THE EIGHT BEATITUDES OF JESUS

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,

for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart,

for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of

righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Gospel of Matthew 5:3-10
Gospel of Matthew
' This is the greatest and first commandment. Love God above all else. And the second
is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ' On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets."
 POSSIBLE DEFINITIONS OF THE SOCIAL PRINCIPLES

Central to the principle of human dignity is the understanding that, every human being is
created in the image of God, redeemed by Jesus Christ, destined for union with God, and
therefore worthy of respect as a member of the human family.
Respect is an overarching consideration and represents recognition of each human being's
intrinsic value. As such, making opportunity for human beings to exercise autonomy and make
their own decisions is paramount, as is a commitment to participant welfare over and above
research goals.
The principle of participation reminds us all that we have a right to participate in society but
also a duty to get involved too.
Explain that the principle of the Option for the Poor and Vulnerable means that God invites us
to care in a special way for those who need the most help . Share that in the Scriptures,
Jesus is always spending time with the sick and those who are cared for the least .
The principle of solidarity is a socio-ethical and political concept which states that it is fair
and just that benefits and obligations are justly shared between members of the society.
The Catholic social teaching principle of stewardship – kaitiakitanga – is about being
responsible guardians. We are kaitiaki - guardians of the earth. Exercising stewardship is
caring for the gifts God has given us, including the environment, our own personal talents and
other resources.
The principle of subsidiarity is a teaching according to which a community of a higher order
should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its
functions, but rather should support it in case of need.
The Principle of Equality is roughly to the effect that we should give a priority to policies
which will make well-off those who are badly-off -- policies which will remove individuals
from the class of the badly-off -- and that we should seek to act on these policies by having
certain practices of equality.
The common good is reached when we work together to improve the wellbeing of people
in our society and the wider world. The rights of the individual to personal possessions and
community resources must be balanced with the needs of the disadvantaged and dispossessed.
Moral law is a system of guidelines for behavior. These guidelines may or may not be part of
a religion, codified in written form, or legally enforceable. For some people moral law is
synonymous with the commands of a divine being. For others, moral law is a set of universal
rules that should apply to everyone.
Natural law refers to laws of morality ascertainable through human reason. Moral
philosophers have posited that such laws are antecedent and independent of positive, man-
made law. Natural law is a system of law based on a close observation of human nature, and based
on values intrinsic to human nature that can be deduced and applied independently of positive law.

Eternal Law is the Divine Wisdom of God which oversees the common good and governs
everything. Eternal law is God's plan to lead all creation towards God's eternal salvific plan to
be holy and blameless before Him through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:4–5)
In religious and legal philosophy, divine law is any law believed to have been revealed
directly to humans by a higher power. Some experts view this concept as related to that of
natural law, the belief that there are universal ideas of right and wrong inherent to the human
condition. Divine law is any body of law that is perceived as deriving from a transcendent source,
such as the will of God or gods – in contrast to man-made law or to secular law.