The Holy Spirit has been given to us
in order to teach us, "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" [2 Cor 17].
14
Freedom and Grace
The grace of Christ is a gift when freedom accords with the sense of the true
and the good. We experience in our prayer we are ready for grace. The more we
grow in inner freedom and confidence during trials, the more we become human.
The Holy Spirit also educates us in spiritual freedom in order to make us free
collaborators in his work in the Church and in the world.

Assignment 4
1. List out some of your responsibility as a student?
2. List out some of your responsibility as a Citizen?
3. List out some of your responsibility as a member of your family?

LESSON 2
NATURAL MORAL LAW AND MORAL CONSCIENCE

Objectives:

At the end of the class, the students are expected to:

• Locate the biblical proof texts of natural law.
• Classify laws.
• Define natural law.
• Learn the functions of moral law.
• Know the basic properties/nature of natural law.
• Identify the basic principles of natural law.
• Learn the meaning of conscience.
• Compare the secular understanding and ecclesial teaching of conscience.
• Know the process of forming the conscience.
• Identify the causes of source of errors of judgment
• Discuss the relationship between moral and psychological conscience.
• Discuss the relationship between moral discernment and moral conscience.
• Distinguish formation of conscience from education of conscience.

Definition of Norm or Law

A norm or law is an ordinance of reason promulgated by a competent authority for
the sake of the common good. This, therefore, gives us the elements of a law.
1. Law is reasonable decision i.e., prudent and with purpose, not an
unpredictable whim;

15
 2. promulgated: communicated with sufficient notice to its subjects while
respecting their rights and dignity;
3. by competent authority: i.e., by those who have legitimate power to do
so;and
4. for the common good: for the social betterment of its subjects.

Classification of law

Laws can be classified according to the manner of its promulgation. Thus,

they are:

A. Natural law — this law is promulgated impliedly in our conscience and body.
They can be…
a. Natural moral law — which applies to our higher faculty, like "Do good
and avoid evil."
b. Law of nature — which applies to both our higher and lower faculties,
like the "Law of gravity."

B. Positive law — this law is promulgated expressly or directly. Thus, positive law
can be…

a. Divine Positive Law — they are the Ten Commandments, and the Law of
Christ which is the Law of Love.
b. Divine Human Positive Law — these are the ecclesiastical laws of the
Church, like the 1983 Code of Canon Law and other liturgical laws.
c. Human Positive Law — these are the laws of the State, like Presidential
Decrees, Republic Acts, Executive Orders, Ordinances, etc.

The Moral Law

The Moral Law is a work of divine Wisdom. It prescribes the ways and the
rules of conduct that lead to the promised beatitude and it forbids the ways that
turn away from God. Moral norms, based on a moral vision comprising basic
moral values, express the objective standard for judging moral good and evil.

16
Functions of Moral Law

Moral norms are indispensable for moral life. They,

1. Provide the objective criteria for our conscience to judge what is morally
good or evil;
2. Help our moral development, especially in the formation of our
conscience;
3. Offer the needed moral stability in our lives;4. Challenge us to stretch for
an ideal beyond our limited experience, and correct
our personal moral misconceptions in the process.

Catholic Catechism on Natural Law

In Catholic morality, natural law means 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 (CCC 1954-60). It is a participation in God's
wisdom and goodness by man formed in the image of his Creator. It expresses the
dignity of the human person and forms the basis of his fundamental rights and
duties.Christian moral tradition has developed another type of law called the
"natural law" that is (three basic convictions):
1. Grounded in our very nature as human persons created by God
2. Supporting universal objective moral values and precepts, and
3. Knowable by all persons using their critical reason, independent of their
religious affiliation.

Fundamental Aspects of Natural Law

1. 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.
2. It is experiential because it directly concerns our relationships with
ourselves, with others, and with society,
3. It is historical since our human nature is involved in the historical process
of our self-becoming growth.
4. It deals with the specific nature and consequences of our free acts, and
therefore,
5. It is basically personal since it is grounded in the human person's nature.

17
Nature and Properties of Natural Law

1. It is Unwritten

What is meant is rather constant tendency; the built is directedness, rather

than a written code. Metaphorically, God has inscribed this law into our hearts.
This imprinting in the heart only means that human beings have been given the
radical capacity for self-reflection and thereby can discuss how they should act in
particular situations. It results from conceptualization bound to the essential
inclination of being, of living nature and of reason which are at work in man.

2. It is Universal

The primary principles of natural law are those, which even/ person with
reason can discover in his life. They are called self-evident principles derived from
his personal existence. The secondary principles of natural law are those, which
are further developed set of forms based on the primary principles, and hence not
as self-evident as the first. The first principle represents the human nature, the
human essence. The secondary principle refers to man's relations. The universality
of natural law refers to the principle of our humanity itself. All people have the
fundamental orientation to seek what is good and avoid what is
destructive.

3. It is Immutable

The immutability of natural moral law means that certain fundamental

norms concerning the life of man such as good and evil emerge from his nature and
will exist as long as he exists. The following are self-evident
inclinations/orientation of man:
1. The inclination to the good
2. The inclination to self-preservation;
3. The inclination to sexual union and the rearing of offspring;
4. The inclination to knowledge of searching for complete story regarding
human life; and
5. The inclination to live in society.

18
4. It is Indispensable
No man can be dispensed from observing or following the natural law.
Bonum est faciendum, malum est vitandum — the good must be done and evil
avoided.

Basic principles of Natural Law

1. Maintain and promote your bodily life.
2. Maintain and promote social existence.
3. Duties of state of life (parental duties)
4. Lawful authority, parents and elders must be obeyed
5. Follow the Golden rule
6. Leave to everyone and give to everyone what is his.
7. Contract must be honored.

While written formulations of law may contain exemptions and exceptions,

yet the natural law itself excuses no one.

Assignment 5
1. Give some evidences from the Bible, how is that the man and woman have
same dignity?
2. How do you see the dignity of human person in the story of Abel and Cain?
3. List out some ways for the right use of the freedom?Moral Conscience
Catholic faithful have an obligation to develop a well-formed conscience in
accord with human reason and the teaching of the Church. However, conscience
should not allow us to do whatever we want, and justify them by simply invoking
our freedom to conscience.
But what is really conscience? What if our conscience is in conflict with the
teaching of the Church? Which one must prevail?

Conscience in the Sacred Scripture

The word conscience does not occur in the Old Testament, except in the
Book of Wisdom (17:11), and in the Book of Psalms (16:7) Good News Bible
version. But its reality occurred in different ways like mind and heart, and justice,
Exegetes said that the main reason is the conviction that God and man directly
confront one another. Likewise, in the New Testament the four evangelists do not
mention the word conscience in the many teachings of Christ. But Paul used the
word conscience many times in his letters. Some of which are the following 2 Cor
1M2; 4:2; 5:11; Rom 2:15; 9:1; 135; 1 Cor 8:7-13; 2 Tim 1:3; Tit 1:15

19
Secular understanding of conscience
There are different understandings of conscience outside Christian theology.
Ancient people spoke of "heart" and "loins" as the innermost nature of man with
reference to responsibility and morality. For Immanuel Kant, conscience is the
"interior court of justice in man." For Sigmund Freud, conscience is the
"superego," which is a set of demands and habits learned from parents and
fromsociety, which require the individual to live and act according to prescribed
rules and standards. The 20th century philosophers such as M. Schdeler, N.
Hartmann, M. Heidegger, K. Jaspers see conscience as the "call of care," or the
"voice of being", which voice speaking to man is the man himself. Psychologist
Carl Gustav Jung understands conscience as the "self." He also described it as the
"court of appeal.”

Conscience in Christian Theology

However, Christian theology viewed conscience in different ways. St.
Thomas Aquinas, in the 13th century, used the term "synderesis" for the core of
conscience as a "habitus of reason," as the innate remnant awareness of absolute
good. He regarded conscience as God-given reason attempting to make right
decisions. He used "conscience in relation to the virtue of prudence to explain why
some people appear to be less morally enlightened than others, their weak will
being incapable of adequately balancing their own needs with those of others. For
St. Augustine, conscience is the place of the innermost encounter between God and
man, and therefore the voice of God. Bonaventure and the great mystics of the
Middle Ages place the innermost ground of conscience in the "scintilla animae"
the spark of the soul. Recent theologians generally place conscience in the ground
of the soul, which is a tradition also of the Franciscan school.

Second Vatican Council

Paragraph 16 of Gaudium et spes has definitive presentation of conscience
as follows: "In the depths of our conscience, we detect a law which does not
impose, but which holds us to obedience. Always summoning us to love good and
avoid evil, the voice of conscience, when necessary, speaks to our heart: do this,
shun that. For we have in our heart a law written by God; to obey it is the very
dignity of being human; according to it we will be judged. Conscience is the most
secret core and sanctuary of a person. There we are alone with God, whose voice
echoes in our depths. In a wonderful manner, conscience reveals that law which is
fulfilled by love of God and neighbour. In fidelity to conscience, Christians are
joined with the rest of humanity in the search for truth, and for the genuine

20
solution to the numerous problems, which arise in the life of individuals from
social relationships. Hence, the righter conscience holds sway, the more persons
and groups turn aside from blind choice and strive to be guided by the objective
norms of morality. Conscience frequently errs from invincible Ignorance without
losing its dignity. The same cannot be said for those who care but little for
truthand goodness, or for a conscience which by degrees as a result of habitual
sin."

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that "conscience is a

judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a
concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has
already completed. In all he says and does, man is obliged to follow faithfully
whathe knows to be just and right" (no. 1778).

Types of Conscience
Many different categories are used to describe the exercise of conscience,
but the most functional are as follows:
1. "Correct” conscience corresponds to objective moral values and precepts,
2. "Erroneous" conscience, one which mistakenly judges something as
morally good which is objectively evil (Catechism for Filipino Catholics
727).Erroneous conscience, due to ignorance, can be vincibly or invincibly. The
vincibly erroneous conscience is culpable, because with some good will its error
could be corrected. In other words, the ignorance could still be overcome by a
person's reasonable effort. In this case, the person is morally accountable for his
actions. Invincibly erroneous conscience, on the other hand, is in culpable, since
the person has no awareness of the possibility of error. In other words, the
ignorance could not be overcome even by a person's sincere effort which, therefore,
the person is not morally accountable for his or her actions.

Different views on the erroneous conscience

Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) believed that the root of sin was
ignorance. For him, actions contrary to the law and its teaching, even though done
out of ignorance are bad. Thus, if we told a lie, regardless of our motivation, we
sinned. For Peter Abelard (1079- 1142), the will, or consent, determines actions as
good or bad. If we are in error, but we do not consent to it, there is no sin, example
is, telling a lie in order to protect the life of a person. For Thomas Aquinas, the
determining factor is knowledge. Thus, if the person never heard that all lies were
wrong then lied to protect some, the person is excused. For William of Ockham

20
(+1350), adopting Thomas argument, said that one who exercises the conscience
responsibly, even if it is erroneous, receives merit. Ockham recognized that
ignorance is sometimes blameworthy and also the goodness of an erroneous
conscience acting in good faith For Alfonso Liguori (+1787), patron saint of moral
theologians, if a person acted out of love or charity when committing error, then
not only is the person excused, but the person is good. In 1953, Francis Connell,
the Dean of Catholic University in Washington, D.C., wrote that if a person acts
out of an erroneous conscience, though the action is certainly not per se willed by
God, "God will reward him for sincerely following his conscience.” The Church
today teaches that to judge the good or evil act, our consciences must
decide on its three essential aspects:
1. The nature or object of the act,
2. Our intention as agents or doers of the act, and
3. The circumstances, which affects the morality of the act (CFC 728).

Formation of Conscience
Our conscience is not something "automatic." It is something shaped
through all the many and complex factors that enter into our growth to Christian
maturity (CFC 704). Our consciences are formed gradually through the natural
educational agents of our family upbringing, our school training, parish catechesis,
the influence of friends and social contracts (CFC 725). A "Christian conscience"
is formed gradually in faith and through personal and ecclesial prayer-life:
1. By attending to the Word of God and the teachings of the Church,
2. By responsiveness to the indwelling Holy Spirit, and
3. By critical reflection on our concrete moral choices and experiences of
daily life (CFC 726).

In this process, we need to apply our heart factors and mind factors. The
"heart factors" is one which includes reading and prayerful reflection on Jesus'
teaching and actions, and our own prayer and sacramental life, always asking
ourselves "What is Jesus/God saying
to me?" The "mind factors" is the deepening in understanding of Sacred Scripture
and Church teaching on moral principles (CFC 707). Thus, a question can be asked,
"How can I apply this teaching or guidance in my life today?" Christians must be
aware of the following sources of errors of judgment in moral conduct:
1. Ignorance of Christ and His Gospel
2. Bad example given by others
3. Enslavement to one's passions

21
 4. Assertion to a mistaken notion of autonomy of conscience
5. Rejection of the Church's authority and her teaching
6. Lack of conversion and of charity

But what if the dictate of our conscience is different from the teaching of the
Church? The presumption is always in favour of the magisterium. Though, pastors
are not always experts to every problem which arises, the layman, in making his
own decision, must that "In matters of faith and morals, the bishops speak in the
name of Christ, and the faithful are to accept their teaching and adhere to it with a
religious assent of soul. This religious submission of will and of mind must be
shown in a special way to the authentic teaching authority of the Roman Pontiff,
even when he is not speaking ex cathedra. "

Moral conscience and psychological conscience

1. Moral conscience and psychological conscience are actually related in the
moral decision-making process.
2. Moral conscience presupposes psychological conscience although
psychological conscience does not need moral conscience. Moral conscience
is conceived to have given the understanding proper to the moral
discernment of believers. Psychological conscience is thought not to be
conveyor of the unconditional and decisive appeal of God.
3. Objective moral standard would make sense when the human person has a
well developed sense of subjectivity.
4. Psychological consciousness and moral conscience must go together upon
which personal moral responsibility rests.

Moral conscience and Moral discernment

Moral conscience and moral discernment are also related in the moral
decision-making process.
1. Discernment is necessary in making moral choices which bring about
self-realization consistent to the call of God. Discernment plays a vital role
in the moral decision-making process. It connotes a graced ability to detect
what is the appropriate response to the invitation of God.
2. Moral conscience is above all a form of discernment, a concrete moral
discernment.
3. Discernment depends on the proper integrity and openness of moral
conscience to the prompting of the Spirit.

22
Formation of conscience and education of conscience

Formation of conscience is not the same with education of conscience. One

should be distinguished from the other, as follows.
1. Knowing the moral law is called the education of conscience, but the
training of mind and will to become submissive to the moral law is called
formation of conscience.
2. Moral conscience is sufficient and safe guide only when it is well
educated and well formed.
3. Moral conscience must be constantly educated and formed in order to
serve the truth and in order to commit always to what is good.

Integral interconnection

There is integral interconnection between the moral life and liturgy,

sacraments, prayer, and scripture in the moral living. Since Christian ethics is
rooted in Christ, we can encounter Him through symbols or signs which manifests
his presence. Jesus Christ is the Primary Sacrament; the Church is the Fundamental
Sacrament, and the seven sacraments are encounters with Jesus Christ in the
Church at key moments of our life.

The Morality of Human Act

Freedom makes man a moral subject. When a man acts deliberately, he is the
father of his acts. The human acts can be morally evaluated. They are either good
or evil.

Sources of Morality

What does the morality of human acts depend on?

❖ The chosen object (what is done)
❖ The intention of the subject (the purpose of the action)
❖ The circumstances of the act (elements which accompany the action).

When is an act morally good?

When the object, the end and the circumstances are simultaneously good. The end
does not justify the means. Circumstances never make good a bad act.

23
Human Acts
The object chosen morally specifies the will of the act, the reason recognizes
and judges it. But it can be or cannot be in agreement with the true good.

Good and Evil Acts

A morally good act requires the goodness of the object, of the end, and of
the circumstances together. An evil corrupts the action, even if the object is good
(such as praying and fasting in order to be seen by men).

The Summary of Moral Conscience

What is conscience?
It is a judgment of reason which leads to do good and to avoid evil.

What is the relationship between the moral conscience and the human dignity?
The dignity of a human person needs a right moral conscience. No one may
be forced to act against his conscience.

How is a moral conscience formed to be upright and truthful?

The moral conscience is upright and truthful when follows what is just and
good. The moral conscience is formed by: education, the Word of God, the
teaching of the Church, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the advice of wise people, the
prayer, and the examination of conscience.

What norms must conscience always follow?

You cannot do bad things in order to get good things. Respect the others and
their conscience.

Must we always obey conscience?

We must never go against the judgments of our conscience. But conscience
can be ignorant and can make false judgments. This is why we must work to
correct our errors.

24
Passions

What are the passions?

Passions are feelings, emotions and movements of the senses. They are a
natural part of the human person. The most important are love, hatred, desire, fear,
joy,sadness, anger.

Are the passions morally good or bad?

They are neither good nor bad in themselves. They are good when they
contribute to a good action and they are evil when they tribute to an evil end.

Assignment 6
List out few examples of passions that lead you to do good?

25
 LESSON 3
MORAL DISCERNMENT, VIRTUES AND SINS

Objectives:

At the end of the class, the students are expected to:

• Identify the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
• Learn the meaning and purpose of discernment.
• Consider the negative criteria in the discernment of spirits.
• Know the rules of the discernment of spirits.
• Familiarize the process in the discernment of spirits.
• Know the virtues and the ways to lead a virtuous life
• Aware of immoral acts or sins

Though discernment of spirit is closely related to the virtue prudence, let us

have just a separate chapter on this because Christian morality actually involves so
much work of discernment. Through this spiritual process, we may be able to be in
communion with the Church in terms of moral teachings. Men and women should
be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit for it is God alone who absolutely
knows the concrete nature and purpose of mankind and creation. When confronted
with moral problems and the insights of reason come to end the Holy Spirit,
through his inspiration, moves that person to choose which way or thing God
wants him or her to go or to do. Hence, there is a need to consider all things as
subordinate to our relationship with God and to integrate them all into our love of
God. How can we do that? It is through the spiritual process of discernment. But
how do we know that the decision we make comes from God or from just other
natural source? St. Paul names the manifestation of spirit to each individual, which
is discernment of spirits (1 Cor 12:10). He writes to the Thessalonians, "Test
everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil" (1 Thess 12:21f).
He further said, "Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world,
but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you
will be able to know the will of God — what is pleasing to him and is perfect."
(Rom 122). St. John also warns, "Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the
spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone
out into the world." (1 Jn 4:1).Richard McBrien, in his work Catholicism (p. 975),
gives the reasons why it is never easy to discern the spirits.

1. The Spirit itself is invisible and transcendent.

26
2. We are prone to rationalize in our own favour.

3. Many issues are complicated and do not admit ready solutions.

Response to the spirit can never be absolutely certain. Thus, it is helpful to

consider the following negative criteria in the discernment of spirits, according to
McBrien.

1. If the discernment process does not issue forth in the classic "fruits" of the
Spirit— love, joy, peace, patient, endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness,
and chastity (Gal 522-23), it is probably not "of the Spirit."
2. If the discernment process leads to the doctrinal or moral positions, which are
clearly inconsistent with the doctrinal tradition of the Church and/or with
recognized norms of biblical and theological scholarship, it is probably not "of the
Spirit."
3. If the discernment process intensifies the isolation and even spiritual
eccentricities of those involved in it rather than enhancing the life of the whole
Body of Christ (Eph 4:15- 16), it is probably not "of the Spirit."
4. If the discernment process ignores pertinent information, rejects the counsel of
others who have knowledge and experience in the matter at hand, and formulates
its judgments by imposition rather than by corporate reflection, it is probably not
"of the Spirit."

Rules for the discernment of spirits

Karl H. Peschke lays down the following rules for the discernment of spirits.

1. God always works in peace and usually slowly.

2. Enlightened discernment usually needs the help of objective evaluation by
others.
3. The workings of the good spirit are discerned by the good results which ensue
and the workings of the false spirits by the evil results.
4. For Christians in particular a basic criterion for the discernment is a person's
love for Christ.
5. A last criterion finally is the bond with the community of faith.

27
What is Discernment?

Discernment is a process of spirituality that comes from authentic Christian

prayer and worship concerning moral and spiritual decision making through
(STOP) Searching, Thinking, consultation with Others and Prayer that would
contribute to the formation of a basic relevant vision with the use of Sacred
Scripture and the teachings of the Church. In a word, in the process of discernment
the prayer would be: "Our Father, let what you want be done, and be done in me
and in everyone.”

A. SEARCH
The S in the STOP sign stands for Search. We should always begin our
process of deciding what is right and wrong by searching out the facts. There are
questions that help disclosing reality — they are reality revealing questions, such
as what, why, when, where, who, and how.

An excellent starting point in moral decision-making is to know WHAT you

are talking about. What is it you propose to do? For example, suppose a person is
involved in an unwanted pregnancy and is contemplating an abortion. Certainly,
before that person should rush into an abortion, she would be wise to know what
an abortion is, she would be prudent to realize some basic facts about a fetus.
Hence, the beginning point for any discussion of a moral decision must always be
what. It is an important "reality" question because without an answer to it, a person
cannot proceed, a person does not know what he or she is deciding. Discovering
the what sometimes takes work, but it is necessary groundwork for determining
right and wrong.

WHY is an extremely important question to ask because it gets at the

motives of the person performing the action. Motives can make all the difference
in morality, for example, killing. What was the motive of killing? Was it done
because the person wanted revenge? Or was it done in self-defence as a last resort
to protect one's own life?

WHO is another thing that we should consider in judging moral cases

because people involved in the situation often play a significant role in determining
right and wrong. For example, taking shabu or drugs is what to consider. But the
bus driver (the who) "taking up the shabu or drugs" will greatly affect the quality

28
of one's judgment of that what. It stands to reason that you would not want a bus
driver to get high while driving and entrusted with the lives of other people.

WHERE is not always a significant factor. But place can often affect the
morality of an action. For example, Target practice with a caliber 22 gun is all right
as long as I confine it to a practice range. A reasonable person would not say that a
crowded bus constitutes a practice range.

WHEN Timing need not always be a key fact. For example, if I would rob
at 1 A.M. or 1 P.M., it's still an offense.

The HOW refers to the means used to bring about the desired action.
Traditionally, in Catholic morality, the principle that should be considered in
solving moral problems is "The end does not justify the means." Thus, you cannot
directly do something that is evil in order to bring about the good effect you are
hoping for.

B. THINK
The T in the STOP sign means Think. After searching out the basic facts of
particular moral cases, it is necessary to reflect more deeply on them before
making a decision. This deeper reflection includes two very important steps: 1)
considering alternatives to the proposed action; 2) reflection on the consequences
of the action. For example, live-in relationship out of marriage, which is immoral.
Some couples do not go to Church for their marriage because it's too expensive.
But the Church has actually marriage schedules for community wedding where the
couple do not have to pay so much.

C. Consultation with OTHERS

The O sign in the STOP stands for consultation with Others. One
undeniable fact about human life is that humans are social beings. We are
dependent on others for our very life, for our education, for our employment, for
most aspects of everyday living. We are beings who live for others; moreover, the
Christian believes that we live for others as well. Part of the reflection on the
consequences of our actions is a serious consideration of how they will affect other
people. Secondly, because we are social beings, it is often prudent to ask for and
reflect on the advice of others.

29
D. PRAY
The P sign in the STOP signifies Prayer, which is a powerful way to get
God's help in searching out his will for us. Jesus Christ assures his disciples that
when two of you join your voices on earth to pray for anything, it shall be granted
to you by the Father in heaven (Mt 18:19). Prayer may also be in the form of
reflection and meditation.

THE VIRTUES

What are the virtues?

Virtues are permanent and solid tendency to do good. They regulate our
actions, control our passions and guide our conduct. We got them repeating good
acts.

What is the principal human or cardinal virtues?

4: Prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance.

What is prudence?
Prudence helps us to discern the good and guides to choose the right means
for achieving it.

What is justice?
To give to God and neighbours their due.

What is fortitude?
The strength in difficulties (temptations, fear) and constancy in the pursuit of good.

What is temperance?
It is the self-control over the attraction of pleasures and it teaches us a
balance in the use of created goods.

What are the Evangelical counsels?

3: Poverty, Chastity and obedience.

What is Poverty?
It is to love poor Jesus and to live very poor and simple austere life.

30
What is Chastity?
It is to love the chaste Jesus by living the celibacy life and accept Jesus as
our spouse and live single.

What is Obedience?
It is to love the Jesus who was obedient to his parents in Nazareth and was
doing the will of God until his death and resurrection.

What are the theological virtues?

Theological virtues give us the capacity to live in a relationship with God
and to improve the human virtues. There are three theological virtues. Namely,
Faith, hope and charity.

What is faith?
It is a free gift of God by which we believe in God and all that he has
revealed, and we do His will.

What is hope?
By hope we desire and wait for God’s eternal life. We trust in His promises
and help.

What is charity?
It is the new commandment given by Jesus by which we love God above all
things and our neighbour as ourselves for the love of God.

What are the means to obtain the grace?

The Sacraments are the means to obtain the grace.

What are the Sacraments?

The sacraments are instituted by Christ. Sacraments are the Visible sign of
invisible grace. They are the spiritual heritage of the Church.

How many sacraments are there in the Church?

There are Seven Sacraments in the Church.

List out the seven sacraments?

Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Matrimony, Holy Orders

and Anointing of the Sick.
31
 The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

What are the Gifts of the Holy Spirit?

Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude and Fear of
the Lord.

At Baptism, we receive seven special gifts from the Holy Spirit. These gifts
are freely given to us to help us live as followers of Jesus and to build up the Body
of Christ, the Church. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are sealed and strengthened
within us at Confirmation. These seven gifts help us to respond to the presence of
the Holy Spirit in our lives, to make good choices, and to serve God and others.

1) Wisdom is the gift of knowing the right choices to make to live a holy life. The
gift of wisdom helps you to avoid the things that could lead you away from God.

2) Understanding is the gift of comprehension, or the ability to grasp the meaning

of the teachings of the Church. The gift of understanding helps you be tolerant
and sympathetic of others. It helps you sense when someone is hurting or in need
of compassion.

3) Right Judgment, or Counsel, is the gift of prudence. The gift of right judgment
helps you make choices to live as a faithful follower of Jesus.

4) Courage, or Fortitude, is the gift that helps you stand up for your faith in
Christ. The gift of courage helps you overcome any obstacles that would keep you
from practicing your faith.

5) Knowledge is the gift of knowing and enlightenment. The gift of knowledge

enables you to choose the right path that will lead you to God. It encourages you
to avoid obstacles that will keep you from him.

6) Reverence, or Piety, is the gift of confidence in God. This gift of reverence

inspires you to joyfully want to serve God and others.

7) Wonder and Awe, or Fear of the Lord is the gift of wonder and respect that
encourages you to be in awe of God. The gift of wonder and awe moves you to
so love God that you do not want to offend him by your words or actions.

32
 The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

What are the fruits of the Holy Spirit?

12: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness,

faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity.
When we cooperate with the graces and gifts we receive from the Holy Spirit,
we grow as followers of Jesus. We see the effect of the Holy Spirit's presence in our
lives in special qualities and attitudes that we develop as we grow in faith. The
Church identifies these qualities and attitudes as the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The
12 fruits of the Holy Spirit are signs that the Holy Spirit is alive within us and
helping us live the Catholic faith in our daily lives.

1) Love: We exhibit the virtue of charity, or love, by our unselfish devotion and
care for God and our neighbour.

2) Joy: We live with joy when we recognize that true happiness comes, not from
money or possessions, but from knowing and following Christ.

3) Peace: We are freed from worrying about trivial things because of the inner
peace we experience with God in our hearts. We work and pray for peace
throughout the world.

4) Patience: We demonstrate patience by treating others with thoughtfulness and

tolerance. We know that we can overcome the temptations and sufferings of life
because God is always with us.

5) Kindness: We live the virtue of kindness by treating others as we want to be

treated.

6) Goodness: We exhibit goodness when we honour God by avoiding sin and

always trying to do what we know is right.

7) Generosity: We demonstrate the fruit of generosity when we are share our gifts
and possessions with others.

8) Gentleness: Gentle people act calmly and avoid actions that might lead others
to anger or resentment.

33
9) Faithfulness: We are faithful when we live out our commitment to the teachings
of Jesus, the Scriptures, and the Catholic Church.

10) Modesty: We exhibit modesty by being pure in our thoughts, words, and dress.

11) Self-control: We exercise self-control by working to overcome the temptations

we face and by trying always to do God's will.

12) Chastity: We live the virtue of chastity when we use the gift of sexuality
wisely, according to God's plan.

Assignment -7
1a. What are the virtues you need to develop in your life as a Christian?
1b. What are the virtues you need to develop in your life as a son/daughter?
1c. What are the virtues you need to develop in your life as a student?
1d. What are the virtues you need to develop in your life as a Citizen of this
Philippines?

(In this particular assignment, all the 4 different questions are considered
just for one activity and you can answer them in a paper and submit, at least
5 bullet points for each question).

SIN

What is sin?

Sin is a word, an act or a desire contrary to God, to oneself or to the others.

What are the kinds of sins?

Sin against the virtues or the commandments.
Sin against God, neighbour or ourselves.
Sin against our thoughts, words, deeds.
Sins of omission.

What are the types of Sin?

There are two types. Namely mortal sin and venial sin.

34
When does one commit a mortal sin?
When there are at the same time: serious matter, full knowledge and deliberate
consent. This sin destroys charity, takes away the sanctifying grace and leads us to
eternal death. To overcome a mortal sin God has to forgive us and we have to
convert our heart.

When does one commit a venial sin?

When the matter is less serious, and there is not full knowledge or consent. This sin
weakens charity and makes difficult the progress in the moral life. We can
overcome it by charity.

Differences between Virtue and Sin

Virtue:

The good acts which we do repeatedly becomes our habit and repetition of
our good habits becomes virtue.

Sin:

The bad acts which we do repeatedly becomes sins and the repetition of sins
becomes vices.

Do we have any responsibility for the sins committed by others?

Yes, when we cooperate with them with full knowledge and consent.

What are the capital sins?

7: pride, avarice, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, sloth.Sins of Omission and

Commission

There are times in our lives though we had opportunities to love, to help and
to serve God, our neighbors and nature we didn’t do it. These becomes sins of
omission. It is very grave. The sins which we made by our bad acts are known as
sins of commission.

35
 The Effects of sin

Mortal sin results in the loss of charity and the deprivation of sanctifying
grace. If we will not redeem by repentance and God's forgiveness, it will cause
exclusion from Christ's kingdom and lead us to the eternal hell. Venial sin weakens
charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it hinders the soul's
progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it
deserves temporal punishment. Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us
little by little to commit mortal sin. However venial sin does not break the
covenant with God. Venial sin does not deprive the sinners from sanctifying grace,
friendship with God, charity, and eternal happiness. Every sin and blasphemy will
be forgiven but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven." There are no
limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his
mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by
the Holy Spirit. Such hardness of heart can lead to eternal loss. Sin creates a
disposition to sin; it breeds vice by repetition of the same acts. This results in
negative inclinations which cloud our conscience and corrupt the concrete
judgment of good and evil.

36
 LESSON 4
TEN COMMANDMENTS

Objectives

At the end of the Class the students will be able to

- Know the commandments
- Learn the importance of God’s commandment in our moral life
- Know how to apply the commandment of God to one’s daily life
- Understand importance of God in man’s life
- Learn practical guidelines of loving God and neighbor

The Ten Commandments of God and practical guidelines

1. I am the LORD your God: you shall not have strange Gods before me.
2. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the LORD’S Day.
4. Honor your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

10 Commandments
The first three guide our relationship with God and the remaining seven
directs our relationship with one another. The ten commandments must never be
regarded as rules and regulations imposed by God to neglect our freedom. But they
are guidelines to help us to life with fuller freedom. They are like traffic signs and
signals on the road which are meant to protect our safety and the safety of others.
We can only break them by breaking ourselves and causing harm to others as well.

Commandments

What is a Commandment?
It is a rule or law given by someone to somebody.

37
Who gave the Ten Commandments?
God gave the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel.

Through whom God gave the Ten Commandments?

God gave the Ten Commandments through Moses.

To whom God gave the ten commandments?

God gave to the people of Israel through them to us.

Is there any Commandment similar to the commandments of God?

Yes, the Commandments of love given by Jesus.

What is the Golden rule?

Do to no one, what you don’t like the others do to you.

What are the New Commandments?

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, all your mind
and with all your strength. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Why do we need commandments?

- Drivers- obey the signs to reach the end of their journey

- Pilate-- need to follow the signals for safe landing
- Player-- need to respect the rules of the game to win the game
- Man-- need to have guidelines that strengthen our dignity and lead our lives
towards successes.

How did Jesus interpret the law?

Jesus interpreted the Law in the light of the twofold yet single commandment of
love, the fullness of the Law: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first
commandment. And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Mt 22:37-40).

Assignment 8
What are your opinions about following God's commandments and how can
you enrich yourself in becoming a good Christian by following the
commandments?
38
 THE FIRST THREE COMMANDMENTS

It refers to the relationship between man and God; God makes himself
known by recalling his all-powerful, loving and liberating action and he demands
that man accepts him and worship him.

PART 1: LOVE YOUR GOD

The First Commandment: I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, YOU SHALL

NOT HAVE OTHER GODS BEFORE ME.

1. What does the first commandment require?

• Adoration is the First act of man toward God, the Creator
• To know him or acknowledge him
• To love the master of everything that exists
• To serve him alone

What does God forbid by his first command?

• Polytheism and idolatry, which divinizes creatures, power, money, or even
demons.
• Superstition is to give magical importance to certain practices and which also
expresses itself in various forms of divination, magic, black magic and spiritism.
• Irreligion which is evidenced: in tempting God by word or deed; in blasphemy,
which profanes sacred persons or sacred things, above all the Eucharist; and in
simony, which involves the buying or selling of spiritual things.
• Atheism which rejects the existence of God, founded often on a false conception
of human autonomy.
• Agnosticism which affirms that nothing can be known about God, and involves
indifferentism and practical atheism.
• Divination: there are many forms; such as recourse to demons, conjuring up the
dead, consulting of astrology, horoscope, palm reading… only God knows the
future.
• Magic-- by magic a person attempts to tame occult power and have supernatural
power over the other people.

Does the commandment of God, “You shall not make for yourself a graven image”
(Exodus 20:3), forbid the cult of images?

39
 In the Old Testament this commandment forbade any representation of God
who is absolutely transcendent. The Christian veneration of sacred images,
however, is justified by the incarnation of the Son of God (as taught by the Second
Council of Nicea in 787AD) because such veneration is founded on the mystery of
the Son of God made man, in whom the transcendent God is made visible. This
does not mean the adoration of an image, but rather the veneration of the one who
is represented in it: for example, Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Angels and
the Saints.

Note: In the following assignment each question is considered for one activity.
Answer question in a separate paper.

Assignment 9
1. List out some of the superstitions that you know, heard, seen and
experienced in your life?
2. Describe from your life experiences of running behind created gods or
things forbidden by the first commandment?
3. Describe your beliefs and interests in magics and magicians?
4. Describe your experience of tempting God by your words and deeds?
5. Describe your background on belief of astrology?
6. Who is your first and most important in this world?

The Second Commandment: YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF

THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN.

How does one respect the holiness of the Name of God?

One shows respect for the holy Name of God by blessing it, praising it and
glorifying it. It is forbidden, therefore, to call on the Name of God to justify a
crime. It is also wrong to use the holy Name of God in any improper way as in
blasphemy (which by its nature is a grave sin), curses, and unfaithfulness to
promises made in the Name of God.

Why is a false oath forbidden?

It is forbidden because one calls upon God who is truth itself to be the
witness to a
lie. “Do not swear, whether by the Creator or by any creature, except truthfully, of
necessity and with reverence.” (Saint Ignatius of Loyola)

40
What is perjury?
Perjury is to make a promise under oath with the intention of not keeping it
or to
violate a promise made under oath. It is a grave sin against God who is always
faithful to his promises.

Assignment 10
1. What is your experience of using God's name in improper ways?
2. Describe your experience of making oath on some one's name?

The Third Commandment: REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE LORD’S

DAY.

Why did God “bless the Sabbath day and declare it sacred” (Exodus 20:11)?
God blessed the Sabbath day, so that one remembers God’s rest on the
seventh day of creation, and also the liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt and
the Covenant which God sealed with his people.

How did Jesus’ act in regard to the Sabbath?

Jesus recognized the holiness of the Sabbath day and with divine authority
he gave an authentic interpretation as follows: “The Sabbath was made for man,
and not man for the sabbath” (Mk 2:27).

For what reason has the Sabbath been changed to

Sunday for Christians?
First of all, Sunday is the day of the Resurrection of Christ. As “the first day
of the week” (Mk 16:2) it recalls the first creation; and as the “eighth day”, which
follows the sabbath, it symbolizes the new creation in the Resurrection of Christ.
Thus, it has become for Christians the first of all days and of all feasts. It is the day
of the Lord in which he with his Passover fulfilled the spiritual truth of the Jewish
Sabbath and proclaimed man’s eternal rest in God.

How does one keep Sunday holy?

Christians keep Sunday and other days of obligation holy by participating in
the Eucharist of the Lord and by refraining from those activities which impede the
worship of God and disturb the joy proper to the day of the Lord or the necessary
relaxation of mind and body. Activities are allowed on the Sabbath which are
bound up with family needs or with important social service, provided that they do
not lead to habits prejudicial to the holiness of Sunday, to family life and to health.
41
Why is the civil recognition of Sunday having a feast day important?
It is important so that all might be given the real possibility of enjoying
sufficient rest and leisure to take care of their religious, familial, cultural and social
lives. It is important also to have an opportune time for meditation, for reflection,
for silence, for study, and a time to dedicate to do good works, particularly for
thesickand for the elderly. The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and
confirmation of all Christian practices. The participation in the communal
celebration of the Sunday Eucharist is a testimony of belonging and being faithful
to Christ and to his Church.

Part 2: Love Your Neighbor

“You Shall Love Your Neighbor as Yourself”

The Fourth Commandment: HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.

What does the fourth commandment require?

It commands us to honor and respect our parents and those whom God for
our good, has vested with his authority.

What is the nature of the family in the plan of God?

A man and a woman united in marriage form a family together with their
children. God instituted the family and endowed it with its fundamental
constitution. Members of the same family establish among themselves personal
relationships and primary responsibilities. In Christ the family becomes the
domestic church because it is a community of faith, of hope, and of charity.

What are the duties that society has toward the family?
Society, while respecting the principle of subsidiarity, has the duty to
support and
strengthen marriage and the family. Public authority must respect, protect and
foster the true nature of marriage and family.

What are the duties of children toward their parents?

Children be respect (filial piety), gratitude, docility and obedience to their
parents. In paying them respect and in fostering good relationships with their
brothers and sisters, children contribute to the growth in harmony and holiness in
family life in general. Adult children should give their parents material and moral

42
 support whenever they find themselves in situations of distress, sickness,
loneliness, or old age.

What are the duties of parents toward their children?

Parents, in virtue of their participation in the fatherhood of God, have the
first responsibility for the education of their children and they are the first heralds
of the faith for them. They have the duty to love and respect their children as
persons and as children of God and to provide, as far as is possible, for their
physical and spiritual needs. They should select for them a suitable school and help
them with prudent counsel in the choice of their profession and their state of life.
In particular they have the mission of educating their children in the Christian faith.

How are parents to educate their children in the Christian faith?

Parents do this mainly by example, prayer, family catechesis and
participation in the life of the Church.

When is a citizen forbidden to obey civil authorities?

A citizen is obliged in conscience not to obey the laws of civil authorities
when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order: “We must obey God
rather than men” (Acts of the Apostles 5:29).

Assignment 11
1. How do you assimilate your duty as children?
2. Describe the ways you get the faith education from your parents?

The Fifth Commandment: YOU SHALL NOT KILL.

Why must human life be respected?

Human life must be respected because it is sacred. From the beginning
human life involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special
relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. It is not lawful for anyone
directly to destroy an innocent human being. This is gravely contrary to the dignity
of the person and the holiness of the Creator. “Do not slay the innocent and the
righteous” (Exo 23:7).

What is the purpose of punishment?

A punishment imposed by legitimate public authority has the aim of
redressing the disorder introduced by the offense, of defending public order and
people’s safety, and contributing to the correction of the guilty party.
43
What kind of punishment may be imposed?
The punishment imposed must be proportionate to the gravity of the offense.
Given the possibilities which the State now has for effectively preventing crime by
rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm, the cases in
which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity “are very rare, if not
practically nonexistent.” (Evangelium Vitae). When non-deadly means are
sufficient, authority should limit itself to such means because they better
correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good, are more in conformity
with the dignity of the human person, and do not remove definitively from the
guilty party the possibility of reforming himself.

What is forbidden by the fifth commandment?

• Direct and intentional murder and cooperation in it;

• Direct abortion, willed as an end or as means, as well as cooperation in it.

Attached to this sin is the penalty of excommunication because, from the
moment of his or her conception, the human being must be absolutely respected
and protected in his integrity;

• Direct euthanasia which consists in putting an end to the life of the

handicapped, the sick, or those near death by an act or by the omission of a
required action;

• Suicide and voluntary cooperation in it, insofar as it is a grave offense

against the just love of God, of self, and of neighbor. One’s responsibility may be
aggravated by the scandal given; one who is psychologically disturbed or is
experiencing grave fear may have diminished responsibility.

What medical procedures are permitted when death is considered close at hand?
When death is considered imminent the ordinary care owed to a sick person
cannot be legitimately interrupted. However, it is legitimate to use pain-killers
which do not aim at in death and to refuse “over-zealous treatment”, that is the
exercise of disproportionate medical procedures without reasonable hope of a
positive outcome.

44
Why must society protect every embryo?
The inalienable right to life of every human individual from the first moment
of conception is a constitutive element of civil society and its legislation. When the
State does not place its power at the service of the rights of all and in particular of
the more vulnerable, including unborn children, the very foundations of a State
based on law are undermined.

How does one avoid scandal?

Scandal, which consists in inducing others to do evil, is avoided when we
respect the soul and body of the person. Anyone who deliberately leads others to
commit serious sins himself commits a grave offense.

What duty do we have toward our body?

We must take reasonable care of our own physical health and that of others
but avoid the cult of the body and every kind of excess. Also, to be avoided are the
use of drugs which cause very serious damage to human health and life, as well as
the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco and medicine.

Are the transplant and donation of organs allowed before and after death?
The transplant of organs is morally acceptable with the consent of the donor
and without excessive risks to him or her. Before allowing the noble act of
organdonation after death, one must verify that the donor is truly dead.

What care must be given to the dying?

The dying has a right to live the last moments of their earthly lives with
dignity and, above all, to be sustained with prayer and the sacraments that prepare
them to meet the living God.

How are the bodies of the deceased to be treated?

The bodies of the departed must be treated with love and respect. Their
cremation is permitted provided that it does not demonstrate a denial of faith in the
resurrection of the body.

What is required for earthly peace?

Earthly peace requires the equal distribution and safeguarding of the goods
of persons, free communication among human beings, respect for the dignity of
persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of justice and fraternity.

45
When is it morally permitted to use military force?
• The use of military force is morally justified when the following conditions are
simultaneously present:
• The suffering impose by the attacker must be lasting, grave and certain;
• All other peaceful means must have been shown to be useless;
• There are well founded chance of success;
• The use of arms, especially given the power of modern weapons of mass
destruction, must not produce evils graver than the evil to be eliminated.

In case of war, what does the moral law require?

Even during a war, the moral law always remains valid. It requires the
discipline treatment of non-military, wounded soldiers and prisoners of war.
Deliberate actions contrary to the law of nations, and the orders that command
such actions are crimes, which blind obedience does not excuse. Acts of mass
destruction must be condemned and likewise the annihilation of peoples which are
most grievous sins. One is morally bound to resist the orders that command such
acts.

What must be done to avoid war?

The accumulation and sale of arms which are not regulated by the legitimate
authorities; all forms of economic and social injustice; social and religious
discrimination; envy, mistrust, pride and the spirit of revenge. Everything done to
overcome these and other disorders contributes to building up peace and avoiding
war.

Assignment 12
1. Explain about the dignity human life in the murder of St. John the Baptist?
(Mk 6:17-19).
2. How can we avoid conflict in our daily lives?
3. According to your understanding of the lesson, what are the rights the Sick
or the dying deserves?

The Sixth Commandment: YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.

What responsibility do human persons have in regard to their own sexual identity?
God has created human beings as male and female, equal in personal dignity, and
has called them to a vocation of love and of communion. Everyone should accept
his or her identity as male or female, recognizing its importance for the whole of
the person.
46
What is chastity?
Chastity means the positive integration of sexuality within the person. Sexuality
becomes truly human when it is integrated in a correct way into the relationship of
one person to another. Chastity is a moral virtue, a gift of God, a grace, and a fruit
of the Holy Spirit.

What is involved in the virtue of chastity?

The virtue of chastity involves a position in self-control as an expression of
human
freedom directed towards self-giving. An integral and continuing formation is
necessary to achieve this goal.

What is the means aid living the chastity?

The grace of God, the help of the sacraments, prayer, self-knowledge, the
practice of an asceticism adapted to various situations, the exercise of the moral
virtues, especially the virtue of temperance which seeks to have the passions
guided by reason.

How does everyone call to live chastity?

As followers of Christ, the model of all chastity, all the baptized are called to
live chastely in keeping with their particular states of life. Some profess virginity
or consecrated celibacy which enables them to give themselves to God alone with
an undivided heart in a remarkable manner. Others, if they are married live in
conjugal chastity, or if unmarried practice chastity in continence.

What are the principal sins against chastity?

Grave sins against chastity differ according to their object: adultery,
masturbation, fornication, pornography, prostitution, rape, and homosexual acts.
These sins are expressions of the vice of lust. These kinds of acts committed
against the physical and moral integrity of minors become even more grave.

Why are artificial insemination and artificial fertilization immoral?

They are immoral because they dissociate procreation act in which the
spouses give themselves to each other and so introduce the origin and destiny of
the human person. Furthermore, insemination and fertilization with the use of
techniques that involve a person other than the married couple violate the right of a
child to be born of a father and mother known to him, bound to each other by
marriage and having the exclusive right to become parents only through each
another.
47
How should children be considered?
A child is a gift of God, the supreme gift of marriage. But a child does have
the right to be the fruit of the conjugal act of its parents as well as the right to be
respected as a person from the moment of conception.

What can spouses do when they do not have children?

After exhausting all legitimate medical options, spouses can show their
generosity by way of foster care or adoption or by performing meaningful services
for others. In this way they realize a precious spiritual fruitfulness.

What are the offenses against the dignity of marriage?

Adultery, divorce, polygamy, incest, free unions (cohabitation, concubinage),
and sexual acts before or outside of marriage.

The Seventh Commandment: YOU SHALL NOT STEAL

What is set forth by the seventh commandment?

The seventh commandment requires respect for the universal destination and
distribution of goods and the private ownership of them, as well as respect for
persons, their property, and the integrity of creation. The Church also finds in this
commandment the basis for her social doctrine which involves the correct way of
acting in economic, social and political life, the right and the duty of human labor,
justice and solidarity among nations, and love for the poor.

Under what conditions does the right to private property exist?

The right to private property exists by the property is acquired or received in
a just way and the universal destination of goods for the satisfaction of the basic
needs of all.

What does the seventh commandment require?

The seventh commandment requires respect for the goods of others through
the practice of justice, charity and solidarity. In particular it requires respect for
promises made and contracts agreed, reparation for injustice committed and
damages of stolen goods, and respect for the integrity of creation by the prudent
and moderate use of the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe
with special attention to those species which are in danger of extinction.

48
What attitude should people have toward animals?
People must treat animals with kindness as creatures of God and avoid both
excessive love for them and an indiscriminate use of them especially by scientific
experiments that go beyond reasonable limits and entail needless suffering for the
animals.

What is forbidden by the seventh commandment?

The seventh commandment forbids theft, which is the taking or using of
another’s property against the reasonable will of the owner. This can be done also
by paying unjust wages; by guess on the value of goods in order to gain an
advantage to the hurt of others; or by the forgery of checks or invoices. Also
forbidden is tax evasion or business fraud; willfully damaging private or public
property; usury; corruption; the private abuse of common goods; work deliberately
done poorly; and waste.

What is the meaning of work?

Work is both a duty and a right through which human beings collaborate
with God the Creator. Indeed, by working with commitment and competence we
fulfil the potential inscribed in our nature, honor the Creator’s gifts and the talents
received from him, provide for ourselves and for our families, and serve the human
community. Furthermore, by the grace of God, work can be a means of
sanctification and collaboration with Christ for the salvation of others.

What are the duties of workers?

They must carry out their work in a moral way with competence and
dedication,
seeking to resolve any controversies with dialogue. Aid to a non-violent work
stoppage is morally legitimate when it appears to be the necessary way to obtain a
proportionate benefit.

In what way do Christians participate in political and social life?

The lay faithful take part directly in political and social life by animating
temporal
realities with a Christian spirit and collaborating with all as authentic witnesses of
the Gospel and agents of peace and justice.

Assignment 13
How do you overcome the temptation on the excessive use of goods?

49
The Eighth Commandment: YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS
AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOUR

What is one’s duty toward the truth?

Every person is called to sincerity and truthfulness in acting and speaking.

Everyone has the duty to seek the truth, to adhere to it and to order one’s whole life
in accordance with its demands. In Jesus Christ the whole of God’s truth has been
made manifest. He is “the truth”. Those who follow him live in the Spirit of truth
and guard against duplicity, dissimulation, and hypocrisy.

How does one bear witness to the truth?

A Christian must bear witness to the truth of the Gospel in every field of his
activity, both public and private, and also, if necessary, with the sacrifice of his
very life. Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith.

What does the eighth commandment forbid?

• False witness, perjury, and lying, the gravity of which is measured by the truth it
deforms, the circumstances, the intentions of the one who lies, and the harm
suffered by its victims;
• Rash judgment, slander, defamation and calumny which diminish or destroy the
good honor to which every person has a right;
• Flattery especially if directed to serious sins or toward the achievement of illicit
advantages.
• A sin committed against truth demands reparation if it has caused harm to
others.

What is required by the eighth commandment?

It requires respect for the truth accompanied by the discretion of charity in
the field of communication and the imparting of information, where the personal
and common good, the protection of privacy and the danger of scandal must all be
taken into account; in respecting professional secrets which must be kept, save in
exceptional cases for grave and proportionate reasons; and also, in respecting
confidences given under the seal of secrecy.

50
What relationship exists between truth, beauty and sacred art?
The truth is beautiful, carrying in itself the splendor of spiritual beauty. In
addition to the expression of the truth in words there are other complementary
expressions of the truth, most specifically in the beauty of artistic works. These are
the fruit both of talents given by God and of human effort. Sacred art by being true
and beautiful should evoke and glorify the mystery of God made visible in Christ,
and lead to the adoration and love of God, the Creator and Savior, who is the
surpassing, invisible Beauty of Truth and Love.

Assignment 14
Have you come across any dangerous incident because of your lie or false
witness?

The Ninth Commandment: YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR

NEIGHBOR’S WIFE

What is required by the ninth commandment?

The ninth commandment requires that one overcome carnal concupiscence
in thought and in desire. The struggle against such concupiscence entails purifying
the heart and practicing the virtue of temperance.

What is forbidden by the ninth commandment?

The ninth commandment forbids cultivating thoughts and desires connected
to actions forbidden by the sixth commandment.

How does one reach purity of heart?

In the battle against disordered desires the baptized person is able, by the
grace of God, to achieve the purity of heart through the virtue and gift of chastity,
through purity of intention, purity of vision (both exterior and interior), discipline
of the imagination and of feelings by prayer.

What are the other requirements for purity?

Purity requires modesty which, while protecting the intimate center of the
person, expresses the sensitivity of chastity. It guides how one looks at others and
behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their
communion. Purity frees one from wide-spread eroticism and avoids those things
which foster unhealthy curiosity. Purity also requires a purification of the social
climate by means of a constant struggle against moral permissiveness which is
founded on an erroneous conception of human freedom.
51
The Tenth Commandment: YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR
NEIGHBOR’S POSSESSIONS.

What is required and what is forbidden by the tenth commandment?

It requires an interior attitude of respect for the property of others and
forbids greed, unbridled covetousness for the goods of others, and envy which is
the sadness one experiences at the sight of another’s goods and the immoderate
desire to acquire them for oneself.

What does Jesus call for in poverty of spirit?

Jesus calls his disciples to prefer him to everything and everyone.
Detachment from riches – in the spirit of evangelical poverty – and self-
abandonment to divine providence free us from anxiety about the future and
prepare us for the blessedness of the “poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven” (Mt 5:3).

What is the greatest human desire?

The greatest desire of the human person is to see God. “I want to see God” is
the cry of our whole being. We realize our true and full happiness in the vision and
beatitude of the One who created us out of love and draws us to himself with
infinite love. “Whoever sees God has obtained all the goods of which he can
conceive” (Saint Gregory of Nyssa).

52
 LESSON 5

THE SOCIAL JUSTICE AND THE SOCIAL TEACHINGS OF THE

CHURCH

Objectives

At the end of the lesson the students are expected to

- Integrate oneself in the society actively
- Work for the common good of all
- Share one’s abilities for the welfare of the others
- Overall serve the society in a dynamic way
- Learn how does help everyone in serving other through her teaching.
- Treat everyone with equity and justice

The Human Community: The Person and Society

What is a society?
It is a group of persons united by an aim.

What is the social dimension of man?

The social dimension is essential of the nature of human person. For
development the individuals need to live in society. We are called to build
fraternity by loving ur neighbors.

What is the principle of subsidiarity?

A group of a higher order should support the lower order. The higher order
should not take the tasks, initiatives or responsibilities belonging to a group of
lower order.

What is necessary for an authentic human society?

Charity, justice, a true hierarchy of values and the encouragement for a
virtuous life.

53
Sharing in the Social Life

What is the role and the duty of the authority in the society?
The authority in the human community comes from the human nature and
the order established by God. Its role is to preserve the social order and and its duty
is to work for the common good.When is authority exercised in a legitimate way?
When is chosen freely by the citizens, when acts for the common good, when
respects the law and when guarantees the conditions for the exercise of freedom.

What is the common good?

All the conditions of social life which help to people’s fulfillment: respect
and promotion of fundamental rights, spiritual and material development, peace
and security.

How can we participate in bringing about the common good?

Respecting just laws, being responsible of our family and work, participating
in the public life.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

When does society guarantee social justice?

When it respects the dignity and fundamental rights of a person and when it
provides the conditions that allow the associations and individuals to exercise their
responsibilities.

What are social discriminations?

The differences in sex, race, colour, caste, social conditions, language or
religion is known as social discriminations. These are wrong and these must be
eradicated.

What are social inequalities?

They are contrary to the Gospel, to justice, to the human dignity and to
peace. God’s will be that each one receives what he needs and shares with the
others his talents and goods causing a mutual enrichment.

54
How is human solidarity manifested?
By committing oneself to the common good, by accepting others as our
neighbours, by a just distribution of goods, by a fair payment for work, by a zeal
for a more just social order, by sharing the spiritual goods.

God’s Salvation: Law and Grace (Moral Law)

What is the moral law?

It is the divine wisdom that shows us the rules of conduct that lead to eternal
life. It has different expressions: eternal law (establish by God), natural law
(present in the human heart), revealed law (Old and New Testaments), civil law
(laid down by society for the common good), ecclesiastical law (norms given by
the Church).

What is the natural moral law?

It is the original moral sense written by God on the heart of every person. It
enables us to discern by reason the good and the bad also determines the basic
duties and fundamental rights. It is unchanging and permanent.

What is the Old Law?

It is the first stage of the revealed Law. It expresses many truths naturally
accessible to reason. Its moral prescriptions are summed up in the Ten
Commandments.

What is the New Law?

It is the fulfillment of the divine law. We find it in the life and preaching of
Christ (Sermon of the Mount) and in the moral catechesis of the apostles. It is
summed up in the commandment to love God and neighbour and to love one
another as Christ loved us. It is a law of love, grace and freedom.

Grace and Justification

What is justification?
It is the love of God given to us in Baptism which takes away our sins and
makes us just and holy in our whole being. It implies conversion (turn towards God)
and sanctification (renewal of the inner self).

55
What is the grace that justifies?
It is a supernatural gift given by God to respond to His call that is always
with us (habitual) and enable us to live with and like God (sanctifying).

What other kinds of graces are there?

Actual (specific circumstances), sacramental (given in each Sacrament),
charismas (for the common good of the Church), graces of states (ecclesial
ministers or responsibilities).
What is the relationship between grace and human freedom?
Grace yields, prepares and leads freedom to its perfection.

What are the goods that we can merit?

The graces needed for our sanctification and for eternal life.

Are all the faithful called to Christian holiness?

Yes, being perfect in love and united with Christ crucified.

The Church: Mother and Teacher

How does the Church nourish the moral life of a Christian?

The Church nourishes us with the Word of God, her teachings, the grace of
the Sacraments and the example of the lives of the Saints.

What is the purpose of the precepts of the Church?

To guarantee the minimum need for prayer, sacramental life, moral
commitment and love of God and neighbour.

Can the Church’s Magisterium give directives in moral matters?

The Magisterium is the teaching authority of the Church exercised by the
Pope and the Bishops. They have the right and the duty to teach in moral questions.

What are the precepts of the Church?

1.To attend Mass on Sundays and other holy days.
2. To confess one’s sins at least once a year.
3.To receive the Holy Communion at least during Easter season.
4. To keep holy the Holy Days.
5. To abstain from eating meat and to observe the days of fasting.
6. To observe the marriage laws of the Church.
7. To help the Church in her material needs.
56
Assignment 15
1. What are your contributions in the growth of the Society?
2. What is your role as Christian to bring change in the Society?
3. How do you work and promote the common good for the Society?

SOCIAL TEACHINGS OF THE CHURCH

• The Dignity of Human Life
• Call to Family, Community and Participation
• Rights and Duties
• Preferential Option for the Poor
• Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers
• Human Solidarity
• Human Vocation
• Stewardship of God's Creation
• Care for the Common Home
• Safe- Guarding Peace

1. The Dignity of the Human Person

The dignity of the human person is rooted on how he was created in the
image and likeness of God and it is fulfilled in his vocation to divine beatitude.
Human beings make their own contribution by their interior growth and they make
their whole self, conscious and spiritual lives to grow. With the help of grace, they
grow in virtue, avoid sin, and even if they sin, they entrust themselves as the
prodigal son to the mercy of our Father in heaven. In this way they attain to the
perfection of charity.

2. Call to family, Community and Participation

2a. A Human Family: A man and a woman united in marriage, together with their
children, form a family. This institution is prior to any recognition by public
authority, which has an obligation to recognize it. It should be considered the
normal reference point by which the different forms of family relationship are to be
evaluated. In creating man and woman, God instituted the human family and
endowed it with its fundamental constitution. Its members are persons equal in
dignity. For the common good of its members and of society, the family
necessarily has manifold responsibilities, rights, and duties.

57
2b. A Human Community
The vocation of humanity is to show forth the image of God and to be transformed
into the image of the Father's only Son. This vocation takes a personal form since
each of us is called to enter into the divine beatitude; it also concerns the human
community as a whole.

2c. Education
As those first responsible for the education of their children, parents have the
right to choose a school for them which corresponds to their own convictions. This
right is fundamental. As far as possible parents have the duty of choosing schools
that will best help them in their task as Christian educators. Public authorities have
the duty of guaranteeing this parental right and of ensuring the concrete conditions
for its exercise. When they become adults, children have the right and duty to
choose their profession and state of life. They should assume their new
responsibilities within a trusting relationship with their parents, willingly asking
and receiving their advice and counsel.

3. The Human Vocation

God calls to the gift of life. Among them he calls some for the vocation to
Christianity. Among them he calls few to follow him closely. Vocational
discernment is the process in which men or women in the Catholic Church discern,
or recognize, their vocation in the Church. The four vocations are the married life,
single life, religious life, and ordained life.

4. The Human Solidarity

Solidarity is manifested in the first place by the distribution of goods and
remuneration for work. It also presupposes the effort for a more just social order
where tensions are better able to be reduced and conflicts more readily settled by
negotiation. The virtue of solidarity goes beyond material goods. In spreading the
spiritual goods of the faith, the Church has promoted, and often opened new paths
for, the development of temporal goods as well.

5. Care for the Common Goods

Human society can be neither well-ordered nor prosperous unless it has
some people invested with legitimate authority to preserve its institutions and to
devote themselves as far as is necessary to work and care for the good of all. The
duty of obedience requires all to give due honor to authority and to treat those who
are charged to exercise it with respect, and, insofar as it is deserved, with gratitude
and good-will.
58
6. Safe- Guarding Peace
Respect for and development of human life require peace. Peace is not
merely th absence of war, and it is not limited to maintaining a balance of powers
between adversaries. Peace cannot be attained on earth without safeguarding the
goods of persons, free communication among men, respect for the dignity of
persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of fraternity.
7. Rights and Duties
The home is the natural environment for initiating a human being into
solidarity and communal responsibilities. Parents should teach children to avoid
the compromising and degrading influences which threaten human societies.
Parents must regard their children as children of God and respect them as human
persons. Showing themselves obedient to the will of the Father in heaven, they
educate their children to fulfill God's law.

8. Preferential Option for the Poor

The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of
our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling,
comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs
patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry,
sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and
burying the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief
witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God.

9. Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers

The economy must serve people, not the other way around. 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 the basic rights of workers
must be respected--the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the
organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.

10. Stewardship of God's Creation

The seventh commandment forbids unjustly taking or keeping the goods of
one's neighbor and wronging him in any way with respect to his goods. It
commands justice and charity in the care of earthly goods and the fruits of men's
labor. For the sake of the common good, it requires respect for the universal
destination of goods and respect for the right to private property. Christian life
strives to order this world's goods to God and to fraternal charity.

59