Post on 22-Feb-2016
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THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND DETERMINING THE RIGHT FROM THE WRONG
Eternal Law, Sin, and Conscience
Spiritual Growth Project
Quote of the week:"I have no other desire than that the will
of God be accomplished in me and through me". - St Edith Stein
Spend 10 minutes of quiet time a day reflecting on this quote in relation to your life.
Post a blog for Wednesday based on your reflections and the experience of quiet meditation.
Eternal Law
UnchangingGoverns the universe Directs all parts of creation to its ultimate
purpose
Moral Law
Rational expression of Eternal LawLeads humans to their ultimate purpose,
happiness and goodnessMoral law is fulfilled in Christ
Natural Law
Moral law that can be understood through reason
Awareness of good and evil, right from wrongCommon principles across cultures or
religions Golden Rule
Not based on custom but on natureBased on the human desire of goodness (God)
Homework
Review articles 5 & 6Worksheet on Moral Law – Part I (True &
False)
Why is natural law not enough?
People do not follow what they know is rightPeople are not formed correctlyDisagreement among people of good will how
to apply moral & natural lawReality of sin in the world
Divine Law - Decalogue
Ten Commandments - privileged expression of natural law
Divine revelation of what is implanted in the human heart
Love of God and love of neighborOld Law also contained culturally conditioned
lawsDoes not give strength to follow the lawPreparation for the Gospel
Divine Law – New Covenant
Law of the Gospel is the perfection of natural law and Old Law
Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)Beatitudes - way to happinessGoes beyond merely avoiding breaking the
lawSummary of Divine Law - Great
Commandments
Love, properly understood.
“For love is not merely a feeling; it is an act of will that consists of preferring, in a constant manner, the good of others to the good of oneself” - John Paul II
We are given the power to love as God loves through the Holy Spirit, who is love.
Morals in the New Testament
In pairs, complete the worksheet “Values in New Testament Moral Teachings”
Moral Life
Goal is a life of holiness – “set apart” Achieved through Imitation of Christ and
other Christians “So be imitators of God, as beloved Children, and live
in love” Ephesians 5:1-2 “Join with others in being imitators of me” Philippians
3:17 “You became imitators of us and of the Lord . . . So
that you became a model for all the believers” 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7
Sin – Old Testament
Rebelling against God - choosing selfishnessMissing the Mark – desire to do good, but fall
short in our daily lifeConsequences of Sin
Sin affects the whole family and the greater community
Sinners are directly punished God withdraws favor
Homework
Read articles 11-13 (Pg. 57-69)Takes notes in your notebook.
Sin – New Testament
Hamartia - missing the mark; falling shortBreaking the natural law written on every
human heart (Romans 2:14-16)
Sin and Forgiveness
Mission of Jesus - healing the relationships that sin has damaged
Forgiveness - first step in healing While the consequences may remain, the bond can
again begin to formNecessity of asking for forgiveness and
forgiving others All have sinned (and continue to sin) and in need of
forgivenessConsequences of sin is death and isolationForgiveness of sin offers life and communion
Sin - definition
Sin is deliberate thought, word or action (commission) or omission contrary to Eternal Law. Examples of sins of omission?
All sin is bad and contrary to love, but sins differ in gravity from venial to mortal.
Elements of a Moral Decision Making
Object - the thing the person chooses to do (or not do) Some actions are intrinsically evil - always wrong to choose What are examples of this?
Intention - what the person wants to accomplish Both object and intention must be good for an act to be good. Doing good for the wrong reasons can make the action
morally objectionable. Circumstances - the conditions surrounding the
situation at the time of decision Affect the seriousness of the act - how good or bad it is.
Judging Moral Actions
Moral actions can be judged good or bad. Based on the objective nature of the act as well as the
intention and circumstances. Persons cannot be judged good or bad.
That right is reserved for God alone who perfectly knows the object, intention, and circumstances of a person’s life.
Object, intention, circumstances
A student has been absent several days from school because of an illness. She has a number of assignments to make up. To save time and avoid using her weekend to catch up, she copies her best friend’s work.
Label object “O”Label intentions “I”Label circumstances “C”
Conscience
“A judgment of reason by which the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act” CCC 1796 Not just a feeling or opinion Alerts us of a moral issue, helps us decide, critiques
our decision (peace or guilt)We are obliged to properly form conscience
through: Understanding church teaching on issues, reading
Scripture, participation in Sacraments, examining our choices daily.
Conscience and the Church
Magisterium (teaching office of the Church) apply Christ’s moral teaching to modern situations. Christian obligation to understand this teaching. Teachings based in moral law. Church respects people’s right to accept or reject the truth
Individuals are obligated to follow their conscience. If our conscience is not correct, we could be culpable
(guilty of wrongdoing) for our wrong actions. Church has an obligation to influence private and public
morality.
Christian morality
Being the person God creating you to be – good and loving.
Moral character is developed through our decisions Virtues – habit of choosing what is good Vice – habit of choosing what is bad
Living a moral life Examine our intentions to insure they are good. Avoid circumstances that negatively affect our
decisions Form conscious to be oriented toward the good (God)