Post on 13-Jan-2016
Excerpt from “Understanding Sin Today” by Richard M. Gula, SS
- Sin: to be disconnected from God through the failure to love.
In the Past: SIN
understood for centuries as being a crime, a transgression of the law and the breaking of a rule. (legal model of sin)
In the Past: SIN
But laws cannot cover all the decisions we have to make - it doesn’t address our attitudes, intentions, and ways of seeing things.
In the Past: SIN
Centered on one’s self. Sin affects me and my salvation.
Leaves out conversion: a change of heart with the intention of following God more faithfully.
Sin’s “New Look”
Responsibility replaces obligation
Dignity of person emphasized
Relational Model: Value of sharing life in society
Sin’s Root Sense
To be disconnected from God by a failure to love
An omission: a failure to do what ought to be done.
Sin’s Root Sense
Loving choices are selfless and based on the needs of others
Sin’s Root Sense
Because loving God & loving neighbor are “all tied together” sin will always be expressed in & through relationships.
“Types of Sin”
Original Sin
Social Sin
Actual SinMortal Venial
Doctrine of Original Sin
There is more evil in the world than that which we cause ourselves.
The face of sin which we recognize as the condition of evil into which we are born.
Doctrine of Original Sin
A condition of being human that makes us feel as if our freedom were bound by chains from the very beginning
We feel the effects of this evil in the pull towards selfishness which alienates us from our deepest selves, from others, from God.
Doctrine of Original Sin
Because of original sin, we will always know struggle & tragedy as part of our lives.
Social Sin: A Life of Its Own
Human-made structures that offend human dignity by causing people to suffer oppression, exploitation or marginalization
A Life of Their Own
Once established, social structures
& systems seem
to take on a life
of their own.
We learn to live in a world with social structures & presume that the social customs which they hold in place are good, traditional customs.
This is What Makes Social Sin So Difficult to Recognize & Change
Conversion from social sin: change own lifestyle,
in word & actionexamining regulations
that affect
human dignity
Actual SinWe All Know It - Personal Sin
An expression of the person in relationship, not simply as disobedience to the law
2 Kinds: Mortal & Venial
Mortal sin: Radical NO to God & Others
Serious break in a relationship of love with God, neighbor, world, & self
Refusal to live in positive, life-giving way
3 Conditions of Mortal Sin
1 pertains to the actionSerious matter
2 pertain to the personSufficient reflection
Full consent of the will
Venial sin: Failing to Show Care for Others
Immoral acts of less importance than mortal sins
Can weigh us down with “the anchor of bad habits”
Submerged in self-interestInconsistent with value
to be for life & love
God is Merciful
God does not want us to be weighed down with a distorted sense of guilt & responsibility.
We are called to participate more fully in the creative power of God calling us to reconciliation, to reconnect with our best selves, with others, with the world & with God.
Sacrament of Penance & Reconciliation
opportunity & invitation to heal the brokenness in our lives & set our relationships right
DEFINITIONS
Obligation: a dutyVocation: a calling to serve God;
purpose in lifeChurch: the people of God; followers
of Jesus across time & spaceDecalogue:
“10 Words” – 10 Commandments
DEFINITIONS
Covenant: a formal agreement between God & the people, with mutual responsibilities
Conversion: a change of heart with the intention of following God more faithfully
SPELLING
actual conversion covenant Decalogue dialogue merciful mortal
SPELLING
obligation omissionoriginal penance pilgrimagereconciliation
relativismsacrament sinsocialvenialvocation
Ch. 2 Test - Morality
Matching T/F Multiple Choice
1. 6. 11. 15. 21.
2. 7. 12. 16. 22.
3. 8. 13. 17. 23.
4. 9. 14. 18. 24.
5. 10. 19. 25.
20.
Sentence Structure
Always being there for them.