Name Keywords

UNIT 3 – FREEDOM (PART A)

Freedom Expression of Dignity: God’s Image and Likeness
in Man
True Freedom Only for the good
Mother Teresa Icon of Holiness because she exercised the
genuine freedom.
Christians are called to do what? Works of God
Dignity and Freedom Fulfillment and Manifestation of God’s Presence in
Man
Baptism Man’s body becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit
Faithfulness Man’s response to the overflowing love
Cognition Basis of a person’s genuine freedom
Intrinsic goodness of man Exercised through free will and intellect
Freedom - Ability to be faithful to our dignity
- Doing God-like actions
- Is the ability to choose the good
- “The more we choose the good, the freer
we become”
The beginning of Freedom, St. To be free from crimes...such as murder,
Augustine adultery, fornication, theft, fraud, sacrilege and so
forth.

FREEDOM LAW

The Imagery of Tree of Knowledge The power to decide what’s good and evil is to God
of Good and Evil: alone – Revelation
“Tree of the knowledge of good and evil”
Human freedom – “create values”
Sin separates man from God & brings DEATH and
JUDGEMENT

God Left man in the power of his Genuine Freedom – According to the Second
own counsel Vatican Council, an outstanding manifestation of
the divine image in man
Jesus Christ – is served as the bridge of man to
God
“Fill the Earth and subdue it”
Attaining perfection means building up that
perfection in himself.
Rightful autonomy – personal subject of his
actions
Natural reason – derives from divine wisdom
where at the same time moral law has its origin in
 God and always finds its source. It is a properly
human law.
Human freedom and God’s law are called to
intersect.

UNIT 3 – FREEDOM (PART B)

• "Tree of the knowledge of good and evil", for it is called to accept the moral law
given by God. In fact, human freedom finds its authentic and complete fulfilment
precisely in the acceptance of that law.

Unprecedented drive for freedom
(Catechism of the Catholic Church)
Authentic Freedom
Pillars of Authentic Freedom
• breaking out all the old structures of political
oppression, racial prejudice, economic
injustice, and constricting cultural mores.
These are situation which we want to FREE
FROM
• Not “to do anything” but “to do the good”
• Shared freedom with others in community
and can be found only in truth. In
accordance to what is right.
• “The truth about Jesus the Savior”
• Truths about the Church
• Truth about Man and Dignity

FREEDOM FROM
Interior Obstacles • Ignorance, disordered passions, dears,
personality defects
Exterior Forces • Violent force or even threat of violence
Three sources • Biological (ex. Drugs)
• Psychlogical (Ex. Interior Compulsions)
Social Pressures • Peer pressure
• Economic, political and cultural obstacles
SIN • Greatest single obstacle to authentic
freedom

FREEDOM FOR
• Beyond being liberated from all the obstacles, authentic freedom is the freedom
for growing as full persons and children of God...in authentic love. (personal
dimension)

TWO LEVELS OF INDIVIDUAL PERSON’S FREEDOM

Freedom of Choice Moral acts
Fundamental Freedom Very self
First level of Freedom We have the freedom to act to do this or that, good
or evil.
Second Level of Freedom Choosing to do the good, we become loving
persons.
• The goal of this process and task of personal freedom is “to be set free from
slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of
God.”
• Freedom “to attain the good” simply means to “act as Jesus did.”
• It is the power of Christ’s Spirit within us that liberates us from sin,

Gospel & Human Experience To know what is morally good

Conscience Most secret core and sanctuary of man, where he
is alone with God.
Moral Conscience The expression of divine law defining what is good
and evil.
Indicates for us how we are to love God and our
neighbor.
True Freedom Only for the good
Human being Refers to the perfect and crowning glory of God’s
creation

UNIT 3 – LAW
Law as a Teacher Rational and reasonable principle of order by
which are directed to their ends
Law as a Ruler Measure of human acts
Guides us in our actions
Judges our actions
What is a law? – St. Aquinas Ordination of reason for the common good which is
made known.

2 ELEMENTS OF LAW
Ordination of reason
Ordering of the Common Good
- Ordering according to reason
- Expression of his reason consists of
ordering of things towards the common
good.
- Common good is the end that law aims and
serves
- It is the explanation on why a law exists – it
is for the common good
- Law – an ordering based on reason for the
 common good.

TYPES OF LAW ACCORDING TO AQUINAS

Eternal Law (GOD) - Highest level of Law
- Creator of Universe
- Source of its order
- Governs the law by providential plan.

Ex: Laws of nature, Gravity, Inertia, Plants grow,

Animals follow their instinct, earth turns upon its
axia, heavenly objects act, Laws of Physics.

- Eternal law is not only in God’s mind but is

the things that God makes.
- But in matters of free choice, where he must
decide on what to do and how to act, he
may refuse the direction of the Eternal law.
This is because man in its rational part, is
free.
Natural Law - Eternal law known to man by his reason
- Man’s participation in the Eternal Law
- “Do good and avoid evil” is the fundamental
expression of natural law

Ex. Don’t Kill Others, Be a good person, Golden

Rule, Only secure one wife, Don’t cheat
Five Principles of Natural - To do Good
Inclinations - To preserve ourselves physically and
spiritually
- Propagate through sexual union
- Truth as the consequence of being rational
- Living in society s a consequence of being
social beings.

Ex. Same Sex marriage, Fraud, Violating Human

Rights and Dignity, Theft, Justice and Peace to
others
Properties of Natural Law - Universal – binds all men at all times
- Indispensable – man has no authority over
natural law. God is the source of natural law
- Immutable & Dynamic – Changes in the
condition of man of the the natural law.

Divine Positive Law How humans should live in order to come to the
 supernatural good of heaven.

Ex. 10 Commandments, beatitudes, Code of

Hammurabi, Koran, Bible
Church Laws Six Commandments of the Church:
- To hear mass every Sundays
- To fast and abstain on days appointed
- Confess once a year
- Receive holy Eucharist during Easter Time
- Support the church
- Never violate the laws of marriage

Ex. Sacraments
Human Law (Canon Law) Application of natural laws in a particular
community

Ex. Legislative Laws

Just Laws Application of natural laws that are in ordinance of
reason.
Lawmakers Specifies and applies the general precepts of the
natural law in a paerticular context or in a
community.

Ex. Senators

UNIT 3 – CONSCIENCE
Id - Pleasure Principle
- Storehouse of Libido
Ego - Keeps the person in touch with reality
- Reality Principle
Super Ego - Idealistic Principle
- Conscience
- Ought Principle

CONSCIENCE ACCORDING TO ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

Judgement of Reason
Synteresis
Practical Judgement
Decision based on an act of reasoning
Makes use of moral principles to make good
decisions/ judgements
Starting point of the reasoning process which ends
in the judgement of conscience
Reference to something that has to be done
(Ex. Avoid that, Do this) – Conscience is the
DICTATOR
Upon an Individual Act Conscience applies the knowledge of moral laws to
resolve a problem.
Conscience – judges an act as good to be
performed or evil to be omitted. Judgement of
approval or disapproval.
Known as the “Man’s Sanctuary” ; man

- Detects a law which he does not impose on

himself, but which holds him to obedience.
Always summoning him to love good and
avoid evil, the voice of conscience can,
when necessary, speak to his heart more
specifically: 'do this, shun that'. For man has
in his heart a law written by God.
It bears witness to the authority of truth in
Conscience reference to the supreme Good to which the
human person is drawn, and it welcomes the
commandments.
Judgement of reason where a person recognizes
moral quality of an act.
The sanctuary of man, where he is alone with God
whose voice echoes within him".

Conscience is like God’s herald and messenger.

Conscience has a binding force – Saint
Bonaventure
Witness of God himself, here the voice and
judgement penetrate the soul of man calling him to
obedience
Obedience Ultimate call of conscience or God’s voice

CONSCIENCE AS A PRACTICAL JUDGEMENT

- This first principle of practical reason is part of the natural law; indeed, it constitutes
the very foundation of the natural law, since it expresses that primordial insight
about good and evil, that reflection of God's creative wisdom which, like an
imperishable spark (scintilla animae), shines in the heart of every man.
- The judgment of conscience has an imperative character: man must act in
accordance with it. If man acts against this judgment or, in a case where he lacks
certainty about the rightness and goodness of a determined act, still performs that
act, he stands condemned by his own conscience, the proximate norm of personal
morality.
- Conscience is not an independent and exclusive capacity to decide what is good
and what is evil. Rather there is profoundly imprinted upon it a principle of
obedience
- The judgment of conscience does not establish the law; rather it bears witness to
the authority of the natural law and of the practical reason
 - Conscience is also a pledge of hope and mercy
- In Practical judgement of conscience, the link between freedom and truth is made
manifest
- Conscience expresses itself in acts of "judgment" which reflect the truth about the
good, and not in arbitrary "decisions"
- Certainly, to have a "good conscience" (1 Tim 1:5), man must seek the truth and
must make judgments in accordance with that same truth.
- Conscience must be "Practice cunning and tamper with God's word",
confirmed by the Holy Spirit but "openly state the truth"
Conscience Judgement of an act

KINDS OF CONSCIENCE
Correct Conscience - In accordance with fact
- Good judgement
- TRUE CONSCIENCE
- Discerns the good as good and evil as evil.

Ex. Personal ethics that keep you from cheating on

Erroneous Conscience
an exam.
Good act as evil judgement, Evil act as good
judgement. It also occurs when a person makes
an error in judgment, either consciously or
unconsciously, by doing the incorrect thing that
they certainly believe that was the right thing to do.

Ex. You accuse one of your classmates that they

stole your wallet but when you went home, your
wallet was on your bed. With this type of
conscience, a person is not aware or is ignorant
that what he has done is wrong
Certain Conscience The judgement without the fear of being wrong
about the virtue or immorality of the activity done
by a person.

Ex. An example of this is when a girl who

accidentally got pregnant, wanting to abort the
baby but it is against her conscience and against
the law. This type of conscience is in congruence
with the moral law.

Doubtful Conscience When conscience is not certain, has hesitations in

judgements. Refers to the postponement of
judgment on the moral goodness or evil of an
activity because the mind cannot discern clearly
whether it is good or bad.
 Ex. An example of doubtful conscience is when
you decide to cheat on your exams because you
were not able to review or try your best to take the
exam without cheating even if it results to failure.
With this type of conscience, a person cannot
decide whether an act is right or wrong
Conscience Ultimate concrete judgement

"When man shows little concern for seeking what is true and good, and conscience
gradually becomes almost blind from being accustomed to sin".
"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of
light; but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light
in you is darkness, how great is the darkness