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MONTHLY CATHOLIC EDUCATION SERIES FOR ADULTS

Parish of the Holy Eucharist

Living out our Faith Morality

February 4, 2016

MONTHLY CATHOLIC EDUCATION SERIES FOR ADULTS 2015-2016 SERIES

Parish of the Holy Eucharist Schedule November 5, – Triune God and the Creed December 3 – Praying my Faith January 7 – Treasures in the Catholic Storehouse February 4 – Living my Faith, Morality March 3 – Mass: an Encounter with Jesus

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4 Pillars of the Faith

Morality Doctrine

Worship Prayer

Methodology

The focus of our time together is not on what is a sin and what is not but…

1. Methodology of how Christians arrive at good judgement 2. How Christians justify it 3. What are the sources.

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The Basis for living a moral life. • We have a dignity since we share in God’s nature. • Christ always did what pleased the Father and lived in perfect communion with him. We are invited to live this same way. • We are temples of the Holy Spirit. • We know that the way of Christ leads to life. The way to sin leads to death. • The human being desires happiness. We live in such a way that leads to happiness. • God put us here to love, know and serve him. • Path that leads to eternal life.

Understanding of Human Being.

The human being… • Is a rational being • Can initiate and control his own actions • Experiences freedom to act or not act • Through freedom can shape his life

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Is there a unique Christian Moral Life? Is the actual morality of Christians different from non-believers?

Are Christians a distinguishable group of society based on its moral teaching?

The Catholic Church has strong teachings on abortion, sterilization and contraceptives.

It gets these teachings from natural law, which is open to everyone.

The human being is a rational being. Anyone who argues correctly will arrive at the same conclusion.

Is there a unique Christian Moral Life?

Christians act morally out of love of God, convent, obedience to God?

This is reason for acting, motivation, but does the content of Christian morality differ with non-Christians?

A Christian is doing the same thing as non-believers but from a different perspective.

For the Christian, morality has a high significance. It is where he/she meets God, it is a form of discipleship, expresses one’s faith

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The Gift of Freedom Understanding Freedom • When not bound to the ultimate good, there is a possibility of choosing evil • The more one does good, the freer one becomes. • Freedom makes man responsible for his actions. • Imputability and responsibility for an action can be diminished or nullified by ignorance, duress, fear, habit, inordinate attachments, and other psychological and social factors. - An action can be indirectly voluntary when it results in negligence in what one should have known or should have done. • The right to exercise of freedom, especially in moral and religious matters is an inalienable requirement of the dignity of the human person. • Freedom is not the right to say or do anything but a freedom to do good.

Sources of Morality Freedom makes man a moral subject who acts deliberately and so is the father of his actions.

The Sources of Morality 1. The object chosen –The good to which one is directed. 2. The end in view or the intention – It resides in the acting subject. • There may be many intentions with an ultimate end • They may be mixed (Serve God / obtain a favor/ boast) • A good intention does not make a bad behavior good. • A bad intention can make a good act evil (Almsgiving /selfish reasons) • The ends do not justify the means. 3. The circumstances of the action – Increases or diminishes the moral goodness or evil of an act. (Amount of theft, acting out of fear) • They cannot make something evil in itself a good, it is secondary.

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Principle of Double Effect In moral discernment, we know when choosing a good, there is a competing evil that will result.

To choose a good end, we know that it will bring about bad results.

4 conditions:

1) the action wanted must be itself either morally good or morally indifferent. You cannot want a moral evil. 2) The bad result is not directly intended 3) The good result is not a direct result of the bad result 4) The good is in proportionate to the bad

Good Acts and Evil Acts For something to be morally good… 1) Goodness of the object 2) Goodness of the end or intention 3) Goodness of the circumstances.

An evil end corrupts the action, even if the object is good. (Praying and fasting in order to be praised by others)

There are objects that are always evil in themselves. They are always wrong to choose and so are a disorder of the will. (Fornication, Abortion)

Wrong to judge an act solely on intention or circumstances. There are acts that are in of themselves evil apart from circumstances or intentions. – Situational ethics. Cannot do evil so that good can result.

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Passions Passions are affections or feelings. These move us to act or not act They cause us to feel that something is good or evil Natural Neither good nor evil Perfection of the moral good is that passions are governed by reason. Strong feelings are not a decision of ones holiness or decision on morality. Feelings can by perverted by vices.

Passions are good when they move one toward good actions. Passions are evil when they move one toward bad actions.

Moral perfection is when we are moved to the good by will and passions.

Conscience The moral conscience is present at the heart of the person.

It is where the person At the appropriate time wants to do good and avoid evil. Judges choices made Assumes responsibility for actions done

When the person listens to his conscience, he can hear God speaking.

One is obliged to follow what he knows to be just and right.

Requirement: interiority, self-examination or introspection.

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Formation of Conscience Formulates judgment according to reason Desires conformity with the true good willed by God Uses God’s word to light the path toward truth Lifelong education of conscience

Education cures fears, selfishness and pride, resentment from guilt, complacency from weakness and faults.

Must include: Faith and prayer, Examine conscience before the cross Being assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit Being guided by the teachings of the CHurch

Erroneous Judgment A human being must always obey his conscience.

If he deliberately acts against it, he would condemn himself. Intentionally doing something he believes to be wrong.

Ignorance, when one takes little trouble to find out the good and true. Habit, blinds the conscience, enslaved to passions Bad examples of others Ignorance of Christ and the Gospel Rejection of Church authority Lack of conversion and charity

If it was invincible ignorance, the evil cannot be imputed to the person

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Sin Definition: Sin is an offense against reason, truth and right conscience is a failure in genuine love of God and neighbor wounds the nature of the human being, injures solidarity

Religious: Sin is an offense against God a disobedience to God inordinate love of oneself

Different kinds of Sin: Mortal Sin: Destroys charity in the heart, grave violation , turn from God 1) object is grave, 2) full knowledge, 3) deliberate consent

Venial Sin: charity continues even as sin offends and wounds. It weakens charity, shows disordered affections, impedes soul’s progress, merits temporal punishment. Slowly it prepares us to commit mortal sin.

Proportionalism – Not act is always wrong or intrinsically evil. A person ought to choose the course of action which promises the greater proportion of good over evil. Which alternative promises the greater good or the lesser evil. There are no absolutes but there are actions where we could not think of having a greater evil (Practical absolutes, virtually exception-less)

Forcing a retarded child to have sexual relations. Could there be a situation that it would be for the greater good?

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Situational Ethics – takes into account the particular context of an act to judge it ethically. There are no moral absolutes.

For some it is placing love above all particular principles or rules. Ask what is the most loving thing to do in this instance. Each situation is different and relative. Avoid using never, always.

Do not use categorical principles It is a form of Consequentialism –The consequences of one’s conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about right and wrong. If it produces a good outcome. and Utilitarianism – which is the greatest good for the greatest number

Deontological Ethics – the morality of an action is based on the person’s adherence to rules. Also known as duty or obligation based ethics. They have absolutes where certain actions are absolutely right or wrong. Some hold to a law given by God that states the action that is good.

Virtue Ethics – one’s character embodies the determination of evaluating ethical behavior.

The focus is the ways in which moral dilemmas are approached. (Lying)

Consequentialist argues from the outcome of good that comes. (white lies OK)

deontologist argues from the law regardless of the good. (Never lying is good)

Virtue ethicist argues from the kind of person who acts this way. (What lying does to the person)

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