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VALUES

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Values refer to those commitments, whether things, ideals, persons, activities, in our lives which are the following:

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1. FREELY CHOSEN
from within (not imposed from without)

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2. CHOSEN FROM AMONG ALTERNATIVES

(from among other live options reflectively thoughtfully conscious of future implications)

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3. CHERISHED
Prized Held precious Important Dear Deep Personal Vital

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4. LIVED
permeating the pattern of my behavior and expressed repeatedly in my daily decisions and actions

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11 Steps for Making a Decision Following the Ignatian Method 1. Identify the decision to be made or the issue to be resolved. The issue should be practicalabout doing or not doing something. It has to be real; that is, there really is a decision to be madea question about whether you should or should not do something.

It must be an issue about which you have the right to make the decision. You must have or be able to obtain the necessary information to decide intelligently. If you have difficulty identifying the issue, follow this five-step procedure:

1. List the various issues you might be deciding about in the next few weeks or months, or in the next years time. 2. List the actions you might take about these issues. 3. Make a list of pros and cons for each issue or possible action. 4. Rank the issues and possible actions in the order of preference as you currently experience them. 5. Use the issue or possible action ranked first as the focus of your discernment. 2. Formulate the issue in a proposal. State Make State State it it it it as a positive, concrete choice. as specific as possible (What you will do, where, and when). in the way that God initially seems to be drawing you. in the form of X vs. non-X or X vs. Y.

Example of an X vs. non-X proposal: I will take enough courses next term so that I can graduate this coming May. Example of an X vs. Y proposal: I will stay in my current job with company A or I will accept a job offer from company B. 3. Pray for openness to Gods will, and for freedom from prejudgment and addictions. Ask for that inner freedom and balance that allows you not to be inclined more toward one alternative or option than to the other. This means to ask to be free enough to be influenced only by this one value: which alternative will give most glory to God and be expressive of my own deepest self, my authentic self? To arrive at this absolutely necessary inner freedom, you may wish to discuss the matter with a spiritually mature person who can help you. In particular, discuss what obstacles could be limiting your freedom by blocking you or inclining you to one alternative over the other. Possible obstacles: projections, disordered attachments like inferiority complexes, superiority complexes, or glorified self- images; shoulds or oughts that tyrannize you; perfectionism, fears, materialistic greed, and possessiveness; past hurts and self- pity; competitiveness that leads to envy; impatience with yourself or others; lust, ingratitude, and irreverence; desire for control, power, status, prestige, exclusiveness, and so forth.

As preparation for your prayer, read over slowly, carefully, and attentively the following Scripture passages: Luke 17:5-6 Luke 12:22-32 Matthew 13:44-46 Matthew 14:22-33 Luke 18:35-43 Mark 10:17-22 Matthew 5:13-16 Luke 14:33 2 Timothy 1:7 Matthew 7:24-25 Luke 16:13 Philippians 3:7-10 Luke 11:5-13 Matthew 20:26-28 Note the passages that strike you most strongly. Make these passages the source from which you talk with God about the particular areas where you need freedom. Where do you need greater detachment about the alternatives or options in your proposal? Bring them to God in prayer. Ask above all for a deep love: love for God, for the people being affected by the decision, and for your own true self or authentic self. Pray that no self-centered attraction or aversion about a choice will sidetrack you from what the Holy Spirit is pointing you to. Ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all this.

4. Gather all the necessary information. Find out all the relevant specifics relating to the decision: Who? What? Where? When? How much? Why? Be satisfactorily informed. Be sure to consult with everyone who will be intimately affected by the decision being made: spouse, children, other family, friends, colleagues. Get their input about it, including their feelings and desires. Discuss this matter with someone sensitive to Christian spiritual values. This could be a friend, counselor, priest, or minister someone who will be honest and objective with you. Discuss the matter in detailits values and possibilities, your strengths and weaknesses.

5. Repeat the third step: Pray for openness to Gods will. Pray about the matter again in light of the data you have gathered and the counsel of others. Most likely new feelings and desires have been stirred up that need to be shared with God so that they might be purified of any prejudgment or disordered attachment. This is a freedom check. Are you free enough to be influenced only by this one value: which alternative will give most glory to God and be expressive of your own deepest self, your authentic self? 6. State all the reasons for and all the reasons against each alternative in the proposal. For a proposal of the X vs. non-X form, make two lists: Advantages for me and Disadvantages for me. For a proposal of the X vs. Y form, make a table with four lists: Advantages for Me and Disadvantages for me for each alternative (See the table below.)

Stay with Company A Advantages for me Disadvantages for me Disadvantages for me 1. 1. 2. 2. 3. 3.

Take a New Job with Company B Advantages for me 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3.

Begin with a short prayer asking God to be with you as you make your lists. Ask particularly for light to see clearly what God chooses for you and what will best honor and serve God, your neighbor, and your true self. List all the reasons you can think of. Do not prejudge their merit. You will evaluate them in the next step. 7. Do a formal evaluation of all the advantages and disadvantages. The point of this evaluation is to see which advantages and disadvantages seem to be coming from the influence of the Holy Spirit and which ones do not. Attempt to get in contact with your motives and values. To do this well, you may have to spend considerable time on this step. It may take weeks if you are making a major life decision. Repeat Step 3, praying for openness and freedom. Pray for light about factors that inhibit freedom and openness to God. Are there any? Beg God for the help to be detached from disordered attachments that might be influencing you. Pray for a deeper faith in God and love for God. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages by asking four questions:

* Which reasons are the most important? Why? * What values are preserved or realized by each option? (Many advantages and disadvantages may be pointing to the same value.) * Which option more evidently leads to Gods service and better serves the growth of your true self in the Holy Spirit? * Which option seems more consistent with your own faith journey and history with God? 8. Observe the direction of your will while reflecting on the advantages and disadvantages. As you evaluate the choices, your desires will be influenced by the Holy Spirit; that is, your will becomes more inclined toward one option and less inclined toward the other. These inclinations may fluctuate between options. Pay attention to these inner movements. Pray for light from the Holy Spirit about them. Eventually, your will is likely to focus on one of the alternatives.

If your will does not settle on one choice but continues to fluctuate between the two, a disordered attachment may be influencing you. This is a signal to do some more prayer. Return to Step 3. Ask God to free you from any selfish inclinations and lead you to worthy motives. Pray that the Holy Spirit draws your will and its desires to Gods will.

9. Ask God to give you feelings of consolation about the preferred option. This is the third of three states of the discernment. First, you asked the Holy Spirit to transform your thoughts (listing advantages and disadvantages). Second, you asked the Holy Spirit to transform your desires (your will) while evaluating the lists of advantages and disadvantages. Now you ask the Holy Spirit to stir feelings of spiritual consolation. These are feelings of joy, enthusiasm, deeper faith, greater hope and trust, greater love, confidence, courage. These thoughts, desires, and feelings are all parts of your inner experience of the Holy Spirit guiding you to the truth. These feelings of consolation accompany your desires when they are clearly pointed toward loving and serving God, others, and your true self. They are very different from the feelings that accompany your desires when they are influenced by disordered attachments aimed only at your selfish ways. If your feelings fluctuate between consolation and desolation, you may be under the influence of mixed motives and disordered attachments. If so, return to Step 3: pray for freedom and openness to God.

10. Trust in God and make your decision, even if you are not certain about it. 11. Confirm the decision. Live with the decision for a while to see whether your thoughts, desires, and feelings continue to support it. If not, new data is needed and the process must be redone. By Jim Manney

http://ignatianspirituality.com/making-good-decisions/an-approach-to-good-choices/anignatian-framework-for-making-a-decision/

http://www.guttmacher.org/media/presskits/2005/06/28/abortionoverview.html

Nearly half of all pregnancies to American women are unintended; four in 10 of

these end in abortion.

About half of American women have experienced an unintended pregnancy, and

at current rates more than one-third (35%) will have had an abortion by age 45.

Overall unintended pregnancy rates have stagnated over the past decade, yet

unintended pregnancy increased by 29% among poor women while decreasing 20% among higher-income women.

in 2000.

In 2005, 1.21 million abortions were performed, down from 1.31 million abortions

Nine in 10 abortions occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. A broad cross section of U.S. women have abortions:

o 56% of women having abortions are in their 20s; o 61% have one or more children; o 67% have never married; o 57% are economically disadvantaged; o 88% live in a metropolitan area; and o 78% report a religious affiliation. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/sfaa/california.html National Background and Context
Abortion is a common experience: At current rates, about one in three American women will have had an abortion by the time she reaches age 45. Moreover, a broad cross section of U.S. women have abortions. 57% of women having abortions are in their 20s; 60% have one or more children; 86% are unmarried; 57% are economically disadvantaged; 88% live in a metropolitan area; and 78% report a religious affiliation. No racial or ethnic group makes up a majority: 41% of women obtaining abortions are white non-Hispanic, 32% are black non-Hispanic, 20% are Hispanic and 7% are of other racial backgrounds.

Contraceptive use is a key predictor of women's recourse to abortion. The very small group of American women who are at risk of experiencing an unintended pregnancy but are not using contraceptives account for almost half of all abortions46% in 2000. Many of these women did not think they would get pregnant or had concerns about contraceptive methods. The remainder of abortions occur among the much larger group of women who were using contraceptives in the month they became pregnant. Many of these women report difficulty using contraceptives consistently. Abortion is one of the safest surgical procedures for women in the United States. Fewer than 0.5% of women obtaining abortions experience a complication, and the risk of death associated with abortion is about one-tenth that associated with childbirth. In the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a woman, in consultation with her physician, has a constitutionally protected right to choose abortion in the early stages of pregnancythat is, before viability. In 1992, the Court upheld the basic right to abortion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. However, it also expanded the ability of the states to enact all but the most extreme restrictions on women's access to abortion. The most common restrictions in effect are parental notification or consent requirements for minors, state-sponsored counseling and waiting periods, and limitations on public funding.

Pregnancies and Their Outcomes

In 2005, 6.3 million of the 62 million American women of reproductive age (15-44) became pregnant. 66% of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 19% in abortions; the remaining 15% ended in miscarriage. In California, 887,900 of the 7,697,776 women of reproductive age became pregnant in 2005. 62% of these pregnancies resulted in live births and 23% in induced abortions. In 2005, 1.2 million American women obtained abortions, producing a rate of 19.4 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age. The rate declined 9% from 2000, when the abortion rate was 21.3 abortions per 1,000 women 15-44. In 2005, 208,430 women obtained abortions in California, producing a rate of 27.1 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age. Some of these women were from other states, and some California residents had abortions in other states, so this rate may not reflect the abortion rate of state residents. The rate declined 13% since 2000, when it was 31.2 abortions per 1,000 women 15-44. Abortions in California represent 17.3 of all abortions in the United States.

Where Do Women Obtain Abortions?

In 2005, there were 1,787 abortion providers in the United States. This represents a 2% decrease from 2000, when there were 1,819 abortion providers. 34% of these providers were hospitals, 21% were abortion clinics (clinics where more than half of all patient visits were for

abortion), 24% were clinics where fewer than half of all visits were for abortion, and 21% were private physicians' offices. 69% of all abortions were provided at abortion clinics, 25% at other clinics, 5% at hospitals and 2% at private physicians' offices. In 2005, there were 424 abortion providers in California. This represents a 6% increase from 2000, when there were 400 abortion providers. The increase in California may have resulted from the use of state health department data to identify hospitals that performed small numbers of abortions. In 2005, 87% of U.S. counties had no abortion provider. 1/3 of American women lived in these counties, which meant they would have to travel outside their county to obtain an abortion. Of women obtaining abortions in 2005, nonhospital providers estimate that 25% traveled at least 50 miles, and 8% traveled more than 100 miles. In 2005, 41% of California counties had no abortion provider. 4% of California women lived in these counties. In the West census region, where California is located, 18% of women having abortions traveled at least 50 miles, and 5% traveled more than 100 miles. In California, 5 metropolitan areas lack an abortion provider: Merced; Hanford-Corcoran; Madera; Visalia-Porterville; Yuba City-Marysville

Restrictions on Abortion
In California, the following restrictions on abortion were in effect as of January 2008:

California does not have any of the major types of abortion restrictionssuch as

waiting periods, mandated parental involvement or limitations on publicly funded abortions often found in other states.

Am I in a Healthy Relationship?
Sometimes it feels impossible to find someone who's right for you and who thinks you're right for him or her! So when it happens, you're usually so psyched that you don't even mind when your little brother finishes all the ice cream or your English teacher chooses the one day when you didn't do

your reading to give you a pop quiz. It's totally normal to look at the world through rose-colored glasses in the early stages of a relationship. But for some people, those rose-colored glasses turn into blinders that keep them from seeing that a relationship isn't as healthy as it should be.

What Makes a Healthy Relationship?

Hopefully, you and your significant other are treating each other well. Not sure if that's the case? Take a step back from the dizzying sensation of being swept off your feet and think about whether your relationship has these qualities:

Mutual respect. Does he or she get how cool you are and why? (Watch out if the answer to the first part is yes but only because you're acting like someone you're not!) The key is that your BF or GF is into you for who you are for your great sense of humor, your love of reality TV, etc. Does your partner listen when you say you're not comfortable doing something and then back off right away? Respect in a relationship means that each person values who the other is and understands and would never challenge the other person's boundaries. Trust. You're talking with a guy from French class and your boyfriend walks by. Does he completely lose his cool or keep walking because he knows you'd never cheat on him? It's OK to get a little jealous sometimes jealousy is a natural emotion. But how a person reacts when feeling jealous is what matters. There's no way you can have a healthy relationship if you don't trust each other. Honesty. This one goes hand-in-hand with trust because it's tough to trust someone when one of you isn't being honest. Have you ever caught your girlfriend in a major lie? Like she told you that she had to work on Friday night but it turned out she was at the movies with her friends? The next time she says she has to work, you'll have a lot more trouble believing her and the trust will be on shaky ground. Support. It's not just in bad times that your partner should support you. Some people are great when your whole world is falling apart but can't take being there when things are going right (and vice versa). In a healthy relationship, your significant other is there with a shoulder to cry on when you find out your parents are getting divorced and to celebrate with you when you get the lead in a play. Fairness/equality. You need to have give-and-take in your relationship, too. Do you take turns choosing which new movie to see? As a couple, do you hang out with your partner's friends as often as you hang out with yours? It's not like you have to keep a running count and make sure things are exactly even, of course. But you'll know if it isn't a pretty fair balance. Things get bad really fast when a relationship turns into a power struggle, with one person

fighting to get his or her way all the time. Separate identities. In a healthy relationship, everyone needs to make compromises. But that doesn't mean you should feel like you're losing out on being yourself. When you started going out, you both had your own lives (families, friends, interests, hobbies, etc.) and that shouldn't change. Neither of you should have to pretend to like something you don't, or give up seeing your friends, or drop out of activities you love. And you also should feel free to keep developing new talents or interests, making new friends, and moving forward. Good communication. You've probably heard lots of stuff about how men and women don't seem to speak the same language. We all know how many different meanings the little phrase "no, nothing's wrong" can have, depending on who's saying it! But what's important is to ask if you're not sure what he or she means, and speak honestly and openly so that the miscommunication is avoided in the first place. Never keep a feeling bottled up because you're afraid it's not what your BF or GF wants to hear or because you worry about sounding silly. And if you need some time to think something through before you're ready to talk about it, the right person will give you some space to do that if you ask for it.

What's an Unhealthy Relationship?

A relationship is unhealthy when it involves mean, disrespectful, controlling, or abusive behavior. Some people live in homes with parents who fight a lot or abuse each other emotionally, verbally, or physically. For some people who have grown up around this kind of behavior it can almost seem normal or OK. It's not! Many of us learn from watching and imitating the people close to us. So someone who has lived around violent or disrespectful behavior may not have learned how to treat others with kindness and respect or how to expect the same treatment. Qualities like kindness and respect are absolute requirements for a healthy relationship. Someone who doesn't yet have this part down may need to work on it with a trained therapist before he or she is ready for a relationship. Meanwhile, even though you might feel bad or feel for someone who's been mistreated, you need to take care of yourself it's not healthy to stay in a relationship that involves abusive behavior of any kind.

Warning Signs
When a boyfriend or girlfriend uses verbal insults, mean language, nasty putdowns, gets physical by hitting or slapping, or forces someone into sexual activity, it's an important warning sign of verbal, emotional, or physical abuse. Ask yourself, does my boyfriend or girlfriend:

get angry when I don't drop everything for him or her?

criticize the way I look or dress, and say I'll never be able to find anyone else who would date me? keep me from seeing friends or from talking to any other guys or girls? want me to quit an activity, even though I love it? ever raise a hand when angry, like he or she is about to hit me? try to force me to go further sexually than I want to?

These aren't the only questions you can ask yourself. If you can think of any way in which your boyfriend or girlfriend is trying to control you, make you feel bad about yourself, isolate you from the rest of your world, or this is a big one harm you physically or sexually, then it's time to get out, fast. Let a trusted friend or family member know what's going on and make sure you're safe. It can be tempting to make excuses or misinterpret violence, possessiveness, or anger as an expression of love. But even if you know that the person hurting you loves you, it is not healthy. No one deserves to be hit, shoved, or forced into anything he or she doesn't want to do.

Why Are Some Relationships So Difficult?

Ever heard about how it's hard for someone to love you when you don't love yourself? It's a big relationship roadblock when one or both people struggle with self-esteem problems. Your girlfriend or boyfriend isn't there to make you feel good about yourself if you can't do that on your own. Focus on being happy with yourself, and don't take on the responsibility of worrying about someone else's happiness. What if you feel that your girlfriend or boyfriend needs too much from you? If the relationship feels like a burden or a drag instead of a joy, it might be time to think about whether it's a healthy match for you. Someone who's not happy or secure may have trouble being a healthy relationship partner. Also, intense relationships can be hard for some teenagers. Some are so focused on their own developing feelings and responsibilities that they don't have the emotional energy it takes to respond to someone else's feelings and needs in a close relationship. Don't worry if you're just not ready yet.

You will be, and you can take all the time you need. Ever notice that some teen relationships don't last very long? It's no wonder you're still growing and changing every day, and it can be tough to put two people together whose identities are both still in the process of forming. You two might seem perfect for each other at first, but that can change. If you try to hold on to the relationship anyway, there's a good chance it will turn sour. Better to part as friends than to stay in something that you've outgrown or that no longer feels right for one or both of you. And before you go looking for amour from that hottie from French class, respect your current beau by breaking things off before you make your move. Relationships can be one of the best and most challenging parts of your world. They can be full of fun, romance, excitement, intense feelings, and occasional heartache, too. Whether you're single or in a relationship, remember that it's good to be choosy about who you get close to. If you're still waiting, take your time and get to know plenty of people. Think about the qualities you value in a friendship and see how they match up with the ingredients of a healthy relationship. Work on developing those good qualities in yourself they make you a lot more attractive to others. And if you're already part of a pair, make sure the relationship you're in brings out the best in both of you.

Capital Punishment: Teaching Tradition of the Catholic Church

Catechism of the Catholic Church 2265 Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility. 2266 "The efforts of the state to curb the spread of behavior harmful to people's rights and to the basic rules of civil society correspond to the requirement of safeguarding the common good. Legitimate public authority has the right and the duty to inflict punishment proportionate to the gravity of the offense. Punishment has the primary aim of redressing the disorder introduced by the offense. When it is willingly accepted by the guilty party, it assumes the value of expiation. Punishment then, in addition to defending public order and protecting people's safety, has a medicinal purpose: as far as possible, it must contribute to the correction of the guilty party. 2267 "Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor. If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity of the human person.

Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm--without definitively taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself--the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity 'are rare, if not practically non-existent.' (NT: John Paul II, Evangelium vitae 56) The U.S. Catholic Bishops Capital punishment involves profound legal and political questions; it also touches upon important moral and religious concerns. In 1974, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops declared its opposition to the reinstitution of capital punishment. Since that time a number of individual bishops, State Catholic Conferences and other Catholic organizations have actively opposed the death penalty. Many have expressed the view that in this day of increasing violence and disregard for human life, a return to the use of capital punishment can only lead to further erosion of respect for life and to the increased brutalization of our society. At the same time, crime in our society cannot be ignored; criminals must be brought to justice. Concern for human life also requires reaffirmation of the belief that violent crime is a most serious matter. It calls for seeking effective ways to prevent crime, insuring swift and certain punishment for its perpetrators, the reform of the criminal justice system, and steps to eliminate the complex causes of crime in our society. I do not challenge society's right to punish the capital offender, but I would ask all to examine the question of whether there are other and better approaches to protecting our people from violent crimes than resorting to executions. In particular I ask those who advocate the use of capital punishment to reflect prayerfully upon all the moral dimensions of the issue. It is not so much a matter of whether an argument can be advanced in favor of the death penalty; such arguments have already been forcefully made by many people of evident good will, although others find them less than convincing. But the more pertinent question at this time in our history is what course of action best fosters that respect for life, all human life, in a society such as ours in which such respect is so sadly lacking. In my view, more destruction of human life is not what America needs in 1977. The Catholic bishops of the United States have manifested deep commitment to the intrinsic value and sacredness of human life. This has led to our strong efforts on behalf of the unborn, the old, the sick and victims of injustice, as well as efforts to enhance respect for human rights. While there are significant differences in these issues, all of them touch directly upon the value of human life which our faith teaches us is never beyond redemption. It is for this reason that I hope our leaders will seek methods of dealing with crime that are more consistent with the vision of respect for life and the Gospel message of God's healing love. -----Archbishop Joseph L. Bernardin The recent announcement that at least 100 people have now been exonerated and released from death row in the United States, since 1973, is a sobering milestone. Along with this announcement, the new report from the Illinois Governor's Commission on Capital Punishment outlining more than 80 necessary measures to make death penalty cases more fair and less likely to lead to the execution of innocent people is yet another sign that our nation should turn away from the death penalty. Pope John Paul II, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the U.S. Catholic Bishops have made it clear that our society has other ways to protect itself from those who commit terrible crimes and ought to forgo the use of the death penalty. Time and time again, Pope John Paul has urged clemency and the end of capital punishment. At this moment the U.S. Bishops renew the call for measures to restrain, restrict and end the use of the death penalty in the United States. We support many of the recommendations articulated by the Commission, as well as legislation such as the Innocence Protection Act that promote greater fairness and stronger safeguards in capital cases. We have other means to protect society and we have an obligation to protect the innocent. There is no way to reverse an execution after new evidence comes to light.

The report that at least 100 people have now been found to be innocent of the crimes that put them on death row are 100 reasons to turn away from capital punishment. The 101st reason is not what was done to them, but what is being done to the rest of us. The increasing reliance on the death penalty diminishes all of us, increases disrespect for human life, and offers the tragic illusion that we can teach that killing is wrong by killing. It's time to "Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live." (Deuteronomy 30:19) -----Theodore Cardinal McCarrick Primary sources consulted: Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2d ed. Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1997. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Washington, D.C. 20005, January 26, 1977, Statement on Capital Punishment, Archbishop Joseph L. Bernardin 101 Reasons to Abandon the Death Penalty, April 18, 2002 Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington Chair, Domestic Policy Committee

Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, tells him inwardly at the right moment: do this, shun that. For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. His dignity lies in observing this law, and by it he will be judged. His conscience is mans most secret core, and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths. By conscience, in a wonderful way, that law is made known which is fulfilled in the love of God and of ones neighbor. Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, #16 Mans dignity therefore requires him to act out of conscious and free choice, as moved and drawn in a personal way from within, and not by blind impulses in himself or by mere external constraint. Man gains such dignity when, ridding himself of all slavery to the passions, he presses forward towards his goal by freely choosing what is good, and, by his diligence and skill, effectively secures for himself the means suited to his end. Since human freedom has been weakened by sin it is only by the help of Gods grace that man can give his actions their full and proper relationship to God. Before the judgment seat of God an account of his own life will be rendered to each one according as he has done either good or evil. Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, #17 It is in accordance with their dignity that all men, because they are persons, that is, endowed with reason and free will and therefore bearing personal responsibility, are both impelled by their nature and bound by a moral obligation to seek the truth, especially religious truth. They are also bound to adhere to the truth once they come to know it and direct their whole lives in accordance with the demands of truth. Vatican II, Dignitatis Humanae, #3 This becomes even clearer if one considers that the highest norm of human life is the divine law itselfeternal, objective and universal, by which God orders, directs and governs the whole world and the ways of the human community according to a plan conceived in his wisdom and love. God has enabled man to participate in this law of his so that, under the gentle disposition of divine providence, many may be able to arrive at a deeper and deeper knowledge of unchangeable truth. For this reason everybody has the duty and consequently the right to seek the truth in religious matters so that, through the use of appropriate means, he may prudently form judgments of conscience which are sincere and true. Vatican II, Dignitatis Humanae, #3

It is through his conscience that man sees and recognizes the demands of the divine law. He is bound to follow his conscience faithfully in all his activity so that he may come to God, who is his last end. Therefore he cannot be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting to his conscience, especially in religious matters. The reason is because the practice of religion of its very nature consists primarily of those voluntary and free internal acts by which a man directs himself to God. Vatican II, Dignitatis Humanae, #3 In availing of any freedom men must respect the moral principles of personal and social responsibility: in exercising their rights individual men and social groups are bound by the moral law to have regard for the rights of others, their own duties to others and the common good of all. All men must be treated with justice and humanity. Vatican II, Dignitatis Humanae, #7 The Bible and Conscience The idea of conscience grounds biblical morality. In the Old Testament and Gospels the idea of conscience is commonly expressed using the term heart: in Hebrew, leb; in Greek, kardia: and in Latin, cor. The word heart is one of the most important terms in Scripture, with more than 800 references to the human heart. The heart is the center of emotions, feelings, moods, and passions; the heart is the source of thought and reflection; the heart listens and understands; the heart is the source of wisdom and justice and discerns good and evil; the heart is the center of freedom and decisions, obedience and devotion, will and intentionality. Immorality and unbelief are due to hardness of heart. Moral character is determined by ones heart; a pure heart seeks God and a person with a righteous heart is Gods own. God meets human beings within the heart and only God knows the heart of a person. The English word conscience is translated from the Latin word conscientia, a word which means to know together (cum, together and scientia, to know). Thus, the Latin roots of the word conscience reveal an important aspect of the meaning of the word: Conscience means to know together, that is, to know with others, especially to know with God who is the Other. Conscience is fulfilled in relationship and dialogue with others. Conscience is not solitary or individual, it is personal and relational. In the Bible, the Latin word conscientia is a translation of the Greek word syneidesis, sometimes translated synderesis. This Greek word for conscience is found dozens of times in New Testament epistles, especially in the writings of St. Paul, and is also found in Acts of the Apostles. Used in Stoic philosophy, the term was commonly used in Greek ethical discussions to mean a negative or adverse judgment on ones own past actions resulting in feelings of remorse. St. Paul adopted this Greek philosophical term and broadened its meaning to include Christian and Jewish ideas of good and evil, freedom and responsibility, grace and sin.

For this command which I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you. It is not
up in the sky, that you should say, Who will go up in the sky to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out? Nor is it across the sea, that you should say, Who will cross the sea to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out? No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out. (Deuteronomy 30: 11-14)

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew in me a steadfast spirit. (Psalm 51:12) I sing of love and justice; to you, Lord, I sing praise. I follow the way of integrityI act with
integrity of heart (Psalm 101:1-2)

 we are confident that we have a clear conscience, wishing to act rightly in every respect.
(Hebrews 13: 18)

love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)
Moral Conscience There are three dimensions of moral conscience: Conscience is a capacity, a process, and a judgment. 1) Conscience is a fundamental and universal human characteristic; conscience is our capacity or ability to know and do the good; conscience is our built-in sense of value and responsibility. Conscience is the center of our innermost being, the sanctuary of our deepest self, our heart or soul, our core or center. Conscience is the sacred encounter with the God who created us and calls us to love and whose voice echoes in the depth of our being. Conscience is the heart of a person, where human freedom meets God and the moral order created by God. Human beings must be free to follow their conscience and human beings have an obligation to follow their conscience. Conscience witnesses to the goodness of God which attracts and fulfills human beings. Conscience is Gods law written on our heart and recognized through reason. Conscience summons us to do good and avoid evil. Conscience witnesses to faithfulness or unfaithfulness to the moral law of God. Conscience is our experience of human freedom and the truth of moral obligation. Human freedom is always in relationship to truth and morality. 2) Conscience is formed and developed by our search for moral truth, the process or way that we as individual persons in communities with others seek to discover goodness and value in our life; conscience can be undeveloped or malformed; the challenge is to form our conscience in accord with our dignity and transcendent value as human beings. Conscience is the witness of God in the depth of ones soul, the sacred place where God speaks to the human person. Gods call in our conscience is a call to obedience, that is, a call to hear and respond to Gods love for us. Conscience means listening to the deepest core of your being, listening to ones heart where we can hear God speaking to us and calling us to love. Conscience involves the entire person: intellect, intuition, affections, feelings, moral sensitivity, and practical judgment. Conscience requires interioritya discerning spirit of prayerful contemplation, evaluative knowledge and critical reflection, self-examination and introspection, and freedom to act in accord with the truth. The responsibility to follow ones conscience entails a responsibility to form ones conscience. Formation of conscience is a life-long task through which we experience progressive growth in personal freedom, moral responsibility, and peace of heart. Contemporary culture promotes perspectives that there is no moral truth and that freedom and law are opposed to each other. Individual freedom is exalted as the highest moral value, and conscience is understood as an individuals freedom to make autonomous decisions characterized by independence in the pursuit of ones own happiness based on ones own feelings and desires.

This is a distortion of authentic conscience. Conscience is not deciding for yourself; conscience is not doing what you think or feel is right; conscience is not being independent; conscience is not doing what you want; conscience is not following your feelings. Christians are called to formation of conscience in Christ. The words of Christ call us to form our conscience so it is open to continuous conversion to what is true and to what is good. Christian conscience is transformed, renewed, and converted to the Lord and to the love of what is good.

The Church helps guide Christians in the formation of conscience through the Magisterium, or
teaching authority the Church received from Christ. Christians must give careful attention to the teaching of the Church because the teaching of the Church is at the service of conscience. 3) Conscience is a judgment leading to specific action in a given situation through which we exercise freedom and responsibility leading to moral character; conscience is deciding and choosing to do something, doing it, and then reflecting on that judgment in light of becoming the person we wish to be. Conscience is a judgment of reason to do good and avoid evil in specific acts. The judgment of conscience recognizes the moral quality of human acts past, present, and future. Conscience is a judgment of acquittal or a judgment of condemnation according to whether human acts are in conformity or not with Gods law which is written on the heart of every human being. The judgment of conscience is a practical judgment of moral obligation in which a person chooses to do here and now what that person knows to be good. A judgment of conscience imposes an obligation on the person to perform a particular act at the appropriate moment. A person is obliged to follow ones conscience. The judgment of conscience is an exercise in freedom and responsibility in accord with human dignity. No one can be compelled to act against ones conscience without harming human dignity. Conscience is a judgment of the truth of moral good and moral evil. Conscience reflects moral truth and witnesses to it. Conscience is not the ability to decide what is good and evil; rather, conscience seeks to conform to the moral law of God which is imprinted in the human heart. The judgment of conscience reflects the truth of the good and imposes an obligation on the person to perform a particular act. The judgment of conscience witnesses to what is right and good and thereby frees us to do what is right and good. Conscience frees us to be guided by the truth of God. Conscience can make a right judgment in accordance with reason and Gods moral law, or, conscience can make an erroneous judgment that departs from reason and Gods moral law. An erroneous conscience makes errors in judgment because it is shaped by ignorance of Christ and the Word of God, mistaken ideas, bad example given by others, indifference to the truth, or is conformed to the world, or is accustomed to habits of vice and sin, or due to a malicious will. A person with an erroneous conscience mistakenly believes something is true or good or right, but it is not. Subjective error about moral good can never be confused with objective moral truth. A person with an erroneous conscience may or may not be culpable of sin. If ones error results from invincible ignorance, one is not culpable. However, if ones error results from a lack of concern for moral truth in which one has become blind through habits of sin, then that person is culpably erroneous. In other words, there is a moral difference between a person who should have known better and could have know better (vincible ignorance) and a person who could not possibly have known anything else (invincible ignorance) when deciding to act a certain way in light of ones understanding of right and wrong.

Primary sources consulted: Bretzke, James T. A Morally Complex World: Engaging Contemporary Moral Theology. Collegeville, MN: Michael Glazier / Liturgical Press, 2004. Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2d ed. Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1997. Childress, James F. and John Macquarrie, eds. The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Ethics. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1986. Declaration on Religious Liberty: Vatican II, Dignitatis Humanae, 7 December, 1965. In Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents. Study Edition. Edited by Austin Flannery. Northport, NY: Costello Publishing Company, 1986. Gula, Richard M. Moral Discernment. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1997. Gula, Richard M. Reason Informed by Faith: Foundations of Catholic Morality. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1989. Hamel, Ronald P. and Kenneth R. Himes, eds. Introduction to Christian Ethics: A Reader. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1989. Hring, Bernard. Conscience: The Sanctuary of Creative Fidelity and Liberty. Chapter in Introduction to Christian Ethics: A Reader, edited by Ronald P. Hamel and Kenneth R. Himes. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1989. Keenan, James F. Moral Wisdom: Lessons and Texts from the Catholic Tradition. Lanham, MD: Sheed & Ward / Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2004 National Directory for Catechesis. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2005. New American Bible. New York, NY: Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1992. OConnell, Timothy E. Principles for a Catholic Morality. Rev. ed. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1990. Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World: Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, 7 December, 1965. In Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents. Study Edition. Edited by Austin Flannery. Northport, NY: Costello Publishing Company, 1986. Pope John Paul II. The Splendor of Truth / Veritatis Splendor [1993]. Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, Publication No. 679-4, n.d. Rausch, Thomas P. Catholicism in the Third Millennium. 2d ed. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2003. Shelton, Charles M. Adolescent Spirituality: Pastoral Ministry for High School and College Youth. New York, NY: Crossroad, 1983. United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2006.

The Catholic Moral Tradition: Homosexuality Scripture

Genesis 19 Sodom and Gomorrahtravelers, hospitality, lust, violence,

homosexual rape, miracle, escape, and destruction Deuteronomy 23:18 female and male temple prostitutes 1 Kings 14:24 cult prostitutes in the land of Judah 1 Kings 15:12 cult prostitutes banished from the land and idols removed 1 Kings 22:47 cult prostitutes removed from the land 2 Kings 23:7 tore down the apartments of the cult prostitutes Leviticus 18:22 do not lie with a male as with a woman Leviticus 20:13 if a man lies with a maleboth shall be put to death Ezekiel 16:47-50 guilt of Sodom: proud, sated with food, complacent in prosperity, no help to the poor and needy, haughty, committed abominable crimes in my presenceYou have done more abominable things than they Romans 1:26-27 idolators exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worship the creature, thus they are handed over to degrading passions: unnatural female relations, male lust for males, shameful perversity among males, did not acknowledge God, greed, malice, envy, murder, rivalry, treachery, spit, gossips, scandalmongers, hate God, insolent, haughty, boastful, ingenious in wickedness, rebellious toward parents, senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless 1 Corinthians 6:9 the unjustthose who inflict injustice and cheatwill not inherit the kingdom of God: fornicators, idolators, adulterers, boy prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, those who are greedy, drunkards, slanderers, robbers, prostitution

 1 Timothy 1:10 godless, sinful, unholy, profane: kill parents, murderers,

unchaste, practicing homosexuals, kidnapper, liar, perjurer, whatever else is opposed to sound teaching and the gospel 2 Peter 2:6 Sodom and GomorrahGods judgment on godlessness: licentious conduct of unprincipled people, and those who follow the flesh Jude 1:7 Sodom and GomorrahGods punishment on sexual promiscuity and unnatural vice Matthew 10:15 Sodom and Gomorrahthe day of judgment on those who reject the gospel will be worse Matthew 11:23 Sodom and Gomorrahthe day of judgment will be more tolerable for Sodom than for those who reject the gospel Luke 10:12 Sodom and GomorrahGods judgment on those who reject the gospel will be worse than it was for Sodom

SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS: The issue of homosexual acts is not a prominent biblical concern. The New Testament does not record any direct reference by Jesus on this issue. A person interpreting scripture passages must be aware of language and translation issues. The original written languages of the Bible are Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Translating these ancient languages into modern English (or any other language) requires interpretative judgment, especially when moving from words like abomination or unnatural to words like sodomite and homosexual (the first two are biblical words, the last two are not). A person interpreting scripture passages must be aware of conceptual issues. The notions of sexuality and homosexuality are modern scientific and social constructs and are not reflected as such in scripture passages. When interpreting Old Testament passages against homosexual acts, one must keep in mind the Holiness code and issues of faithful worship and idolatry. In addition, one must question why some Christians interpret and selectively apply some parts of the Holiness code like Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13 against homosexuality, while disregarding other parts of the Holiness code in Leviticus as no longer applicable. In the New Testament, the interpretive context of the passages against homosexual acts are examples of typical vices of the Gentiles which are rooted in godlessness and idolatry; homosexual acts are but one example of many sins in a list of sins, such as greed and drunkenness, with no particular gravity or focus on any one sin. Throughout the Bible, homosexual acts are unqualifiedly condemned while heterosexual sex within marriage is upheldeven while accepting and permitting polygamy, concubinage, and divorce at times in the biblical stories. In the Bible, genital sexual activity is morally permissible only within the context of marriage and marriage always centers on sexual relations and procreation between a man and a woman. Human sexuality in the Bible should be understood in the larger context of the themes of creation, sin, incarnation, redemption, and resurrection.

Teaching Tradition of the Catholic Church Catechism of the Catholic Church Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex.Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered. They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved. (CCC, #2357) The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. (CCC, #2358) Homosexual persons are called to chastity. (CCC, #2359) Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons Providing a basic plan for understanding the entire discussion of homosexuality is the theology of creation we find in Genesis (Letter, #6) It is only in the marital relationship that the use of the sexual faculty can be morally good. A person who engages in homosexual behavior therefore acts immorally. (Letter, #7) the view that homosexual activity is equivalent to, or as acceptable as, the sexual expression of conjugal love has a direct impact on societys understanding of the nature and rights of the family and puts them in jeopardy. (Letter, #9) It is deplorable that homosexual persons have been and are the object of violent malice in speech or action. Such treatment deserves condemnation from the Churchs pastors whenever it occurs. It reveals a kind of disregard for others which endangers the most fundamental principles of a healthy society. The intrinsic dignity of each person must always be respected in word, action and in law. (Letter, #10) The U.S. Catholic Bishops Homosexuals, like everyone else, should not suffer from prejudice against their human rights. They have a right to respect, friendship and justice. They should have an active role in the Christian community. --To Live in Christ Jesus (1976) Those who are gay or lesbianshould not be objects of discrimination, injustice or violence. All of Gods sons and daughters, all members of our society, are entitled to the recognition of their full humanity. --The Many Faces of AIDS: A Gospel Response (1987) We call on all Christians and citizens of good will to confront their own fears about homosexuality and to curb the humor and discrimination that offend homosexual

persons. We understand that having a homosexual orientation brings with it enough anxiety, pain and issues related to self-acceptance without society adding additional prejudicial treatment. --Human Sexuality: A Catholic Perspective for Education and Lifelong Learning (1990) Educationally, homosexuality cannot and ought not be skirted or ignoredFirst and foremost, we support modeling and teaching respect for every human person, regardless of sexual orientation. Second, a parent or teacher must also present clearly and delicately the unambiguous moral norms of the Christian tradition regarding homosexual genital activityFinally, parents and educators must remain open to the possibility that a particular person, whether adolescent or adult, may be struggling to accept his or her own sexual orientation. The distinction between being homosexual and doing homosexual genital actions, while not always clear and convincing, is a helpful and important one when dealing with the complex issue of homosexuality, particularly in the educational and pastoral arena. --Human Sexuality: A Catholic Perspective for Education and Lifelong Learning (1990) Pastoral Guidelines for Ministry to Homosexuals in the Diocese of San Jose, Bishop Pierre DuMaine (1992) o o o o The Churchs ministers are obligated to respond without prejudice or condition to all who turn to the Church for support, counsel, reconciliation, solace, or sacraments. Persons of homosexual orientation are subject to attitudes and actions of discrimination, rejection, and isolation and are in need of ministers to affirm their dignity and uphold their rights. Ministry to homosexual persons should build up a sense of dignity, self-worth, and responsibility; help in the formation of ones conscience; presume good will in the reception of the sacraments; and welcome the alienated. Ministry to homosexual persons should help foster the integration of sexuality into human and Christian growth through liturgy, prayer, study, and discussion.

Human Sexuality Sexuality is at the core of our identity as human beings and involves us at all levels of our existence: biological and physiological, emotional and psychological, cultural and social, spiritual and moral. Sexuality is more than reproductive organs. Sexuality is the way we relate to our self and others in our relationships and actions. Sexuality is our way of being in the world, the way one communicates with others. We are always embodied, sexual beings. Experiencing, understanding and integrating ones sexuality is a developmental and learning process throughout ones lifetime. It is a work of experience and age, feelings and affections, culture and social life, reason and wisdom, freedom and responsibility, love and commitment. Sexuality is personal, relational, reciprocal, mutual, and social as well as biological.

 Sexuality involves fundamental values of human life. Sexuality can be an experience of human dignity, creativity, mutuality, communion, joy, and pleasure; or, sexuality can be an experience of human degradation, violence, selfishness, isolation, sadness, and suffering. Sexuality is a continuum from heterosexual to homosexual predispositions, feelings, and behaviors, with a range of experiences in the context of personal growth to maturity. Heterosexual is an adjective which describes one aspect of a human person. A heterosexual person is a person who experiences sexual attraction and erotic arousal (sexual orientation) toward persons of the opposite sex. A heterosexual person is oriented toward heterophiliaa fixed, unalterable, stable orientation toward opposite-sex love. Growth toward maturity in sexuality includes reflective self-awareness of ones attractions, erotic arousal, and experiences leading to development from interiority within ones self, to intimacy with others, and to public expression of ones sexuality in responsibility and truth. During adolescence and young adulthood, persons discover their identity as sexual beings; some person will discover and begin to identify themselves as homosexual persons, though most persons will discover and identify themselves as heterosexual persons. Adolescents and young adults come of age sexually in an American culture and society which commodifies, objectifies, and markets sexuality for profit while casually disregarding any dimension of sexuality other than the physical. In Americas consumer society driven by mass media corporations, masculine and feminine images of sexuality are reduced to exaggerated body parts, ever-changing fashion and style, the quest for genital gratification, stereotypical and superficial attractiveness, diminishment of sexuality through vulgarity of expression in word and song and dance, proliferation of visual images aimed at titillation, widespread acceptance of pornography under the euphemism adult, and the promotion of premarital and extramarital sex. Adolescents and young adults grow to sexual maturity in a social and cultural context in which sexual expression in faithful, lifelong marriage is increasingly difficult to uphold as a moral ideal in theory or in practice, while multiple sexual partners, cohabitation (living together), and a sequence of marriage leading to divorce and then remarriage (sometimes repeated) become increasingly common and accepted as the norm. Technological, medical, and industrial developments have led to the progressive separability of sexual intercourse and pregnancy in both avoiding conception and in achieving conception (birth control pills, contraceptives, condoms, vasectomy, abortion, tubal ligation, in-vitro fertilization or test-tube babies, surrogate parenthood,). In addition, social and cultural attitudes toward sexuality have led to the progressive separability of raising children within faithful lifelong marriage.

HIGHLIGHTS ON HOMOSEXUALITY *Sexuality includes: sexmale or female (given); gender identityboy or girl, man or woman (learned, social and cultural); sexual orientationerotic attraction leading to sexual arousal (given, not a preference or a choice); HOMOSEXUALITY DEFINITION: A predominant, persistent, psychosexual attraction to the same sex with a sexual responsiveness toward sexual acts HOMOPHOBIA: Irrational hatred, dread, discomfort toward people of the same sex (or of the self and ones feelings) demonstrated in hostility, jokes, language, assault, or violence.

* Homosexual is an adjective which describes one aspect of a human person. A homosexual person is a person who experiences sexual attraction and erotic arousal (sexual orientation) toward persons of the same sex. A homosexual person is oriented toward homophiliaa fixed, unalterable, stable orientation toward same-sex love. * Adolescents and adults who identify themselves as homosexual persons often suffer anxiety, social exclusion, familial rejection, violence directed against them (leading to homicide at times), self-loathing, and depression (leading to suicide in many cases). * A range of sexual activity (heterosexual and homosexual) occurs among adolescents and young adults. * Adolescents and young adults often experience complexity, confusion, and turmoil over issues of sexuality. * Adolescents and young adults internalize dominant social and cultural attitudes toward sexuality, gender identification, and sexual orientation, including distorted perspectives and discriminatory attitudes and behaviors. * Genital sexual activity must be distinguished from sexual orientation; a homosexual experience is not the same as homosexuality and a heterosexual experience is not the same as heterosexuality.
Primary sources consulted: Cahill, Lisa Sowle. Between the Sexes: Foundations for a Christian Ethics of Sexuality. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1985. Cahill, Lisa Sowle. Moral Methodology: A Case Study. Chicago Studies 19, no. 2 (Summer 1980): 171187. Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2d ed. Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1997. Coleman, Gerald D. Homosexuality: Catholic Teaching and Pastoral Practice. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1995. Curran, Charles E. Dialogue with the Homophile Movement: The Morality of Homosexuality. Chapter in Catholic Moral Theology in Dialogue, 184-219. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1972.

Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics [1975]. Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Washington D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, Office of Publishing and Promotion Services, publication no. V-438, n.d. Furnish, Victor. Homosexuality. Chapter in The Moral Teaching of Paul. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1979. Genovesi, Vincent J. In Pursuit of Love: Catholic Morality and Human Sexuality. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, Inc., 1987. Haring, Bernard. The Liberating Truth in Sexual Language. Chapter in Free and Faithful in Christ: Moral Theology for Priests and Laity, vol. 2., The Truth Will Set You Free, 493-571. New York, NY: Crossroad/Seabury Press, 1979. Keane, Philip S. Sexual Morality. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1977. Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons [1986]. Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Washington D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, Office of Publishing and Promotion Services, publication no. 148-2, n.d. Liebard, Odile M., ed. Love and Sexuality: Official Catholic Teachings. Wilmington, NC: McGrath Publishing Company, 1978. McCormick, Richard A. Homosexuality as a Moral and Pastoral Problem. Chapter in The Critical Calling: Reflections on Moral Dilemmas Since Vatican II, 289-313. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 1989. Sloyan, Gerard S. Catholic Morality Revisited: Origins and Contemporary Challenges. Mystic, CT: TwentyThird Publications, 1990.

Kants ethical system stands out as the most influential secular system of moral thought produced since the birth of Christ. The American way of thinking about ethics has been heavily influenced by Kant. Kant set forth his moral theory during the Enlightenment, a time of great scientific accomplishment as well as growing distrust of religious authority. Though Kant was raised a Christian and had sympathies for Christianity, his moral theory is based on reason alone, not divine revelation.

KANT VS. ARISTOTLE HAPPINESS IS NOT THE PURPOSE OF OUR LIFE

Kant rejected Aristotles notion that a life lived in accord with reason was the happiest; often it is the people who are guided by instinct, not reason, who are happiest. Unlike Aristotle, Kant held that happiness cannot be the true anchor of morality; happiness is not good in itself, and the way to happiness cannot be known with any degree of certainty. Within Kants system, if a person performs a courageous act to help others, that act is good even if it does not lead to happiness.

INTENTIONS AND RESPECT FOR THE MORAL LAW Immanuel Kants moral theory emphasizes the rightness or wrongness of acts or intentions themselves, regardless of their consequences

Kant believed that a good will, intention, is the only thing in the whole world that can be regarded as good without qualification. Courage, intelligence, wealth, health, and every other potentially good thing are only good if possessed by a person of good will. In order for an act to be good, according to Kant, it must be done out of respect for the moral law. One must have the purest intentions, wholly free from the influence of any emotion, in order to be truly good. The mere fact that an act happens to have good consequences does not mean that it is moral.

FREE WILL
Every rational being has a free will, and everyone is equally capable of doing her duty for the sake of duty. According to Kant, the moral playing field is a level one. (Whether someone is naturally grumpy or naturally helpful and cheerful, the good act that they choose to do is within their power and not due to their natural attitude.) Their feelings dont determine the moral goodness. In short, for Kant, a person should only be praised or blamed for things that are under his control or within the scope of his will. And things like consequences or a persons feelings are not within that scope. So, what is important for Kant is not so much what a person does but why he ends up doing it.

CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE
Whereas Aristotles guidelines for acquiring virtue only hold for the most part, Kant argued that a true moral law- a categorical imperative - is one that has no exceptions: Moral rules are moral commands. Everyone in every situation must follow them. If treat ones neighbor with respect is a moral rule, then everyone must treat his neighbor with respect regardless of any faults or deeds of ones neighbor. However, Kants categorical imperative is not a particular law such as Though Shall Not Kill. For Kant, a good will is one that follows the categorical imperative. And this imperative can be formulated in a number of ways, most importantly (for our purposes) as the formula of universal law and the formula of the end in itself. 1. UNIVERSAL LAW The formula of universal law states that an action is only moral if a persons reason for performing it could be a reason everyone could have. If I want to ignore those with hardships in life, I need to thinkwould I want everyone to ignore those with hardships? Answer: NO, because I could be one of these people and wouldnt want to be ignored. I would not want this to become universal law, so ignoring those with hardships is a violation of categorical imperative. 2. FORMULA OF THE END IN ITSELF The formula of the end in itself states that one must always treat human beings as intrinsically valuable, never simply as means. If a man pretends to love a woman just to have sex, then he is using her as a means. Ask: Would the other person agree to this if I was honest? If not, if I trick them and hide true intentions, the other is not able to consent to what I am really proposing. The formula of the end in itself is being ignored when I use someone, treat him or her as a means, and so then this is a violation of categorical imperative.

KANT VS CHRISTIANS
Kants ethical theory is often strikingly similar to Christian teachings: e.g., his formula of universal law is virtually identical to Jesus golden rule. Kant notes that an immoral person is one who wants to treat others in one way while being treated another way. However, for Kant, reason alone is the source of all moral principles. Kantian ethics is incompatible with Christianitys insistence that divine revelation is an authorative source of oral principles, and Kantian ethics lacks the inspirational power found in the virtuous life and death of Jesus. Kant is one of the fathers of idea that any act is morally permissible as long as consenting adults commit it. Christians disagree with this.
The Situation * The annual marriage rate fell 50% from 1970-2004. (David Popenoe & Barbara D. Whitehead, State of Our Unions 2006, National Marriage Project, http://marriage.rutgers.edu, p15) * Since 1960, the decline of those married among persons age 15 and older has been 14%. This is a result of increases in lifelong singlehood and long-term cohabitation, and a decrease in remarriage for divorced persons. (Ibid.) * Marriage is being put off until later in life. The average age of marriage in 1960 was 20 for women and 23 for men. Today, the age is 26 and 27 respectively. For those with college degrees, marriage is postponed even longer. (Ibid.) * Cohabitation is ten times more common than in 1960, a situation that is delaying and replacing marriage. (Popenoe & Whitehead, The State of Our Unions 2006, p25) * Some mistakenly suggest that marriage is good for men but bad for women, citing the effect of marriage on women's careers, the stress of motherhood, and the danger of domestic abuse. (Popenoe & Whitehead, Top Ten Myths of Marriage, 2002, citing Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher, The Case for Marriage, 2000, Ch12)

Social science findings * Mutual Benefits o Married people have longer life expectancies than unmarried peers. (Witherspoon Institute, Marriage and the Public Good: 10 Principles, 2006, p.20, www.princetonprinciples.org) o Married couples have more meaningful sexual relationships. They have sex as frequently as cohabiting couples, but also report higher emotional satisfaction in their sexual relationships. (Linda Waite, Does Marriage Matter?, 1995, p. 491) o Married people are more productive, have higher incomes, and enjoy more family time than the unmarried. This is due in part to the division and specialization of labor, where spouses each take responsibility for specific tasks. (L. Waite & E. Lehrer, The Benefits from Marriage & Religion in the U.S.: A Comparative Analysis, Population & Development Review, Vol 29, No. 2, June 2003, p. 264) o The argument for marriage extends beyond the benefits for children and society and encompasses significant advantages for couples. Men and women equally benefit from marriage but in gender specific ways (Popenoe and Whitehead, Top Ten Myths of Marriage, 2002). * Benefits for Men o Marriage encourages better relationships between parents and children, especially father-child interactions. (Brad Wilcox, Institute for American Values, Why Marriage Matters, 2nd Edition, 26 Conclusions from the Social Sciences, 2003, www.americanvalues.org) o Married men earn 10-40% more than similar unmarried men (Popenoe & Whitehead, National Marriage Project, The State of Our Unions 2005, p16). o Married men gain substantial physical health benefits; they are physically fitter and less prone to illness or disability. (Witherspoon Institute, Marriage and the Public Good..., p.20) o Married men have lower levels of testosterone which is associated with a reduction in aggressive and risky behavior, as well as promiscuity. (Wilcox, Why Marriage Matters..., p. 17 & Witherspoon Institute, Marriage and the Public Good..., p.20) o Married men are less likely to have alcohol and drug addictions, to commit crime, and to be abusive. (L. Waite, Does Marriage Matter?, p. 468) * Benefits for Women o Compared to unmarried women, married women without children have higher incomes and married mothers are less likely to live in poverty. (Witherspoon Institute, Marriage and the Public Good..., p.20) o For women, marriage combats depression, provides particularly high psychological benefits, and significantly lowers the risk of suicide. (Wilcox, Why Marriage Matters..., p.28 & Witherspoon Institute, Marriage and the Public Good..., p.20) o Marriage normally decreases the likelihood that a woman will be domestically abused. Only 5% of married women report abuse compared to 14% of cohabiting women. (Waite & Lehrer, The Benefits from Marriage & Religion..., p.261) Church teaching and pastoral response * Vatican Council II affirms that the intimate partnership of married life and love is not only ordered towards the goods of offspring and society, but also for the good of the spouses. (Gaudium et Spes #48) * The Church teaches that marriage "helps to overcome self-absorption, egoism, pursuit of one's own pleasure, and to open oneself to the other, to mutual aid and to self-giving" (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1609). * The Church recognizes the goodness of unity and difference in existence. Just as the persons of the Trinity are different, yet have all that the other has, so also do men and women in marriage become fully one, but with different resources and ways of relating. (John Paul II, Letter to Families #8 & Mulieris Dignitatem #10) * John Paul II speaks of the capacity for marriage to cure the negative effects of sin with the help of God's grace in the sacraments, and through prayer and forgiveness in the family. (Letter to Families #14) * Speaking about the equal dignity of men and women, the U.S. Bishops address gender difference. They talk about particular physical and psychological gender traits that result in varying skills and perspectives.

As noted above, men and women mutually benefit from marriage, but they receive these benefits in different ways. (USCCB, Follow the Way of Love, 1993, p.19)

Conclusion Marriage is good for children, society, and for the spouses themselves. Social science shows that there are specific benefits for men and women in marriage, which are gifts of a loving relationship between two people who are equal but different. While avoiding any generalizations concerning gender, research does find that marriage helps men to become better fathers, reduces their likeliness to quarrel and fall prey to addiction, and provides many physical health benefits. Women on the other hand, are more likely to gain financially, to be protected from crime and abuse, and to receive psychological benefits. These findings resonate with the teaching of the Church on the complementarity and equality of men and women, as well as on the goods of marriage.

Email us at laity@usccb.org Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life & Youth l 3211 4th Street, NE, Washington DC 20017-1194 l (202) 541-3040 USCCB. All rights reserved.
Scripture

The theological understanding of marriage in Israel developed over time. In the patriarch stories marriage was a private contract between families, it was not a religious or public concern. Marriages were arranged, payment between families was made, polygamy was accepted, concubinage was permissible, divorce by the male was allowed. Numerous laws regulating sexual relationships are found in the Bible, especially in the Pentateuch. o o o o o o Exodus 20:14 (the sixth commandment) prohibits adultery; Exodus 22:15 compels a man who seduces a virgin to marry her; Leviticus 15 regulates various aspects of human sexuality (ejaculation, menstruation) in terms of ritual cleanliness; Leviticus 18 regulates sexual activity and relationships to promote holiness and prohibits incest, adultery, homosexual acts, bestiality, and intercourse during menstruation; Leviticus 20 describes penalties for various sexual sins, with a death penalty for many sexual offenses; Deuteronomy 22 centers on crimes against marriage and related punishments; Deuteronomy 24 permits divorce (and remarriage) under certain conditions.

In time in the history of the Jewish people, marriage is understood in terms of the covenant, that is, Gods union and love for Israel. The covenant is marked by Gods steadfast faithfulness. o o Hosea 2 describes God in terms of a husband patiently seeking out a faithless wife (Israel); God seeks to be espoused to Israel forever in righteousness, justice, love, and mercy. Isaiah 54:2 reveals God as a tender and faithful husband with enduring love.

o o o

Isaiah 62:4 tells that God rejoices and delights in Gods espoused people. Jeremiah 2:2 describes Gods love for Israel as the devoted love of the one who loves a bride. Jeremiah 3:20 describes Israel as a faithless lover.

In Scripture, sexuality is understood in terms of differentiation between the sexes (male and female) leading to the union of man and woman in procreation. Sexuality and marriage are divine institutions revealing Gods will for humanity. o o o Genesis 1:27 tells the story of male and female human beings created in Gods image and commanded to be fertile and multiply. Genesis 2:18-25 reveals that man and woman are partners united as one flesh. Tobit 8:507 describes husband and wife as life-long partners united in truth for a noble purpose.

The Wisdom Books in the Old Testament often make reference to sexuality and marriage. o Psalm 128 describes a happy home life and the blessing of children for those who walk in Gods ways. o The Song of Songs is a poetic expression of Gods relationship with Israel through descriptions of courtship and marriage customs of the time. Song of Songs celebrates erotic desire and sexual love in the context of sacredness. o Proverbs 5 and Proverbs 6 warn sons against adultery and lust. o Proverbs 31:10-31 describes the ideal wife, more valuable than pearls. o The Book of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) lists the duties children have toward parents and the duties of family life (Sirach 3:1-16 and Sirach 7:18-36), gives advice for men concerning women (Sirach 9:1-9), and illustrates characteristics of wicked and virtuous women (Sirach 25:12-26:18). In the Christian Scriptures (New Testament), sexual relations are always seen in the context of the marriage relationship. Marriage is understood in terms of discipleship and covenantal faithfulness. o

Matthew 5:27 prohibits committing adultery and also prohibits looking at a woman with lust. o Matthew 19:3 describes marriage partners as one flesh and understands divorce and remarriage as a case of adultery, except in the case ofand there are translation variationsunlawful marriage, or unchastity, or indecency, or adultery. o Mark 10:11 and Luke 16:28 both prohibit divorce and remarriage as a case of adultery (with no exceptions). o John 8:1 tells the story of the woman caught in adultery that is not condemned and told to go and sin no more. o 1 Corinthians 6 admonishes against sexual immorality (fornication, adultery, prostitution, sodomy) and 1 Corinthians 7 teaches that sexual relations within marriage are acceptable, celibacy is a gift, and that divorce is not permitted except in the case of an unbelieving partner. o Ephesians 5:21 uses marriage as a symbol of Christs relationship with the Church, exhorting husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the Church and wives to be subordinate to their husbands as the Church is subordinate to Christ. o 1 Timothy 2:9 says that women should adhere to their role as wives and mothers in faith and love and adorn themselves with modesty and self-control, simplicity and reverence, good conduct and good deeds, and silence (in the context of prayer assembly). o Matthew 9:15 likens Jesus and his preaching of Gods reign to a bridegroom and a wedding feast. Marriage and Divorce

o o o o o

As revealed in Scripture, Jesus affirmed that it is the Creators will that marriage be indissoluble (Mt 5:31-32; Mt 19:3-9; Mk 10:9; Lk 16:18; 1 Cor 7:10-11). Separation of spouses while maintaining the marriage bond can be legitimate in some cases. Divorce is immoral because it goes against the natural law, breaks the marital covenant and injures the sign of marriage as a sacrament, and introduces disorder into the family and into society. Remarriage in a civil union after a divorce adds to the gravity of the rupture of the moral law and creates a situation of public and permanent adultery. It can happen that one spouse is the innocent victim of a divorce decreed by civil law; in this case that spouse has not gone against the moral law.

Teaching Tradition of the Catholic Church Catechism of the Catholic Church

God is love; the essence of Gods love is creativity, communion, and faithfulness. Human beings are created male and female in equal dignity in the image and likeness of God. Sexuality is marked by difference and complementarity leading to union and procreation. Sexuality is ordered to conjugal love of man and woman and involves the entire human person. The union of man and woman in marriage images Gods love and is a sign creativity, communion, and faithfulness. Through the Sacrament of Matrimony a married couple receives grace which perfects their love, strengthens their unity, and sanctifies their lives. Marriage has a twofold purpose: the good of the spouses and the transmission of life. Marriage is a covenant relationship in which two become one through faithful love. Conjugal love in marriage is a way of cooperating with the Creator in transmitting human life. Children are a gift and every child has the right to respect as a human person from the moment of conception. Married partners have a responsibility to regulate births based on periodic continence (not direct sterilization or contraception). All persons are called to chastity, which is the integration of ones sexuality seeking integrity of the whole person and self-mastery for the sake of freedom. Chastity is related to growth and development toward responsible sexuality and requires cultural and social support. Offenses against chastity include lust, fornication, pornography, prostitution, and rape. Offenses against marriage include adultery, divorce, polygamy, incest, sexual abuse, free union (cohabitation), trial marriage.

Theological Highlights of the Catholic Moral Tradition on Sexuality

i.

Sexuality is a gift from God and it is good.

ii. iii.

Sexuality touches a person at all levels of human existence and is at the core of our identity as a human person. Sexuality can be misused in ways that alienate us from our self, others, and God. We can harm our self and others by failing to recognize the fundamental values and moral truth of sexuality. Integration of sexuality is a life-long process. We need to cultivate the virtue of chastity, which is the virtue of responsibility and integrity in sexuality. Sexuality is ordered to the common good of the human community, not merely interpersonal fulfillment. There is an intrinsic social dimension to sexuality. The moral ideal (norm, rule) for sexual relationships is characterized by the following terms: loving, heterosexual, monogamous, life-long, unitive, procreative, marriage. Genital sexual activity is ordered to the union of the spouses and the transmission of life. Sexuality is redeemed and renewed by Christ.

iv. v. vi. vii. viii.

Primary sources consulted: Cahill, Lisa Sowle. Between the Sexes: Foundations for a Christian Ethics of Sexuality. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1985. Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2d ed. Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1997. Coleman, Gerald D. Homosexuality: Catholic Teaching and Pastoral Practice. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1995. DaltonTHANK YOU DR DALTON FOR THESE NOTES!!! Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics [1975]. Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Washington D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, Office of Publishing and Promotion Services, publication no. V-438, n.d. Genovesi, Vincent J. In Pursuit of Love: Catholic Morality and Human Sexuality. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, Inc., 1987. Haring, Bernard. The Liberating Truth in Sexual Language. Chapter in Free and Faithful in Christ: Moral Theology for Priests and Laity, vol. 2., The Truth Will Set You Free, 493571. New York, NY: Crossroad/Seabury Press, 1979. Keane, Philip S. Sexual Morality. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1977. Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons [1986]. Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Washington D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, Office of Publishing and Promotion Services, publication no. 148-2, n.d. Liebard, Odile M., ed. Love and Sexuality: Official Catholic Teachings. Wilmington, NC: McGrath Publishing Company, 1978. Sloyan, Gerard S. Catholic Morality Revisited: Origins and Contemporary Challenges. Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications, 1990.

The Catholic Moral Tradition: Special Issues in Sexuality Abortion Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be

recognized as having the rights of a personamong which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2270) The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislationThese human rightsbelong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2273) Due respect for human life is not solely a Christian commandment. Reason itself requires such respect once it asks what a human person is and ought to be. Possessing a rational nature, man is a personal subject, capable of reflection on himself and determining his own actions and therefore his own destiny. He is free. (Declaration on Abortion, 1974) ABORTION The US Supreme Court legalized abortion in the well-known Roe v Wade decision in 1973; currently, there are about 1.4 million abortions are performed each year in the United States. Worldwide, some 20-30 million legal abortions are performed each year, with another 10-20 million abortions performed illegally. Illegal abortions are unsafe and account for 13% of all deaths of women because of serious complications. Death from abortion is almost unknown in the United States or in other countries where abortion is legally available. Abortion Procedures and Abortion Risks Abortion is not just a simple medical procedure. For many women, it is a life changing event with significant physical, emotional, and spiritual consequences. Most women who struggle with past abortions say that they wish they had been told all of the facts about abortion and its risks. The following information will help you understand more about abortion procedures and the risks associated with abortion. Abortion Procedures 1. Morning After Pill (MAP): within 72 hours of sexual intercourse Emergency Contraception "Emergency Contraceptives" are multiple-dose oral contraceptives taken after intercourse. The pills have at least four possible mechanisms: (1) suppressing ovulation, (2) altering cervical mucus to hinder the transport of sperm, (3) slowing the transport of the ovum and (4) inhibiting implantation of the newly conceived human embryo. Which of these mechanisms is operative depends on when the pills are taken. If taken before ovulation, EC may delay or inhibit ovulation, thereby preventing conception. If taken after the LH surge which triggers ovulation, EC will not disrupt ovulation in that cycle, but can inhibit implantation of the developing embryo.1 RELIGIOUS CONSIDERATIONS -Treatment of Victims of Sexual Assault Victims of sexual assault should be treated with compassion and understanding. Health care providers who treat sexual assault victims should provide medically accurate information and offer spiritual and psychological support. A woman who has been raped should be able to defend herself from a potential conception and receive treatments to suppress ovulation and incapacitate sperm. If

conception has occurred, however, a Catholic hospital will not dispense drugs to interfere with implantation of a newly conceived human embryo. Hospitals should develop appropriate protocols to determine whether administering emergency contraception would have an abortifacient effect. Tests are available to determine whether ovulation has occurred. http://www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/abortion/ecfact.shtml 2. RU486, Mifepristone: within 4 to 7 weeks after fertilization Also known as the Abortion Pill, this medical abortion is used for women who are within 28 to 49 days after their last menstrual period. This procedure usually requires three office visits. The RU 486 or mifepristone pills are given to the woman who returns two days later for a second medication called misoprostol. The combination of these medications causes the uterus to expel the fetus. LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS OF RU 486/Mifepristone In September of 2000, after more than a decade of delays caused by anti-choice activists and lawmakers, mifepristone (RU 486), received final approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Mifepristone has been available to women in Europe for over a decade. Mifepristone offers women an early, safe, and effective medical alternative to surgical abortion. Under the current FDA-approved regimen it is administered by a woman's doctor and requires several visits to a clinic or doctor's office. In the United States, lawmakers at the federal and state levels, have proposed legislation designed to curtail the availability of mifepristone and limit the number of doctors who can prescribe it. 3. Early Vacuum Aspiration: within 7 weeks after fertilization This surgical abortion is done early in the pregnancy up until 7 weeks after the woman's last menstrual period. The cervical muscle is stretched with dilators (metal rods) until the opening is wide enough to allow the instruments to pass into the uterus. A hand held syringe is attached to tubing that is inserted into the uterus and the fetal tissue is suctioned out. 4. Suction Curettage: within 6 to 14 weeks after fertilization In this procedure, the doctor opens the cervix with a dilator (a metal rod) or laminaria (thin sticks derived from plants and inserted several hours before the procedure). The doctor inserts tubing into the uterus and connects the tubing to a suction machine. The suction pulls the fetal tissue out of the uterus. One variation of this procedure is called Dilation and Curettage (D&C). In this method, the doctor may use a curette, a loop-shaped knife, to scrape the fetal parts out of the uterus. 5. Dilation and Evacuation (D&E): within 13 to 24 weeks after fertilization This surgical abortion is done during the second trimester of pregnancy. Because the developing fetus doubles in size between the thirteenth and fourteenth weeks of pregnancy, the body of the fetus is too large to be broken up by suction and will not pass through the suction tubing. In this procedure, the cervix must be opened wider than in a first trimester abortion. This is done by inserting laminaria a day or two

before the abortion. After opening the cervix, the doctor pulls out the fetal parts with forceps. 6. Dilation and Extraction (D&X): from 20 weeks after fertilization Also known as Partial-birth Abortion, this procedure takes three days. During the first two days, the cervix is dilated and medication is given for cramping. On the third day, the woman receives medication to start labor. After labor begins, the abortion doctor uses ultrasound to locate the baby's legs. Grasping a leg with forceps, the doctor delivers the baby up to the baby's head. After ending the life of the fetus, a suction catheter is placed into the opening to remove the skull contents and the remaining tissue. What Are Some of the Risks of Abortion? ---Immediate Risks of Abortion Induced abortion carries a risk of several side effects. These risks include abdominal pain and cramping, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. In most abortions, no serious complications occur. However, the risk of complications is about 1 out of every 100 early abortions and in about 1 out of every 50 later abortions. Such complications may include the following: Heavy Bleeding, Infection. Incomplete Abortion, Allergic Reaction to Tearing of the Cervix, Perforation of the Uterus, Damage to Internal Organs, or Death. ---Abortion May Effect Risk Levels in Future Pregnancies Scarring or other injury during an abortion may prevent or place at risk future wanted pregnancies. The risk of miscarriage is greater for women who abort their first pregnancy. ---Abortion May Increase the Risk of Emotional Problems Some women experience strong negative emotions after abortion. Sometimes this occurs within days and sometimes it happens after many years. Post-Abortion Stress Symptoms include the following: Guilt, Anger, Anxiety, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Anniversary Grief, Flashbacks of Abortion, Sexual Dysfunction, Relationship Problems, Eating Disorders, Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Psychological Reactions ---Spiritual Consequences There is a spiritual side to abortion that deserves to be considered. Having an abortion may affect more than just your body and your mind -- it may have an impact on your relationship with God. What is God's desire for you in this situation? How does God see your unborn child? These are important questions to consider. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FEES Fees for abortions depend on how long you've been pregnant and where you go. Nationwide, the cost at health centers ranges from about $350 to $700 for abortion.

Contraception Contraceptive Definition Type "Typical

Method

Use" Failure Rate77 (percentag e of females who experience an unintended pregnancy during the 1st year of typical use.) A hormone pill taken by mouth. Hormone 8%

Birth Control Pill (Oral Contraceptive) Injection Emergency Contraception Intraueterine Device (IUD) Implant

A hormone injection given every 1- Hormone 3 months. An emergency, high dose of birth control pills taken within 72 hours (three days) of sex. Plastic device placed inside the uterus that contains copper or hormones. Hormone

3% 11-25%

Hormone/Chemical

< 1%

Small rod inserted under the skin of Hormone a woman that releases a low dose of hormone. A thin, latex, or polyurethane Barrier (plastic) tube that covers the penis. A polyurethane (plastic) tube or pouch that lines the inside of the vagina. A small rubber or plastic cup that fits over the cervix. A round rubber dome inserted inside the vagina to cover the cervix. A foam sponge containing spermicide placed inside the vagina. A cream, foam, jelly, or insert placed into the vagina that kills sperm. A hormone patch placed on the female's skin weekly for 3 weeks, (followed by 1 week off.) Barrier

< 1%

Male Condom Female Condom Cervical Cap Diaphragm

15% 21%

Barrier Barrier

16-32% 16%

Contraceptive Sponge Spermicide

Barrier

16-32%

Barrier

29%

Contraceptive Patch

Hormone

8%

Vaginal Contraceptive Ring

A hormonal ring placed into the vagina for 3 weeks (followed by 1 week off).

Hormone

8%

Natural Family Avoiding sex near the time of Planning/Fertilit ovulation, when pregnancy is most y Awareness likely to occur. Method Sterilization Withdrawal

Other

12-25%

Permanent surgery that blocks the Other pathways of egg or sperm. Male removes his penis from the Other female's vagina prior to ejaculation.

<1% 27%

The Catholic moral tradition rejects each of the above contraceptive methods sterilization, withdrawal, birth control pills, IUDs, injections, implants, and barrier methodsas morally unacceptable. Some contraceptive methods prevent fertilization, while other so-called contraceptive methods actually do not prevent fertilization but rather, prevent implantation of the fertilized ovum (these methods should be more accurately called abortifacients, that is, they lead to the expulsion of fertilized ovum by preventing implantation and not the prevention of fertilization). Catholic moral teaching upholds the twofold obligation of fidelity (union) and fecundity (procreation) in the conjugal love (sexual intercourse) of a married couple. From a Catholic moral perspective, each of the contraceptive methods listed above sterilization, withdrawal, birth control bills, IUDs, injections, implants and barrier methodsare morally unacceptable because each method separates the procreative dimension of sexual intercourse. In addition, some of the methods are morally unacceptable because they are in fact abortifacients and do not prevent conception but rather prevent implantation and/or expel the fertilized ovum. Catholic moral teaching upholds the obligation of the married couple to regulate births. The regulation of procreation is a moral responsibility of married love, so long as the unitive and procreative dimensions of sexual love are harmonized through periodic continence. In the case of sexually transmitted diseases (STD), the use of barrier methods of birth control to reduce the risk of infection is not a morally good act. For example, using a condom to prevent the transmission of an STD does not make genital sexual acts between unmarried consenting adults morally good. In other words, safe sex (whether to prevent pregnancy and/or STD transmission) does not transform morally illicit sex into morally acceptable sex. Reproductive Technologies Modern medical technology has developed to a point where reproductive technologies now exist which can facilitate the artificial conception of children. There are two main categories of reproductive treatment options: (1) homologous procedures, which involve only the couples own biological materialssperm, ova, and uterus; and, (2) heterologous procedures which introduce a third persons biological materials into the processdonor sperm, donor ova, and/or surrogate womb.

The two most common reproductive technologies are: (1) artificial insemination and (2) in vitro fertilization (in vitro fertilization is the so-called test-tube baby technique). In homologous procedures artificial insemination occurs with the husbands sperm which is introduced into the wifes vagina or uterus; in vitro fertilization occurs using the wifes ova and the husbands sperm which are brought together in a test-tube or Petri dish and then placed in the wifes uterus. Heterologous artificial insemination occurs with a donors sperm, the donor being a known or unknown person. The donor sperm may be introduced into a surrogate womb. In heterologous in vitro fertilization both a donors sperm and a donors ova may be used, with either or both donors known or unknown; in addition, heterologous in vitro fertilization my also make use of a surrogate womb. It is possible that in vitro fertilization may involve five persons: donor sperm, donor ova, surrogate womb, and two parents who will raise the child after birth. In vitro fertilization usually involves hyper ovulation leading to the withdrawal of numerous ova which are then fertilized and cultivated in vitro for several days at which time some but not all of the embryos are implanted into the reproductive organs of the woman while others (called spares) are frozen or destroyed. Later in the pregnancy, some of the multiple implanted embryos are removed and destroyed.

Catholic moral teaching considers a child to be a gift, the greatest gift of marriage. Having a child is not a right nor is it something owed to a person. There is no right to a child for adults. Catholic moral teaching does uphold the rights of a child: every child has the right to be the fruit of the specific act of the conjugal love of his parents and the right to be respected as a person from the moment of his conception. (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2378) Catholic moral teaching rejects heterologous reproductive techniques because it involves the intrusion of a person other than the married couple and violates the right of every child to be born of a mother and father known to the child and bound together in marriage. In addition, the involvement of a third person betrays the spouses right to parenthood only through each other. Finally, the technique of in vitro fertilization generally involves the fertilization, cultivation and manipulation (such as freezing), and the destruction of multiple embryos. Catholic moral teaching finds homologous reproductive techniques morally unacceptable because the techniques: (1) dissociate the sexual act from the procreative act and gives the procreative act over to the domination of technology over the origin and destiny of the human person; and, (2) in the case of in vitro fertilization the process generally involves the fertilization, cultivation and manipulation (such as freezing), and destruction of multiple embryos.

Primary sources consulted: Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2d ed. Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1997. Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics [1975]. Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Washington D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, Office of Publishing and Promotion Services, publication no. V-438, n.d. Dr. Fred Dalton: Thank you to Dr. Dalton for much of this information. Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, 4th Edition, 36 (June 2001), http://www.usccb.org/bishops/directives.htm. Genovesi, Vincent J. In Pursuit of Love: Catholic Morality and Human Sexuality. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, Inc., 1987. Instruction on Respect for Human Life in Its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation [1987]. Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Origins: NC Documentary Service vol. 16, no. 40 (19 March 1987), 697-710. Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons [1986]. Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Washington D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, Office of Publishing and Promotion Services, publication no. 148-2, n.d. Liebard, Odile M., ed. Love and Sexuality: Official Catholic Teachings. Wilmington, NC: McGrath Publishing Company, 1978. Option Line http://www.optionline.org/about.html Planned Parenthood Federation of America, http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/Issues/ru486/index.cfm?renderforprint=1, and http://www.4parents.gov/sexrisky/birthcontrol/birthcontrol_chart/birthcontrol_chart.ht ml were also used as sources for birth control and abortion methods.

1) Sin * Sin is a theological/religious concept. From a biblical perspective, sin is unfaithfulness to the covenant; sin is that which opposes God and Gods will for creation. Sin both enslaves humanity and corrupts the created order. Sin is universal among human beings, individual, and collective. * There is no single Hebrew word for sin; rather a variety of Hebrew words are used in a variety of ways to describe the theological concept of sin--words such as iniquity, revolt, transgression, evil. * The various words used in the Bible for sin mean a variety of things, among them: to miss the mark (as in failing to attain a goal) rebellion (against parents, against political superior) breach of an agreement

disloyalty failure to fulfill ones obligations to a superior person failure to do ones duty as a host deviation or distortion guilt and liability straying dissolution of a community obstinacy disorder abomination twisted a lie, deceitfulness folly trouble affliction sorrow * Root of sin according to the Hebrew Scriptures: lack of knowledge of God, with lack of knowledge meaning refusal to know God, refusal to accept the reality of God. In the bible, sin arises from an evil heart, it is a deliberate and willful act for which human beings bear responsibility. (There is no conception of compulsion, neurosis, or social failure which excuses sin.) * Origin of sin in human history according to Hebrew Scriptures is found in the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, in which sin is attributed to the free will and choice of human beings who have the power to resist temptation but choose otherwise. The sin of Adam and Eve involves wanting something which is not theirs. The result of sin is breaking the relationship between humans and God. The sin of Adam and Eve--and all sin-- leads to a curse upon humanity, death, discord, disaster and destruction. * The Hebrew Scriptures identify a variety of sins: cultic sins, social and political sins, and personal sins. Sins may be due failure, ignorance, or deliberate intention. * In Christian Scriptures sin is understood in light of the tradition in Hebrew Scriptures, though three additional elements are added: -the idea of sin as a single act -the idea of sin as a condition or state of being -the idea of sin as a power or force. In addition, the Christian Scriptures portray Jesus as one who conquers sin, a characteristic not attributed to anyone else (and a characteristic which emphasizes Jesus divine power).

* In the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) the emphasis is on the forgiveness of sin by Jesus, not on sin. Jesus associates with sinners and calls sinners to repentance. Forgiveness is given by Jesus by all who seek it. * In the Gospel of John sin is understood in terms of lawlessness and unrighteousness and those who sin are slaves of sin. Sin is opposed to truth and the result of sin is death. Jesus is the sinless one whose death on the cross atones for the sins of the world. * In the writings of Paul, the human condition is understood in terms of sin and the world is a place where sin reigns (idea of original sin). Sin is a power from which there is no escape and the effect of sin is death. All human beings are immersed in sin. Sin is overcome by the death and resurrection of Jesus and it is through faith in Jesus (sharing in Jesus death and resurrection) that human beings are freed from sin and death (sins effect). * The Catholic moral tradition classifies sins into two types, based on the gravity of the sin: mortal sin and venial sin. A sin is mortal if three conditions are present: grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent. Venial sin constitutes a moral disorder that does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God, and eternal happiness. * The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines sin as an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is a failure in genuine love for God and neighbor... * The following notion of social sin was first used in Populorum Progressio in 1967 when Pope Paul VI used the term sinful structures in reference to inequalities between rich and poor nations. This encyclical noted that such inequality was created by structures of trade and finance. Personal Sin: Sin is an offense against God. Personal sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is a failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain good. It wounds the nature of human beings and injures human solidarity. Personal sin requires freedom and is the starting point of all sin. Social Sin: Social sin is the result of the accumulation and concentration of many personal sins. It results from situations which promote individual acts of selfishness which impact the wider society, and it highlights a failure of individuals to take personal responsibility for the impact of their actions. Structural Sin: Sin gives rise to social situations and institutions that are contrary to the divine goodness. Societies create institutions and structures that are established, shaped and sustained by individuals. Sins can become institutionalized. Structural sin refers to structures that oppress human beings, violate human dignity and create gross inequalities.

All sin is both personal and social at the same time.all sin is personal in the sense that only individuals can commit sin, only individuals can be guilty, only individuals can be sinners. However, all sins also have a social dimension because sins have social consequences. In this sense, then, sins become institutionalized and systematized in the structures, laws and customs of a society. (Nolan 1988: 43)

2) The Devil / Satan * The link between the devil and sin is a late development in Hebrew Scriptures. In any event, the understanding of the devil as a tempter of humanity does not affect the fundamental biblical perspective that human beings are responsible for sin. * The Hebrew word satan, means accuser or slanderer. In Greek, the Hebrew word is translated by the word diabolos. In Christian Scriptures, the two words are used interchangeably. * The Christian Scriptures reflect the general Jewish understanding of Satan and demons. Satan is portrayed as a tempter who has the power to do harm to humans. Ultimately, Satan is subject to Gods power and will be subdued. 3) Hell * The English word hell is a translation of the Greek word Hades, which translates a number of Hebrew words (the pit, death, deep darkness), including two key Hebrew words, Sheol and Gehenna. Hades was a Greek god, the lord of the underworld. In the Hebrew tradition, Sheol was the realm of the dead, though not a place of punishment. In the common conception of the universe in the ancient Near East (which the Hebrews shared), Sheol was below the subterranean ocean upon which the land floated; it was the pit or grave, a dark place of dust where the dead dwell. * Extrabiblical Jewish tradition develops the idea of Gehenna as a place of punishment of the wicked after death, punishment associated with unquenchable fire. * In Christian Scriptures the word Gehenna is mentioned twelve times. Summarizing those references leads to an understanding of Gehenna as a pit of unquenchable fire where people are cast and punished for their sins. It is a place of misery, torture, weeping, and darkness. * The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes hell as a state of definitive selfexclusion from communion with God and the blessed... Principle source consulted: Actemeier, Paul J., ed. Harpers Bible Dictionary. San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1985.

Catechism of the Catholic Church. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1994. McBrien, Richard P. Catholicism: Study Edition. Minneapolis, MN: Winston Press, 1981. McKenzie, John L. Dictionary of the Bible. New York, NY: Collier Books, 1965. Rahner, Karl and Herbert Vorgrimler. Dictionary of Theology. 2d ed. New York, NY: Crossroad, 1985. Educating for Justice www.educatingforjustice

ABORTION
ABORTION THE CATHOLIC CHURCH Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person (2270 Catechism of the Catholic Church)

The Catholic Churchs pro-life teachings are based on sacred Scripture AND what is commonly called "natural law," the divine law written in our hearts and knowable by human reason....A person doesnt have to be Catholic, Christian or even overtly religious to understand that human life is special among all creation and should not be violated by abortion. It is self-evident. (Helen Alvar Catholic Update) VOLITIONAL ABORTION Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being. (2274 Catechism of the Catholic Church)

Direct abortion is gravely contrary to the moral law. (2271 Catechism of the Catholic Church) WHAT ABOUT CASES OF RAPE OR INCEST? According to the Church's vision of morality, no hardship, not even being pregnant due to rape or incest, gives a woman reason to have an abortion.

If it is known that she is not already pregnant, a woman who has been raped or a victim of incest may seek immediate medical assistance- within a day- to prevent ovulation or kill the sperm, thus preventing conception from occurring. ( Emergency contraception, Plan B or the Morning After Pill) Emergency contraception, Plan B or the Morning After Pill The Catholic Church teaches that artificial means of birth control are wrong, those methods that are abortifacient especially so. (IUD) INDIRECT ABORTION Ectopic Pregnancy An ectopic pregnancy, tubal pregnancy, meaning literally, "out of place, occurs when a fertilized egg is implanted outside the uterus, typically in one of the FALLOPIAN TUBES . About one of every 50 known pregnancies is ectopic. Ectopic Pregnancy Once conception occurs, the fertilized egg usually takes about four to five days to travel down the tube from the ovary to the uterus. If the tube is damaged or blocked, or fails to propel the egg toward the uterus, the egg may become implanted in the wall of the tube and continue to develop there. Occasionally it may implant in another part of the abdomen, in an ovary, or in the cervix. Ectopic Pregnancy Although a woman must end an ectopic pregnancy, this is not looked at as a volitional abortion. Here the indirect abortion may be morally acceptable because the ending of the fetus' life was not the intended goal of the surgery. Instead, it was a tragic, undesired effect of saving the mother's life.

Indirect abortion may occur as a result of efforts to save a pregnant mother's life, for instance, through removal of a cancerous uterus. Life and death are ultimately the dominion of God. LAW AND METHODS U.S. Law Within the first 2 months of pregnancy, medical abortion (RU486) or abortion by vacuum aspiration (Manual vacuum aspiration or dilation and suction curettage) can be used to end pregnancy. From 2-3 months, vacuum aspiration is your only abortion option during the first trimester.

Partial Birth Abortion ABORTION METHODS Information on abortion methods: Read your packet of information to understand the various methods available and used.

Reproductive Technology Slide 1

ARISTOTLE, HAPPINESS AND VIRTUE ETHICS

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BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Concern for character has flourished in the West since the time of Plato, whose early dialogues explored such virtues as courage and piety.

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Plato
(c) Lawrence M. Hinman 2

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SOCRATES Socrates, born in 469 B.C., taught philosophy. Before 400 B.C., he began questioning Athenian values, laws, customs, and religion. In 399, he was brought to trial and found guilty of treason to the gods, and he was sentenced to death. His teachings were written down by his student, Plato.

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PLATO Plato, one of the most famous Greek philosophers, was born in Athens in 427 B.C. Plato tried to get involved in politics, but was repelled when his friend and teacher Socrates was sentenced to death in 399 B.C. Plato left Athens after Socrates was killed. He returned in 387 B.C., and founded a school of philosophy called the Academy, considered to be the first university by many people.
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ARISTOTLE

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Aristotle was born at Stagira, in Thrace, in 384 B.C. At the age of seventeen, he went to Athens and joined Plato's school, where he stayed until Plato's death in 347.

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ARISTOTLE
Although he studied under Plato, Aristotle fundamentally disagreed with his teacher on just about everything. He could not bring himself to think of the world in abstract terms the way Plato did; above all else, Aristotle believed that the world could be understood through detailed observation

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ARISTOTLE
That is, knowledge (which is what the word science means) is fundamentally empirical. As a result of this belief, Aristotle literally wrote about everything: poetics, rhetoric, ethics, politics, meteorology, embryology, physics, mathematics, metaphysics, anatomy, physiology, logic, dreams, and so forth.

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ARISTOTLE
A few years later, he became the tutor to the young prince of Macedon, Alexander the Great. Although Alexander was a stellar pupil, Aristotle returned to Athens three years later, founded his own school, the Lyceum, and taught and studied there for twelve years. Because Alexander began conquering all of the known world, Macedonians became somewhat unwelcome in Athens and Aristotle was accordingly shown the door in 323. He died a year later.
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Slide 9
Aristotle (384 BC -322 BC) was the first philosopher to put forward ethical reflections in a coherent, clear, and systematic fashion.

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Philosophical Ethical Theory

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Aristotle did not believe in a personal, creator God; his theory of ethics is not religious.

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TELOS OR FINAL CAUSE

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Aristotle maintained that all things in nature have a goal or purpose for which they strive; such a goal or purpose is a final cause or telos. (tell os, tee los)
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TELOS
The telos of an eye is to see; an eye is meant to see.

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TELOS (GOAL) OF HUMAN LIFE: HAPPINESS

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The goal of human beings, according to Aristotle, is happiness oreudaimonia . It must be the goal of human life, for it is always the ultimate reason why any person does what he does.
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Slide 14

HAPPINESS

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Aristotle observed that human happiness contained both subjectiveand objectiveelements.

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What does Objective mean? What does it mean for something to be objective? Its true whether anyone believes it or not.

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Objective or Subjective?
Is each of the following objective or subjective?
The pyramids are in Egypt. The pyramids are beautiful. 017C has no windows. Sushi tastes great. Sushi came from J apan. The Bells are better than the Lancers.

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SUBJ ECTIVE ELEMENTS OF HAPPINESS

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Some elements of happiness vary from person to person; fishing may relax some and bore others.

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OBJ ECTIVE ELEMENTS OF HAPPINESS

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But other things, such as living a virtuous life, must be the same for all people because of the way human beings are built. Virtue is an objective, necessary condition for happiness according to Artistotle.

Slide 19

Believing that one is happy is not sufficient proof that one is truly happy. Like a small child or a diseased person, a vicious person lacks the proper perspective on happiness. He may settle forchildishgoods or, in his diseased soul, crave pleasures that are not truly pleasures -as a heroin addict may crave heroine.

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CHARACTER

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Character is the fairly stable sets of attitudes, opinions and dispositions of a person that result in a fairly stable pattern or way of acting and reacting. In general, our actions determine what our character will be, and our character determines what our actions will be.

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3 PARTS OF A HUMAN BEING

For Aristotle, the human being is divided into 3 parts: the rational, the appetitive, and the vegetative (the involuntary functions of humans.). A person s character type is determined by the relationship between his rational and appetitive.

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ACQUIRING A VIRTUE
For Aristotle, virtue is something that is practiced and thereby learnedit is habit (hexis). This has clear implications for moral education, for Aristotle obviously thinks that you can teach people to be virtuous.

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ACQUIRING A VIRTUE
When people have taught or habituated themselves both to judge with their rational part the appropriate way to behave or respond in a certain situation and to feel or desire in the appropriate way -which means in the manner prescribed by their judgment -then they have acquired a virtue.

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HABITS AND CHARACTER STATES Habits and character states are produced by performing like activities;we become just by doing just acts, brave by doing brave acts.

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THE VIRTUOUS PERSON

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Virtuous people, who live a life of harmony, are the only type capable of reaching their goal as humans: happiness.

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THE VIRTUOUS PERSON

For most actions and passions, the virtuous person will try to find the golden mean, the middle ground -or virtue -between two extremesor vices-, one of which is excess and the other a deficiency

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THE GOLDEN MEAN

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Eating between the vice of gluttony and the vice of anorexia nervosa is the golden mean, which avoids excesses.

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COURAGE
Need to find the golden mean between these two:
Deficiency : Cowardice,the inability to do what is necessary to have those things in life which we need in order to flourish
Too much fear Too little confidence

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Excess
Too little fear Too much confidence Poor judgment about ends worth achieving

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Excess

COURAGE
Mean
Correctly estimates actual danger

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Deficiency
Overestimates actual danger

Underestimates actual danger Overestimates own ability Undervalues means, what is being placed at risk Overvalues goal, what the risk is being taken for

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Correctly estimates own Underestimates own ability ability Properly values means Overvalues the means, that are being put at risk what is being placed at risk Properly values goal that Undervalues goal, what is being sought the risk would be taken for

(c) Lawrence M. Hinman

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Forgiveness: Excess and Deficiency

Need to find the golden mean between these two: Excess: the person who forgives too easily and too quickly may undervalue self may underestimate offense Deficiency : the person who can never forgive may overestimate his or her own importance usually lives a life of bitterness and anger

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THE MEAN IS RELATIVE TO EACH PERSON

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There is a proper and objective way for each person to desire, judge and act, but that standard is dependent on the person s situation. (A 6 ft. man needs more food than a 5 ft. woman)

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Are there any EXCEPTIONS? Some actions, such as murder, or feelings, such as envy, are by nature bad and do not become good by being performed or felt in moderation.

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HOW TO BECOME VIRTUOUS

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The desires, judgments, and actions of the virtuous person are the standard by which all desires, judgments, and actions are measured.

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HOW TO BECOME VIRTUOUS

In particular the virtuous person can help provide moral counseling, for he or she can help correct the skewed perspective of others who misjudge where they stand in regard to virtue.

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GUIDELINES TO BECOME VIRTUOUS

Aristotle offers many guidelines for becoming virtuous. Among them are avoiding vices, knowing oneself, being wary of pleasure pursued for pleasure itself, and the bent stick remedy, which tells us to strain every nerve to reverse a vice. (If I am vain, I should strive for humility and then I will reach the middle.)

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SIMILARITIES WITH ARISTOTLE S ETHICS AND CHISTIAN MORALITY

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Like Aristotle, Christians believe that many virtues are accurately described as a kind of moderation. Christian theologians throughout the centuries have stressed the notion that God has implanted in every human being a desire for happiness.

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DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ARISTOTLE S ETHICS AND CHISTIAN MORALITY Aristotle s god was not the personal God of the J ews and Christians; his god did not have a personal concern for humans. Aristotle did not see a need for humility orfear of the Lord. Also, Aristotle s historical situation made it impossible for him to appreciate some basic Christian values, such as respect for all life, the vice of abortion, and solidarity with the poor.

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PRIMARY SOURCE
An Introduction to Catholic Ethics Lucien Longtin, S.J ., 2003

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Capital Punishment Student Created in 2004 (Factual information without Churchs opinion.) 8th Amendment The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution, condemning cruel and unusual punishment, is used to protest capital punishment Its all about the Benjamins Capital Punishment costs much more money than keeping a criminal behind bars for a long period of time The cost of the apparatus and maintenance of the procedures attending the death penalty, including death row and the endless appeals and legal machinery, far outweighs the expense of maintaining in prison the tiny fraction of criminals who would otherwise be slain DNA EVIDENCE NOT USED EXTENSIVELY Because of its expense, DNA evidence is not widely used; consequently, at this moment there are innocent men, women, and people convicted while juveniles sitting on death row. Straight up facts playa Executions Race of Defendants executed since 1976 ( as of 2010) Race of Victims since 1976 Recent Racial Studies In 96% of the states where there have been reviews of race and the death penalty, there was a pattern of either race-of-victim or race-of-defendant discrimination, or both

98% of the chief district attorneys in death penalty states are white; only 1% are

black www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/documents/FactSheet.pdf - Similar Recent Racial Studies (cont.) Blacks received the death penalty at a 38% higher rate than all others A comprehensive study on the death penalty in North Carolina found that the odds of receiving a death sentence rose by 3.5 times among those defendants whose victims were white Women There were 52 women on death row as of April 1, 2004. This constitutes 1.46% of the total death row population 10 women have been executed since 1976

Juveniles There were 72 death row inmates (all male) sentenced as juveniles, (under 18 at time of crime) as of Sept. 30, 2004 They make up 2% of the total death row; 38% of these are in Texas 22 defendants have been executed for crimes committed as juveniles since 1976 Mental Retardation On June 20, 2002, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling ending the execution of those with mental retardation In Atkins v. Virginia, the Court held that it is a violation of the ban on cruel and unusual punishment to execute death row inmates who have mental retardation. 1972-1976 DEATH PENALTY UNCONSTITUTIONAL The brief period (1972-1976) in which the Supreme Court held that capital punishment under the statute was "cruel and unusual" and violated the Eighth Amendment is a memorable part of United States history. Methods (since 1976) 775 Lethal Injection (37 states, plus the U.S. Government and Military)

152 Electrocution (8 states; sole method in 1 state (Nebraska) 11 Gas Chamber (5 states; all have lethal injection as an alternative method) 3 Hanging (2 states; all have lethal injection as an alternative method) 2 Firing Squad (3 states; all have lethal injection as an alternative method)

Support In 2003, the death penalty support had dropped to its lowest level in 25 years: 64% supported the death penalty and 32% opposed

When respondents are given the choice of life without parole as an alternate sentencing option, support for the death penalty is even at 50%

THANKS TO Bobby Moon, Dave Brehmer, Scott Rodehorst and Hunter Current (All from the Class of 2006) FOR GATHERING MUCH OF THIS INFORMATION.

Cardinal and Theological Virtues in the Catholic Church CARDINAL VIRTUES Cardinal Virtues Prudence Justice Fortitude Temperance THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES Theological Virtues Faith Hope Love Love (cont.) Slide 1
Cardinal and Theological Virtues in the Catholic Church

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CARDINAL VIRTUES
The cardinal virtues are the four primary moral virtues. The English word cardinal comes from the Latin wordcardo, which means "hinge." All other virtues hinge upon these four virtues. The cardinal virtues can be practiced by anyone, religious or non religious.
(Scott P. Richert)

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Cardinal Virtues
There are four cardinal virtues a) Prudence b) Justice c) Fortitude d)Temperance

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Prudence
Practical judgment. An example of prudence is organizing your study time before an exam. Staying home before a final instead of going to a football or basketball game. Prudence asks the question,What is the right thing to do in this particular situation? (common sense).

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Dramatization

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Justice
Justice is the virtue that reminds us that the people with whom we share our world have rights and that, as much as possible, all people deserve to have basic needs met. In other words, justice is the virtue that explicitly ranks our own good as equal to the common good, the good of all people.

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Fortitude
Fortitude is simply a fancy term for the virtue that the cowardly lion requests from the wizard of Oz-courage. It ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. The challenge is to stand up for what is right in the face of peer pressure or in circumstances when we are being called upon to step out of our usual patterns of behavior. Without the courage to act, all the other virtues are useless.

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Dramatization

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Temperance
Temperance is the virtue that refers to self control in general. If we are incapable of regulating the amount of food we eat or the amount of alcohol we consume, then we are not truly free. Temperance is primarily concerned with the control of the desires of the flesh, but when it manifests itself as modesty, it can also restrain the desires of the spirit, such as pride.

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THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES

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The Theological Virtues are gifts of God through grace.

(Scott P. Richert)

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Theological Virtues
Theological virtues are rooted in God and reflect Gods presence in our lives. The three Theological virtues are the following: a) Faith b) Hope c)Love (Charity)

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Faith
Faith is the virtue by which we recognize that God exists and that God s very existence holds moral implications for us. Faith is believing in God and being faithful to him. Faith requires openness and trust. Faith -inaction involves trying to discover what is Gods will and then acting accordingly.

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Hope
Hope is trusting in God, in everything that Christ has promised, and in the help of the Holy Spirit. Hope is intimately tied to responsibility. It is future oriented and means taking seriously the consequences of our actions. Jesus provides hope that, no matter how hopeless our current circumstances appear and despite trials and setbacks, in the end all will be well. Never Give up!

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Love
Love is the theological virtue representing the core of the Christian moral life. Love is the virtue that places concern for God, manifest especially through concern for others, above everything else. The Catechism defines love in the words of the medieval theologian Saint Thomas Aquinas, To love is to will the good of another.

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Love (cont.)
Every other virtue that we might practice represents some dimension of love: every time we practice a virtue, we are giving expression to love. Pretty much love is the core virtue and when we practice any virtue, we are practicing love. Moral laws are norms for love: moral principals are the principles of love. Sin indicates a failure to love. Moral decision making is the process of practicing the art of love.

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COMPONENTS OF HIGH SELF ESTEEM

PEOPLE WITH LOW SELF ESTEEM OFTEN

Don't take risks Take care of others, excluding themselves Are lonely Stay with activities and interests that are known and safe Are unable to accept compliments Engage in self-destructive behavior such as drug abuse or starvation diets Are critical of others/self Brag about themselves too much Believe deep down that they are not worth much Are afraid of making any mistakes

PEOPLE WITH POSITIVE SELF ESTEEM OFTEN Relate to other people spontaneously Accept compliments Explore new opportunities and interests in order to grow Accept their body even though it is not perfect Believe deep down that they are worth a lot Make mistakes and learn from them Treat others and themselves with respect Take care of themselves physically and emotionally COMPONENTS OF POSITIVE SELF ESTEEM Imagination Body Emotions

Intuition Community Spiritual Self IMAGINATION

Very powerful tool for self-esteem Visualize the way you want it to be What you believe about yourself and what you picture You will "outpour" into the world Example: Test Anxiety: Picture yourself succeeding Focus on your successes REMEMBER: GOD CAN HELP US THROUGH FEARFUL TIMES AND TRIALS

BODY To have high self-esteem, I have to accept/like my body BODY Often we don't like or often judge parts of our body "I'm too short." "I'm too big." "My nose is too big." BODY ACCEPT AND TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY Take care of your body Eat right Give your body exercise Sleep Don't abuse it

REMEMBER: GOD ACCEPTS US UNCONDITIONALLY

EMOTIONS To have high self-esteem, we need to accept all our emotions and deal with them even the negative ones Need to own them Need to feel all our feelings Need to express them Discover what is beneath the feeling EXAMPLE of owning our feelings: STEP ONE: Sheryl, when you said {fill in the blank}. STEP TWO: I felt {blank}. STEP THREE: The effect of this behavior on me was {blank}. STEP FOUR: In the future, I would like you to {blank}. STEP FIVE: The key to your success is here. Stop and listen for a response. Often the person hears you for the first time. REMEMBER: GOD CALLS US INTO HONEST RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS AND WITH OURSELVES INTUITION That part of ourselves that knows without knowing how we know INTUITION To have high self-esteem, we need to trust ourselves, and that God is with us on our path. INTUITION

We need to learn to listen to our INNER voice Many voices-How do we know which one to listen to? Not the voice that judges or makes us feel badly INTUITION You will experience peace when listening to this voice REMEMBER: GOD SPEAKS THROUGH OUR OWN VOICE AS WELL AS OTHERS' VOICES.

COMMUNITY

Look at the people around you Do they exude positive self-esteem? Do they share your true values?

COMMUNITY Look at the people around you Are they joyful? Are they honest? REMEMBER: SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO WILL ENCOURAGE YOU BY THEIR HONEST FEEDBACK SPIRITUAL Remember the higher Self, that spark of divine, soul, in all humans.

REMEMBER: KNOW THAT GOD LOVES AND ACCEPTS US UNCONDITIONALLY.

Self Esteem

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius(1491-1556)

CONSOLATION In his "Rules for The Discernment of Spirits," St. Ignatius addresses the issue of consolation and desolation. "Consolation," he wrote, is when "the soul is aroused by an interior movement which causes it to be inflamed with love of its creator and Lord, and consequently can love no created thing on the face of the earth for its own sake, but only in the Creator of all things."

DESOLATION "Desolation," in stark contrast to "consolation", he defined as the "darkness of the soul, turmoil of the mind, inclination to low and earthly things, restlessness resulting from many disturbances and temptations which lead to loss of faith, loss

of hope, and loss of love. It is also desolation when a soul finds itself completely apathetic, tepid, sad, and separated as it were, from its Creator and Lord"

Sources:
Anthony Mottola, The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Garden City, New York: Image Books, 1964, p. 129-130

Euthanasia Student created 2005- 2009 Euthanasia Euthanasia definition

 Euthanasia: the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit. (The key word here is "intentional". If death is not intended, it is not an act of euthanasia) o Voluntary euthanasia: When the person who is killed has requested to be killed. o Non-voluntary: When the patient who is killed made no request and gave no consent. o Involuntary euthanasia: When the person who is killed made an expressed wish to the contrary. Euthanasia Assisted suicide: Someone provides an individual with the information, guidance, and means to take his or her own life with the intention that they will be used for this purpose. When it is a doctor who helps another person to kill themselves it is called "physician assisted suicide." Euthanasia By Action: Intentionally causing a person's death by performing an action such as by giving a lethal injection. Euthanasia By Omission: Intentionally causing death by not providing necessary and ordinary (usual and customary) care or food and water.

More on Two Types of Euthanasia 1. Active or Direct 2. Passive or Indirect Active or Direct taking deliberate steps to end the life of a suffering and incurably ill person. This can occur with or without the consent of the patient. Active euthanasia involves the direct and intentional taking of life. Passive or Indirect deliberately not taking steps to prevent a sick persons death, with the desire and intention that this withholding will lead to death. May occur with or without consent of patient. Passive euthanasia is taking a life, however well- or ill-meaning the intention. History 400 B.C. - The Hippocratic Oath I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest any such counsel. 14th through 20th Century - English Common Law For over 700 years, the Anglo American common law tradition has punished or otherwise disapproved of both suicide and assisting suicide.

19th Century - Washington vs. Glucksberg

The right to life and to personal security is not only sacred in the estimation of the common law, but it is inalienable.

1939 - Nazi Germany Hitler ordered widespread mercy killing of the sick and disabled.

1995 - Australias Northern Territory Approves a Euthanasia Bill Went into effect in 1996, but it was overturned by the Australian Parliament in 1997

1998 - Oregon Legalizes Assisted - Suicide

2000 - Netherlands Legalizes Euthanasia Oregon's Death with Dignity Act

On October 27, 1997 physician-assisted suicide became a legal medical option for terminally ill Oregonians. The Oregon Death with Dignity Act requires that the Oregon Health Services (OHS) monitor compliance with the law, collect information about the patients and physicians who participate in legal physician-assisted suicide, and publish an annual statistical report. United States
Pro Euthanasia Death with Dignity means that patients die peacefully, surrounded by their families and doctors, instead of being suffocated by plastic bags or gassed with carbon monoxide as it happens now. Modern Technology keeps people alive hooked up to Machines. Government doesnt have the right to keep people alive. Pro continued People should have the right to commit suicide. Euthanasia should be provided to people who are terminally ill. Euthanasia sometimes is the only way to relieve excruciating pain. Opposition to Euthanasia is just an attempt to impose religious beliefs on others. Suicide isnt against the law; why should it be illegal to help someone commit suicide? The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government. CON People who have been gassed to death by Jack Kevorkian have been left in the back seat of cars in abandoned parking lots. Other attempts to legalize it have only legitimized the use of plastic bags and gassed death.

Families sometimes have to watch an injection that will lead to violent convulsions and muscle spasms. Con continued The law already permits patients (or their surrogates) to choose not to be forced to remain alive by being hooked up to machines or to choose for various interventions to be withheld. Neither the law or medical ethics requires that everything be done to keep a person alive. Con etc. Laws against Euthanasia are in place to prevent abuse and to protect people from unscrupulous doctors and others. They are not intended to make anyone suffer. Euthanasia isnt about the right to die, its about the right to kill! The term Terminal is not very clearly defined. The Morality Issue Death-a person is dead when essential life systems no longer function (lungs, brain, heart, etc.) Threshold of life and death seem clearly defined. The Morality Issue contd In reality, the threshold between life and death is made unclear though the complexity in the dying process. New and improved medical technology raise important new moral decisions. The Churchs Principles Life is a gift from God It must be protected by all reasonable means

Dying is a natural process

The refusal and withdrawal of drugs and other interventions are not of themselves euthanasia Humans are not separate disconnected individuals As a community, they have the duty to care for and to enhance the life of an individual

The measure of societys integrity is its capacity to care for the most weak and vulnerable People should not feel like they have a duty to die The Churchs Position Church teaching condemns euthanasia. Euthanasia in the strict sense is understood to be an action or omission which of itself and by intention causes death, with the purpose of eliminating all suffering. -Pope John Paul II (The Gospel of Life, number 65)

Further Explanation of Churchs Position The Pope recognizes that sometimes people use the term to refer to actions that are not, strictly speaking, euthanasia. He points out that the same action may or may not fall under this strict definition of euthanasia depending on the kind of act and the intention behind the action. The Churchs Position The Catholic Church Allowing Death to Occur is Not the Same as Killing When inevitable death is imminent in spite of the means used, it is permitted in conscience to take the decision to refuse forms of treatment that would only secure a precarious and burdensome prolongation of life Declaration of Euthanasia, number 4 Further Explanation of Churchs Position Further Explanation of Churchs Position The Catholic Church The Catholic Church and Euthanasia By Omission Jack Kevorkian DR. JACK KEVORKIAN operates on a simple philosophy: People have a right to avoid a lingering, miserable death by ending their own lives with help from a physician who can ensure that they die peacefully. Dr. Kevorkian Dr. Kevorkian Dr. Kevorkian What We Should Do Get a living will or a designated decision maker for the the patient Living Will a declaration that a competent adult makes identifying the medical care desired if he becomes incapacitated Designated Decision Maker someone appointed to make decisions for a person who is incapacitated Be a part of the hospice movement Hospice an intense multi-faceted, spiritually based approach to assisting people through the dying process Hospice Considers death and dying as normal aspects of life Advocates family involvement in caring for the dying person, including care within the persons home for as long as it is beneficial

Seeks to help those who are dying to be givers as well as receivers of care in the community of mutual support

Actively involves dying persons in decisions

Sees the spiritual dimensions as very important for dying persons and fosters spiritual preparation for death
Quick Look at Hinduism Hinduism is an inclusive religion rather than the unified, exclusive religion common in the West. It is a composite of many beliefs and practices. One might call it an umbrella religion because of open mind to all religions; Hinduism absorbs rather than rejects the religions of others. Hindus believe that all religions are partially true in that each religion is an attempt to seek that which is ultimately true and freeing. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion in theory and theology. A theme of diversity in unity has helped Hinduism to incorporate many forms of spirituality. Within Hinduism there are more than 330 million gods, enough for each family and person to have and worship his own god. Therefore, Hinduism is often monotheistic in practice: generally one god is worshipped at a time. In Hinduism, there is a belief in a trinity or god-head, made up of the three most important gods: a. Brahma, the Creator, made the world and, having completed that task, is above and beyond worship. b. Vishnu, the Preserver, has the duty to uphold order, and as part of that duty, takes on bodily and historical forms (incarnations) in the world: Rama, Krishna, and the Buddha are the most famous. c. Shiva, the Destroyer, aids humans in liberating themselves from this world. Shiva destroys the old in order that the new has a chance for life. The hope of Hinduism is that we can each be liberated from the restraints of the physical world. This release, known as MOKSHA, frees us from the cycle (SAMSARA) of incarnations (new body forms). As long as we have the need or wish for worldly things, we will reincarnate after death. There are four basic Paths (MARGAS) to MOKSHA (Liberation of the Soul to Eternity) because there are four basic types of human beings: Intellectual, Emotional, Active, and Psychological. Jnana Yoga -The path through the Intellect and Knowledge -- Cognitive Aspect of Mankind Discovering that God (Brahman) is identical with myself (Atman) When I think purely and intensely, I can find that the God inside is the God of all things. Bhakti Yoga -The path through Dedication and Love -- Emotional/Affective Discovering that God is an "other" being who we love and worship unconditionally When I love purely and firmly I can love the God in all men and all things Karma Yoga -The path to God through good works -- Charity leads to charitableness Discovering God in the things I do for others can be motivated by Jnanic or Bhaktic inclinations Raja Yoga -- The path to God through Intense Psychological Exercises -- Meditation 1. Eliminating vices -- ahimsa (non-violence), lying, stealing, sensuality, and greed 2. Adopting virtues -- cleanliness, contentment, self-control, studiousness, contemplation of divine 3. Practicing Asanas -- postures (lotus position) which will quiet "lower" bodily impulses 4. Breath control -- controlling the thorax's ability to be disruptive 5. Cutting oneself off from the "head" senses-- sight, taste, hearing, seeing, smelling 6. Leave the mind alone to concentrate unswervingly towards an object; stop thinking about being a thinker 7. Merge the subject and the object into one -- the distinctions are no longer important 8. Realize that the difference between subject and object is not important -- Samadhi (being one with the universe Hatha Yoga -The path to Physical Fitness (bodily Aspect of Mankind) will not release us from this world. Brahmacarya Grihasthya Vanaprasthya Samnyasa The Four Stages (ASRAMA) of Life --- Student -- learn both religious and secular truths --- Householder -- marriage, children, gain fortune --- Retirement -- use fortune to help others --- Renunciation -- move away from the world of possessions to learn what it's like in eternity where we are tied to nothing- not material goods, not passions, not time, not family The four states/castes (VARNAS) of society: Priestly caste with greatest gifts and most to give up

Brahmins:

Kshatriyas: Governing caste which administers the government, leads the Armies Vaishyas: Business caste which owns, produces, and distributes goods Sudras: Worker caste which does blue-collar jobs and small business tasks Pariahs: The out-castes who do jobs which decent people wouldn't think of doing. Mahatma Gandhi called these people the "Children of God" (Harijan)

The following are the closing verses of the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita ("Song of the Lord"), India's best-known scripture, a masterpiece of world poetry on which countless mystics have drawn for daily practical guidance. This second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, called the Gita by most Hindus, ends with a description of the highest state of consciousness a human being can attain. The Gita is a dialogue between Sri Krishna, an incarnation of the Lord, and his friend and disciple Arjuna, a warrior prince who represents anyone trying to live a spiritual life in the midst of worldly activity and conflict. Mahatma Gandhi: When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to the Bhagavad Gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day. For more than 50 years, Gandhi meditated on the following portions of the Bhavagad Gita morning and night and devoted all his effort to translating them into his daily action. They are the key to his self transformation.

THE SCENE IN THIS PORTION OF THE STORY: When your love is deep enough, Sri Krishna tells Arjuna, every selfish attachment falls away, and with it all frustration, all insecurity, all despair. Arjuna asks enthusiastically: How can I recognize such a person when I see him? Tell me how he acts, how he conducts himself when under attack.

The Bhagavad Gita The Illumined Man Arjuna:

Tell me of the man who lives in wisdom, Ever aware of the Self, O Krishna; How does he talk, how sit, how move about? Sri Krishna: He lives in wisdom Who sees himself in all and all in him, Whose love for the Lord of Love has consumed Every selfish desire and sense-craving Tormenting the heart. Not agitated By grief nor hankering after pleasure, He lives free from lust and fear and anger Fettered no more by selfish attachments, He is not elated by good fortune Nor depressed by bad. Such is the seer. When you keep thinking about sense-objects, Attachment comes. Attachment breeds desire, The lust of possession which, when thwarted, Burns to anger. Anger clouds the judgment And robs you of the power to learn from past mistakes Lost is the discriminative faculty, And your life is utter waste. But when you move amidst the world of sense From both attachment and aversion freed, There comes the peace in which all sorrows end, And you live in the wisdom of the Self. The disunited mind is far from wise; How can it meditate? How be at peace? When you know no peace, how can you know joy? When you let your mind follow the Siren call Of the senses, they carry away Your better judgment as a cyclone drives a boat Off the charted course to its doom. He is forever free who has broken out Of the ego-cage of I and mine To be united with the Lord of Love. This is the supreme state. Attain thou this And pass from death to immortality.

The principal of meditation is that you become what you meditate on. Gandhi meditated with an undivided singleness of mind on the ideal

of the Bhagavad Gita: the man who renounces everything for love of serving others, and lives in freedom and joy. Gandhi believed that the last eighteen verses of the Second Chapter of the Gita give in a nutshell the secret of the art of living: these verses of the Second Chapter have since been inscribed on the tablet of my heart. They contain for me all knowledge.

Eknath Easwaran, Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living (Petaluma, California: Nilgiri Press, 197585) Eknath Easwaran, Gandhi the Man ( Petaluma, California: Nilgiri Press, 1978) HOMOSEXUALITY- THE CATHOLIC CHURCHS POINT OF VIEW

BASIC CONCEPTS (Turn to page 4 in your packet.) For the Catholic Church, there is a difference between the following terms SEX: BORN WITH MALE FEMALE GENDER: LEARNED (Fr. Coleman p.17-18) MASCULINE FEMININE One learns to be a boy or a girl according to the society one occupies and according to the environment one is in. ORIENTATION: NOT A PREFERENCE HETEROSEXUAL HOMOSEXUAL BISEXUAL *Many people dont know their orientation until their 20s when they get a chance to date *Not a preference or choice CATHOLIC CATECHISM 2333 *Accept sexuality *Acknowledge sexuality

CATHOLIC CATECHISM 2358 (The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. In other words, MANY PEOPLE are homosexual.) HOMOSEXUALITY: DEFINITION A predominant, persistent, psychosexual attraction to the same sex with a sexual responsiveness toward sexual acts LETTER TO BISHOPS SIN-NO DISORDERED-meaning desire towards activity leading to sex outside of marriage (2357 Catechism) Catholic position *Equivalent family status has not been conferred on homosexual unions *Sex belongs inside marriage *Two homosexual people can never marry each other HOMOPHOBIA Irrational *Fear Hatred Dread Discomfort toward HOMOPHOBIA SAME SEX Demonstrated in hostility Jokes Language Assault/violence HOMOPHOBIA Self Internalized homophobia HOMOPHOBIA Condemned in Veritatis Splendor ( Letter from John Paul II (p.72, Coleman) I) Hebrew Scriptures Creation * The God of Israel is the Creator of heaven and earth and all things; God sustains creation * The Creator is wholly Other, the Holy One * Creation is good * Human beings are created in the image and likeness of God (dignity)

* God is the Lord of history whose will is made manifest in and through human activity * Existence is gift; the fundamental reality of creation is grace Covenant * God initiated the covenant relationship with Israel * Gods relationship to Israel is characterized by faithfulness to the covenant God initiated (though Israel is often faithless) * The covenant creates Israel, the people of God, and the covenant is with the people * God is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of Joseph, the God who brought the people out of the land of Egypt, the place of slavery Law * The Law is a gift from God which enables the people to respond to Gods covenant by being holy * The people of God are called to holiness just as God is holy * The Ten Commandments are a summary of the Law, the starting point and minimum requirements of faithfulness to the covenant and life as a people Justice * A just person is a person with a righteous heart * A righteous heart is necessary to observe the Law * A righteous heart is determined in relation to the widow, the alien, and the orphan (that is, the poor and the oppressed, the weak and the vulnerable) * Ones treatment and relationship with the poor reveals the authenticity of worship of God; to mistreat the poor reveals faithlessness and idolatrous worship

II) Christian Scriptures Church Community * The Christian community is a community of discipleship called to witness to Gods saving love in Jesus Christ * The Christian community is called to faithfulness; the primary moral imperative is for the community to be faithful, not on individual acts or character

Cross * Jesus death on the cross is the model of faithfulness to God * The Christian community experiences the presence of the Kingdom of God by participating as a community in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus * The cross is the paradigm of Christian love: voluntary self-sacrificial love of others for the sake of reconciliation and justice Resurrection * The Christian community embodies the power of the resurrection, which is new life and freedom in the Spirit * The Christian community witnesses to the new creation that is already underway and points to the future fulfillment of Gods saving plan for humanity Kingdom of God/Good News of Salvation * The good news of Gods saving love is a call for metanoia, for repentance and conversion * The good news is a call to obedience to Gods will * The good news is Gods care and concern for people and Gods commitment and faithfulness to people * The good news is Gods will that the future for human beings is a future filled with life, peace, and joy * The Kingdom of God is made manifest wherever people love one another as Jesus loved

The Catholic Christian Moral Tradition: Wisdom for Life For 2,000 years Christians have been striving to live moral lives in response to the personal and communal experience of the saving love of God in Jesus Christ. Over the centuries the Catholic community of faith has developed moral wisdom for life. The tradition of Catholic moral wisdom is centered in sharing the human experience; following Jesus Christ;

observing the Ten Commandments; practicing works of mercy; developing virtuous character. Sharing the human experience Love: the desire and drive for union, fulfillment, happiness Suffering: loss of well-being, hope, purpose Sin: weakness, self-deception, evil Conscience: sincerity and striving to become better Experiencing Gods saving love and following Jesus Christ Word of God in Scripture Kingdom of God Forgiveness and reconciliation Love of God and neighbor Solidarity and service to all Community of disciples Sacraments of the Church Observing the Ten Commandments I. I am the Lord your God II. Do not take the name of the Lord in vain III. Keep holy the Lords day IV. Honor your father and mother V. Do not kill VI. Do not commit adultery VII. Do not steal VIII. Do not bear false witness IX. Do not covet your neighbors spouse X. Do not covet your neighbors goods Practicing the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy feed the hungry give good counsel give drink to the thirsty teach the ignorant shelter the homeless admonish sinners clothe the naked console the afflicted care for the sick forgive those who sin against you visit the imprisoned bear offenses patiently bury the dead pray for the living and the dead Developing the Cardinal and Theological Virtues Faith, Hope, and Love- Theological virtues Temperance, Fortitude, Justice, and Prudence- Cardinal Virtues

IN BRIEF 1833 Virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do good. 1834

The human virtues are stable dispositions of the intellect and the will that govern our acts, order our passions, and guide our conduct in accordance with reason and faith. They can be grouped around the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. 1835 Prudence disposes the practical reason to discern, in every circumstance, our true good and to choose the right means for achieving it. 1836 Justice consists in the firm and constant will to give God and neighbor their due. 1837 Fortitude ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. 1838 Temperance moderates the attraction of the pleasures of the senses and provides balance in the use of created goods. 1839 The moral virtues grow through education, deliberate acts, and perseverance in struggle. Divine grace purifies and elevates them. 1841 There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. They inform all the moral virtues and give life to them. 1842 By faith, we believe in God and believe all that he has revealed to us and that Holy Church proposes for our belief. 1843 By hope we desire, and with steadfast trust await from God, eternal life and the graces to merit it. 1844 By charity, we love God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves for love of God. Charity, the form of all the virtues, "binds everything together in perfect harmony" (Col 3:14).

Source consulted: Keenan, James F. Moral Wisdom: Lessons and Texts from the Catholic Tradition. Lanham, MD: Sheed & Ward / Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2004. Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2d ed. Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1997. Life of St. Thomas Aquinas o Tommaso de Aquino (Thomas Aquinas) was born in 1224 CE at the Castle of Roccasecca, in the territory of the Kingdom of Sicily. Tommaso was the youngest of four sons, and had four or five sisters.

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Young Thomas was sent to live and be educated at the Benedictine Abbey at Monte Cassino from 1230-1239 where he was trained in the Benedictine way of life and received his primary education. From 1239-1244 Thomas studied liberal arts at the public university in Naples. While in Naples In 1244 Aquinas joined the Order of Friars Preachersbetter known as the Dominicans. A month after joining the religious order, his brothers abducted him and held him in the family castle at Roccasecca for a year (they were opposed to him becoming a priest). Thomas Aquinas lived in Paris at a Dominican priory and prepares for religious life through prayer and study from 1245-1248. Thomas Aquinas was ordained a Dominican priest, was assigned to teach theology in Paris and later worked in Italy. While in Rome in 1266, Thomas Aquinas began writing the Summa Theologiae, a work which ultimately consists of three volumes and a supplement with 613 questions, 3,125 articles and more than 10,000 objections and replies. On March 7, 1274 Thomas Aquinas died at a Cistercian monastery at Fossanova, Italy after striking his head while traveling to the Council of Lyons called by Pope Gregory X. In 1323 Thomas Aquinas was canonized a saint by Pope John XXII at Avignon.

The Ethical Thought of St. Thomas Aquinas in the Summa Theologiae (adapted from Stephen Pope) The Summa Theologiae of St. Thomas Aquinas is written in three parts. The first part focuses on God, the second part focuses on human beings, and the third part focuses on Christ. The Summa Theologiae is a treatise on God, Humanity, and Jesus Christ. The basic vision of the Summa is that all things originate in God and all things are reconciled to God in Christ. The second part of the Summa studies human beings and human action and is where Thomas addresses issues of moral theology. Aquinas organized this part of the Summa around the framework of the virtues. Thomistic ethics (the ethical perspective of St. Thomas Aquinas) is virtue ethics; St. Thomas Aquinas saw virtue as the key to the moral life. The major themes in the Summa on the moral life are: Creation, Happiness, Reason, Emotions, Virtues, Sinfulness, Natural Law, and Grace. Creation Creation: The vision behind the moral teaching in the Summa is the belief that all things come from God and all things return to God through Jesus Christ. The finite goodness of all of creation reflects the infinite goodness of God. Human beings are made in the image and likeness of God and the fundamental goodness of humanity remains even in the midst of human sinfulness. Happiness Happiness: The fundamental question of the moral life for human beings is the question of the purpose of human life. Thomas believes that human beings are made by God for happiness. Thus, the key question of the moral life is: What is happiness? Thomistic ethics is an ethics of beingbeing happyand not an ethics of doingas in following the rules. The key to happiness for human beings is recognizing that while the created goods of the world can make us happy for a while, only the eternal and infinite goodness of God can bring us perfect happiness. The goods of the world are truly good, but they are subordinate, limited, and finite goods which cannot satisfy human beings. Human happiness is meant to be transcendent happiness; human life finds its purpose in the ultimate good of God and only in God can human beings be truly and perfectly happy.

Reason Reason: Thomas saw human reason as central to the moral life. Thomas believes that human reason (the human will) is oriented toward the universal goodness of God. As rational creatures we naturally seek the

good, although we can ignore or violate our natural inclination. Reason enables humans to choose from among the array of seeming, apparent, and/or actual goods in life. Through reason, humans can choose what is truly good. A reasonable and therefore moral act fulfills three conditions: i. ii. iii. the act itself is good or indifferent the person acting acts out of good intention the act is done in a good way.

A morally good action must meet each of these criteria, otherwise the act is immoral. Emotions Emotions: In the Summa, Thomas recognizes that emotions (feelings, passions, affections) are part of human nature and are good. Human beings are rational and emotional beings. The moral challenge is the proper ordering of our emotions. Aquinas writes that our emotions are actually shaped by our reason and will. What we feel as a person is a matter of identity and character, and not some random or mysterious upwelling over which we have no control. A mature moral life is one in which we have cultivated certain emotions, affections, and feelings through moral character. Virtues Virtues: Virtues give a person a particular direction or orientation toward goodness. Virtues are habits that make us good. Habits are acquired; we gain them by repeating the same action over time. Aquinas identified three theological virtues and four cardinal virtues (as well as many other virtues and vices). Theological virtues: i. Faith ii. Hope iii. Love (also called charity) Cardinal virtues: i. Prudence ii. Justice iii. Courage (also called fortitude) iv. Temperance The most important of the theological virtues is love. Faith, hope, and love are gifts of God in the Spirit of Christ. The theological virtues are graces received through the goodness of God. The most important of the cardinal virtues is prudence, which is the virtue of practical wisdom. Prudence is the practical wisdom every person needs to apply reason to action so that we can obtain the good and the happiness we desire. Prudence helps us know how to act in the various situations and circumstances of life. Prudence helps us do what is right and just in a specific situation. Sinfulness Sinfulness: Sinfulness exists when human beings choose to act contrary to the good. Sin is a disordered act, a corruption or privation of natural goodness. Human beings sin because of ignorance, passion, and malice. The essence of sin is the deliberate harming of our selfand God is offended when we choose to act against our own goodness and happiness. Natural Law Natural law: Natural law is an approach to ethics which reflects on human nature to discover the norms (ideals) for morality. The natural law approach was already the dominant characteristic of the Catholic moral tradition long before Aquinas, and has remained so even to the contemporary era.

The roots of Catholicisms natural law approach to morality are as follows: The Bible: Wisdom literature; parables; Romans 1:20 Greco-Roman Stoicism: Recognize and submit to the natural order of things, submit to reality, reason and nature linked Roman Law and the Justinian Code: Three types of law: civil law, international law, natural law The Tradition of the Christian Church: Teachings of the Early Church (Patristic Age), for example, St. Augustines ideas on the eternal law. Thomas Aquinas brought all this together in an extended discussion of natural law in the Summa. He defined law as follows: i. ii. iii. law must be a rule of reason, law must be for the common good, law must be promulgated by competent authority.

For a law to be just, it had to be a rule of reason for the common good of all promulgated by legitimate authority. If a law did not meet these three criteria, it was an unjust law and Thomas believed that an unjust law was no law at all. Thomas classified law into four types: i. ii. iii. iv. Eternal law: Gods plan for the universe and the source of morality; Natural law: our participation in the eternal law through reason; Human law: application of natural law by society; Divine law: revelation of scripture given as an aid due to human sinfulness.

Thomas believed that every human being, through reason, can understand the first rule of natural law. He identifies the first rule of natural law available to all people through reason as: Do good and avoid evil. Every human being has built into his or her heart the knowledge that she or he must do good and avoid evil. The natural moral law is available to every human person through reason because human nature is oriented toward good and away from evil. The challenge is to apply the first rule of natural lawdo good and avoid evilto the specific day to day situations, circumstances, and choices human beings make throughout life. Aquinas identified the fundamental characteristics of human nature which shape the natural moral law. These characteristics are natural human inclinations. Thomas believed that these natural human inclinations provide natural moral guidelines which should shape the application of the first rule of natural law to specific cases, situations, and circumstances in daily life: i. ii. iii. iv. the natural human inclination to preserve life; the natural human inclination to procreate and care for young; the natural human inclination to seek truth; the natural human inclination to sociability.

In a given situation, every person knows that they must do good and avoid evil and in order to do good they must act in a way which does not violate the natural human inclinations. In other words, doing good in a particular situation means that we must always try to act in ways which enhance life, care for others (such as children), witness to the truth, and contribute to the community. Likewise, we must avoid evil by never acting in ways which destroy life, harm others, obscure the truth, or break communal bonds. Thomas was aware that in a given situation there is room for disagreement and uncertainty in applying natural law to specific circumstances and cases. In other words, reasonable people of good

will may not always come to the same conclusion when applying the general principle do good and avoid evil to particular actions in accord with our natural inclinations in a given real life situation. Grace Grace: The Christian moral life is a life of grace; it is life in the Spirit of God in Jesus. Grace is a gift from God in which God offers Gods own life and friendship to human beings. Grace heals, restores, and recreates sinful humanity. Grace creates in us the orientation and disposition to love God. For Thomas, we become what we love. We love those things which we think will bring us wholeness and happiness. Thomas wants us to open our hearts to the gift of Gods love which alone can make us whole and happy. Aquinas believes that the purpose or goal of life is to be a friend of God, that is, to be in loving union with God forever. That is Gods will for us, and God gives us the grace to seek to do Gods will. Primary sources consulted: Aquinas, Thomas. St. Thomas Aquinas on Politics and Ethics. Translated and edited by Paul E. Sigmund. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 1988. Aquinas, Thomas. Treatise on the Virtues. Translated by John A. Oesterle. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1984; Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1966. Copleston, Frederick. A History of Philosophy, vol. 2, Augustine to Scotus. New York, NY: Doubleday, 1985. Mahoney, John. The Making of Moral Theology: A Study of the Roman Catholic Tradition. New York, NY: Clarendon Press, 1987. Pope, Stephen J., ed. The Ethics of Aquinas. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2002. Pope, Stephen J. Overview of the Ethics of Thomas Aquinas. Chapter in The Ethics of Aquinas. Edited by Stephen J. Pope. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2002. Porter, Jean. The Recovery of Virtue: The Relevance of Aquinas for Christian Ethics. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1990. Wadell, Paul. The Primacy of Love: An Introduction to the Ethics of Thomas Aquinas. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1992. This is an idea that goes back (at least) to the Ancient Greeks. Early Christians tended to be Pacifists. From about the 5th Century on, many Christian thinkers tried to find a way of reconciling Christianity with Warfare. Saint Augustine (A.D. 354-430) provided one, crystallizing biblical principles into what is now known as just war doctrine. In the intervening centuries the theory has been refined by people such as St. Aquinas (1225-1274), but the just war framework remains as St. Augustine gave it. Principles of the Just War
(Nota bene: Just War Theory claims that all 7 of the conditions must be met if a war is to be a just one.)

1.

A just war can only be waged as a last resort. All non-violent options must be exhausted before the use of force can be justified. 2. A war is just only if it is waged by a legitimate authority. Even just causes cannot be served by actions taken by individuals or groups who do not constitute an authority sanctioned by whatever the society and outsiders to the society deem legitimate. 3. Just Cause: A just war can only be fought to redress a wrong suffered. For example, self-defense against an armed attack is always considered to be a just cause . 4. A war can only be just if it is fought with a reasonable chance of success. Deaths and injury incurred in a hopeless cause are not morally justifiable.

5. Right Intention: The ultimate goal of a just war is to re-establish peace. More specifically, the peace established after the war must be preferable to the peace that would have prevailed if the war had not been fought. 6. Proportionality: The violence used in the war must be proportional to the injury suffered. States are prohibited from using force not necessary to attain the limited objective of addressing the injury suffered. 7. Noncombatant Immunity: The weapons used in war must discriminate between combatants and non-combatants. Civilians are never permissible targets of war, and every effort must be taken to avoid killing civilians. The deaths of civilians are justified only if they are unavoidable victims of a deliberate attack on a military target.

As the Second Vatican Council noted, "insofar as men are sinful, the threat of war hangs over them, and hang over them it will until the return of Christ" --Gaudium et Spes 78 (Latin: "Joy and Hope"). Christ's followers must be willing to meet this challenge. They must be willing to wage war when it is just and they must be willing to wage it in a just manner. Simultaneously, they must work to establish a just and peaceful order among the nations. In so doing they seek to fulfill the words of the prophet, according to which the nations "shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Is. 2:4).
Sources: http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~alatus/2800a/JustWarTheory.html http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pol116/justwar.htm http://www.catholic.com/library/Just_War_Doctrine_1.asp

The Life of St. Ignatius of Loyola Early Life of St. Ignatius Inigo de Loyola was born in 1491 in Azpeitia in the Basque province of Guipuzcoa in northern Spain. He was the youngest of thirteen children. At the age of sixteen years he was sent to serve as a page to Juan Velazquez, the treasurer of the kingdom of Castile. As a member of the Velazquez household, he was frequently at court and developed a taste for all it presented, especially the ladies. He was much addicted to gambling, very contentious, and not above engaging in swordplay on occasion. In fact in a dispute between the Loyolas and another family, Ignatius and his brother plus some relatives ambushed at night some clerics who were members of the other family. Ignatius had to flee the town. When finally brought to justice he claimed clerical immunity using the defense that he had received the tonsure as a boy, and was therefore exempt from civil prosecution. The defense was specious because Ignatius had for years gone about in the dress of a fighting man, wearing a coat of mail and breastplate, and carrying a sword and other sorts of arms - certainly not the garb normally worn by a cleric. The case dragged on for weeks, but the Loyolas were apparently powerful. Probably through the influence of higher-ups, the case against Ignatius was dropped. Eventually he found himself at the age of 30 in May of 1521 as an officer defending the fortress of the town of Pamplona against the French, who claimed the territory as their own against Spain. The Spaniards were terribly outnumbered and the commander of the Spanish forces wanted to surrender, but Ignatius convinced him to fight on for the honor of Spain, if not for victory. During the battle a cannon ball struck Ignatius, wounding one leg and breaking the other. Because they admired his courage, the French soldiers carried him back to recuperate at his home, the castle of Loyola, rather than to prison. His leg was set but did not heal, so it was necessary to break it again and reset it, all without anesthesia. Ignatius grew worse and was finally told by the doctors that he should prepare for death. On the feast of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June) he took an unexpected turn for the better. The leg healed, but when it did the bone protruded below the knee and one leg was shorter than the other. This was unacceptable to Ignatius, who considered it a fate worse than death not to be able to wear the long, tight-fitting boots and hose of the courtier. Therefore he ordered the doctors to saw off the offending knob of bone and lengthen the leg by systematic stretching. Again, all of this was done without anesthesia. Unfortunately, this was not a successful procedure. All his life he walked with a limp because one leg was shorter than the other.

Conversion of St. Ignatius During the long weeks of his recuperation, he was extremely bored and asked for some romance novels to pass the time. Luckily there were none in the castle of Loyola, but there was a copy of the life of Christ and a book on the saints. Desperate, Ignatius began to read them. The more he read, the more he considered the exploits of the saints worth imitating. However, at the same time he continued to have daydreams of fame and glory, along with fantasies of winning the love of a certain noble lady of the court, the identity of whom we never have discovered but who seems to have been of royal blood. He noticed, however, that after reading and thinking of the saints and Christ he was at peace and satisfied. Yet when he finished his long daydreams of his noble lady, he would feel restless and unsatisfied. Not only was this experience the beginning of his conversion, it was also the beginning of spiritual discernment, or discernment of spirits, which is associated with Ignatius and described in his Spiritual Exercises. The Exercises recognize that not only the intellect but also the emotions and feelings can help us to come to a knowledge of the action of the Spirit in our lives. Eventually, completely converted from his old desires and plans of romance and worldly conquests, and recovered from his wounds enough to travel, he left the castle in March of 1522.He had decided that he wanted to go to Jerusalem to live where our Lord had spent his life on earth. As a first step he began his journey to Barcelona. Though he had been converted completely from his old ways, he was still seriously lacking in the true spirit of charity and Christian understanding, as illustrated by an encounter he had with a Moor on his way. The Moor and he came together on the road, both riding mules, and they began to debate religious matters. The Moor claimed that the Blessed Virgin was not a virgin in her life after Christ was born. Ignatius took this to be such an insult that he was in a dilemma as to what to do. They came to a fork in the road, and Ignatius decided that he would let circumstances direct his course of action. The Moor went down one fork. Ignatius let the reins of his mule drop. If his mule followed the Moor, he would kill him. If the mule took the other fork he would let the Moor live. Fortunately for the Moor, Ignatius' mule was more charitable than its rider and took the opposite fork from the Moor. He proceeded to the Benedictine shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat, made a general confession, and knelt all night in vigil before Our Lady's altar, following the rites of chivalry. He left his sword and knife at the altar, went out and gave away all his fine clothes to a poor man, and dressed himself in rough clothes with sandals and a staff.

The Experience at Manresa He continued towards Barcelona but stopped along the river Cardoner at a town called Manresa. He stayed in a cave outside the town, intending to linger only a few days, but he remained for ten months. He spent hours each day in prayer and also worked in a hospice. It was while here that the ideas for what are now known as the Spiritual Exercises began to take shape. It was also on the banks of this river that he had a vision which is regarded as the most significant in his life. The vision was more of an enlightenment, about which he later said that he learned more on that one occasion than he did in the rest of his life. Ignatius never revealed exactly what the vision was, but it seems to have been an encounter with God as He really is so that all creation was seen in a new light and acquired a new meaning and relevance, an experience that enabled Ignatius to find God in all things. This grace, finding God in all things, is one of the central characteristics of Jesuit spirituality. Ignatius himself never wrote in the rules of the Jesuits that there should be any fixed time for prayer. Actually, by finding God in all things, all times are times of prayer. He did not, of course, exclude formal prayer, but he differed from other founders regarding the imposition of definite times or duration of prayer. One of the reasons some opposed the formation of the Society of Jesus was that Ignatius proposed doing away with the chanting of the Divine Office in choir. This was a radical departure from custom, because until this time, every religious order was held to the recitation of the office in common. For Ignatius, such recitation meant that the type of activity envisioned for the Society would be hindered. Some time after the death of Ignatius, a later Pope was so upset about this that he imposed the recitation of the Office in common on the Jesuits. Fortunately, the next Pope was more understanding and allowed the Jesuits to return to their former practice. It was also during this period at Manresa, still lacking in true wisdom concerning holiness, that he undertook many extreme penances, trying to outdo those he had read of in the lives of the saints. It is possible that some of these penances, especially his fasting, ruined his stomach, which troubled him the rest of his life. He had not yet learned moderation and true spirituality. This is probably why the congregation he later founded did not have any prescribed or set penances, as other orders had. He finally arrived at Barcelona, took a boat to Italy, and ended up in Rome where he met Pope Adrian VI and requested permission to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Once he arrived in the Holy Land he wanted to remain, but was told by the Franciscan superior who had authority over Catholics there that the situation was too dangerous. (Remember, the Turks were the rulers of the Holy Land.) The superior ordered Ignatius to leave. Ignatius refused but when threatened with excommunication, he obediently departed.

The Return to School By now he was 33 years old and determined to study for the priesthood. However, he was ignorant of Latin, a necessary preliminary to university studies in those days. So he started back to school studying Latin grammar with young boys in a school in Barcelona. There he begged for his food and shelter. After two years he moved on to the University of Alcala. There his zeal got him into trouble, a problem that continued throughout his life. He would gather students and adults to explain the Gospels to them and teach them how to pray. His efforts attracted the attention of the Inquisition and he was thrown into jail for 42

days. When he was released he was told to avoid teaching others. The Spanish Inquisition was a bit paranoid and anyone not ordained was suspect (as well as many who were ordained). Because he could not live without helping souls, Ignatius moved on to the University of Salamanca. There, within two weeks, the Dominicans had thrown him back into prison again. Though they could find no heresy in what he taught, he was told that he could only teach children and then only simple religious truths. Once more he took to the road, this time for Paris. At the University of Paris he began school again, studying Latin grammar and literature, philosophy, and theology. He would spend a couple of months each summer begging in Flanders for the money he would need to support himself in his studies for the rest of the year. It was also in Paris that he began sharing a room with Francis Xavier and Peter Faber. He greatly influenced a few other fellow students (Xavier was the hardest nut to crack, interested as he was mainly in worldly success and honors), directing them all at one time or another for thirty days in what we now call the Spiritual Exercises. Eventually six of them plus Ignatius decided to take vows of chastity and poverty and to go to the Holy Land. If going to the Holy Land became impossible, they would then go to Rome and place themselves at the disposal of the Pope for whatever he would want them to do. They did not think of doing this as a religious order or congregation, but as individual priests. For a year they waited, however no ship was able to take them to the Holy Land because of the conflict between the Christians and Muslims. While waiting they spent some time working in hospitals and teaching catechism in various cities of northern Italy. It was during this time that Ignatius was ordained a priest, but he did not say Mass for another year. It is thought that he wanted to say his first Mass in Jerusalem in the land where Jesus himself had lived. The Company of Jesus Ignatius, along with two of his companions, Peter Faber and James Lainez, decided to go to Rome and place themselves at the disposal of the Pope. It was a few miles outside of the city that Ignatius had the second most significant of his mystical experiences. At a chapel at La Storta where they had stopped to pray, God the Father told Ignatius, "I will be favorable to you in Rome" and that he would place him (Ignatius) with His Son. Ignatius did not know what this experience meant, for it could mean persecution as well as success since Jesus experienced both. But he felt very comforted since, as St. Paul wrote, to be with Jesus even in persecution was success. When they met with the Pope, he very happily put them to work teaching scripture and theology and preaching. It was here on Christmas morning, 15 3 8, that Ignatius celebrated his first Mass at the church of St. Mary Major in the Chapel of the Manger. It was thought that this chapel had the actual manger from Bethlehem, so, if Ignatius was not going to be able to say his first Mass at Jesus' birthplace in the Holy Land, then this would be the best substitute. During the following Lent (1539), Ignatius asked all of his companions to come to Rome to discuss their future. They had never thought of founding a religious order, but now that going to Jerusalem was out, they had to think about their future whether they would spend it together. After many weeks of

prayer and discussion, they decided to form a community, with the Pope's approval, in which they would vow obedience to a superior general who would hold office for life. They would place themselves at the disposal of the Holy Father to travel wherever he should wish to send them for whatever duties. A vow to this effect was added to the ordinary vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Formal approval of this new order was given by Pope Paul III the following year on September 27, 1540. Since they had referred to themselves as the Company of Jesus (in Latin Societatis Jesu), in English their order became known as the Society of Jesus. Ignatius was elected on the first ballot of the group to be superior, but he begged them to reconsider, pray and vote again a few days later. The second ballot came out as the first, unanimous for Ignatius, except for his own vote. He was still reluctant to accept, but his Franciscan confessor told him it was God's will, so he acquiesced. On the Friday of Easter week, April 22,1541, at the Church of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls, the friends pronounced their vows in the newly formed Order.

The Last Years Ignatius, whose love it was to be actively involved in teaching catechism to children, directing adults in the Spiritual Exercises, and working among the poor and in hospitals, would for the most part sacrifice this love for the next fifteen years - until his death - and work out of two small rooms, his bedroom and next to it his office, directing this new society throughout the world. He would spend years composing the Constitutions of the Society and would write thousands of letters to all corners of the globe to his fellow Jesuits dealing with the affairs of the Society and to lay men and women directing them in the spiritual life. From his tiny quarters in Rome he would live to see in his lifetime the Society of Jesus grow from eight to a thousand members, with colleges and houses all over Europe and as far away as Brazil and Japan. Some of the original companions were to become the Pope's theologians at the Council of Trent, an event which played an important role in the Catholic Counter Reformation. At first Ignatius wrote his own letters, but as the Society grew in numbers and spread over the world, it became impossible to communicate with everyone and still run the new order. Therefore a secretary, Fr. Polanco, was appointed in 1547 to help him in his correspondence. We know that Ignatius wrote almost 7,000 letters during his lifetime, the vast majority of them after he became the Superior General of the Jesuits. Ignatius considered the correspondence between members of the Jesuits one of the most important elements in fostering unity. Separation of Jesuits throughout the world was one of the greatest dangers to the growth, apostolate and unity of the Society. He not only wrote, therefore, to all the houses of the Order, but he also required the various superiors throughout the world to write to Rome regularly, informing him of what was happening. This information could be passed on to the houses of the Society everywhere. In his letters to members of the Society, he treated each one as an individual. He was overly kind and gentle with those who gave him the most problems. On the other hand, with those who were the holiest and humblest, he seemed at times to be too harsh, obviously because he knew they were able to take his corrections without rancor, knowing that Ignatius loved them and was looking only to their greater spiritual good. Fr. James Lainez, one of Ignatius' original companions, was the provincial in northern Italy. He had done a couple of things that put Ignatius on the spot, including making commitments that Ignatius could not fulfill. In addition, Lainez had expressed his disagreement to others about a change of personnel which Ignatius made. Ignatius wrote to Lainez through his secretary Polanco: "He, (Ignatius) has told me to write to you and tell you to attend to your own office, which if you do well, you will be doing more than a little. You are not to

trouble yourself in giving your view of his affairs, as he does not want anything of the kind from you unless he asks for it, and much less now than before you took office, since your administration of your own province has not done much to increase your credit in his eyes. Examine your mistakes in the presence of God our Lord, and for three days take some time for prayer to this end." So much for saints being all sugar and spice. It was to Lainez' credit that he took this severe reproof with humility and grace, asking to be assigned several harsh penances, such as being removed from office and being assigned the meanest job possible in the Society. Ignatius never even referred to the incident again, leaving Lainez to carry on as before. Lainez was to succeed Ignatius as the second Superior General of the Jesuits. A superior of somewhat less humility than Lainez could not see the importance of writing to Rome of all the happenings in his house. With tact and kindness, so as not to hurt the superior's feelings, but perhaps with a touch of sarcasm, Ignatius wrote: "It will not be a matter of surprise to you to learn that reproofs are sometimes sent out from Rome ... If I have to dwell at some length on them, do not lay the blame on your own desserts alone, but also on the concept that has been formed here of your fortitude, in the sense that you are a man to whom can be said whatever needs saying ... you did well to observe obedience in the matter of writing every week... What you should have done was to try to find someone, once the letters were written, to carry and deliver them." While zealous to bring people to God and to help them spiritually, Ignatius still remained a person of practicality and common sense. A Jesuit had complained of having trouble with overly pious people who monopolized his time for no good reason. Through Polanco, Ignatius instructed him on how to deal charitably with such people without giving offense. "Our father (Ignatius) made another remark as to how to free oneself from one whom there was no hope of helping. He suggests talking to him rather pointedly of hell, judgement and such things. In that case he would not return, or, if he did, the chances are that he would feel himself touched in our Lord." There was a bishop who had a great animosity to the Society. He refused to have this new Order in his diocese, and he excommunicated anyone who made the Spiritual Exercises. He was known as Bishop "Cilicio" by the Jesuits (that is, "the hairshirt bishop"). Ignatius told the Jesuits who were worried about his attitude to relax. "Bishop Cilicio is an old man. The Society is young. We can wait." The Jesuits and Schools Perhaps the work of the Society of Jesus begun by Ignatius that is best known is that of education, yet it is interesting that he had no intention of including teaching among the Jesuits' works at the beginning. As already mentioned, the purpose of the first members was to be at the disposal of the Pope to go where they would be most needed. Before 1548 Ignatius had opened schools in Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and India, but they were intended primarily for the education of the new young Jesuit recruits. Ten such colleges within six years indicated the rapid growth of the Jesuits. But in 1548 at the request of the magistrates of Messina in Sicily, Ignatius sent five men to open a school for lay as well as Jesuit students. It soon became clear by requests from rulers, bishops and cities for schools that this work was truly one of the most effective ways to correct ignorance and corruption among the clergy and faithful, to stem the decline of the Church in the face of

the Reformation, and to fulfill the motto of the Society of Jesus, "Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam," - to the greater glory of God. Ignatius expressed this in a letter to Fr. Araoz, "The more universal the good is, the more it is divine. Therefore preference ought to be given to those persons and places which, through their own improvement, become a cause which can spread the good accomplished to many others who are under their influence or take guidance from them ... For the same reason, too, preference ought to be shown to the aid which is given to ... universities, which are generally attended by numerous persons who by being aided themselves can become laborers for the help of others." This was in keeping with one of Ignatius' first principles in choosing apostolates: all other things being equal, choose those apostolates that will influence those who have the most influence on others. Maybe the best expression of this idea was in a letter he wrote about the founding of colleges in December of 1551: "From among those who are now merely students, in time some will depart to play diverse roles - one to preach and carry on the care of souls, another to government of the land and the administration of justice, and others to other callings. Finally, since young boys become grown men, their good education in life and doctrine will be beneficial to many others, with the fruit expanding more widely every day." From then on, Ignatius helped establish Jesuit schools and universities all over Europe and the world. Ignatius as a Man It is probably true that the picture of Ignatius that most people have is that of a soldier: stern, iron-willed, practical, showing little emotion - not a very attractive or warm personality. Yet if this picture is exact, it is hard to see how he could have had such a strong influence on those who knew him. Luis Goncalves de Camara, one of his closest associates, wrote, "He (Ignatius) was always rather inclined toward love; moreover, he seemed all love, and because of that he was universally loved by all. There was no one in the Society who did not have great love for him and did not consider himself much loved by him." He sometimes cried so much at Mass that he could not go on, nor even talk for some time, and he was afraid that his gift of tears might cause him to lose his eyesight. Goncalves de Camara said, "When he did not weep three times during Mass, he considered himself deprived of consolation." We regard a number of saints as great mystics but never think of Ignatius as one of them. We have recounted a few of the many visions and mystical experiences in his life. His holiness, however, did not consist in such, but in the great love that directed his life to do everything A.M.D.G., for the greater glory of God. Last Illness Ever since his student days in Paris, Ignatius had suffered from stomach ailments and they became increasingly troublesome in Rome. In the summer of 1556 his health grew worse, but his physician thought he would survive this summer as he had done others. Ignatius, however, thought that the end was near. On the afternoon of July 30th he asked Polanco to go and get the Pope's blessing for him, suggesting by this to Polanco that he was dying. Polanco, however, trusted the physician more than Ignatius and told him that he had a lot of letters to write and mail that day. He would go for the Pope's blessing the next day. Though Ignatius indicated that he would prefer he (Polanco) go that afternoon, he did not insist. Shortly after midnight Ignatius took a turn for the worse. Polanco rushed off to the Vatican to get the papal blessing, but it was too late. The former worldly courtier and soldier who had turned his gaze to another court and a different type of battle had rendered his

soul into the hands of God. Ignatius was beatified on July 27, 1609 and canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622 together with St. Francis Xavier. Ignatius' feast day is celebrated by the universal Church and the Jesuits on July 31, the day he died.

Fr. Norman O'Neal, S.J. wrote this brief account of the life of St. Ignatius in order better to acquaint the teachers, staff, and students of Jesuit High in New Orleans with the roots of the order which founded and has influenced that school since 1847. We are grateful to him for permission to reprint it.

Copyright 2003-2010 The Jesuits of the New Orleans Province

The Moral Vision of Jesus of Nazareth

Historical Context for the Life of Jesus and the Writing of the New Testament

The Roman general Pompey and his army conquered Jerusalem in 63 BCE leading to the Roman occupation of the region. In 44 BCE Julius Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March, plunging the Roman Empire into a period of wars and political instability. In 37 BCE Herod the Great began his reign as undisputed king of Judea. Herod exploited ongoing Roman civil wars to solidify his rule. Octavian Augustus Caesar became emperor in 30 BCE and restored stability and peace to the Roman Empire. Augustus approved of Herods rule and expanded the territory ruled by Herod. Jesus was born around the year 6 BCE in the town of Bethlehem in Judea to Mary and Joseph of the town of Nazareth in Galilee. Soon after Jesus birth the family fled to Egypt as immigrant refugees in order to escape the threat of death (killing of infants by Herod the Great). Jesus birth name was likely Yeshua, an Aramaic form of Joshua. Jesus is the English form of the Greek iesus. Jesus mothers name was Miriam and his fathers name was Yosep. Herod the Great died in 4 BCE and Herods kingdom was divided among his three sons. One of those sons, Herod Antipas, became tetrarch of Galilee. Herod Antipas ruled Galilee for the next forty-three years (the entire life span of Jesus). Jesus family returned to Nazareth in Galilee from Egypt after Herod the Great died, after 4 BCE. Jesus was lost or left behind at the Temple in Jerusalem when he was 12 years old, around 6 CE. In 6 CE Judea was designated a Roman province and was ruled directly by a Roman prefect in Jerusalem. The Romans removed Archelaus, Herods eldest son, from the Judean throne. Octavian Augustus Caesar died in 14 CE after ruling for 44 years. Tiberius became Roman emperor. Tiberius rule would last twenty-three years. In 26 CE Pontius Pilate was appointed prefect of the Roman province of Judea, a post he held for the next ten years. John the Baptist was executed by Herod Antipas of Galilee sometime around 28 CE. Jesus, a carpenter by trade, embarked on a new career as an itinerant preacher. He gathered together a group of followers and over the years he gained popular support among many people and generated fierce opposition among many others. While in Jerusalem at the time of Passover, perhaps in the year 30 CE, Jesus was arrested, tried, and convicted of death penalty offenses. On Pontius Pilates orders under Roman political and legal authority, Jesus was beaten, whipped, and crucified by Roman soldiers. Soon after Jesus crucifixion, many of Jesus followers began publicly preaching that Jesus had been raised from the dead by God and that they had seen him alive with new power and glory. They began proclaiming that Jesus is Lord, the Son of God, and the Messiah (or Christ).

In 36 CE a follower of Jesus named Stephen was stoned to death under Jewish law for his faith that Jesus was the Messiah and Son of God. At about the same time, Saul, who had led the opposition to followers of Jesus, had a powerful conversion experience, became a follower of Jesus and changed his name to Paul. Paul wrote the first of his epistles or letters, 1 Thessalonians, circa 51 CE. This epistle was the first of the twenty-seven books which would later become the Christian New Testament of the Bible. In 54 CE Nero became Roman emperor; his reign lasted 14 years until his death by suicide. In 64 CE, Rome burned and Nero began the persecution of Christians. Peter and Paul were both executed during the persecution of Christians in Rome. The first of the four gospels, the Gospel of Mark, was written around the year 68 CE. A Jewish uprising against the Romans began in the year 66 CE. Four years later Titus led the Roman army which put down the Jewish rebellion by burning Jerusalem and destroying the Temple. The fourth and final gospel, the Gospel of John, was written about the year 90 CE. The last of the New Testament, 2 Peter, was written no later than 110 CE.

The Moral Vision of Jesus The four gospels proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, good news which includes a moral vision for human life. The Beatitudes (Luke and Matthew) are a summary of Jesus moral vision. The Beatitudes reveal that we are called to beatitudethat the meaning and purpose of human life is happiness and that happiness is found in union with God. Jesus moral vision includes preaching and teachingsermons such as the Beatitudes but also parables and other sayingsas well as Jesus actions such as healing the sick and his way of life which centered on breaking bread at table with others and praising God. Jesus moral vision includes five areas of emphasis: witnessing to the Kingdom of God in word and deed; calling humanity to metanoiarepentance and conversion; inviting persons to a life of discipleship; practicing prayer to discern and do Gods will; taking up the cross in love and service of others. Kingdom of GodJesus Preaching Jesus preached the good news of the kingdom of God (or, reign of God). The kingdom of God is Gods saving presence here and now. God is present and Gods will for each and every person is the fullness of life, peace, and joy. The kingdom of God is both present reality and future promise. The reign of God is already among us, but not yet completed. The kingdom of God is Gods universal and unconditional love for all people. The kingdom of God is not concerned about the past, it is here in the present and oriented toward the future. The kingdom of God calls for radical obedience to Gods will. We must hear Gods call and accept Gods invitation today. The kingdom of God is manifest when human beings serve and care for each other and thereby do Gods will. The kingdom of God is Gods lordship and Gods judgment. God is Lord of allLord of creation, Lord of humanity, Lord of history.

Kingdom of GodJesus Manner of Life The kingdom of God was established through the life, words, deeds, and fate of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus life and ministry is the final, decisive, and definitive action of God in human history. The way Jesus lived his life is the way of the kingdom of God. Jesus words and deeds aroused surprise and amazement in people. Jesus spoke and acted with power and authoritythe power and authority of God worked miracles in the lives of people who encountered Jesus. The kingdom of God, as found in Jesus, has the miraculous power to heal us and make us whole. Jesus established the kingdom of God through table companionship with people, especially people who were outcasts such as the poor and sick, tax collectors and sinners. Jesus sought out sinners and those who were suffering so that he could bring them the message of Gods coming kingdom. Sharing food and companionship with those in need is a fundamental sign of the kingdom. In the great banquet of the kingdom of God, all are invited and no one is excludedthrough companionship at table Jesus offered Gods forgiveness and friendship to all leading to celebration and joy at a feast with the Lord. Jesus inaugurated the kingdom of God with a community of disciples who shared in his mission. The kingdom of God is present among those who follow Jesus as friends and who share in his life and mission. Jesus spoke and acted in ways which summoned people to faith in God. For Jesus, faith meant being open to gift. The faithful person embraces the gift of Gods love and the gift of life and responds with openness to Gods will.

MetanoiaRepentance and Conversion

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Metanoia, meaning repentance and conversion, is the fundamental moral demand Jesus made on those who wanted to enter the kingdom of God. Metanoia means assuming a whole new attitude toward God leading to renewed commitment in obedience, atoning for past sins as well as turning away from sinfulness in the future. Metanoia means choosing to accept Gods love now leading to a deeper faith in God and understanding of Gods will. Metanoia means turning toward God and away from sin and embarking on a whole new way of life as a new person. Metanoia demands recognizing ones sinfulness and standing before God in need of salvation while trusting in Gods mercy and love. Metanoia is repentance and conversion to God, not once, but as an ongoing experience of grace which transforms ones life. Repentance and conversion as a way of life is manifest in the willingness to live in radical obedience to God and to love and serve others.

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DiscipleshipFollowing Jesus Jesus called people to follow him and share in his life and ministry. The disciples who followed Jesus were a community of companionship who shared Jesus mission. Jesus commanded his followers to take up a cross and follow him. The way of being a follower of Jesus is the way of the cross. To be a follower of Jesus is to share in Jesus servanthood, suffering, and death. Jesus commanded his followers to love one another as he loves us. Christian love is love in imitation of Jesus. Christians dont love, Christians love as Jesus loves.

Christian discipleship is defined by love of God and love of neighbor and Christian love is characterized by self-emptying obedience and service rooted in radical faith in God.

PrayerJesus Experience of God as Abba

Jesus referred to God in a special way, using the Aramaic word abba, a familiar term used by children in a family for their father. Jesus prayed to God as Abba, an unconventional, unaffected, and simple style of prayer. Jesus experience of God as Abba indicates that Jesus felt that he belonged to God as one belongs to a family. Because he belonged to God, Jesus was obligated to carry out his fathers instruction. Doing Gods will is the core of the Abba prayer experience of Jesus. Jesus prayerthe Lords Prayer, or the Our Fatherexpresses the heart of the mission. Jesus invites his followers to pray to God using Jesus special word, Abba. Jesus praises Gods name and calls for the coming of Gods kingdom. Jesus invokes our human need for bread and forgiveness. The prayer ends with a final petition which looks to a final trial in the hope that we will be faithful to God/Abba.

The CrossJesus Death, the Martyrdom of a Prophet and Servant of God Jesus death on the cross is an act of self-sacrificial love of others for the sake of justice in obedience to Gods will. Jesus death on the cross is the model and symbol for Gods unconditional love for human beings. Jesus accepted death of his own free will. Jesus understood his death as the martyrdom of a prophet and part of Gods plan of salvation. Christian love is defined by the image and symbol of the cross. Christian love is self-sacrificial love of others for the sake of justice in obedience to Gods will. Christianity is defined by following Jesus. The Christian church is a community of disciples who live in conformity to the cross and by doing so become a sign of Gods kingdom. Christians experience the presence of the kingdom of God by sharing or participating in Jesus life, death, and resurrection through baptism. Christianity points to the resurrection of Jesus as confirmation of Jesus as Gods faithful prophet and servant, the Christ.

Primary sources consulted: Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament. New York, NY: Doubleday, 1997. Cook, Michael L. Jesus of Faith: A Study of Christology. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1981. Collins, Raymond E. Christian Morality: Biblical Foundations. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1986. Donahue, John R. The Gospel in Parable: Metaphor, Narrative, and Theology in the Synoptic Gospels. Fortress Press, 1988. Hays, Richard B. The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Community, Cross, New Creation; A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethics. New York, NY: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996. McKenzie, John L. Dictionary of the Bible. New York, NY: Collier Books, 1965. National Directory for Catechesis. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2005.

Perkins, Pheme. Reading the New Testament: An Introduction. 2d ed. New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1988. Rausch, Thomas P. Who is Jesus? An Introduction to Christology. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2003. Schillebeeckx, Edward. Jesus: An Experiment in Christology. New York, NY: Crossroad, 1985. Schnackenburg, Rudolf. The Moral Teaching of the New Testament. New York, NY: Herder and Herder, 1965. Schrage, Wolfgang. The Ethics of the New Testament. Translated by David E. Green. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1988. Spohn, William C. Go and Do Likewise: Jesus and Ethics. New York, NY: Continuum, 1999. United States Catholic Catechism for Adults. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2006.