Understanding the True Value of Law

What is LAW?
Law is..
A system of rules which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior.
At the heart of our becoming more fully human.
Important in forming our conscience and guiding us to understand what is
authentically morally good.
Foundational moral norms
Love your family
Do not kill
Do not steal
Be honest
Foundational moral norms
Have remained fundamentally consistent despite the ever-changing historical
conditions of people everywhere.
Reasons why we should need to deepen our understanding and appreciation to the
moral norms:
They express and promote fundamental human and Christian values.
They provide criteria for judging how we should act and who we become by
observing them.
They ground the proper formation of our conscience.
They serve as reliable reference points making good moral decisions.
They challenge us to become our best selves.
Why follow law?
Kinds of law
Law and Personal Freedom
This law protects several basic values (self-discipline, education, & family
relationships) all of which are practical dimensions of the process of
maturing.
Law and our Nations Freedom
We are seeking to claim for ourselves certain values that we try to
understand deeply and critically.
Just Law
It protects and promotes the true freedom of community and its individual
members.

St. Thomas Aquinas

He defined a just law as an ordinance of reason promulgated by competent
authority for the sake of common good
Characteristics of just law
A just law is an ordinance of reason
A just law is properly promulgated.
A just law must be decreed by competent authority.
A just law ought to be for the sake of the common good.
Different types of law
Natural law
It is the universal moral law grounded on our human nature and knowable
through human reason.
It is the set of rights and obligations that arise from our basic dignity as
persons which we can discern by using our intellect.
Nature as persons is the 1st gift that God has given all persons, empowering
us to become free, responsible, & relational beings.
Divine law
God provided men and women with the grace to discern His will and thereby
formulate laws and codes according to His plan.
The great fathers of Israel (aka the patriarchs), followed the customs and
laws of Canaan and the surrounding regions.
In this period, God revealed himself as the God of the Covenant who spoke
through the enlightened reason, will, and character of the patriarchs.
Two important events in Gods revelation of His divine law
Old Testament: Moses and the Ten Commandments
Moses- was raised as an Egyptian prince and was called by God to lead His
people out of slavery; he witnessed the idolatry and the ills of Egyptian
society and was called to give witness to Gods faithful love for the Jewish
people.
The Ten Commandments (The Decalogue)- it was the greatest proof of Gods
unconditional love for them; an essential part of Jesus own moral teachings.
The Mosaic law (Torah) binds the Jewish people to God in a relationship
founded on love and trust, known as a covenant. The covenant between God
and His people has requirements and demands that are meant to foster and
deepen their commitment to each other.
Christ Himself said that He came not to abolish the Old Law of the Decalogue
but to fulfill and perfect it.
The Decalogue constitutes the fundamental moral law governing authentic
human freedom in community.

The first three commandments uphold Gods transcendence over all creation.
The fourth commandment upholds the value of filial love.
The fifth to tenth commandments protect the basic values of human living:
respect for human life, sexuality, property, and truth.
New testament: Jesus Law of Love and the Beatitudes
Christ affirmed the value of the Decalogue for our salvation.
Christ is the end of the law because
His coming ushered in a new

understanding of Gods law.

Gods law is a law of love, a law of true freedom, and a law of grace.
Christ renewed the Old Law by teaching us to return to its very core- love;
Christ taught us that the law of God is a law of authentic love.
Christ fulfilled Gods law and showed that it is a law that brings us true
freedom and leads us to our good as persons-in-community.
Christ radically renewed our understanding of Gods law by giving us the
grace to follow Him.
Church Laws
Are expressions of Christs laws of love in the particular circumstances of
Christian living.
Our journey to follow Christ is not a journey we make alone but one we
experience with and for others.
The term Church Law has also been used to prefer to the moral teachings
of the Church, the body of rules, commandments, and virtues that have been
handed down to us throughout the centuries.
Level of participation expected of us as Christs followers:
You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from
servile labor.
You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
You shall receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.
You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.
Examples of Church teachings pertinent to our study of morality include:
The fundamental understanding of who you are, what our final goal is, how we are
to get there, and what constitutes authentic freedom and love
The role of the family in the formation of the youth and the transformation of
society
The marriage laws of the Church

The specific teachings of the Church on moral issues like abortion, euthanasia,
suicide, and human sexuality
The social teachings of the Church pertaining to human rights, social justice, and
the dignity of labor
Civil Laws
Are human-made decrees that are binding to all citizens of a nation.
They are often particular applications of the natural law and are made by duly elected
or assigned officials for the welfare of society.
The Philippine Constitution expresses in clear terms the freedoms and obligations of
both the state and its people.
The 1987 CONSTITUTION OF THR REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES- ARTICLE 2
Section 11: The state values dignity of every human person and guarantees full
respect for human rights.
Section 12: The state recognizes the sanctity of family life9 and shall protect and
strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution. It shall equally
protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception. The
natural and primary right and duty of parents in the rearing of the youth for civic
efficiency and the development of moral character shall receive the support of the
government.
Section 13: The state recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and
shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social
well-being. It shall inculcate in the youth patriotisms and nationalism, and
encourage their involvement in public and civic affairs.