&

HUMAN COMMUNITY

WHO ARE WE?

Man is created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1: 26-27)

We have spiritual souls, intellects and wills We are truly free, not instinctual We are the only ones that God willed for His own sake

 Man

is rational and therefore like God; he is created with free will and is master over his acts [St. Irenaeus] Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God

The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes.

The choice to do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to the slavery of sin.

MORALITY OF HUMAN ACTS

The

morality of human acts depends

on: the object chosen the end in view or the intention the circumstances of the action

good intention does not make behaviour that is intrinsically disordered such as lying, good or just. A morally good act requires the goodness of the object, of the end, and of the circumstances together.

CONSCIENCE
Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing or has already completed. Man has a law that is inscribed by God in his heart Man is obliged to follow faithfully what he knows to be right and just.

Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. The education of the conscience is a lifelong task Prudent education teaches virtues; prevents or cures fear, selfishness and pride, resentment arising from guilt, and feelings of complacency, born of human weakness and faults.

In the formation of conscience, the Word of God is the light for our path, we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the authoritative teaching of the magisterium of the Catholic Church also assist in the formation of our conscience.

When confronted with morally difficult situations, man must always seriously seek what is right and good and discern the will of God expressed in divine law.

the person must remember:

one

may never do evil so that good many result from it the Golden RuleDo unto others what you want others to do unto you charity always proceeds by way of respect for ones neighbour and his conscience.

ERRONEOUS JUDGMENTS

Moral conscience remains in ignorance and makes erroneous judgments about acts to be performed or already committed through:
Ignorance of Christ and his Gospel, bad example given by others, enslavement to ones passions, assertion of a mistaken notion of autonomy of conscience, rejection of the churchs authority and her teaching, lack of conversion and of charity

VIRTUES
A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do the good. Human virtues are

firm

attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and faith.

VIRTUES
moral virtues are acquired by human effort. They are the fruits of morally good acts and they dispose all the powers of the human being for communion with divine love.

PRUDENCE
disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it also called the charioteer of all other virtues guides the other virtues by setting the rule and measure guides the judgment of conscience

JUSTICE
consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbour justice toward God is called the virtue of religion justice toward men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good the just man is distinguished by his habitual right thinking and the uprightness of his conduct toward his neighbour

FORTITUDE
ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good it strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes one to even to renounce and sacrifice his life in defense of a just cause

TEMPERANCE
moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. ensures the wills mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable. The temperate person directs the sensitive appetite toward what is good and maintains a healthy discretion to not follow our own inclination and strength and walk according to the desires of our hearts but to live a life where the appetites are restrained.

FAITH

we believe in God and believe all that He has said and revealed to us and that Holy Church proposes for our belief because he is truth itself. man freely commits his entire self to God. For this reason the believer should seek, know and do Gods will. The gift of faith remains in one who has not sinned against it But faith apart from God works is dead [James 2:26] and when one is deprived of hope and love, faith does not fully unite the believer to Christ and does not make him a living member of his body

HOPE
we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christs promises and relying not on our own strength but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit It keeps man from discouragement and sustains him in times of abandonment opens up mans heart to the expectation of eternal beatitude expressed and nourished in prayer [especially the Our Father which is a summary of everything that hope leads us to desire]

LOVE/CHARITY

we love God above all things for his own sake and our neighbour as ourselves for the love of God Jesus makes charity the new commandment. By loving his own to the very end, he makes manifest the Fathers love which he receives By loving one another, the disciples imitate the love of Jesus which they themselves receive keeps the commandments of God and of Christ Without charity, we are nothing The practice of all the other virtues is inspired by charity which binds all things together in perfect harmony

SIN
the desire to turn away from what God wants to do love of self to the contempt of God root of sin is in the heart of man, in his free will.

MORTAL SIN
destroys charity in the heart 3 conditions must be met:

the

object is grave matter [grave matter = specified in the 10 Commandments] the sin is committed with full knowledge the person commits the sin with deliberate and complete consent

GRACE
free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God. the power given by God to us sinners to turn away from our sins and live according to the way that God wants us to. This special grace is called sanctifying grace. It is infused by the Holy Spirit in our souls. With this grace we can overcome sin and

HUMAN COMMUNITY
All men are called to the same endGod himself. Just as there is communion and love between the 3 persons of the Trinity, we are also called to communion with one another. The human person needs to live in community. No man is an island. This is true for every human person, not just Christians.

HUMAN COMMUNITY
This has been shown again and again in human history. Take for example the Israelites who were wandering in the desert. God approached them as a community and they were invited to draw near to God as a community as well. e.g. I will adopt you as my own people and I will be your God Exodus 6:7

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A COMMUNITY

respect among the members All persons are equal in dignity before the eyes of God, no matter what race, colour, creed or status. differences should encourage charity and not discrimination and injustice.

GODS PEOPLE, THE CHURCH

We are a community because we are bound together in Christ and by the Holy Spirit. We are all parts of the body of Christ. Just as the different parts of the human body have different functions, so too, the different parts of the body of Christ

LAW
Law is a rule of conduct enacted by competent authority for the sake of the common good. The laws comes directly or indirectly from God Directly2 modes of promulgation

Natural Moral Lawwhich is promulgated or made know through creation itself The divine Positive Lawwhich is directly revealed to man in the course of Salvation History in the Old and New Testaments
The

LAW

Indirectlythrough the instrumentality of man

Ecclesiastical Civil

or Church LawCanon Law

Law

EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL LAW

A law stipulates what man must do or must not do Man without grace sees law as an obligation With grace man enters into a new situation

FUNCTION OF THE LAW IN REGARD TO CHRISTIAN MORALITY Moral law is a gift from God Gods law requires not only the observance of percepts but also a total self-giving. The external law gives information but not spiritual strength The law always finds man either a sinner or justified

THE CHURCH, MOTHER AND TEACHER

The Pope and the bishops are authentic teachers of the faith and are endowed with the authority of Christ The supreme degree of participation in the authority of Christ is ensured by the charism of infallibility which extends as far as the deposit of divine revelation [faith] and morals.