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)