Eternal Law, Sin, and Conscience

1. Eternal Law, Sin, and Conscience The Good, the Bad, and determining the right from the wrong

2. 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.

3. Eternal Law Unchanging Governs the universe Directs all parts of creation to its ultimate purpose

4. Moral Law Rational expression of Eternal Law Leads humans to their ultimate purpose, happiness and goodness Moral law is fulfilled in Christ

5. Natural Law • Moral law that can be understood through reason • Awareness of good and evil, right from wrong • Common principles across cultures or religions • Golden Rule • Not based on custom but on nature • Based on the human desire of goodness (God)

6. Homework Review articles 5 & 6 Worksheet on Moral Law – Part I (True & False)

7. Why is natural law not enough? People do not follow what they know is right People are not formed correctly Disagreement among people of good will how to apply moral & natural law Reality of sin in the world

8. 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 neighbor Old Law also contained culturally conditioned laws Does not give strength to follow the law Preparation for the Gospel

9. 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 happiness Goes beyond merely avoiding breaking the law Summary of Divine Law - Great Commandments

10. 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.

11. Morals in the New Testament In pairs, complete the worksheet “Values in New Testament Moral Teachings”

12. 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

13. Sin – Old Testament • Rebelling against God - choosing selfishness • Missing the Mark – desire to do good, but fall short in our daily life • Consequences of Sin • Sin affects the whole family and the greater community • Sinners are directly punished • God withdraws favor

14. Homework Read articles 11-13 (Pg. 57-69) Takes notes in your notebook.

15. Sin – New Testament Hamartia - missing the mark; falling short Breaking the natural law written on every human heart (Romans 2:14-16)

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 form • Necessity of asking for forgiveness and forgiving others • All have sinned (and continue to sin) and in need of forgiveness • Consequences of sin is death and isolation • Forgiveness of sin offers life and communion

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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”

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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)