Slide 1:HUMAN NATURE THE BASIS FOR MORALITY What we ought to do is based on what we are


Slide 2:Natural Moral Law Conscience CONTENTS Freedom


Slide 3:Natural Moral Law


Slide 4:TWO DIFFERENT IDEAS ON BASIS OF MORALITY Modern view Classical view


Slide 5:Created by human will Changeable by human will


Slide 6:Essentially unchangeable Necessary to be healthy Regular physical exercise is to bodily health, as practice of the moral virtues is to moral health.


Slide 7:NATURAL LAW MORALITY Known by human reason; no need for faith Cicero (106-43 B.C.) De Republica St. Paul (10-67 A.D.) Romans 2:14-15


Slide 8:PROPERTIES OF NATURAL LAW Universal (same for everyone) Knowable (discovered, not invented; real, not just mental) Immutable (permanent throughout variations in history)


Slide 9:NATURAL LAW & CHRISTIANITY To be Christ-like: Ultimate end of morality Morality is based on human nature. Jesus is the one perfect man. Morality finds its perfection and ultimate meaning in Christ. “For me to live is Christ” (Phil 1:21). See CCC 1953


Slide 10:DIGNITY OF MAN The basis for Catholic morality Origin of man Destiny of man


Slide 11:God created man in His image and likeness Genesis 1:26 ORIGIN OF MAN


Slide 12:Be what you are As God’s children Not as apes Endowed with spiritual and immortal soul Origin of man


Slide 13:Human body is part of man’s dignity and God’s image Origin of man


Slide 14:DESTINY OF MAN The dignity of the human person is…fulfilled in his vocation to divine beatitude CCC 1700


Slide 15:DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS OF THE MORAL LAW See CCC 1952 See St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, 1a 2ae, quest. 93, art. 1


Slide 16:ETERNAL LAW Civil Law Natural Law Divine Law Canon Law


Slide 17:ETERNAL LAW Cosmic order established by God See St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, 1a 2ae, quest. 93, art. 1


Slide 18:Divine Law Enacted by God and made known to man through revelation.


Slide 19:Canon Law Body of laws and regulations made by or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members.


Slide 20:Civil Law Laws made by communities of men: ex., one must be 18 in order to vote, 19 in order to drink, one must drive on the right side of the road, etc.


Slide 21:Civil and Natural Law Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from a Birmingham Jail Summa Theologica, 1a 62ae, quest. 93, art. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas Civil law can be just or unjust, depending upon how it squares with natural law


Slide 22:Resolutions Learn the Ten Commandments, which contain the substance of the natural law. Firmly resolve to follow the Commandments, trusting on the help of supernatural grace.


Slide 23:MORAL IMPORTANCE OF THE MIND Discovery of “anchor” or starting point of moral reason Do good and avoid evil


Slide 24:The mind, like a mirror, receives the light of truth, both by faith and by natural reason.


Slide 25:Good cannot be separated from Truth


Slide 27:Intellectual virtues Moral virtues


Slide 28:A prerequisite for moral virtues SINCERITY


Slide 29:James TISSOT (1836-1902), Woe Unto You, Scribes and Pharisees


Slide 30:Catholic morality is based on the truth of God


Slide 32:Conscience


Slide 33:Cum scientia = with knowledge INTELLECTUAL POWER Judgment of reason by which the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1778


Slide 34:Conscience is NOT a feeling. Conscience is an intellectual power.


Slide 35:NATURAL LAW (General principles) CONSCIENCE (applying general principles to concrete case; urging or blaming) MORAL ACTION


Slide 37:STATES OF CONSCIENCE PERSONAL ASSENT Classified according to… Certain Doubtful JUDGMENT’S CONFORMITY TO THE MORAL NORM Correct or True Erroneous or False


Slide 38:With respect to personal assent truth grounded on either


Slide 39:With respect to judgment’s conformity to the moral norm


Slide 40:ERRONEOUS CONSCIENCE


Slide 41:IGNORANCE due to NEGLIGENCE ERRONEOUS CONSCIENCE CULPABLE


Slide 42:WILLFUL IGNORANCE ERRONEOUS CONSCIENCE CULPABLE


Slide 43:INVINCIBLE IGNORANCE ERRONEOUS CONSCIENCE NOT CULPABLE


Slide 44:Certain True & Act if conscience is both


Slide 45:Do not act if conscience is


Slide 46:FORMATION OF CONSCIENCE A lifelong task See CCC 1784


Slide 47:Know the truth thru study Moral Science Church Magisterium


Slide 48:Will to do good thru virtues


Slide 49:Practice humility Ask for advice


Slide 50:Practice sincerity


Slide 51:Resolutions We should do a short examination of conscience every day before going to bed, to see if have taken God into account in the things we have done. We must form continually our conscience by studying, seeking advise, and practicing the moral virtues. We must be humble and sincere in spiritual direction.


Slide 52:Freedom


Slide 53:By virtue of his soul and his spiritual powers of intellect and will, man is endowed with freedom, an ‘outstanding manifestation of the divine image.’ CCC 1705


Slide 54:SPIRITUAL POWERS INTELLECT WILL


Slide 55:SPIRITUAL POWERS INTELLECT WILL


Slide 56:Free will makes us morally responsible


Slide 57:self-giving is


Slide 58:“I will the good” is not


Slide 60:CCC 1705 Freedom is the power rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions, on one’s own responsibility. CCC 1731


Slide 61:Basis: Free will CCC 1732


Slide 62:The more one does what is good, the freer does one become. CCC 1733


Slide 63:He who sins is a slave to sin. Romans 6:17


Slide 64:LAW AND FREEDOM


Slide 65:Though they are not free, emotions are important for morality because emotions are closely connected with the will, and powerfully help or harm it.


Slide 66:Good emotions help us live good moral lives


Slide 67:It belongs to the perfection of … the human good that the passions be governed by reason. CCC 1767


Slide 69:The horse needs to be ruled by the rider.


Slide 70:It should not lead the rider. Neither should the rider lock up the horse in the stable all the time.


Slide 71:Resolutions Put into practice the Ten Commandments. Struggle to live the virtues, even though there may be no accompanying emotions.