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I. Module Lesson 6: Growing in Christian Decision

Objectives:
 Discuss steps on proper Christian decision-making guided by moral principles and norms as explained in Church and civil
laws.
 Live out the different processes of making moral decisions.
 Condition to train oneself to make intelligent decisions.
A. Introduction
I CHOOSE

The doctor smiled and said, “I am sorry, I was not in the hospital but I came as fast as I could after receiving the call and now,
I wish you would calm down so that I can do my work.” “Calm down?! What if your son was in this room right now, would you calm
down? If your own son dies while waiting for a doctor, what will you do?” said the father angrily. The doctor smiled again and replied,
“We will do our best by God’s grace and you should also pray for your son’s health.” “Giving advises when we’re not concerned is so
easy,” murmured the father.

The surgery took some hours after which the doctor went out happy, “Thank goodness! Your son is saved!” And without
waiting for the father’s reply he carried on his way running and saying, “If you have any questions, ask the nurse.”

“Why is he so arrogant? He could not wait some minutes so that I can ask about my son’s state,” commented the father when
seeing the nurse minutes after the doctor left. The nurse answered, tears streaming down her face, “”His son died yesterday in a road
accident, he was at the hospital when we called him for your son’s surgery. And now that he saved your son’s life, he left running to
attend his son’s wake.”

Reflection
What part of the story talks about Christian decisions? What of
What is the moral willthe
you do if you were the doctor? Do you think you will have the sa
story?

B.

“ We make decisions everyday on what to do and say. Our decisions calls for responsibility and the ability to
discern whether this decision is in conformity with God’s will.
”
Lesson Proper
The story in the Bible about the conversion of the Ethiopian official to Christianity is a decision that made him happy for he knows he
made the right choice to become a disciple or a follower of Christ.
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
-Acts 8:26-39-

But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So
he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all
her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship,  and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet
Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do
you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up
and sit with him. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this:
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“HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER ;

AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT,
SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH.
“IN HUMILIATION HIS JUDGMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY;
WHO WILL RELATE HIS GENERATION?
FOR HIS LIFE IS REMOVED FROM THE EARTH.”

The eunuch answered Philip and said, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?”
Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, he preached Jesus to him. As they went along the road, they came to
some water; and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And Philip said, “If you believe with all your
heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” and he ordered the chariot to stop; and
they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.  When they came up out of the water, the Spirit
of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.

At the very moment when the Ethiopian pondered on the meaning of Isaiah 53: 7-8, a passage from the Scripture
which teaches that the Old Testament prophecy applies to Jesus, the angel of the Lord commands Philip to go on a
missionary trip. The Spirit of the Lord guides him and brings him alongside the carriage of the Ethiopian official.
Philip asks the man if he understands what he is reading and the former invites the latter to sit beside him to explain
the meaning of the scriptural text. Philip begins teaching on the Good News of Jesus using the text of Isaiah as his
starting point. We do not know how many days it takes to travel from Jerusalem to Ethiopia and how many days
and hours Philip spends for religious instructions. But one thing important is the Ethiopian is happy of his new found
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Morality in Decision- Making

Before the Ethiopian decided to take up the challenge of following Jesus he must have studied his options- the
advantages and disadvantages. Perhaps he also weighed how each option would affect not only himself but others, too.
After thinking about it many times, probably, he consulted other people, knowing that an unwise decision would make
him miserable for life. Indeed, prudence and intelligence are needed to make wise decisions. In matters involving values,
decision-making is influenced by morality. Morality is defined as the science concerned about what ought to be the
norm, judging right and wrong in the light of who an individual is, and dealing with human conduct in the light of
revelation.

Another definition of morality refers to human activity and conduct. Christian Morality is evaluated according to
the conformity of the human action with the will of God because God is the Creator and therefore, his will is the law
which truth guides to perfection. Through our intellect, we discover certain laws in nature.

Process of Making Moral Decisions

The actual process of making moral decisions can be outlined in three steps:

1. Moral Discernment. It refers to the quality of perceiving and discriminating degrees among various features
before making a decision. It involves the keenness of perceptions, sensitivities, affectivities, and capacities for
empathy and imagination. The process of moral discernment is summarized through the common pedagogical
STOP formula:
a. Search on the facts. Gather information. Before acting on, research issues prior to deciding.
b. Think about the alternatives and consequences. Think of what would happen to yourself and others. Think
about the feelings of those who will be affected by your action.
c. Others should be consulted especially sources of moral wisdom. There are many people around you whom
you can consult. Choose those whom you esteem for their values.
d. Pray. Prayer for discernment is a prayer which remains in close contact with daily activities, personal
experiences, feelings and alternatives, not formula prayers.

The process of discernment must begin with prayer, be sustained by prayer, follows through upon prayer,
and finally ends with prayer. The virtue of patience must be practiced in waiting for the favorable responses that
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evoke excitement, anxiety, the increase and decrease of our energy, or the feeling of peace and tranquility in
accordance with the course of action we intend to choose. We should practice at the same time the virtue of
prudence in the process of discerning the degrees of importance among the various features of the
consequences of our action in conformity with the sort of person we are and want to become. In prayer, we
come face to face with God and by his divine guidance we discover the true motivation of our action.

2. Moral Demand. Moral demand brings in the pertinent moral norms which our conscience uses to formulate just
judgements. Working on accepted moral norms, one’s conscience is touched by moral norms and the
Commandments, such that the conscience works only on accepted moral norms but do not act as laws on its
own. Hence, law and conscience are related.
3. Judgment/ Decision. This refers to the judgment of conscience we make on the proposed action’s morality and
on the actual decision as consequence of the dictate of conscience. Every life is a call, a vocation to care for and
enrich or develop to its full potential for it is the will of God. Since birth, one is endowed and gifted by the
Creator with qualities and aptitudes that are destined to come to maturity in time and finally fulfill the destiny
intended by God for us. Blessed with intelligence and freedom, persons are responsible for their fulfillment and
salvation.

Life calls for an ever-continuing process of making decisions ranging from what clothes to wear, a pocketbook to
read, a career to pursue, a place to spend summer vacation among others. Intelligent decisions call for responsibility or
the ability to respond to Jesus’ personal invitation to follow him. The training to make intelligent decisions starts from
childhood. We train ourselves to make intelligent decisions when we do the following:

a. Do the work expected of us faithfully and well.

b. Respect the rights of everyone- children, adults, peers included.
c. Follow the rules at home, in school, and in our community.
d. Follow the laws of God.
e. Go to the priest for confessions, tell him about the choices we have made and listen to the priest’s advice.
f. Admit we made wrong choices, say “I’m sorry” and promise sincerely to atone for your wrong choice.

C. Synthesis/ Closure/ Wrap Up

Remember!
In making decisions, there is a need to discern first so that you will be guided by the Holy Spirit and be able to make the
right decision in life. We should remember that the decision we are going to make will always affect our future- so let
the Holy Spirit guide us. The intelligent decision to love God according to his manifest will is brought about by knowledge
of God and of self. The moral principles and norms, as clarified and explained in the Church and civil laws, serve as guide
for decision-making. Happiness and contentment can be felt and experienced after a long period of reflection and
deliberation guided by the Holy Spirit, when we realize that what we believe in is correct.