RS 111: Jesus Christ In this course we have realized that the ultimate reason for God’s revelation is his goodness and great love for us and His desire for us to love him in return. Recall the great love story of God in Genesis, especially the creation account. (Genesis 1:26-27) __The second part of the course is ab e person of Jesus.Constitution on Divine Revelation This unwavering revelation of God’s love is beautifully captured by the Vatican Il Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum: Then after speaking in many and varied ways through the prophets, “now at last in these days God has spoken to us in His Son”. For He sent His Son the eternal Word, who enlightens all men, so that he _ might dwell among men and tell them of ~Seugnermost being of God.Jesus Christ , therefore, the Word made flesh, was sent as “a man to men”. He speaks the words of God, and completes the works of salvation which His Father gave Him to do. To see Jesus is to see His Father. For this reason Jesus perfected revelation by fulfilling it through his whole work of making Himself present and manifesting Himself: through His words and deeds, His signs and wonders. but especially through His death and glorious resurrection from the dead and final sending of the SpiritFor God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, whoever believes in Him may not perish, but have eternal life John 3-16)RS 112: Church and Sacraments In His life on earth Jesus founded the Church to continue His work of salvation and His work of love. The Church as the new People of God, gave witness to the teaching of Jesus Christ since the time of Pentecost. She has been constantly striving to live-up to he mandate of Jesus -76 Law ofThe consistency and continuity of the message of love starting from the Father, Jesus Christ , and the new People of God is captured in Jesus’s prayer for His disciples on the evening before he was betrayed, “As the Father loves me, so | also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as | keep my Father's commandments and remain in His love. ™ is is my commandment: love one anothe ave loved you.RS 113: Christian Vocation At the heart of Christian vocation is to Love and Serve others. We are constantly reminded of the Law of love. Matthew 25:31-46 ~~ eSummary There is a common thread among all RS courses: RS is basically centered on LOVE. How are we going to connect this course on Christian morality to the previous RS courses? The previous RS courses centered really on the various ways in which God reveals His great love to humanity. After having a grasp of this tremendous love. it is but right to look into how we :espond to this love. This 1s were Christian Morality or eship comes in.Christian Morality can be summarized by the word responsibility. As a result, Christian morality has two components, namely, response and the ability to respond to God's incredible, freely given love and His gift of salvation offered to us through our Lord Jesus Christ ee» “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us"(Romans 5:5) You shall love the Lord your God, with all your whole heart. With your whole soul, and with your whole mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. (Matthew 22:37 -39) —Reflection (one-half crossw's=: How do | respond to God’s invitation to love? How do | live my life as a Christian?Other Definitions of Morality LA German Theologian +P" ocNédefines moral theology as “that part of theology that searches for the norms of free human conduct in the light of the Christian revelation”Two Elements in the Definition A. Morality is concerned with free human conduct. -morality presupposes freedom.Ex? freedom of choice is necessary to do good-or to do bad. - Freedom means we can make choices about our lives , about our actions. - Freedom also means out of love, he or she can decide for God. ~ —~S_B. Unlike ethics which searches for the norms of human conduct in the light of human reason alone, Christian morality or Moral Theology is quided not only by human reason but also by divine revelation. . Jesus is the perfect norm and guide to the Christian moral response. . We also believe that reflection on the scriptures and praying with them are powerful helps in solving moral eell. Morality has to do with set of values and principles that guide someone’s choices about what kind of person he or she is becoming. These values and principles point to the meaning that life has for that person. » Ex. The decision of whether to lie to | avoid being blamed for a mistake | points toward becoming a person who | is honest or dishonest, trustworthy or untrustworthy.