Prelim Module Gec Re 003

UNIVERSITY OF LA SALETTE, INC.
SANTIAGO CITY
GEC RE 003: CHRISTIAN LIVING
COURSE GUIDE
1. It is expected that interactive learning and teaching will enrich the learning experience of all
students. Each student will work in partnership with their professor to create a positive learning
experience for all. Student engagement is a necessary condition for an active learning experience. It
includes contributions discussion, positive interactive learning with others, and an enthusiastic
attitude towards inquiry. Everyone is expected to be a positive contributor to the class learning
community, and students are expected to share the responsibility of learning from each other.
2. Students are expected to log into the ULS CROWDSOURCED LEARNING

MANAGEMENT throughout the week. As you log-in, read announcements from the instructor,
read course materials, submit assignments, comply with the activities, and participate in the
discussion forum.
3. All students must adhere to a standard of academic conduct, demonstrating respect for
themselves, their classmates, and the core values of the University.
4. Treat your professor and classmates with respect in email and the posting of comments in the
FORUM section.
5. Read through the COURSE SYLLABUS, so you know the rhythm of the course, and what is
expected.
6. Announcements are posted in the ULS CLMS. It is a good practice to check

ANNOUNCEMENT throughout the week.
7. The FORUM section is a right section for discussing a variety of topics with your classmates.
You can learn new ideas this way. Occasionally, I will post comments, questions, or discussion
topics in this section. Be guided with these rules:
a. Make on-topic posts and within the topic of the course material.
b. Take your post seriously and review and edit your posts before sending them. Use clear and
concise language. Remember that all communications should have correct spelling and grammar.
c. Avoid slang terms such as "wassup" and texting abbreviations such as "u" instead of "you."
d. Be cautious when using humor or sarcasm as the tone is sometimes lost in an email or forum
post, and your message might be taken seriously or sound offensive.
e. Always give proper credit when referencing or quoting another source.
f. Do not repeat someone else's post without adding something of your own to it.
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DISTRIBUTION, UPLOADING, OR POSTING ONLINE IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE WRITTEN
PERMISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
SANTIAGO CITY
g. Avoid short, generic replies such as "I agree." You should include an explanation of why you
agree.
8. Assignments, course requirements, and activities are listed in each module. Students are
expected to pace their learning according to the posted course activities. Any activity is to be
individually done unless specified that it is a group assignment or requirement. Take note of the
deadline for submission, for absolutely no make-up is allowed. If you need clarification on an
assignment or course requirements, ask at least 72 hours before it is due. Otherwise, you may not get
an answer in time to complete the assignment successfully.
9. As a requirement for periodic summative assessment (prelim, midterm, and finals), it is

required that you provide a scanned copy of your examination permit.
10. The maintenance of academic honesty and integrity is a vital concern of the Graduate School.
Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty shall be subject to both academic and disciplinary
sanctions. If you copy or substantially copy, work from anyone else on a paper, the work must be put
in quotes and the sources cited. Otherwise, it is plagiarism. If plagiarism or other forms of academic
dishonesty are found on a course requirement, the student may be punished. Written course
requirements are subject to verification for plagiarism.
11. If you should have technical issues accessing materials in the ULS CLMS, call/text the ULS
CLMS help desk at 0953-315-2768 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm during Monday-Saturday. You may
also send your concern through email at ULS_LMS@uls.edu.ph Please allow 24 hours for the
helpdesk to attend to your inquiries except on inquiries sent during Sunday. When sending technical
assistance through email, always include a print screen copy of the problem and give a short
description to facilitate troubleshooting of the error or problem.
12. The preferred method of communication is through the gmail at sleighmacker@gmail.com

For your questions and clarification regarding the course, type your comment on the forum by
clicking ADD A DISCUSSION TOPIC. The policy to return your email is within 48 hours. When
sending messages, use Arial or Georgia and use a size of 12 pt. font. Avoid using caps lock feature
AS IT CAN BE INTERPRETED AS YELLING. Limit and possibly avoid the use of emoticons like
. You may also contact the professor by phone 09559019887 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm during,
Monday, and Wednesday.
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COURSE SYLLABUS
GEC RE 003: CHRISTIAN LIVING
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This three-unit course introduces the students to the Christian moral guides which take, as its
starting point, the concept of dignity as foundational to moral life. The treatment of the O.T Law and
the New Law of Christ (the Beatitudes and the commandment of Love) is at the core of Judeo-
Christian living. Ethical views like Natural Moral Law and Virtue Ethics are also part of the tradition
of Catholic Morality that is substantive moral guides for Christian flourishing. The practical-social
dimension of the course takes into consideration the essential discussion on social or distributive
justice, social cooperation and solidarity, legitimate leadership and concern for natural environments
that are constitutive of describing an ideal Christian community.
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the course, the students should be able to:
1. Articulate their understanding of human dignity being created in the image of God as
foundational to living a moral life;
2. Exercise their God’s gift of freedom whenever they make decisions and take moral actions
coupled with a strong sense of responsibility;
3. Show mastery over the Ten Commandments which serve as clear guidelines for moral decisions
and actions, and identify life issues that could be directed by the observance of the Decalogue;
4. Demonstrate attitude reflective of the “Beatitudes” as standards of Christian living in the

Kingdom of God;
5. Demonstrate their testimony to a new law of love by making sacrifices for the common good;
6. Exhibit their ability to discern what good plan in life to be pursued or to be avoided based on free
and rational reflection on the issues;
7. Develop and sustain moral virtues (especially prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance) and
theological virtues (i.e., faith, hope and love) with which to achieve ‘human flourishing of
Christian life’;
8. Help fellow Christians establish a Christian community modeled from the life of the Holy Trinity,
characterized by respect for dignity and distinct role, and by equality and life of solidarity;
9. Demonstrate their being responsible citizens in the university by taking civic responsibility in
different contexts of learning activities;
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10. Show concern about social justice by demonstrating social cooperation, respect for legitimate
government or authority, and concern for the least advantaged members of human society;
11. Support campaign for respect of freedom to form associations and employ the principles of
solidarity and cooperation in order to overcome social contradictions; and,
12. Support campaign for environmental advocacies that are implementable within their localities.
COURSE OUTLINE:
UNIT 1- INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
Topic 1- ULS Vision, Mission, Core Values, Philosophy of Education
Topic 2- Apparition of Our Lady of La Salette
UNIT 2- MORALITY AND DIGNITY
Topic 1- Human Dignity
UNIT 3- MORAL GUIDE
Topic 1- Moral Guide in the Old Testament
Topic 2- The Ten Commandments
Topic 3- The New Law or the Law of the Gospel
UNIT 4- FREEDOM
Topic 1- The Natural Law
Topic 2- Human Freedom
Topic 3- Virtue Ethics or Ethics of Character
UNIT 5- The Social and Political Community
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Topic 1- The Human Community
Topic 2- Participation in Political Life
UNIT 6- (In)Justice
Topic 1- Social Justice
UNIT 7- Laudato Si’
Topic 1- Reconciled Life with Nature
Topic 2- Team Advocacy
REFERENCES:
Astorga, Christina A. Catholic Moral Theology & Social Ethics: A New Method. Clarethian
Publication. 2014
Bransfield, J. Brian. Living the Beatitudes: A Journey to Life in Christ. Boston: Pauline Books &
Media, 2011.
Bransfield, J. Brian. The Human Person According to John Paul II. Boston: Pauline Books & Media,
2010.
Bufacchi, Vittorio. “The Theoretical Foundations for Human Rights,” Political Studies 2018, Vol. 66
(3): 601-617.
Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nded.). Quezon City, Philippines: Clarentian Publications, 2014.
Coope, Ursula. “Why does Aristotle Think that Ethical Virtue is Required for Practical Wisdom?,”
Phronesis 2012, Vol. 57: 142-163.
Elivera, Eugene Salgado. Morality of the Heart: Moral Theology in the Philippine Setting. Philinnes:
Paulines. 2012
Evans, Michelle. “The Principle of Subsidiarity as a Social and Political Principle in Catholic Social
Teaching,” Solidarity: The Journal of Catholic Social Thought and Secular Ethics, 2013 Vol. 3 (1):
42-60.
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Gilabert, Pablo. “The Labor Human Rights and Human Dignity,” Philosophy and Social
Criticism2016, Vol. 42(2): 171–199.
GaudiumetSpes. Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. Second Vatican Council,
1965.
Guerriere, Daniel. “Social Justice versus Western Justice,” The Independent Revie, Summer 2019
Vol. 24 (1): 25-36.
Spector, Horacio. “Four Conceptions of Freedom,” Political Theory 2010, Vol.38(6): 780–808.
Inglis, John. “Aquinas’s Replication Of The Acquired Moral Virtues: Rethinking the Standard
Philosophical Interpretation of Moral Virtue in Aquinas,” Journal of Religious Ethics. Spring99, Vol.
27 (1): 3-27.
John Paul 11, Encyclical Letter SollicitudoReiSocialis
John Paul 11. Evangelium Vitae. Pasay City, Philippines: Pauline Publishing House, 2006.
John Paul II, Encyclical LaboremExercens (September 14, 1981)
John Paul II, Encyclical Letter CentesimusAnnus (1991)
Feely, Katherine. “The Principle of Human Dignity,” Education for Justice; accessed at
www.educationforjustice.org
Lau,Sean. “Human Rights and the Citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven,” The Ecumenical Review
2019, Vol. 71 (1-2): 133-146.
Leo XIII, Encyclical RerumNovarum (May 15, 1891)
Misztal, Barbara A. “The idea of dignity: Its modern significance.”European Journal of Social
Theory 2012 Vol. 16(1): 101–121.
Moore, John A. “Social Justice: Intersecting Catholicism, Citizenship, and Capitalism,” The
Independent Review, Summer 2019 Volume 24 (1): 119-130.
Mukherjee, Nisha andJonathan Krieckhaus, “Globalization and human well-being,” International

Political Science Review 2011, Vol. 33(2): 150–170.
Nabor-Nery, Maria Imelda Pastrana. Christian Morality & Ethics. Manila: National Bookstore. 2010
O'meara, Thomas F. “Virtues In The Theology Of Thomas Aquinas,” Theological Studies 1997, Vol.
58: 254-285.
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SANTIAGO CITY
Orsy, Ladislas.“The Divine Dignity of Human Persons in Dignitatishumanae,” Theological Studies

2014, Vol. 75(1) 8–22.
Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, GaudiumetSpes (December 7, 1965)
Paul VI, Encyclical PopulorumProgressio (March 26, 1967).
Peschke, SVD, Karl H. Christian Ethics: Moral Theology In the Light of Vatican I. Logos Publishing,
Inc. 2012
Piškur, Barbara et al. “Participation and social participation: are they distinct concepts?” Clinical
Rehabilitation 2014, Vol. 28(3): 211–220.
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace: Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (CSDC)
Rawls, John. “A Theory of Justice,” (pp. 297-320) in Social and Political Philosophy: Classic and
Contemporary Readings, edited by Andrea Veltman. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press,
2008.
Rawls, John. Justice as Fairness: A Restatement (pp. 1-38), Erin Kelly (ed.) Cambridge,
Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2001.
Ratzinger, Joseph Cardinal. What It Means to be a Christian. San Francisco, USA: Ignatius Press,
2006.
Sensen, Oliver. “Human dignity in historical perspective: The contemporary and traditional
paradigms,” European Journal of Political Theory 2011 Vol. 10(1): 71-91.
Social Justice Strategies for National Renewal: The Report of the Commission on Social Justice.
London: Vintage, 1994.
Spector, Horacio. “Four Conceptions of Freedom,” Political Theory 2010, Vol. 38(6): 780–808.
The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (NRSV) – Catholic Edition.
Walzer, Michael. “Spheres of Justice,” (pp. 371-390) in Social and Political Philosophy: Classic and
Contemporary Readings. Andrea Veltman (ed.). Canada: Oxford University Press. 2008.
Wojtyla, Karol. Person and Community: Selected Essays, trans. Theresa Sandok, OSM. New York,
USA: Peter Lang, 1993.
Zimmerman, Anthony. Catholic Teachings on Pro-Life Issues (1st revised edition). Japan: Humanae
Vitae Research Institute, 1996
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UNIT 1- INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

Introduction
This module starts by providing you the Story of Our Lady of La Salette’s Apparition, ULS
Vision-Mission, Core Values and Philosophy of Education. As a Salettinian, these are the things that
you need to know so that you will not only grow intellectually but more so, you grow more in your
relationship with yourself, others and God.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
1. Retell the ULS Vision Mission, Core Values and Philosophy of Education.
2. Relate his/her understanding to campus ministry program
3. Demonstrate active participation to a specific campus ministry extension program.
Topic Outline:
Topic 1- Apparition of Our Lady of La Salette
Topic 2- ULS Vision, Mission, Core Values, Philosophy of Education
CONTENT:
STORY OF APPARITION OF OUR LADY OF LA SALETTE
The beautiful Lady now stood up while the children remained transfixed where they were.
She said to them in French: “Come near, my children, be not afraid. I am here to tell you great
news”. Fully reassured by these words the children hurried to meet her. Her voice, they said, was like
music. They approached so near her that, as they later expressed it, another person could not have
passed between them and her. The Lady also took a few steps towards them. They looked at her and
noticed that she did not cease weeping all the time she spoke to them. As Maximin put it, “She was
like a mama whom her own children had beaten and who had escaped to the mountain to weep.” The
beautiful Lady was tall and seemed to be made of light. She was dressed like women of the region
with a long dress, an apron nearly as long as the dress, a shawl that crossed over her breast and was
knotted in the back, and a cap or bonnet similar to the ones worn by peasant women. Roses crowned
her head while another wreath of roses adorned the edges of her white shawl and a third garland
surrounded her shoes. Over her brow shone a light in the form of a diadem. On her shoulders shone a
heavy chain and from a smaller golden chain hung a resplendent crucifix with a hammer and pincers
placed on each side of the Cross, a little beyond the nailed hands.
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The Message
The unknown Lady now spoke to the children. “We were drinking her words”,
they would say later, adding, “she wept all the time she spoke to us”.
“Come near, my children, be not afraid; I am here to tell you great news. If my
people will not submit, I shall be forced to let fall the arm of my Son. It is so
strong, so heavy, that I can no longer withhold it.” “For how long a time do I
suffer for you! If I would not have my Son abandon you, I am compelled to
pray to him without ceasing; and as to you, you take not heed of it.”
“However much you pray, however much you do, you will never recompense
the pains I have taken for you.”
“Six days I have given you to labor, the seventh I have kept for myself; and they will not give it to
me. It is this which makes the arm of my Son so heavy.
“Those who drive the carts cannot swear without introducing the name of my Son. These are the two
things which make the arm of my Son so heavy. “If the harvest is spoilt, it is all on your account. I
gave you warning last year with the potatoes (‘pommes de terre’) but you did not heed it. On the
contrary, when you found the potatoes spoilt, you swore, you took the name of my Son in vain. They
will continue to decay, so that by Christmas there will be none left.”
The French expression “pommes de terre” intrigued Melanie. In the local dialect the word for
potatoes was “las truffas”, whereas “pommes” for Melanie meant the fruit of the apple tree. Hence
she instinctively turned towards Maximin to ask for an explanation, but the Beautiful Lady forestalled
her.
“Ah, my children, you do not understand? Well, wait, I shall say it otherwise”.
And she continued her discourse in the local dialect of their region.
“If you have wheat, it is no good to sow it; all you sow the insects will eat, and what comes up will
fall into dust when you thresh it.”
“There will come a great famine. Before the famine comes, the children under seven years of age will
be seized with trembling and will die in the hands of those who hold them; the others will do penance
by the famine. The walnuts will become bad, and the grapes will rot.”
Here the Beautiful Lady addressed the children separately, confiding to each a secret. She spoke first
to Maximin, and though the little shepherd did not perceive that her tone of voice had changed,
Melanie at his side could not hear a word, though she still saw the Beautiful Lady's lips moving, then,
came Melanie's turn to receive her secret under like conditions Both secrets were given in French.
Again addressing the two children in the idiom familiar to them, the Lady continued: “If they are
converted, the stones and rocks will change into mounds of wheat, and the potatoes will be self-sown
in the land.
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“Do you say your prayers well, my children?” she asked the shepherds. Both answered with complete
frankness: “Not very well, Madam”. “Ah, my children”, she exhorted them, “you must be sure to say
them well morning and evening. When you cannot do better, say at least an Our Father and a Hail
Mary; but when you have time, say more.” “There are none who go to Mass except a few aged
women. The rest work on Sunday all summer; then in the winter, when they know not what to do,
they go to Mass only to mock at religion. During Lent, they go to the meat-market like dogs.”
“Have you never seen wheat that is spoilt, my children?” the Beautiful Lady then asked them. “No,
Madam”, they replied.
But you, my child”, she insisted, addressing the little boy in particular,
“you must surely have seen some once when you were at the farm of
Coin with your father. (Coin was a hamlet near the town of Corps). The
owner of the field told your father to go and see his ruined wheat. You
went together. You took two or three ears of wheat into your hands and
rubbed them, and they fell into dust. Then you continued home. When you
were still half an hour's distance from Corps, your father gave you a piece of bread
and said to you: ‘Here, my child, eat some bread this year at least; I don't know who will eat any next
year, if the wheat goes on like that’”.
Confronted with such precise details, Maximin eagerly replied: “Oh yes, Madam, I remember now;
just at this moment I did not remember”.
Then the Lady, again speaking French as at the beginning of her discourse and when giving the
secrets, said to them: “Well, my children, you will make this known to all my people.”
Now she turned slightly to her left, passed in front of the children, crossed the brook Sezia, stepping
on stones emerging from it, and when she was about ten feet from the opposite bank repeated her
final request, without turning around or stopping: “Well, my children, you will make this well known
to all my people.” These were her last words.
Meanwhile the two witnesses were still standing motionless at the spot where the conversation had
taken place, when suddenly they realized that the heavenly Visitor was already some steps away from
them. In their eagerness to join her again, they ran across the brook and were with her in a moment.
Thus, in the company of Maximin and Melanie, the Lady moved along, gliding over the tips of the
grass without touching it, until she reached the top of the hillock where the children, after their sleep,
had gone to look after their cows. Melanie preceded her by a few steps, and Maximin was at her
right.
On reaching the summit the Lady paused for a few seconds, then slowly rose up to a height of a meter
and a half. She remained suspended in the air for a moment, raised her eyes to Heaven, and then
glanced in the direction of the southeast. At that moment, Melanie, who had been standing at the left
of the Lady, came in front in order to see her better. Only then did she notice that the celestial Visitor
had ceased weeping, although her features remained very sad. The radiant vision now began to
disappear. “We saw her head no more, then the rest of the body no more; she seemed to melt away.
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There remained a great light”, related Maximin, “as well as the roses at her feet which I tried to catch
with my hands; but there was nothing more”. “We looked for a long time”, added Melanie, “to see if
we could not have another glimpse of her”, but the Beautiful Lady had disappeared forever. The little
shepherdess then remarked to her companion: “Perhaps it was a great Saint”. “If we had known it
was a great Saint”, said Maximin, “We would have asked her to take us with her”.
PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION:
La Salette education is a transformative process towards the fullness of

being, inspired by the message of reconciliation, as lived and experienced
by the community through the Filipino cultural and university core values
rooted in Jesus Christ.
VISION:
The University of La Salette, Inc. a Catholic institution founded by

the Missionaries of Our Lay of La Salette, forms reconcilers “so that
they may have life and have it to the full” ( John 10:10 ).
MISSION:
The University of La Salette, Inc. is a premier institution of choice, providing

accessible, quality, and transformative education for integral human development
particularly the poor.
CORE VALUES:
• Faith – The total submission to God’s call to Holiness and commitment to His will.
• Reconciliation – The constantly renewing our relationship with God, oyhers and all creation
through life of prayer, penance and zeal.
• Integrity – The courage and determination to live and die for Salettinian ideals.
• Excellence – Upholding the highest standard of quality assured education and professionalism
in the areas of instruction, research, and extension.
• Solidarity - Commitment to building a community anchored on mutual trust, confidence,
teamwork, unity and respect for the dignity of the human person and creation.
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As you continue your journey, pause for a while and ponder on your purpose in this perilous journey.
Watch the link below.
https://youtu.be/QGEKX29v6Z4?t=44
Assessment:
1. Enumerate at least 10 virtues/values that you have and explain each in your own
words.
REFLECTION:
Make a 1-paged reflection paper. Below are the guide questions.
a. Between Melanie and Maximin, whom can you identify yourself with?
Elaborate.
b. As a Salettinian, how will you foster reconciliation with yourself, others
(including environment) and God?
c. Amidst the pandemic that we are experiencing, how will you preach the Good
News?
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UNIT 2- MORALITY AND DIGNITY
Learning Outcomes:
1. Identify and explain the foundational meaning of human dignity from Christian
perspective.
2. Explain the meaning of human dignity in relation to the constitution of man as God’s
image (imago Dei).
Topic Outline:
Topic 1-Human Dignity
CONTENT:
Topic 1- HUMAN DIGNITY
What Human Dignity Is?
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The Dignity: Rooted in Man Being Created by God
The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation

in the image and likeness of God;
The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation
in the image and likeness of God;
It is fulfilled in his vocation to divine beatitude;
It is essential to a human being freely to direct himself to
this fulfillment; by his deliberate actions, the human
person does, or does not, conform to the good
promised by God and attested by moral conscience;
Human beings make their own contribution to their
interior growth; they make their whole sentient and
spiritual lives into means of this growth;
With the help of grace they grow in virtue, avoid sin, and if they sin they entrust themselves as did
the Prodigal Son to the mercy of our Father in heaven. In this way they attain to the perfection of
charity.
Man Is the Only Creature God Willed For Its Own Sake
Endowed with "a spiritual and immortal" soul (GS 14 § 2), the human person is "the only creature on
earth that God has willed for its own sake (GS 24 § 3)." From his conception, he is destined for
eternal beatitude.
Dignity is the Ground of Morality (i.e., Key to Christian Moral Life)
“The inviolable dignity of every human person. . . is the most precious

possession of an individual, [whose] value comes not from what a person
‘has’ as much as from what a person ‘is’ ” (CL 37). “Hence the pivotal point of
our total presentation will be the human person, whole and
entire, body and soul, heart and conscience, mind and will” (GS 3).
The key to Christian moral life is our dignity as human persons, created by God,
redeemed by Christ, sanctified by the Spirit, and destined for eternal life with
God.”
The Trinitarian Image in Man

The divine image is present in every man. It shines forth in the communion of persons, in the likeness
of the unity of the divine persons among themselves.
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Man in Christ’s Image
 Christ, the Revelation of the Father: "Christ, . . . in the very revelation of the mystery of the
Father and of his love, makes man fully manifest to himself and brings to light his exalted
vocation(GS 22)."
 Christ, the Image of the Invisible God: It is in Christ, "the image of the invisible God
(Col 1:15; cf. 2 Cor 4:4),"that man has been created "in the image and likeness" of the
Creator.
 Called to be conformed to the Image of Christ: “We know that all things work together for
good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he
foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might
be the firstborn within a large family.” (Rom 8:28-29)
 The Doctrine of Kenosis (Self-Emptying Image of Christ): It is in Christ, Redeemer and

Savior that the Divine image disfigured in man by the first sin has been restored to its original
beauty and ennobled by the grace of God (Cf. GS 22).
Man Participates In Light and Power of the Spirit
 The human person participates in the light and power of the divine Spirit. By his reason, he is
capable of understanding the order of things established by the Creator. By free will, he is
capable of directing himself toward his true good. He finds his perfection "in seeking and
loving what is true and good (GS 15 § 2).”
Man Is Endowed With Freedom
 God created man a free, rational being, so that he might seek his creator and attain his
perfection by cleaving to him. Freedom gives man the possibility of choosing between good
and evil. The more one does good, the freer one becomes.
Freedom is an outstanding manifestation of the divine image
 “By virtue of his soul and his spiritual powers of intellect and will, man is endowed with
freedom, an "outstanding manifestation of the divine image (GS 17).”
 “Since “the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of freedom and a force for liberation” (ITL),
we recognize here “an authentic sign of God’s presence and purpose . . . for authentic
freedom is an exceptional sign of the divine image within man” (GS 11, 17).”
 Freedom makes man responsible for his acts. Sin is an abuse of freedom. By deviating
from the moral law man violates his own freedom, becomes imprisoned within himself,
disrupts neighborly fellowship, and rebels against divine truth. By redeeming us Christ has
come to set us free.
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The Dimensions of Human Acts

 “Traditionally three dimensions of every moral act have been highlighted:
1) the act chosen (the object)
2) the intention, and
3) the circumstances (cf. CCC 1750-56).
 The three are dimensions of the one moral act; hence they must always be considered together
to make an adequate moral judgment. For to focus only on the “act chosen” would forget the
personal agent and the context. To stress only the “intention” neglects the objective nature of
the moral act: a good intended end does not justify using means that are evil. Finally,
considering only the circumstances would be to close one’s eyes to the objective nature of the
act chosen, and all moral norms.”
What Conscience Is?
 What is Conscience? Conscience is the proximate norm of personal morality, our ultimate
subjective norm for discerning moral good and evil, with the feeling of being bound to follow
its directive. It is the inner voice:
a. summoning us to love the good and avoid evil, by
b. applying objective moral norms to our particular acts,
c. and thus commanding: do this, do not do that!
Conscience: God’s Voice
“By his reason, man recognizes the voice of God which

urges him "to do what is good and avoid what is evil
(GS 16).” Everyone is obliged to follow this law, which
makes itself heard in conscience and is fulfilled in the
love of God and of neighbor. Living a moral life bears
witness to the dignity of the person” (CCC 1703)
 “For most Filipinos, conscience is understood as a kind of inner voice (tinig ng budhi) which
guides us in our moral life. This can mean our basic tendency toward the good, the “voice
always summoning us to love the good and avoid evil.” More concretely it refers to
applying objective moral norms to our particular acts: “the voice of conscience can, when
necessary, speak to our hearts more specifically: do this, shun that.” As such, conscience acts
as “the proximate norm of personal morality” (VS 60) for discerning good and evil (cf. CCC
1796).” (CFC 701)
 Good conscience from bad conscience; correct conscience from erroneous conscience.
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Formation of Conscience
 But our conscience is not something “automatic.” It is gradually shaped through all the
many and complex factors that enter into our growth to Christian maturity. Family
upbringing, basic education and catechesis in the Faith, our cultural attitudes and values, the
friends we grow within school and the larger social environment of the community-all
influence the development of conscience. Crucial to correct understanding of our conscience
is its essential relational dimension. Our ongoing moral experiences, within which our
consciences gradually take shape, are never isolated, but rather always involve countless
interactions with parents, guardians, relatives, friends, neighbors, teachers, religious and
priests, within the social groupings of family, school, parish and community.”
Freedom of Conscience vis-à-vis Moral Obligation
 “A common misunderstanding arises here. How can I be free if I am “bound,” morally

obliged, to follow the moral law and dictates of conscience? (CFC 702).”
 “The truth is that freedom of conscience carries with it a corresponding duty to respect the
same freedom in others. Each person has the right, original in human nature, to be recognized
and respected as a free and responsible being (cf. CCC 1931; GS 27). Moral obligation, then,
far from destroying authentic freedom, pertains only to our free thoughts, words and deeds,
and guides them toward true, genuine freedom. Whenever we try to free ourselves from the
moral law and become independent of God, far from gaining genuine freedom, we destroy it”
(CFC 703).
Sin: Man Has Fallen

 Sin and evil are present in human history. Divine revelation helps us
understand what sin is: man’s rejection of God and opposition to him,
an abuse of the freedom that He gives us so that we can love him and
one another. Sin is missing the goal for which God has made us for.
Sin in Sacred Scripture
 “The Old Testament presents three basic notions for what we call sin.
a) “Missing the mark” focuses on the offense inflicted on another by
failing to meet one’s covenant obligations. Since the first law of the
Covenant is worship of Yahweh, idolatry is its clearest expression.
“The worship of infamous idols is the reason and source and
extremity of all evil” (cf. Wis. 14:27).
b) Depravity and perversity refer to the defect of character or disorder that weighs the sinner
down. “For my iniquities . . . are like a heavy burden, beyond my strength” (Ps 38:5).
c) Rebellion and transgression picture sin as a conscious choice which destroys positive
relationships. “See what rebellious Israel has done! She has . . . played the harlot” (Jer. 3:6).
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Dimensions of Sin: Spiral, Sickness, Addiction

 “Sin can have different dimensions. It can be described as a spiral, a sickness, addiction.
 1) As aspiral that enslaves us in a contagious, pathological habit of vice that acts like a virus,
infecting social attitudes and structures such as family, social groups and the like.
 2) As sickness, drawing on St. Luke’s trait of linking healing with forgiveness of sin (Lk
5:18-26).
 3) As addiction, a process over which we become powerless as it becomes progressively more
compulsive and obsessive. Sin as addiction leads to a pattern of ever deeper deception of self
and others, ending in the inevitable disintegration of all our major personal and social
relationships. Examples given of sin as addiction are consumerism and militarism.”
Sin: Abuse of Freedom
 "Man, enticed by the Evil One, abused his freedom at the very beginning of history (GS 13 §
1)." He succumbed to temptation and did what was evil. He still desires the good, but his
nature bears the wound of original sin. He is now inclined to evil and subject to error.
Sin Divides the Inner Self

 As a result, the whole life of men, both individual and social, shows itself to be a struggle, and
a dramatic one, between good and evil, between light and darkness (GS 13 § 2).
 Man is Implicated in Adam’s Sin. By the unity of the human race, all men are implicated in
Adam’s sin. Adam and Eve wounded the human nature and transmitted it in a fallen state to
all mankind, deprived of divine grace and of eternal life.
 Seven Steps of Sin: The Ritual of Temptation

1. Bypass the Family Structure
2. The Innocent Little Questions
3. The Lie
4. Fear
5. The Choice and the Act
6. Hiding
7. Blame
Life, Integrity and Dignity Being Attacked
 “Direct attacks on life include murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, physical torture,
hostage-taking, drugs, and willful suicide.
 Attacks against integrity include mutilation, physical and mental torture, and undue
psychological pressures,
 While human dignity is attacked by sub-human living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment,
deportation and prostitution” (CFC 1058).
 Murder. Scripture specifies the prohibition contained in the fifth commandment: "Do not slay
the innocent and the righteous.” The deliberate murder of an innocent person is gravely
contrary to the dignity of the human being, to the golden rule, and to the holiness of the
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Creator. The law forbidding it is universally valid: it obliges each and everyone always and
everywhere.
 Medical Procedure. "One must hold as licit procedures carried out on the human embryo
which respect the life and integrity of the embryo and do not involve disproportionate risks
for it, but are directed toward its healing the improvement of its condition of health, or its
individual survival (CDF Donum Vitae 1, 3)."
 "It is immoral to produce human embryos intended for exploitation as disposable biological
material (CDF Donum Vitae 1, 5)."
 "Certain attempts to influence chromosomic or genetic inheritance are not therapeutic but are
aimed at producing human beings selected according to sex or other predetermined qualities.
Such manipulations are contrary to the personal dignity of the human being and his integrity
and identity (CDF Donum Vitae 1, 6)" which are unique and unrepeatable.
 Experimentation. Research or experimentation on the human being cannot legitimate acts
that are in themselves contrary to the dignity of persons and to the moral law. The subjects'
potential consent does not justify such acts. Experimentation on human beings is not morally
legitimate if it exposes the subject's life or physical and psychological integrity to
disproportionate or avoidable risks. Experimentation on human beings does not conform to
the dignity of the person if it takes place without the informed consent of the subject or those
who legitimately speak for him.
 Kidnapping and hostage taking bring on a reign of terror; by means of threats they subject
their victims to intolerable pressures. They are morally wrong. Terrorism threatens, wounds,
and kills indiscriminately; it is gravely against justice and charity. Torture which uses
physical or moral violence to extract confessions, punish the guilty, frighten opponents, or
satisfies hatred is contrary to respect for the person and for human dignity. Except when
performed for strictly therapeutic medical reasons, directly intended amputations, mutilations,
and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law (Cf. DS 3722).
 Intentional Euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder. It is gravely contrary to the
dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator.
 The principle that direct killing of the innocent is always wrong holds also for mercy killing or
euthanasia -doing away with the handicapped and the terminally ill (cf. CCC 2276-79). No
one has absolute power over life and death but God. We are stewards of the gift of life granted
us by God. Therefore we must take ordinary means to preserve life such as medicines,
treatments and operations that can be obtained and used without excessive sacrifice or
expense, and when there is reasonable hope of benefit for the patient.
 Fornication is carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman. It is

gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality which is naturally ordered
to the good of spouses and the generation and education of children. Moreover, it is a grave
scandal when there is corruption of the young.
 By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order

to derive sexual pleasure. "Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant
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tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly
maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action (CDF, Persona
humana 9)." "The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of
marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose." For here, sexual pleasure is sought outside of
"the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning
of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved
(CDF, Persona humana 9)."
 Masturbation is an intrinsically and seriously disordered act ... The deliberate use of the
sexual faculty outside normal conjugal relations essentially contradicts the ultimate purpose of
the sexual faculty ... For it lacks the sexual relationship called for by the moral order, namely
the relationship which realizes “the full sense of mutual self-giving and human procreation in
the context of true love.” (CCC 9)
 Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the
partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends against chastity
because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave
injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes
an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the
illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense. Civil authorities should prevent the
production and distribution of pornographic materials.
 Prostitution does injury to the dignity of the person who engages in it, reducing the person to
an instrument of sexual pleasure. The one who pays sins gravely against himself: he
violates the chastity to which his Baptism pledged him and defiles his body, the temple of
the Holy Spirit (Cf. 1 Cor. 6:15-20). Prostitution is a social scourge. It usually involves
women, but also men, children, and adolescents (The latter two cases involve the added sin of
scandal.). While it is always gravely sinful to engage in prostitution, the imputability of the
offense can be attenuated by destitution, blackmail, or social pressure.
MOTIVATION
Watch the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5-RU9xwXK8
ASSESSMENT:
1. List down at least 10 acts that you think affected your conscience
for the past three weeks. After which, share it with one of your
family members.
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REFLECTION:
Make a 1-paged reflection paper (Letter 8.5” x 11”, single space). Below are the guide
questions:
1. What is Human Dignity based on your own understanding?
2. What is Freedom? Is it more of a feeling or a virtue? Is man really free?
3. Explain why man’s dignity is inviolable.
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UNIT 3- MORAL GUIDE
Learning Outcomes:
1. Manifest their conviction that their valuing of all other things should be subordinated to this
spiritual value: God.
2. Develop their dependence on God as their Creator and ultimate moral guide.
3. Explain the relationship between Christian living and morality in the context of Christ of
teaching on the Kingdom of God.
Topic Outline:
Topic 1- Moral Guide in the Old Testament
Topic 2- The Ten Commandments
Topic 3- The New Law or the Law of the Gospel
CONTENT:
Topic 1- MORAL GUIDE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Law(s) or Norms: Definition

The standard definition is “an ordinance of reason,
promulgated by competent authority for the sake of
the common good” (St. Thomas, ST, I-II, 90, 4). Each
element has its importance:
1) law is a reasonable decision, i.e., prudent and with
purpose, not a capricious whim;
 2) promulgated: communicated with sufficient notice to
its subjects while respecting their rights and dignity;
3) by competent authority: i.e. by those who have
legitimate power to do so; and
4) for the common good: for the social betterment of its
subjects.
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Two Characteristics of Law

1. First, law is based on vision, certain presuppositions. The Christian vision has been described
in detail in the two preceding chapters (Chapters 13-14), and is portrayed in Christ’s sketch of
the ideal member of the Kingdom in the Beatitudes.
2. Second, law arises from and expresses basic values. This is clearly exemplified in the Ten
Commandments: “Thou shalt not kill” commands respect for human life; “Thou shalt not
commit adultery,” respect for sexuality; “Thou shalt not steal,” respect for a person’s
possessions; “Thou shalt not bear false witness,” respect for the truth.
The Functions of Moral Law in General
 Norms or laws provide criteria for judging.
 They help our moral development, especially the formation of conscience.
 The provide consistency and stability in our lives.
 They challenge and correct us in view of moral ideals.
The Purpose of Law in the Old Testament
 After the patriarchs, God formed Israel as his people by freeing them from slavery in Egypt.
He established with them the covenant of Mount Sinai and, through Moses, gave them his law
so that they would:
1. recognize him and
2. serve him as the one living and true God, the provident Father and just judge, and
3. so that they would look for the promised Savior(Cf. DV 3).
Law or Torah
a. Called the Law of the Covenant
b. Has various names: instruction, witness, precept, word, moral demands
c. prescriptions for religious rituals
d. legal prescriptions for social behavior
The Significance of the Law
 God, our Creator and Redeemer, chose Israel for himself to be his people and revealed his
Law to them, thus preparing for the coming of Christ. The Law of Moses expresses many
truths naturally accessible to reason. These are stated and authenticated within the covenant of
salvation.
 The Old Law is the first stage of revealed Law. Its moral prescriptions are summed up in the
Ten Commandments. The precepts of the Decalogue lay the foundations for the vocation of
man fashioned in the image of God; they prohibit what is contrary to the love of God and
neighbor and prescribe what is essential to it. The Decalogue is a light offered to the
conscience of every man to make God's call and ways known to him and to protect him
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against evil: God wrote on the tables of the Law what men did not read in their hearts (St.
Augustine, En. in Ps. 57,1:PL 36,673).
Obedience to the Law: Israel’s Response
 “Obedience, then, to God’s comprehensive Law was the hallmark for the believing Israelite.
All sin was viewed primarily as an offense against the Lord with whom the Israelites were
“bonded” in every aspect of their lives by the Covenant.”
 According to Christian tradition, the Law is holy, spiritual, and good,(Cf. Rom 7:12,14,16)

yet still imperfect. Like a tutor (Cf. Gal 3:24) it shows what must be done, but does not of
itself give the strength, the grace of the Spirit, to fulfill it. Because of sin, which it cannot
remove, it remains a law of bondage. According to St. Paul, its special function is to denounce
and disclose sin, which constitutes a "law of concupiscence" in the human heart (Cf. Rom 7).
However, the Law remains the first stage on the way to the kingdom. It prepares and
disposes the chosen people and each Christian for conversion and faith in the Savior God.
It provides a teaching which endures forever, like the Word of God.
 The Old Law is a preparation for the Gospel. "The Law is a pedagogy and a prophecy of
things to come” (Rom 7). It prophesies and presages the work of liberation from sin which
will be fulfilled in Christ: it provides the New Testament with images, "types," and symbols
for expressing the life according to the Spirit. Finally, the Law is completed by the teaching of
the sapiential books and the prophets which set its course toward the New Covenant and the
Kingdom of heaven.
Decalogue as the Law of God

 The "ten words" sum up and proclaim God's law: "These words the Lord spoke to all your
assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a
loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them upon two tables of stone, and gave
them to me” (Deut 5:22). For this reason these two tables are called "the Testimony." In fact,
they contain the terms of the covenant concluded between God and his people. These "tables
of the Testimony" were to be deposited in "the ark” (Ex 25:16; 31:18; 32:15; 34:29; 40:1-
2).
The Commandments belong to God’s Revelation of Himself
 The "ten words" are pronounced by God in the midst of a theophany ("The LORD spoke
with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire” (Deut 5:4). They belong to
God's revelation of himself and his glory. The gift of the Commandments is the gift of God
himself and his holy will. In making his will known, God reveals himself to his people.
The Law is a Gift, a Covenant &a Vocation
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 The gift of the commandments and of the Law is part of the covenant God sealed with his
own. In Exodus, the revelation of the "ten words" is granted between the proposal of the
covenant (Cf. Ex 19) and its conclusion - after the people had committed themselves to "do"
all that the Lord had said, and to "obey" it (Cf. Ex 24:7) The Decalogue is never handed on
without first recalling the covenant ("The LORD our God made a covenant with us in
Horeb.")(Deut 5:2).
 Torah or “Law” here signifies a “moral binding” that is at once a vocation, a gift and a way
of life. The Old Testament Torah is an open-ended, imaginative narrative of Israel’s historical
public experience of their Covenant God. To anyone today who thinks life is made up only of
one’s own immediate private experiences, the Torah insists on the essential place of the
community’s heritage and the “handing down” of a living tradition.
The Full Meaning of the Commandments is within the Covenant of God with Israel
 The Commandments take on their full meaning within the covenant. According to Scripture,
man's moral life has all its meaning in and through the covenant. The first of the "ten words"
recalls that God loved his people first: Since there was a passing from the paradise of freedom
to the slavery of this world, in punishment for sin, the first phrase of the Decalogue, the first
word of God's commandments, bears on freedom "I am the LORD your God, who brought
you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Origen, Hom. in Ex. 8,1: PG
12,350; cf. Ex 20:2; Deut 5:6).
Topic 2- THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
First Commandment
 “I am the Lord you God; you shall not have strange gods before me“ ((Ex 20:2-3; Dt 5:6-7).)
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your
strength” (Dt 6:5; cf. CCC 2083).
 Him only shall you serve. How? Adoration, prayer, sacrifice, fidelity to vows and promises.
Second Commandment
 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.”
 The name of the Lord is holy. Man must never abuse it. He should only use it to bless, praise,
and glorify it.
 Offenses against the 2nd Commandment: blasphemy, false oaths, and perjury.
Third Commandment
 “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day”
 The Sabbath rest recalls creation and God’s covenant with humanity.
 Jesus always respected the holiness of the Sabbath. He declared the Sabbath for doing good
rather than harm, for saving life rather than killing.
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 Sabbath or Sunday? Jesus rose from the dead on the “first day of the week”. Because it is the
“first day” it recalls creation and symbolizes the new creation – though it has not abolished
the Sabbath. Early Christians celebrated the Eucharist on the first day of the week - the Lord’s
Day.
Fourth Commandment
 “Honor your father and your mother.”
 God wills that we should honor our parents to whom we owe life and who have handed on to
us the knowledge of God. This also concerns the extended family. It also extends to the duties
of pupils to teachers, employees to employers, subordinates to leaders, citizens to their
country, and to those who govern it. The promise for those who obey the 4 th commandment:
peace and prosperity.
 The family is the basic cell of society. Parents are responsible for creating a loving home for
their children, providing for their needs, educating and evangelizing them, and helping them
to grow in virtue.
Fifth commandment
 “You shall not murder.”
 The deliberate murder of an innocent person is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human
being, and to the holiness of the Creator.
 Legitimate defense: someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced
to kill his aggressor.
 The state has the right to curb the spread of harmful behavior and to inflict due punishment,
even capital punishment, however, today the cases in which the execution of the offender is an
absolute necessity are very rare.
 Offenses against the 5th Commandment: abortion, euthanasia, suicide, disrespect of human
body, murderous anger, hatred, and in some cases, war.
 Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it
remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the
Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for
himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being.
Sixth commandment
 “You shall not commit adultery.”
 “You shall not commit adultery.”
 The union of man and woman in marriage is a way of imitating in the flesh God’s generosity
and fecundity. This commandment requires Chastity: the successful integration of sexuality
within the person (bodily and spiritual being).
 Offenses against the 6th Commandment: Lust, masturbation, fornication, pornography,
prostitution, rape, and homosexual acts.
 The spouses’ union achieves the twofold end of marriage: the good of the spouses and the
transmission of life. The two cannot be separated; they require fidelity and fecundity.
 In marriage, man and wife give themselves definitively and totally to one another. They are
no longer two but now form one flesh.
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 It is necessary that each and every marriage act remains open to the procreation of human life.
 Other sins against the dignity of marriage: polygamy, incest and sexual abuses, ‘free unions’,
pre-marital sex.
Seventh commandment
 “You shall not steal.”
 Man has a legitimate right to ownership of private property.
 Offenses against 7th Commandment: theft, business fraud, paying unjust wages, forcing up
and artificially manipulating prices, corruption, work poorly done, tax evasion, forgery of
checks, excessive expenses and waste.
 Everyone has the right to employment and just wages.
 Love for the poor, the giving of alms, and works of mercy are a witness to charity and a work
of justice pleasing to God.
Eight commandment
 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor”
 Forbids misrepresenting the truth in our relations with other. We have the vocation to bear
witness to God who is the truth.
 Offenses against the 8th and perjury, rash judgment, gossip, and calumny, flattery, adulation,
duplicitous speech, and boasting.
 The communications media are responsible for providing information based on truth. Art
gives form to the truth of reality in a language accessible to sight or hearing.
Ninth commandment
 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.”
 This commandment warns against lust or carnal concupiscence. “Every man who looks at a
woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”(Mt 5:28)
 The struggle against carnal lust involves purifying the heart and practicing temperance.
Modesty protects the intimate center of the person by refusing to unveil what should remain
hidden.
Tenth commandment
 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.”
This commandment forbids greed and the desire to amass earthly goods without limit.
 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God” (Mt 5:3)
 “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”(Mt 6:21)
 Offenses against the 10th Commandment: avarice, envy, and greed.
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 We must combat envy through good-will, humility, abandonment to the providence of God,
and detachment from earthly riches. Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its
passions and desires. (Gal 5:24)
Topic 3- THE NEW LAW OR THE LAW OF THE GOSPEL
The New Law or the Law of the Gospel
 The New Law or the Law of the Gospel is the perfection here on earth of the divine law,
natural and revealed. It is the work of Christ and is expressed particularly in the Sermon on
the Mount. It is also the work of the Holy Spirit and through him it becomes the interior law
of charity:
"I will establish a New Covenant with the house of Israel. . . . I will put my laws into their hands,
and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Heb 8:8,
10; cf. Jer 31:31-34).
The New Law is the Perfect Way of the Christian Life
 The New Law is the grace of the Holy Spirit given to the faithful through faith in Christ.
1. It works through charity;
2. It uses the Sermon on the Mount to teach us what must be done and
3. makes use of the sacraments to give us the grace to do it:
 “If anyone should meditate with devotion and perspicacity on the sermon our Lord gave on
the mount, as we read in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, he will doubtless find there . . . the
perfect way of the Christian life. . . . This sermon contains . . . all the precepts needed to shape
one's life.” (St. Augustine, De serm. Dom. 1,1:PL 34,1229-1230).
The Law of the Gospel Fulfills the Old Law
 The Law of the Gospel "fulfills," refines, surpasses, and leads the Old Law to its perfection
(Cf. Mt 5:17-19). In the Beatitudes, the New Law fulfills the divine promises by elevating and
orienting them toward the "kingdom of heaven." It is addressed to those open to accepting this
new hope with faith - the poor, the humble, the afflicted, the pure of heart, those persecuted
on account of Christ and so marks out the surprising ways of the Kingdom.
 How did Christ in the New Testament relate to the Law? Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law by:
inaugurating the New Law of the Kingdom which perfected the Old Law by subordinating
all its precepts to love of God and of neighbor.
 “What is Christ’s own Law of love? In his own life Christ taught and perfectly exemplified
the Old Testaments’ two great Commandments of Love:
1. love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and
2. love your neighbor as yourself.”
The Law of the Gospel: The Sermon on the Mount (Beatitudes)

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 The Law of the Gospel fulfills the commandments of the Law. The Lord's Sermon on the
Mount, far from abolishing or devaluing the moral prescriptions of the Old Law, releases their
hidden potential and has new demands arise from them: it reveals their entire divine and
human truth. It does not add new external precepts, but proceeds to reform the heart, the root
of human acts, where man chooses between the pure and the impure (Cf. Mt 15:18-19), where
faith, hope, and charity are formed and with them the other virtues. The Gospel thus brings
the Law to its fullness through imitation of the perfection of the heavenly Father, through
forgiveness of enemies and prayer for persecutors, in emulation of the divine generosity
(Cf. Mt 5: 44, 48).
 At the start of the Sermon on the Mount, Christ laid down the charter or “marks” of the
Kingdom — a new, mysterious life-giving vision (cf. PCP II 272, 276). The beatitudes are
not a series of commands: be merciful! act as peacemakers! Rather they picture for us the
face of Christ in sketching the vocation of every disciple of Christ, drawn to share in his
Passion and Resurrection. They spotlight the essential qualities, actions, and attitudes of
Christian living; they offer the paradoxical promises which sustain hope in our tribulations;
they announce the blessings and reward already obscurely experienced by the faithful and
manifested in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints (cf. CCC 1717).
The Beatitudes: The Blessings of the Kingdom
“The blessings of the Kingdom are promised
1. to the poor and the powerless;
2. to the gentle and the afflicted;
3. to those who seek eagerly for a righteousness beyond external observance;
4. to the compassionate and the pure-hearted;
5. to those who turn from violence and seek reconciliation.
To these Jesus promises a unique type of happiness:
1. to inherit God’s Kingdom,
2. to possess the earth,
3. to be a child of God,
4. to receive mercy,
5. to see God.”
The Law of the Gospel is contained in the New Commandment of Love
 The Law of the Gospel requires us to make the decisive choice between "the two ways" and to
put into practice the words of the Lord (Cf. Mt 7:13-14, 21-27). It is summed up in
the Golden Rule, "Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; this is the law
and the prophets” (Mt 7:12; cf. Lk 6:31). The entire Law of the Gospel is contained in
the "new commandment" of Jesus, to love one another as he has loved us (Cf. Jn 15:12;
13:34).
Love Commandments: Content
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 When asked “which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Jesus replied:
1. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your
mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.
2. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the
prophets depend on these two commandments”(Mt22:37-40; cf. CCC 2055).
 FIRST, he brought out the inner bond between love of God and love of neighbor. This is
stressed in John’s first letter: “We can be sure we love God’s children when we love God and
do what He has commanded” (1 Jn 5:2).
 SECONDLY, Christ exemplified the triple “heart, soul, and strength” of the “love-of-God
injunction” in his life and teaching. Old Testament interpreters had identified “heart” with
our inner and outer desires and longings; “soul” with obeying God at the risk even of one’s
life; and “strength” with all one’s resources of wealth, property and reputation. But these
three dimensions must be concretized.
 One necessary way is by making use of the rich Filipino cultural terms and values so
expressive of these dimensions: with “buong puso/loob/kalooban”; with “buong kaluluwa,”
and“buong lakas.”
Christ is the first to obey God’s plan of love
 “The love that inspires Jesus' ministry among men is the love that he has experienced in
his intimate union with the Father. The New Testament allows us to enter deeply into the
experience, that Jesus himself lives and communicates, the love of God his Father — “Abba”
— and, therefore, it permits us to enter in to the very heart of divine life. Jesus announces the
liberating mercy of God to those whom he meets on his way, beginning with the poor, the
marginalized, the sinners. He invites all to follow him because he is the first to obey God's
plan of love, and he does so in a most singular way, as God's envoy in the world.”
The Trinitarian Love
 “With the unceasing amazement of those who have experienced the inexpressible love of God
(cf. Rom 8:26), the New Testament grasps, in the light of the full revelation of Trinitarian love
offered by the Passover of Jesus Christ, the ultimate meaning of the Incarnation of the Son
and his mission among men and women. Saint Paul writes: “If God is for us, who is against
us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all
things with him?” (Rom 8:31-32). Similar language is used also by Saint John: “In this is love,
not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins” (1
Jn 4:10).
Love One another (Reciprocity of Love)
 “Meditating on the gratuitousness and superabundance of the Father's divine gift of the Son,
which Jesus taught and bore witness to by giving his life for us, the Apostle John grasps its
profound meaning and its most logical consequence. “Beloved, if God so loves us, we also
ought to love one another. No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in
us and his love is perfected in us” (1 Jn 4:11-12). The reciprocity of love is required by the
commandment that Jesus describes as “new” and as “his”: “that you love one another;
30
SANTIAGO CITY
even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (Jn 13:34). The commandment of
mutual love shows how to live in Christ the Trinitarian life within the Church, the Body of
Christ, and how to transform history until it reaches its fulfillment in the heavenly Jerusalem.”
Mutual Love Leads Christians to Interpersonal Communion

 “The commandment of mutual love, which represents the law of life for God's people,must
inspire, purify and elevate all human relationships in society and in politics. “To be human
means to be called to interpersonal communion”, because the image and the likeness of the
Trinitarian God are the basis of the whole of “human ‘ethos', which reaches its apex in the
commandment of love.”
The Beatitudes: The Heart of Jesus’ Preaching

Our Vocation to Beatitudes
 The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus' preaching. They take up the promises made to the
chosen people since Abraham. The Beatitudes fulfill the promises by ordering them no longer
merely to the possession of a territory, but to the Kingdom of heaven:
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
3. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
7. Blessed are the peace-makers, for they will be called children of God.
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
 Beatitudes are a Desire for Happiness

 The Beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness. This desire is of divine origin: God
has placed it in the human heart in order to draw man to the One who alone can fulfill it: We
all want to live happily; in the whole human race there is no one who does not assent to this
proposition, even before it is fully articulated (St. Augustine, De moribus eccl. 1,3,4:PL
32,1312).
 How is it, then, that I seek you, Lord? Since in seeking you, my God, I seek a happy life, let
me seek you so that my soul may live, for my body draws life from my soul and my soul
draws life from you (St. Augustine, Conf. 10,20:PL 32,791).
 God alone satisfies (St. Thomas Aquinas, Expos. in symb. apost. I)
 God put us in the world to know, to love, and to serve him, and so to come to paradise.
Beatitude makes us "partakers of the divine nature" and of eternal life (2 Pet 1:4; cf. Jn 17:3).
31
SANTIAGO CITY
With beatitude, man enters into the glory of Christ (Cf. Rom 8:18) and into the joy of the
Trinitarian life.
ASSESSMENT:
1. List down at least three political leaders in the Philippines whom

you think you have seen good governance and fear of God.
REFLECTION:
Make a 1-paged reflection paper (Letter 8.5” x 11”). Below are
the guide questions:
a. What do you think is the relationship between the Law and

the Revelation of God?
b. Explain why obedience to the law is important.
32

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UNIVERSITY OF LA SALETTE, INC.

GEC RE 003: CHRISTIAN LIVING

2. Students are expected to log into the ULS CROWDSOURCED LEARNING

6. Announcements are posted in the ULS CLMS. It is a good practice to check

e. Always give proper credit when referencing or quoting another source.

9. As a requirement for periodic summative assessment (prelim, midterm, and finals), it is

12. The preferred method of communication is through the gmail at sleighmacker@gmail.com

GEC RE 003: CHRISTIAN LIVING

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At the end of the course, the students should be able to:

4. Demonstrate attitude reflective of the “Beatitudes” as standards of Christian living in the

UNIT 1- INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

Topic 1- ULS Vision, Mission, Core Values, Philosophy of Education

Topic 2- Apparition of Our Lady of La Salette

UNIT 2- MORALITY AND DIGNITY

Topic 1- Human Dignity

UNIT 3- MORAL GUIDE

Topic 1- Moral Guide in the Old Testament

Topic 2- The Ten Commandments

Topic 3- The New Law or the Law of the Gospel

Topic 1- The Natural Law

Topic 2- Human Freedom

Topic 3- Virtue Ethics or Ethics of Character

UNIT 5- The Social and Political Community

Topic 1- The Human Community

Topic 2- Participation in Political Life

Topic 1- Social Justice

UNIT 7- Laudato Si’

Topic 1- Reconciled Life with Nature

Topic 2- Team Advocacy

John Paul 11, Encyclical Letter SollicitudoReiSocialis

John Paul II, Encyclical LaboremExercens (September 14, 1981)

John Paul II, Encyclical Letter CentesimusAnnus (1991)

Leo XIII, Encyclical RerumNovarum (May 15, 1891)

Mukherjee, Nisha andJonathan Krieckhaus, “Globalization and human well-being,” International

Orsy, Ladislas.“The Divine Dignity of Human Persons in Dignitatishumanae,” Theological Studies

Paul VI, Encyclical PopulorumProgressio (March 26, 1967).

UNIT 1- INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

STORY OF APPARITION OF OUR LADY OF LA SALETTE

La Salette education is a transformative process towards the fullness of

The University of La Salette, Inc. a Catholic institution founded by

The University of La Salette, Inc. is a premier institution of choice, providing

UNIT 2- MORALITY AND DIGNITY

Topic 1- HUMAN DIGNITY

What Human Dignity Is?

The Dignity: Rooted in Man Being Created by God

The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation

Dignity is the Ground of Morality (i.e., Key to Christian Moral Life)

“The inviolable dignity of every human person. . . is the most precious

The Trinitarian Image in Man

Man in Christ’s Image

 The Doctrine of Kenosis (Self-Emptying Image of Christ): It is in Christ, Redeemer and

Man Participates In Light and Power of the Spirit

Man Is Endowed With Freedom

Freedom is an outstanding manifestation of the divine image

The Dimensions of Human Acts

“By his reason, man recognizes the voice of God which

Freedom of Conscience vis-à-vis Moral Obligation

 “A common misunderstanding arises here. How can I be free if I am “bound,” morally

Sin: Man Has Fallen

Dimensions of Sin: Spiral, Sickness, Addiction

Sin: Abuse of Freedom

Sin Divides the Inner Self