Theology Final Study Guide 10

Chapter 2: Morality
Introduction
1. Jesus is the a) foundation of Christianity b) center of all the teachings of our catholic faith 2. To understand Jesus mission & ministry (i.e. he said/he did) is to understand Catholic Moral teaching

Section I

A) The Person of Jesus 2. So, as both God and man, Jesus was a a) preacher b) prophet c) story-teller (parables) C) Jesus the Son of God 1. For 2,000 years the Church has identified Jesus 5 ways: a) the only Son (Trinitarian) of the Father b) God c) Savior d) the way, the truth, the life e) model of holiness

Section II

D) 1. The Beatitudes are NOT a) a simple list of rules b) a series of things to do 2. The Beatitudes a) describe a way of life when we live Jesus values (love, forgiveness, service) b) describe the results of this way of life c) do not replace the 10 Commandments, they supplement and expand them

Section IV

E) When following the spirit of the law one is truly living a moral life, and 1.we are practicing moral muscle (i.e. doing more than the minimum) 2.we are not practicing minimalism (i.e. doing the least that is required by the law)

Chapter 3-The Church

Introduction
1. The Church provides a) inspiration (e.g. from the lives of the saints) b) support (e.g. bringing Communion to the sick; helping the poor) c) fellowship (e.g. an after-Mass gathering of equals/community) d) guidance (e.g. a homily, a Theology class, a Bible study group)

Section I-The Communion of Saints A) What IS the Communion of Saints?

1. It is the unity in Christ of the redeemed, in heaven AND on earth 2. It is the Eucharist and other holy things that unite us to Christ and to each other in faith (read morality textbk. pgs 42 & 44)

Section II-The Gift of the Church

** D) The analogy of the terms Body of Christ 1. The terms was first used by Saint Paul in his letter to the Corinthians 2. Our baptism in the ONE Holy Spirit makes each of us parts of the same Body; we all belong to the one Body 3. Jesus is the head of the Body 4. All the members of the Body serve different functions 5. These different functions (like lungs, heart, hand, eye, etc.) all work together for the good of the Body (i.e. Parents, clergy, children, teacher, etc.) 6. If one of the Body suffers (like a headache, stomach ache, etc.), then the whole Body Suffers (e.g. parish, school, etc.) 7. If one part of the Body helps another part (like using ones hand to remove a particle in the eye), the whole Body is helped (e.g. orientation leaders, Senior sisters to Freshman, Habitat for Humanity, etc) E) The Body of Christ means a community of support 1. One of the words for Church is the Greek word Ecclesia-which means a summoned assembly (by Jesus) of mutual support 2. Each person in the Ecclesia is both a giver & a receiver 3. The weakest members are just as important as the strongest

Section III-The Church as Moral Guide

A) Only the Church is authentic interpreter of the Word of God 1. The teaching and interpreting office of the Church is called the Magisterium (i.e. consists of the Pope and Bishops, as successors to the Apostlesand as guided by the Holy Spirit) C) The Commandments (or Precepts/Laws) of the Church 3. There are seven Commandments of the Church: a) Keep Holy the Sabbath (Sunday is the day of Jesus resurrection), by participating in the mass each week

Chapter 4-Conscience
Section I-The Nature of Conscience
A) What is conscience? It is 1. the voice of God within us 2. our awareness of the difference between right and wrong 3. our ability to make moral decisions 4. the essence of our dignity as humans-but only when we follow it 5. a gift from God that leads us to happiness and Himself 6. the work of the Holy Spirit within us (thanks to Confirmation) B) We are called to follow our conscience in many different situations and scenarios -a HERO is someone who follows his/her conscience when facing difficulty and/or challenges

Section II- Descriptions of Conscience A) There are 3 somewhat different, but very interrelated, components of conscience: 1. the inner voice, or the way we are called that draws us to God 2. our upbringing, from our experiences with ourparents, culture,
relatives/friends, community, and education 3. a feeling (or possibly, emotions) these feelings, for example, can include a guilty conscience, good conscience, and clear conscience BUT sometimes these feelings are not entirely accurate or correct, SO a) feelings are significant and must respected; BUT b) by themselves, bad or good feelings are NOT what is meant by conscience B) The root (or foundational) meaning of conscience:

2. Conscience has to do with knowing and acting on that knowledge (i.e. we use our ability to reason)

Section III-Our Inclination to the Good (Because God is Good)

A) 1. A conscience that is ignored or underutilized is called a LAX CONSCIENCE (also called a lazy conscience) B) An informed conscience is 1. a conscience that is educated and developed through the constant us & examination (or review) 2. one that knows Sacred Scripture & Sacred Tradition & puts them into practice 3. always assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit (from Baptism & Confirmation) 4. one that exemplifies our dignity as humans C) When are there lapses in moral judgment? 1. Conscience is a judgment of our reason about the morality of our actions 2. Sometime we can judge wrongly-even after a time of conscientious decision-making. 3. This is called an erroneous conscience (or a conscience in error) 4. In an erroneous conscience, our judgments are made based on present yet incomplete knowledge of right and wrong 6. BUT, when people do NOT follow the moral judgments of their correctly and fully informed conscience they are guilty of sin (they deliberately contradict their conscience)

A) Conscience in Sacred Scripture is equated with Knowing of the Heart 1. our heart portrays our entire being, SO we are called to know ourselves 2. when we are called to change our Heart, we are called to turn away from sin and turn to God (i.e. conversion and repentance) 3. by using the word heart, the Scriptures are telling us that our conscience is NOT just our ability to reason but also our a) feelings b) experiences c) gut reactionsor in other words, our entire beings! B) Vatican Council II tells us that conscience is 1. The essential element of human dignity 2. a gift that must be cultivated and followed in ALL moral decision making 3. always an exercise in free will

Section IV-Conscience in Catholic Tradition

Chapter 5-Sin & Morality

Introduction
2. Jesus regularly connected sin and forgiveness

Section I-Sin Explained

B) Definitions of, and surrounding, sin: 1. It is an offense against God. 2. It is failure to respond to Gods love. 3. It violates our human nature, because we are all made in Gods image. (because we have the ability to reason, we have free will, our goodness) 4. Sin is both personal & social 5. The result of sin is either a partial (venial) or complete (mortal) separation from God. 6. Jesus conquered original and all sin by His death & resurrection (by Baptism & reconciliation)

Section II-Sin in Christian Tradition

B) In todays society and culture, the tendency is to 1. avoid speaking about sin 2. eliminate accountability for our actions

3. lose our sense for whatever is sinful 4. gives ourselves the power as a society to say whats good & evil G) Original Sin and Salvation 1. Our inclination to Sin is the result of original sin (as seen in the Biblical story of Adam & Eve) 2. Gods original creation was good and without sin (i.e. God did NOT create sin) 3. Through humanitys misuse of free will, sin entered the world (a.k.a. The Fall of Humanity) 4. Gods re-creation (or new creation) occurs through Christ, himself 5. The Paschal Mystery (i.e. Jesus passion, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven)

redeemed humanity from the original sin of Adam & Eve (through Baptism) Section III-Sin and the Mercy of God
A) There are two degrees (or levels) of sin: 1. venial sin: less serious sin which damages our relationship with God 2. mortal sin: a serious sin that destroys our relationship with God B) Two ways we sin: 1. Sin of commission (commit->do): sinning by doing something wrong 2. Sin of omission (omit->dont do): not doing something we should do C) 1. All of us who have the ability to intellectually reason possess culpability (which is defined as a moral responsibility for our actions) 2. A person possessing culpability is capable of committing a mortal sin (i.e. a complete rejection of God and His love) 3. There are 3 criteria for a sin to be mortal: a) It must involve a grave matter (the act) b) It must be done with full knowledge (the attitude) c) It must be done deliberately (the freedom) F) Relationships and Apathy 3. Apathy is not getting involved, not caring, not doing what need to be done in our lives

Section IV-The Effects of Sin

C) In addition to being personal, sin is also social 2. Social Sin is defined as a sin in which -no one person is directly responsible; BUT -all people are indirectly responsible; causing -groups of people to be directly or indirectly effected 3. Social Sin is broken down into 3 categories: a) sinful social structure: -the way a society is structured that deprives people of their rights, benefits, and privileges (e.g. China: religious groups (cult), Tibet, Iran, etc.) b) social behavior patterns: -e.g. problem drinking (at all ages) and greed (personal and corporate) c) societal values: -disregard for human life (e.g. abortion, genocide, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research)

Chapter 7-Moral Decision Making

Introduction
1. Moral decision making is a step-by-step process 2. Because of this, moral decision making deserves careful planning and thoughtful execution 3. Following this step-by-step process usually leads to the best possible decision 4. What qualifies a decision as best? When that decision follows the values and teachings of Jesus.

Section 1-Traditional Sources (or Elements) of Moral Decision MakingAnd Our Morality

B) We have the freedom (i.e. free will) to make moral decisions C) We have the wisdom (i.e. accumulated learning (includes experimental knowledge), knowledge and insight, and good sense) to make moral decisions E) The Church identifies of us the three sources (or elements) of moral decision making-and our morality-as follows: 1. The object chosen: what we do; the action we take 2. The intention: the motive, purpose, and/or reason in performing the act 3. The circumstances (the conditions surrounding both us and the act itself) and consequences (the effects of the act itself that could have an impact on how good or how evil the act is) F) A morally good decision requires the goodness of all three of these together; BUT certain objects are inherently evil and cannot be made good by good intentions and/or good circumstances and consequences G) Moral decision require discernment (i.e. the calling upon as many Resources as possible (both past and present) to evaluate whether an action is right or wrong) H) The discernment process always needs 1. prayer (i.e. our speaking to and listening for God in order to be more open to God and his will); and 2.following ones conscience (i.e. WWJD?)

Section II-Fact Finding

B) Questions that help identify the facts surrounding a decision: 1. What are the facts AND what is merely opinion? (p. 125) 2. Who performs the decision/action? Who is affected by it? (p. 127) -When we ask Who does the act? and Who is affected by the act?, it is important to remember that age differences and cultural backgrounds always come into play here 3. What is the motivation behind the decision/action? (p. 128) - We must ALWAYS be honest about out real motives 4. How will the goals be achieved? (p. 129) -To win at any cost and to do whatever it takes-or to accept that the ends justify the means-are not consistent with moral decision making 5. When and where will the decision/action take place? D) During and after asking ourselves these what/who/how/when/where questions we must also consider the possible effects (i.e. consequences) of our decision and corresponding action(s) 1. Consequences in themselves do not determine if an act is good or evil. 2. Consequences can increase or decrease the goodness or evil of the act. 3. We cannot for certain know the exact consequences of an act-but we can envision the possible effects

Section III-The Moral Discernment Process

A) The most important and productive things to do in order to facilitate the discernment process are as follows 1. Talking to others (e.g. friends, parents, teachers, priests, brothers, nuns, deacons, school, counselors, role models, people who have made similar decisions) 2. Consulting the Church a) scripture & tradition b) catechism c) encyclicals d) apostolic & pastoral letters e) certain theologians 3. Identifying our own thoughts and feelingsthey can lead us to and awareness of the truth; BUT, those same thoughts and feelings can also be manipulated by yourself and others

4. Learning from personal experience: a) identifying the events/occurrences in our past that brought out the best and worst in us b) recognizing our own uniqueness 5. Recognizing and scrutinizing our values: a) Asking ourselves: what is important to me in my life? and being honest with answer(s) b) asking ourselves: What makes me the person I am? 6. Praying a) Helps us to recognize we are not alone b) Helps us to recognize Gods will (e.g. Jesus in the desert after His Baptism/the Garden of Gethsemane)

Chapter 12-Human Sexuality and Morality

Section II-Sexuality in a Covenant Relationship
C) The essence of Jesus is love-a selfless and unconditional love. This love leads to agape, a pure love relationship. The epitome, (i.e. best example), of this pure love relationship are Gods Covenants with the Hebrews (O/T) and Jesus with his Church (N/T). Jesus is in full union with His Church through this Covenant. D) Jesus taught that marriage between a man and a woman is a covenant relationship of complete and permanent -unwavering fidelity (faithfulness) -total commitment -dedication (mutual respect and caring)

Section III-Sexuality and Our Humanity

A) Our sexuality is a part of out lives that both draws us out of ourselves and urges us to seek union with others. 3. Sexuality is a psychological, spiritual, and physical reality 4. Sexuality is a way for us to create as a reflection of Gods power 5. Our sexuality reflects Gods creative love 7. Therefore, every marital act must be open to the transmission of human life- which is the bearing of children (i.e. fecundity) 7. Fecundity is the bearing of children. B) Since we are all Gods creations AND made in Gods image and likeness AND our sexuality is a gift from Godwe are to express ourselves sexually in way that reflects our integrity as physical/spiritual beings made in Gods image. The word to describe that expression is chastity. C) There are four qualities of chastity: 1. self-mastery: controlling our passions and finding peace 2. Possessing and living the four cardinal virtues -prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance (see pages 289, 290, 291, 292 for definitions) 3. Patience-or disciple and consistency 4. Grace-or Gods presence in our lives D) Violations of chastity: 1. Concupiscence-an intense form of human desire (e.g. no limits) 2. Fornication-intercourse between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman 3. Pornography-displays of erotic behavior in any form (pictures, written, film, etc.) 4. Prostitution-engaging in sexual relations for money

Section IV-Sexuality in Marriage

A) Matrimony is a vocationa calling by God to live life in a particular way B) Matrimony symbolizes the loving union that Christ has for and with His church C) Matrimony leads to the creation of the domestic church (i.e. the family, with children) D) Sexuality in marriage should always have the following 4 goals:

1. the procreation of new life 2. a full and complete sharing of both lived in love as an expression of mutual commitment 3. the creation of a community (i.e. the family with children) 4. to help make Gods unconditional love present for both spouse E) Violations of Marriage: 1. adultery-sex with someone who is NOT you husband or wife 2. divorce-the separation of what God had joined together (see p. 229) 3. polygamy-having more than one spouse at a time 4. incest- sex with a relation whim you could not legally marry 5. artificial contraception-separates the sexual act from the act of procreation (both our sexuality and the ability to create are Gods gifts to us) (eliminates the greatest gift of God, children)

Section V- Sexuality Outside Marriage

A) Three examples of immoral sexual activity outside of marriage: 1. Recreational Sexual Intercourse: sexual activity in the pursuit of pleasure with NO constraints other than mutual satisfaction 2. Emotional Relationship Sexual Intercourse: sexual activity presumed as acceptable when both people feel love for each other (Andie and Nate in The Devil Wears Prada) 3. Almost-Committed Sexual Intercourse: sexual activity that is presumed as acceptable when 2 people have expressed a degree of commitment to each other (including engagement)