THEOLOGY 400
LECTURE l JOEL REYES, J.D., Ph.D.
CHAPTER 5
THE MORAL REALITY OF SIN
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, the students are expected
to:
1. Acknowledge the moral reality of the
mystery of sin in their life leading to the
reception of the Sacrament of
Reconciliation and the Sacrament of the
Eucharist;
2. Explain the nature and meaning of sin;
3. Reflect the complications brought about
by sin in the life of the person;
4. Discuss the difference between sin and
moral guilt, guilt feeling, and juridical or
legal guilt;
5. Correct some false ideas of sin;
6. Identify the seven capital sins; and
Realize the experience of mercy of God.
“All moral reality is made up of the objective
nature of the act/attitude, the intention of the
agent, and the circumstances. Sin as a
moral reality is an attitude, an action or
failure to act, or power or force that leads us
into evil.
Sin separates us from, alienates us
from,, i.e., makes us strangers (aliens) from.
. . our true selves (intra-personal), our
neighbors (inter-personal), the larger
community (societal), and God, the ground
and source of all three.” (CFC, 1083)
- Some people do not care if they
commit sin.
There are some false ideas of sin. Sin is
often taken as: merely breaking some
impersonal law in a book, or a guilt feeling,
or as something we cannot avoid.
• These simply avoid the evil of sin and the
MIDTERM
harm it does to the sinner and others.
A common example of a false, legalistic,
impersonal idea of sin is expressed by the
question: “How far can I go without falling
into sin?”
- Remember some people muingon
nga “ah ana man jud ng tao
makasala man jud na”
• This reduces sin to a plaything or gamble,
totally ignoring the true nature of our
relationship to God, as etched in the love
commandments.
Some erroneous notions of sin:
● “Masayop man gani ang kabaw nga
upat ma’y tiil; ang tawo pa kaha?”
(If a carabao with its four feet takes a wrong
step, what more a human being?)
● “Anumang gawin ng tao, nadaramay
pati inaapo.”
(Whatever a person does, its consequences
affect even the grandchildren.)
● “Sapagkat ako’y tao lamang.” (Since
I am only human.)
SIN DISTINGUISHED FROM GUILT
● The concept of sin is very closely
related to that of guilt. Sin and moral
guilt designate the same reality,
though under different aspects.
● Sin always involves moral guilt, and
moral guilt always presupposes sin.
Both always exist together.
● Sin expresses the truth that a
wrongful act is morally evil and an
offense against God.
● Guilt, on the other hand, denotes the
fact that a person is liable for the evil
he has done and that it is attributed
to him as the responsible agent
● Moral guilt is different from guilt
feeling for the latter merely
 psychological, that is false guilt,
which therefore does not necessarily
mean that sin is committed.
● Juridical guilt, which is incurred by a
merely offense against the existing
legal order, is not the same with
moral guilt also.
● In Constitutional Law, the accused
has the right to the presumption of
innocence until proven otherwise.
● This is because the court must
certainly establish and determine the
guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
● But the moral guilt is indispensable
for such an accused who has
committed the offense.
THE MYSTERY OF WICKEDNESS: SIN
Clearly sin is a product of man’s
freedom. But deep within its human
reality there are factors at work which
place it beyond the merely human, in the
border-area where human conscience,
will, and sensitivity are in contact with the
dark forces which, according to St. Paul,
are active in the world, almost to the
point of ruling it (RP 14).
The mystery of sin “hates the light” (cf.
Jn 3:19; 1Jn 2:9f), and we, sinners all, are
often ashamed to take it seriously.
But we need to reflect deeply on sin:
1) to truly appreciate God’s everlasting
merciful love, and 2) to correct common
distorted ideas of God, the Church,
conscience, law and the Sacrament of
Reconciliation (CFC # 761).
MEANING OF SIN
● James F. Keenan, S.J., simply
defines sin as the failure to bother
to love.
● This definition captures the many
stories in the bible such as
Matthew’s goat Matthew 25:31-46 -
final judgment (separating the sheep
and goat,
● Lazarus’ rich man(Luke 16:19-31).
The failure of the rich man to take
care of Lazarus
● the wounded man’s priest and the
Levite(Parable of the good
samaritan; Luke 10:30-35), the priest
and the levite failed to show mercy?
● the parable of the publican’s (tax
collector) and Pharisee (Luke 18:
9-14), failure to bother to love by the
pharisee to the publicans
● The unforgiving servant (Matthew
18: 23-24), etc.
The Catechism for the Filipino Catholics
defines sin as basically: a refusal of God’s
love. It entails:
● refusing to follow our own
conscience;
● rejecting our true selves, others, and
God by turning away from God, our
true end;
● breaking God’s covenant of love with
us (no. 784).
“The love of God is free for
all. If you refuse that love, you
commit sin”
● It is “a word, an act, or a desire
contrary to the eternal Law” (Saint
Augustine).
● It is an offense against God in
disobedience to his love. It wounds
human nature and injures human
solidarity.
● Christ in his passion fully revealed
the seriousness of sin and overcome
it with his mercy. Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, #
392.
● In refusing God, we make ourselves
little gods, in which process we
deceive and destroy ourselves. Sin
can also be a sin of commission and
sin of omission.
● The former is the performance of a
forbidden act, while the latter is the
failure to perform an obligatory act.
TYPES OF SIN
1. Sin of Commission - The sin of
commission is the performance of
a forbidden act or a
disobedience to a direct
command.
The scriptural verses that describe
this sin are the following: “You
shall have no other gods before
Me”, “You shall not take the name
of the Lord your God in vain”,
“You shall not kill”, “You shall not
commit adultery”, and “You shall
not steal.”
2. Sin of Omission - Sin of omission
is a failure to do something one
who is able to do and ought to do.
It is a failure to make an obligatory
act accomplished. St. James, in
his letter (4:17), said, “So for one
who knows the right thing to do
and does not do it, it is a sin.” Karl
Peschke (p.308), on the other
hand, identifies this sin as an
offense against positive precept,
such as “Remember the Sabbath
day, to keep it holy”; “Love one
another as I have loved you.”
KINDS OF SIN ACC. TO STRUCTURE
Sin, taken strictly, is always personal. But
in a larger sense we speak of social and
structural sin (CFC # 1804).
1. PERSONAL SIN
-It is never just “private,” with no effect on
anyone else.
-Rather, just as all “persons” are
relational, always affecting others and the
community in everything they do, and
likewise being affected by what others do,
so personal sin is neither committed nor
overcome in “private.”
-The grace of personal conversion and
repentance always involves a community
dimension
2. SIN
-to negative moral attitudes and acts or
failure to act that are common to a
community or particular society.
-Its remedy is to change what is negative
or lacking in the community's moral acts
or attitudes into what is positive and
graced.
-“Social sin,” stresses complicity in evil by
showing how members of the same group
are mutually involved
3. SOCIAL SIN - It can refer to:
-sin's power to affect others by reason of
human solidarity;
-sins that directly attack human rights
and basic freedoms, human dignity,
justice, and the common good;
-sins infecting relationships between
various human communities such as
class struggle, or obstinate
confrontations between block of nations;
and
-situations of sin, or sinful structures that
are the consequences of sinful choices
and acts, e.g., racial discrimination, and
economic systems of exploitation (CFC #
775).
4. STRUCTURAL SIN
-It is not a question of a particular
person's or a community's moral
knowledge, attitudes and responsibility.
-Rather, it refers to existing structures that
condition society in a harmful and unjust
way, such as long-standing racial or sexist
prejudicial structures, unjust economic
taxation systems, established military and
political customs, and unfair immigration
legalities
-These need to be reformed by a long
tedious process of concerted social moral
effort.
-Original sin, on the other hand, can refer
to two things: the first “originating sin”
which brought evil and brokenness into
the world; or “originated sin,” or the actual
sinful state into which we are born, the
essence of which is the privation of
sanctifying grace, and some of whose
consequences are evident in the outside
sinful situation (sin of the world), and
inner effect of disordered desires
(concupiscence) we all experience within
us (CFC # 401).
KINDS OF SIN ACC. TO GRAVITY
Sin can be venial or mortal depending
on the different levels of MORAL EVIL
involved.
Traditionally, sin is defined as
“mortal” when
ELEMENTS OF MORTAL SIN:
1. the nature of the act,
2. the intention of the sinner and
3. the circumstances involve:
4. grave matter, sufficient knowledge,
and
5. full consent of the will.
1. Mortal sins
or sins which lead to death, the loss
of true or “eternal life” - exclude from
the “Kingdom of God” (1 Cor 6:9-10;
Gal 5:19-21; Eph 5:5). They are
mortal because they kill the over all
LOVE pattern of our relation to God
By such sins, a person “freely rejects
God, his Law, the covenant of love
God offers, preferring to turn in on
himself or to some created and finite
reality, something contrary to the
divine will.”
Such sins must be confessed in the
sacrament of Penance or
Reconciliation (CFC # 1806).
2. Venial sins
-Sins called venial (from “venia,”
meaning pardon or forgiveness) are
“excusable” sins which d not involve
the persons' fundamental freedom
nor lead to spiritual death.
- “All wrong doing is sin, but not all sin
is deadly” (1 Jn 5:17). Venial of
charity, and can gradually lead to
mortal sins.
Though venial sins are by definition
pardonable, they should not be taken
lightly, for they offend God. Some are
clearly more serious than others
because of the damage done to the
persons involved or others. Moreover,
carelessness with regard to them,
especially when a habit develops, can
lead to mortal sin.
 Our Lord warned us against
“He has acted with power and done
“lukewarmness,” saying to the church
wonders, and scattered the proud with their
of Laodicea, “Because you are
plans. He has put down the mighty from
lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will
their thrones and lifted up those who are
spew you out of my mouth” (Rv 3:16)
downtrodden.” (Lk 1:51-52)
3. VICES
Vices are the opposite of virtues. Remedies knowledge of oneself, the
They are perverse habits which darken exercise of humility, and
the conscience and incline one to evil. meditation on the truth of the
Scriptures.
The vices can be linked to the seven,
so-called, capital sins which:
LUST
pride – exalting oneself beyond what is
It is a disordered desire for, or inordinate
due and true;
enjoyment of sexual pleasure. It is opposed
lust – disordered desire for, or inordinate
to the virtue of chastity.
enjoyment of sexual pleasure;
“Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has
anger – destructive aggressiveness;
already committed adultery in his heart.” (Mt
gluttony – excessive indulgence in food
5:28)
or drink;
“The love of the Father cannot be in any
envy – begrudging others their talents,
man who loves the world, because nothing
success and wishing them evil;
the world has to offer – the sensual body,
covetousness – desiring what belongs to
the lustful eye, pride in possessions – could
others, leading to dishonesty stealing,
ever come from the Father but only from the
and injustice;
world.” (1 John 2:16)
sloth – laziness and escape from exerting
due effort.
Remedies Purification of the heart and
practicing temperance are
Pride
the remedies against lust.
Pride (Garbo) – a desire for excessive
independence which does not belong to us
as creatures of God. It manifests itself in the ANGER
inordinate love for our own proper It is a passion for revenge that goes beyond
excellence. the control of reason.
“How then are you more than the others?
What have you that you have not received? Three Degrees
And if you received it, why are you proud,
as if you did not receive it?” (1Cor 4:7) 1. Anger may consist in a mere
“By the grace of God you have been saved impulse of impatience.
through faith. This has not come from you: it
is God’s gift. This was not the result of your 2. Anger may consist in uncontrolled
works, so you are not to feel proud.” (Eph gestures and words
2:8-9)
 3. Anger can degenerate into hatred,
vengeance, going so far to desire Remedies Alms giving; Fasting;
the death of the adversary, etc. Detachment or mortification
or asceticism; Works of
mercy
Anger is a passion for revenge that goes
beyond the control of reason . ENVY

Justifiable anger Envy is sadness caused in one because of

- Jesus angered in the Temple the good of another, which good is looked
- Battle for social justice upon as an obstacle to one’s own
“I say to you that if you are angry with a excellence.
brother or sister, you will be liable to - If a friend of mine succeeds
judgment (Mat 5:22). something in me dies.
- If something bad happens especially
to a friend of mine I rejoice on that.
Remedies Forgiveness
Practical advice
Remedies - Cultivate the virtues
- Take a concrete step towards
of humility and
healing a broken relationship charity
- If you are hurt by someone, forgive - Suffer with those who
him/her quickly. suffer
- Refrain from gossip. - Rejoice with those
who are honored by
God
- Admiration
GLUTTONY

It is an immoderate or unreasonable
pleasure in food and drink. AVARICE

- When one eats or drinks more than Avarice is immoderate love of riches.
what is necessary. Love of riches is immoderate when it is not
- When he partakes of food too ordained towards one’s own necessities,
voraciously. those of his family or of his neighbor.
- When he eats or drinks too often.
- When he insists upon food that is No one can serve two masters, for he will
too dainty. either hate one but love the other, or he will
- When he partakes of food or drinks be loyal to the first and look down on the
that is unduly expensive. second. You cannot at the same time serve
God and money. (Mt 6:24)
Sins connected
- Drunkenness Indeed, the love of money is the root of evil.
- Alcoholism Because of this greed, some have
- use of narcotics wandered away from the faith, bringing on
themselves afflictions of every kind. (1 Tim
6:10)
“Be on your guard and avoid every kind of
greed, for even though you have many
possessions, it is not that which gives you
life.” (Lk 12:15)
“Yes, believe me: it is easier for a camel to
go through the eye of a needle than for the
one who is rich to enter the kingdom of
heaven.” (Mt 19:24)
“The Lord does not condemn riches, but
attachment to riches.” The Lord demands
interior detachment. “None of you can
become my disciple if you do not give up all
your possessions.” (Luk 14:33)
Once the demands of necessity and
propriety are met in your life, everything
else you have belongs to the poor. (Pope
Leo, Rerum Novarum)
Remedies - Contemplation of
the vanity of earthly
goods
- The inestimable
value of spiritual
things and
- The meditation on
the life of Christ.
SLOTH
It is a turning away from religious and
spiritual duty because of the effort that
they require.
- It opposes the love of God and the
virtue of piety.
- It is indifferent to the friendship of
God.
- The slothful man dislikes things
spiritual.
Advise – everything of every day that a
baptized does should be related to the
corporal works of mercy.
Remedies - Meditation on the
last things,
- Mortification
- Prayer
REMEDIAL VIRTUES
● Humility
● Chastity
● Forgiveness
● Asceticism
● Admiration
● Generosity
● Zeal for Mission
SPIRITUAL RICHES OF THE CHURCH
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
CONCLUSION
The matter of sin may be too heavy for
students of moral theology, that as if it’s
impossible for every person to share the
glory of God in His Heavenly Kingdom for
no one will go up to heaven with impurity.
Hence, transgressors seem to have eternal
punishment as their final end.
But certainly not, we have to remember the
spiritual riches of the Church through the
sacraments, particularly the sacrament of
reconciliation and the sacrament of the
Eucharist. It is in this sacrament that a
baptized who is alienated by sin and evil
can be reconciled to God, to man, and to
the Christian community.

Everyone has sinned (Romans 5:12) but

where sin increased, God’s grace increases
much more (5:21)

God’s mercy is so abundant, and his love

for us is so great (Ephesians 2:4)

CHAPTER 6
“What I do, I do not understand. For I do
CHRISTIAN VIRTUES not do what I want, but I do what I hate.
Now if I do what I do not want, I concur that
the law is good. So now it is no longer I who
OBJECTIVES
do it, but sin dwell in me. For I know that
Specific learning objectives good does not dwell in me, that is, in my
At the end of the lesson, the students are expected flesh. The will is ready at hand, but doing
to: the good is not. For I do not do the good I
1. Locate the biblical foundations of virtues want, but I do the evil I do not want”
both in the Old Testament and in the New (Romans 7:15-19).
Testament;
2. Understand and explain the meaning of
This is what Apostle Paul said in his letter to
virtues according to different perspectives;
3. Identify and discuss the four (4) cardinal the Romans emphasizing that there may be
virtues; times that we know what should be done,
4. Identify and explain the three (3) but still could not do it. This means that we
theological virtues; may know the commandments but not the
5. Distinguish cardinal virtues from
theological virtues; and
love of God for there are two opposing
6. Share personal reflection on the forces struggling within us.
importance of virtues in Christian living;
and The word virtue is derived from the Latin
7. Discover other virtues that are connected
word virtus which means “force”. It is a habit
to cardinal virtues and theological virtues.
of good behavior which enables us to do
what is right with increasing ease, joy, and
consistency, in response to God’s offer of
and invitation to covenant love.
As Gregory of Nyssa says, “the aim of the concerned with choice, lying in a mean
virtuous life is to become like God.” But intermediate between two extremes (vices).
placing virtues in Christian life would give us
a new concept of virtue being an essential
aspect of spiritual growth. It is a “power” in
the literal sense of the word. But when this
power turned to evil, it is called a vice.

Virtues in the Scriptures:

● There is no Hebrew term in the Old
Testament until the OT was
translated to Greek (Septuagint) the
word arête (virtue or excellence) was
used (e.g., Wisdom :1 and 5:13).
● The term is also infrequently used in
the New Testament. Exegetes said Augustine of Hippo has defined virtue as a
that the reason for this is that the fixed disposition of the soul, making
word was too anthropocentric and connatural the response to what is morally
stressed human achievement and right, and the art of living slightly and
merit. in a proper manner. While Augustine
● However, we can find lists of virtues, accepted the cardinal virtues of the Greeks,
in the New Testament, that describe viz., prudence, justice, fortitude and
moral existence in the early years of temperance he gave pride of place to the
the Christian community (Galatians Christian virtues of faith, hope and charity.
5:22-33; Romans 1:29-321)
CARDINAL VIRTUES

Different Views of Virtues Four virtues play a pivotal role and

accordingly are called “cardinal”; all the
others are grouped around them. They are:

1. Prudence
2. Justice
3. Fortitude
4. Temperance

“If anyone loves righteousness, (Wisdom's)

labors are virtues; for she teaches
temperance and prudence, justice and
For Aristotle, virtue is intimately related to courage.” (8:7)
human happiness or eudaemonia as the
final end of humanity. Thus, he defined
virtue (arête) as a state of character (hexis)
 Prudence
Prudence is the virtue that disposes
practical reason to discern our
true good in every circumstance and to
choose the right means of achieving
it; “the prudent man looks where he is
going.” (Prov 14:15) “Keep sane and
sober for your prayers.” (Pt 4:7)
“Prudence is right reason in action,” writes
St. Thomas Aquinas, following Aristotle. It is
not to be confused with timidity or fear, nor
with duplicity or dissimulation. It is called
auriga virtutum (the charioteer of the virtues;
it guides the other virtues by setting rule and
measure. It is prudence that immediately
guides the judgment of conscience. The
prudent man determines and directs his
conduct in accordance with this judgment.
With the help of this virtue we apply moral
principles to particular cases without
error and overcome doubts about the good
to achieve and the evil to avoid. (CCC, no.
1806)
The virtue of prudence implies the following
acts: wise consultation, right judgment,
and command.
This virtue has the following elements:
memory, understanding or
intuition, docility, shrewdness, reason,
foresight, circumspection, and
caution.
The virtues related to prudence are the
following: the habit of seeking right counsel,
of judging the morality of an action
according to law or higher principles
Justice
Justice is the moral virtue that consists in
the constant and firm will to give their due to
God and neighbor. Justice toward God is
called the “virtue of religion.”
Justice toward men disposes one to respect
the rights of each and to establish in human
relationships the harmony that promotes
equity with regard to persons and to the
common good.
The just man, often mentioned in the
Sacred Scriptures, is distinguished by
habitual right thinking and the uprightness of
his conduct toward his neighbor. “You shall
not be partial to the poor or defer to the
great, but in righteousness shall you judge
The different species of the virtue of justice
are:
1. Legal justice – that regards the
observance of the law,
2. Commutative justice – that regards
relation among individuals orgroup
of individuals,
3. Distributive justice – that regards
honors and burdens in society, and
4. Social justice – that regards
establishment of a right social ord
The virtues connected with justice are:
1. Piety
2. Reverence due to those who enjoy
some dignity - e x. We address the
President as “His Excellency”
3. Obedience
4. Gratitude
5. Affability
6. Friendship
7. Fidelity and truthfulness
 Fortitude
Fortitude is a moral virtue that ensures
firmness in difficulties and constancy in the
pursuit of the good. It strengthens the
resolve to resist temptations and to
overcome obstacles in the moral life.
The virtue of fortitude enables one to
conquer fear, even fear of death, and to
face trials and persecutions. It disposes one
even to renounce and sacrifice his life in
defense of a just cause. “The LORD is my
strength and might.” (Ps 118:14)
In the world you have tribulation; but be of
good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33)
The virtues related to the virtue of fortitude
are:
Magnanimity – by which the will is
rendered prompt to undertake great and
arduous good works
Munificence – readiness to incur great
expense in necessary external works
Patience, longanimity – the disposition to
bear patiently the hardships
Perseverance – the inclination to continue
to do something even though it is difficult.
Temperance
Temperance is a moral virtue that
moderates the attraction of pleasures and
provides balance in the use of created
goods. It ensures the will's mastery over
instincts and keeps desires within the limits
of what is honorable.
The temperate person directs the sensitive
appetites toward what is good, and
maintains a healthy discretion: “Do not
follow your inclination and strength, walking
according to the desires of your heart.”
The different species of the virtue of
temperance are: abstinence, sobriety, and
chastity.
The virtues connected with chastity are:
purity, continence, and virginity.
The virtues connected with the virtue of
temperance are: modesty, humility,
meekness, clemency, and studiousness.
THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES
The three theological virtues of faith, hope
and love dispose Christians to live in
relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have
the One and Triune God for their origin,
motive, and object (CCC 1812). In Christian
life, virtue is linked directly with the action of
the Holy Spirit within us, including His gifts
and fruits (CFC 979)
Today, these theological virtues are
integrated more dynamically with life of
grace, linking the Christians’ spiritual life
with their moral activities (CFC 983). The
virtues of faith, hope and love (1 Cor 5:8;
13:13) are technically called the theological
virtues (or more correctly as the Greek
Fathers say, theological virtues) because
their object first of all is the Triune God. The
term “theological” virtues can be
misunderstood to mean those virtues of
which theology treats, i.e. all virtues; while
“theological” signifies only those virtues
which have God as their direct object and
thus applies exclusively to faith, hope, and
love.
FAITH
The author of the Letter to the Hebrews
launches into a detailed description of faith,
complete with reference to several dozen
biographical models (Hebrews 11:1-38). It
briefly gives a definition: Faith is the
realization of what is hoped for and
evidence of things not seen.
Before this faith can be exercised, man
must have the grace of God to move and
assist him; he must have the interior helps
of theHoly Spirit, who moves the heart and
makes it easy for all to accept and believe
the truth.” (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine
Revelation Dei Verbum, no. 5
Different Approaches of FAITH
1. Faith as Conviction
The “illuminist” school (Augustine, Thomas
Aquinas, et al.) understands faith as an
inner light or as the beginning of wisdom. Its
primary focus is on the personal relationship
between the individual and God in a
contemplative union that could unwittingly
encourage a spirit of indifference to the
needs of others.

The “body of doctrines” school, on the other

Then, follows the description of faith by
hand, sees faith as a firm assent of the mind
enumerating the records of how the people
to what the Church authoritatively teaches
of ancient times won God’s approval
in the name of God. It focuses believers’
starting from the time of Abel’s offering a
attention so strongly on what there is to
better sacrifice than Cain’s, Enoch’s taking
believe that they tend to ignore the moral
up to God instead of dying, Noah’s building
(social, political, economic as well as
a boat, Abraham’s becoming a father of
personal and interpersonal) implications of
many nations, Isaac’s promise of blessings
accepting the Gospel in faith.
for the future of Jacob and Esau – then to
Joseph, then Moses’ leaving Egypt by
crossing the Red Sea, up to the time of 2. Faith as Trust
Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephtha, David,
Samuel, and the prophets. This concept of faith is solidly biblical. It was
also the emphasis of Protestant Reformers.
According to Vatican II, “The obedience of Everything is left in the hands of God, who
faith must be given to God as he reveals will save us in spite of our inequity. As sum,
himself. By faith man freely commits his faith alone saves. It entails a lack of real
entire self to God, making ‘the full interest in social reform.
submission of his intellect and will to God
who reveals,’ and willingly assenting to the
Revelation given by him.
3. Faith as Commitment

This is the so-called performative approach.
It must be incarnate in praxis
(faith-in-action). Faith is a transforming
acceptance of the Word, which challenges
us through the cries of the poor and
oppressed. It is an active engagement in the
service of the Kingdom of God,
“Those who do what is true come to the
light” (John 3:21).
The Gospel is the power of God revealing
God’s justice and leading to salvation (Rom
1:16-17). Faith works through love (Gal 5:6).
Our faith overcomes the world (1 Jn 5:4). In
sum, faith in theological sense is a self-
surrender to God as he reveals Himself. It is
thus only the acceptance or response on
the part of the human being who realizes
that the initiative rests with God.
HOPE
The virtue of hope is rooted in faith. This
virtue is sounded in Genesis immediately
after the Fall, when God does not at once
execute the sentence of death on Adam and
Eve but settles them in exile, clothing them,
and withdrawing from them the blessing of
fertility (Gen 3:20-24).
The New Testament proclaims that this
Messiah is the Son of God, Jesus Christ
who suffered, died, and was buried, but the
Church remains a permanent witness
through the ages that Jesus was raised
from the dead.
Pope Benedict XVI, in Encyclical Letter
Spe Salvi (On Christian Hope) said,
“Let us say once again: we need the greater
and lesser hopes that keep us going day by
day. But these are not enough without the
great hope, which must surpass everything
else. This great hope can only be God, who
encompasses the whole of reality and who
can bestow upon us what we, by ourselves,
cannot attain. The fact that it comes to us as
a gift is actually part of hope. God is the
foundation of hope: not any god, but the
God who has a human face and who has
loved us to the end, each one of us and
humanity in its entirety.” (no. 31). Through
prayer, as the school of hope, the Pope
said, we become capable of the great hope,
and thus we become ministers of hope for
others (no. 34).
LOVE
In Greek, there are four meanings of love:
Epithemia is the desire, with the
connotation of lust. This is sexual love.
Eros is the drive toward union with others
which brings self fulfillment.
Philia is affectionate love such as that
among brothers, sisters, and friends.
Agape is total dedication and devotion to
the welfare of the other, regardless of
sacrifice and personal cost
For St. John, love is rooted in the entire life,
death, and resurrection of Christ (John
3:16). Thus, for him, God is love (1 John
4:7- 21). For St. Paul, he identifies love as
the greatest of the gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor
13:13). The whole chapter of 1 Corinthians
13 actually describes the features of love,
which binds together all the other virtues
because without love, no virtues really
count:
Love is patient, love is kind; love is not
jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude.
Love does not insist on its own way, it is not
irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at
wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears
all things, believes all things, hopes all
things, endures all things. (1 Cor 13:4-7).
Pope Francis in his Amoris Laetitia, a
Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on
Love
“Love is patient” does not simply have to
do with “enduring all things” but rather to the
quality of one who does not act on impulse
and avoids giving offense.
This characteristics conforms to the nature
of God who is “slow to anger” (Ex 34:6;
Num 14:18) for God’s patience is shown
towards sinners. St. Paul always reminds
us, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger
and clamor and slander be put away from
you, with all malice” (Eph 4:31).
“Love is kind” means it is ever ready to be
of assistance. It indicates that love benefits
and helps others. As St. Ignatius of Loyola
said, “Love is shown more by deeds than by
words.”
“Love is not jealous” means that love has
no room for discomfiture at another person’s
good fortune (Acts 7:9; 17:5). Envy is a form
of sadness provoked by another’s
prosperity. It shows that we are not
concerned for the happiness of others but
only with our own well-being.
“Love is not boastful” indicates that love
is not arrogant. It means that we do not
become “puffed up” before others. Jesus
told his disciples that in a world where
power prevails, each tries to dominate the
other, but “it shall not be so among you. . .
whoever would be first among you must be
your slave” (Mt 20:26). St. Peter also said,
Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility
towards one another, for God opposes the
proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet
5:5)
“Love is not rude” indicates that love is
not ill-mannered or harsh. Its actions, words
and gestures are pleasing and not abrasive
or rigid. To love is to be gentle and
thoughtful. Those who love are capable of
speaking words of comfort, strength,
consolation, and encouragement. “Love is
generous” means an act of serving others.
Jesus said, You received without pay, give
without pay (Mt 10:8). In the letter of St.
Paul to the Philippians he said, Let each of
you look not only to his own interests, but
also to the interests of others (2:4).
“Love is not irritable or resentful” means
renunciation of a violent reaction within, a
hidden irritation that sets us on edge where
others are concerned, as if they were
troublesome or threatening and thus to be
avoided. If we must fight evil, so be it; but
we must always say “no” to violence.
“Love does not rejoice at wrong” means
that love forgives. It takes no account of
evil. As Jesus said, Father, forgive them; for
they know not what they do (Lk 23:34).
Though, forgiving those who have offended
us is not easy but if we accept God’s
unconditional love we will become capable
of showing boundless love and forgiving
others even if they have wronged us. “Love
rejoices with others” means that we rejoice
at the good of others when we see their
dignity and value their abilities and good
works. This is why “it is more blessed to
give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
“Love bears all things” , as the
countercultural power of love that is able to
face whatever might threaten it, means
holding one’s peace about what may be
wrong with another person. It implies
limiting judgment, checking the impulse to
issue a firm and ruthless condemnation:
“Judge not and you will not be judged” (Jas
3:6). “Love believes all things” means that
love trusts, it sets free, it does not try to
control, possess and dominate everything.
A family marked by loving trust, come what
may, helps its members to be themselves
and spontaneously to reject deceit,
falsehood, and lies.
“Love hopes all things” means that love
does not despair of the future.
“Love endures all things” means that love
bears every trial with a positive attitude. It
stands firm in hostile surroundings. This
endurance involves not only the ability to
tolerate certain aggravations, but something
greater: a constant readiness to confront
any challenge. It is love that never gives up
even in the darkest hour
Pope Benedict XVI, in his Encyclical
Letter Deus Caritatis Est (on
Christian Love) points to some
profound underlying unity between
the eros
He contrasted the two notions as
“ascending” love and “descending” love,
with similar classifications as between
possessive love (amor concupiscentiae)
and oblative love (amor benevolentiae). The
descending, oblative love – agape – would
be typically Christian, while the ascending,
possessive or covetous love – eros – would
be typical of non-Christian. For the Pope,
eros and agape – ascending love and
descending love – can never be completely
separated.
The more the two, in their different aspects,
find a proper unity in their own reality of
love, the more the true nature of love in
general is realized. The agape enters into
the eros when it draws near to the other,
increasingly seeking the happiness of the
other, is concerned more and more with the
beloved, bestows itself and wants to “be
there for” the other. He further said that man
cannot live by oblative, descending love
alone. He cannot always give, he must also
receive (no. 7)
Cardinal Virtues Distinguished from
Theological Virtues
Cardinal virtues are natural virtues for they
can be acquired by man through repetition
of certain actions as normal habits or
through human achievements, while
theological virtues are supernatural virtues
for they are infused by God as grace freely
given to man.
Hence, the latter cannot be acquired
through man’s constant practice. Though,
cardinal virtues can be acquired through the
normal habits, they can also be Christian
virtues if and when they are associated with
love
Cardinal virtues are particular virtues for
they affect specific relationships, like
prudence, fortitude and temperance with
regard to relationship with the self, or justice
with regard to relationships with neighbor
and the society.
Theological virtues, on the other hand, are
general virtues for they affect the totality of
relationships with the self, others, nature,
and God.
Finally, cardinal virtues are moral virtues for
they involve prudence, justice, fortitude and
temperance, while the other virtues are
theological virtues for they the faith, hope,
and love.
CONCLUSION
It can be said that living a moral life is not
easy matter for it demands faithful
observance of moral norms which are not
only complicated to understand but also
unbearable to practice perfectly. It takes not
only the responsibility “to know the right
thing to do” but rather to really “do the right
thing” because it is the truth of life. Truth is
not only to be understood as an idea or
concept but it is something to be done and
lived to the full. In order to grasp what is the
truth of a moral life, one must therefore live
a virtuous life so that his aspiration for good
works will become a reality with the light of
God. “But whoever lives according to the
truth comes into the light so that it can be
clearly seen that his works have been done
in God” (John 3:21). Hence, we need all
these virtues, cardinal and theological and
all other virtues attached to these, to
perfectly observe the moral norms.
CHAPTER 7
THE GREAT COMMANDMENT
OBJECTIVES
Specific learning objectives
At the end of the lesson, the students are expected
to:
1. Advocate the Ten Commandments;
2. Elaborate the meaning of each
commandment by sharing personal
experience;
3. Explain the ten commandments in the
radiation of the moral teaching of the
church;
4. Identify the different offenses which are
violations of the ten commandments; and
5. Familiarize how JEsus perfects the Ten
Commandments.
The ten commandment is a divine positive
law. Some moral theologians categorized
the Ten Commandments as a revealed
morality because we see figures and letters
in the Bible
In fact, in the Old Testament there are six
hundred thirteen laws, according to Bible
scholars, and many of them were dietary.
*10 commandments - divine positive law
- Acc. to Roman theologians10
commandments are the reveal
morality
The expression “Ten Commandments” is a
translation of the Hebrew “ten words” found
in Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13; 10:4.
Traditionally, they are known as the
Decalogue.
According to the Deuteronomy texts the
expression applies to the commandments
found in Deuteronomy 5:71-21 which speak
of the two tables of stone (Deut 5:22).
The expression is secondary in Exodus
34:28 since the number of commandments
in Exodus 34:14-26 is twelve, not ten.
Finally the expression refers to the
commandments given in the theophany on
Mount Sinai (Exod 20:3-17).
Ten Commandments
1st Commandment: “I am the Lord you
God who brought you out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You
shall have no over Gods before me” (Cf.
Exodus 20:8)
2nd Commandment: “You shall not tae the
name of the Lord your God in vain” (Cf.
Exodus 20:12)
3rd Commandment: "Remember the
Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Cf. Exodus
20:8).
-First 3: duty to the Lord-
4th Commandment: "Honor your father
and your mother, that your days may be
long in the land which the Lord your God
gives you" (Cf. Exodus 20:12).
5th Commandment: "You shall not kill (Cf.
Exodus 20:13).
6th Commandment: "You shall not commit
adultery" (Cf. Exodus 20:14).
7th Commandment: "You shall not steal
(Cf. Exodus 20:15).
8th Commandment: "You shall not bear
false witness against your neighbor" (Cf.
Exodus 20:16).
9th Commandment: “You shall not covet
your neighbor’s wife” (Cf. Exodus 20:17)
10th Commandment: “You shall not covet
your neighbor’s goods”
1ST COMMANDMENT
“I am the Lord you God who brought you out
of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
bondage. You shall have no over Gods
before me” (Cf. Exodus 20:8)
● The First Commandment summons
man to believe in God, to worship
him, to love him and to hope in him
above all else.
● Thus, adoring him, praying to him,
offering Him, him the worship that
belongs to him, fulfilling the promise
and promises and vows made to
him, are acts of virtue of religion
which fall under obedience to the
First Commandment.
● Thus believers are called to act
according to their faith in God.
Otherwise, they bring Religion into
disrepute and risk their spiritual
selves.
● Thus, superstition, idolatry,
divination, magic, irreligion,
atheism and agnosticism in various
forms violate the First
Commandment.
 - All forms of divination are to be ● To restrain people from the exercise
rejected such as spirit of the glass, of religious duties on these days is
conjuring of the dead, reading of to violate a basic human right.
horoscope, magic, and other Believers testify to their faith when
practices as they violate the 1st they take time to celebrate the Lord's
commandment Day.
● Every Christian should avoid making
2ND COMMANDMENT unnecessary demands on others
that would hinder them from
observing the Lord's Day.
“You shall not tae the name of the Lord your
● The Third Commandment of the
God in vain” (Cf. Exodus 20:12)
Decalogue recalls the holiness of the
Sabbath: "The seventh day is a
● The Second Commandment
Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the
prescribes respect for the Lord's
Lord.
name. It governs our speech in
● The Sabbath which represented the
sacred matters. God reveals his
completion of the first creation, has
name and confides his name to
been replaced by Sunday which
those who believe in him, in his
recalls the new creation inaugurated
personal mystery.
by the resurrection of Christ
● Respect for his name is an
expression of The respect owed to
- Do not misinterpret the word
the mystery of God himself and to
Sabbath into Sabado. Sabbath
the whole sacred reality it evokes.
means to Rest.
● Thus, the sense of the sacred is part
of the virtue of religion.
● It is a sign of irrevocable covenant. It
● The name of the Lord is Holy. Thus,
is set apart for the praise of God, his
the Second Commandment forbids
work of creation and his saving
every improper use of God's name
actions on behalf of Israel. As God
such as: blasphemy and false oaths
rested from His six days' creation
which make God to be a witness of a
we, who are made in His image,
lie; perjury, untruthful and irrelevant
need time to worship God and to
swearing in the name of God.
refresh ourselves.
● The Second Commandment
● Observing the holy days of
encourages us to approach the
obligation is a serious duty of
Divine with reverence. By using the
believers.
name of God with reverence, we
honor Him and His creation.
4TH COMMANDMENT

3RD COMMANDMENT
"Honor your father and your mother, that
your days may be long in the land which the
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it
Lord your God gives you" (Cf. Exodus
holy" (Cf. Exodus 20:8).
20:12).
 ● It shows us the order of charity.
God has willed that, after him, we
should honor our parents to whom
we owe life and who have handed
on to us the knowledge of God.
● We are obliged to honor and
respect all those whom God, for
our good, has vested with his
authority.
● Respecting this commandment
provides, along with spiritual fruits
of peace and prosperity.
Conversely, failure to observe it
brings great harm to communities
and to individuals.
● The Fourth Commandment also
covers duties to all in authority:
teachers, employers, civil and
religious leaders and others to
whom the community welfare is
entrusted.
5TH COMMANDMENT
"You shall not kill (Cf. Exodus 20:13).
● The Fifth Commandment reminds us
that human life is sacred because
from beginning it involves the
creative action of God and it remains
for ever 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 under
any circumstance can claim for
himself the right to directly destroy
an innocent human being
● The Scripture specifies the
prohibition contained in the Fifth
Commandment. Thus, 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 Creator.
● The law forbidding the killing of the
innocent human being is universally
invalid: it obliges each and
everyone, always and everywhere.
● All forms of murder and violence go
against the Fifth Commandment's
prescription.
● Thus, intentional homicide,
infanticide, fratricide, parricide,
suicide, genocide, terrorism,
abortion, euthanasia, addictive use
of drugs, alcohol or other
substances, and many other
offenses against human life are
violations of this Commandment.
● This may be extended as well to
unjust social structures that cause
great inequalities, poverty and death
of many people.
6TH COMMANDMENT
"You shall not commit adultery" (Cf. Exodus
20:14).
● Fidelity means more than avoiding
extramarital affairs. It puts the
spouse first in sickness and health,
in good times and bad.
● The conjugal act is the specific
pleasure and duty reserved for the
married. It is a source of sexual
identity, affirmation, healing, hope
and thanksgiving.
● Adultery is an offense against the
dignity of marriage and therefore it is
absolutely forbidden.
● The following are also considered as
violations of the Sixth
Commandment: divorce, morally
 offensive separation, polygamy,
incest, and free union.
7TH COMMANDMENT
"You shall not steal (Cf. Exodus 20:15).
● The Seventh Commandment forbids
unjustly taking or keeping the goods
of one's neighbor and wronging him
in any way with respect to his goods.
● It commands justice and charity in
the care of earthly goods and the
fruits of men's labor.
● For the sake of the common good, it
requires respect for the universal
destination of goods and respect for
the right to private property.
● Christian life must strive to order this
world's goods to God and to fraternal
charity.
● The Seventh Commandment forbids
theft and the usurpation of another's
goods against the reasonable will of
the owner.
● Stealing can be petty theft and
shoplifting, the breaking of promises
and contracts, inhuman working
conditions, indifference to the needs
of the poor as well as the destruction
of the environment.
Pope Francis echoed the words of St. John
Crysostom, in his Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel),
"Not to share one's wealth with the poor is
to steal from them and to take away their
livelihood. It is not our own goods which
we hold, but theirs (57)".
In another Encyclical Letter Laudato Si',
Pope Francis cites Patriarch Bartholomew
who said that to destroy the biological
diversity of God's creation, to degrade the
integrity of the earth by causing changes in
its climate, by stripping the earth of its
natural forests or destroying its wetlands, to
contaminate the earth's waters, its land, its
air, and its life, and to commit a crime
against the natural world is a sin against
ourselves and a sin against God (no.8).
8TH COMMANDMENT
"You shall not bear false witness against
your neighbor" (Cf. Exodus 20:16).
● The Eight Commandment forbids
misrepresentation of the truth in our
relations with others. This moral
prescription flows from the vocation
of the holy people to bear witness to
their God who is the truth and will
the truth.
● Offenses against the truth are
expressed by word or deed or a
refusal to commit oneself to moral
uprightness. They are fundamental
infidelities to God and they
undermine the foundations of the
covenant.
● God is the source of truth. His Word
is truth. His Law is truth. His
faithfulness endures to all
generations.
● Since God is true, the members if
his people are called to live in truth.
● Truthfulness is the virtue which
consists in showing oneself true in
deeds and truthful in words, and in
guarding against duplicity,
dissimulation and hypocrisy.
● False witness and perjury, rash and
baseless judgment, detraction and
calumny, flattery, adulation, boasting,
 irony, lying, gossip and slander are
offenses against the truth.
● These are all disrespect of the
reputation and honor of the human
person.
9TH COMMANDMENT
● It therefore forbids greed, avarice,
envy, and all the criminal desires.
● It forbids passion for riches and their
attendant power, as well as the
immoderate desire to have them for
oneself

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife” CHRIST’S NEW COMMANDMENTS
(Cf. Exodus 20:17)
1ST COMMANDMENT
● In Catholic catechetical tradition, the
Ninth Commandment forbids and
"You shall love the Lord your God with all
warns us against lust and carnal
your heart, and with all you soul, and with all
concupiscence.
your mind" and He says that this is the
● It requires one to purify his heart and
greatest and the first commandment, and
practice temperance, decency and
the second is "You shall love your neighbor
discretion.
as yourself* (Mt. 22:37-40; Lk 10:27). Jesus
● It requires one to purify his heart and
claims that on the two commandments hang
practice temperance, decency and
all the law and the prophets. This echoes
discretion. It requires the virtue and
the solemn call: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord
gift of chastity, purity of intention,
our God is one Lord.”
purity of vision and modesty.
● It is modesty which protects the
intimate center of the person, the
heart which is the center of one’s 2ND COMMANDMENT
responsibility.
Jesus says: "You have heard that it was
10TH COMMANDMENT said to the men of old,

● "You shall not swear falsely"

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods”
● The Tenth Commandment unfolds
and completes the Ninth
Commandment which is concerned
with concupiscence of the flesh.
● It forbids coveting the goods of
another, as the root of theft, robbery
and fraud, which the Seventh
Commandment forbids.
● "Lust of the eyes" leads to the
violence and injustice forbidden by
the Fifth Commandment.
● But | say to you: 'Do not swear at
all'" (Mt 5:33-34).
3RD COMMANDMENT
"The Sabbath was made for man, not man
for the Sabbath; so the Son of Man is Lord
even of the Sabbath" (Mk 2:27-28).
● Christ declares the Sabbath for
doing good rather than harm, for
saving life rather than killing.

4TH COMMANDMENT
"Love one another even I have loved you"
(Jn 13:34).
5TH COMMANDMENT
You have heard that it was said to the man
of old, 'You shall not kill: and whoever kills
shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you
that every one who is angry with his brother
shall be liable to judgment" (Mt 5:21-22).
6TH COMMANDMENT
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall
not commit adultery.' But I say to you that
everyone who looks at a woman lustfully
has already committed adultery with his
heart" (Mt 5:27-28).
7TH COMMANDMENT
Jesus blessed Zacchaeus for his pledge: "If
I have defrauded anyone of anything, I
restore it fourfold" (Lk 19:8) He warns
people against avaricious desires for, and
disproportionate attachment to material
things: "You cannot serve God and
mammon" (Mt 6:24; Lk 16:13).
8TH COMMANDMENT
"It was said to the men of old, 'You shall not
swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord
what you have sworn' (Mt 5:33). He
emphasizes that truthfulness must be the
virtue of his disciples, that those who follow
him must live in truth.
9TH COMMANDMENT
Jesus urges his disciples to purify their
hearts and practice temperance. He says:
"Out of the heart come evil thoughts,
murder, adultery, fornication" (Mt 15:19).
And he also says: "Blessed are the pure
in heart, for they shall see God" (Mt 5:8).
10TH COMMANDMENT
Jesus says "For where your treasure is
there will your heart be also" (Mt 6:21).
Jesus enjoins his disciples to prefer him to
everything and everyone, and bids them to
renounce all that they have for his sake and
for the sake of the Gospel. He gave them
the example of real poverty. Thus, the
precept of detachment from riches is
obligatory for entrance into the Kingdom of
Heaven (LK 14:33; Mk8:35; Lk 21:4).
CONCLUSION
Reading the Ten Commandments in the Old
Testament according to the manner of how
it is literally presented in the Bible may
possibly encounter some kind of passive
understanding. Its characteristics may be
something authoritative and repressive but
there is a moral imperative to it for Christ
had come not to abolish the Law and the
prophets but to fulfill them. Hence, the Ten
Commandments are needed for the life of
the Christian community that can be traced
back to God's liberating power and the
terms of the Covenant.
Therefore, it is necessary to really reflect
the dynamic formation of the Ten
Commandments together with the
Commandment of Love of Jesus Christ. So
much so that the Catechism of the Catholic
Church will definitely help us understand the
moral norms of everyday life that is
universally accessible even to non-
Christians.
CHAPTER 8
The Sermon on the Mount: The
Magna Carta of Gospel Morality
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, the students are able to:
1. Acquire a deeper understanding on the
“Sermon on the Mount” in the Bible;
2. Compare and contrast Sermon on the
Mount according to Matthew and the
Sermon on the Plain according to Luke;
3. Discuss the exegesis and hermeneutics of
the Beatitudes;
4. Reflect and discuss each biblical text of
the Beatitude in relation to individual
experience;
5. Advocate the Beatitude of Jesus Christ;
and
6. Expound the true meaning of peace
according to the teachings of the Church.
BEATITUDES
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are they meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and
thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted
for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and
persecute you and utter every kind of evil
against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward
will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who
were before you.” (Mt 5:3-12)
Happiness (Luke 6:20 -23)
"Happy are you poor;
The Kingdom of God is yours!
Happy are you who are hungry now;
You will be filled!
Happy are you who weep now;
You will laugh!
Happy are you when people hate you, reject
you, and say that you are evil, all because
of the Son of Man!
Be glad when that happens and dance for
joy, because a great reward is kept for you
in heaven. For their ancestors did the very
same things to the prophets.
"But alas for you who are rich now: you are
having your consolation now.
Alas for you who have your fill now: you
shall go hungry.
Alas for you who laugh now: you shall
mourn and weep.
Alas for you when the world speaks well of
you! This was the way their ancestors treat-
ed the false prophets.
 Matthew, “clean of heart” stands close to
justice and includes covenant fidelity, loyalty
to God’s commands, and sincere worship.

“Peacemakers,” this is based on the Old

Testament Shalom, a many-sided concept
involving total well-being. The rabbis had
democratized the royal ideology of the king
as peacemaker and enjoined it on
everyone. In the New Testament,
peacemaking is closely related to the love of
neighbor and hence to the beatitude of the
merciful. All the rewards will find their
realization in the kingdom of God.

Sermon of the mount by matthew

Sermon of the plain by Luke

Meaning of Peace in the Catholic

Social Teaching
“Poor in spirit” emphasizes personal and
moral: humility, detachment from wealth,
The social teaching of the Church
voluntary poverty. In the Bible, economic
recognizes that the grace of the Kingdom of
destitution is an evil to be corrected (Deut
God is already present but the fullness of
15:11), and wealth is not an evil in itself;
God’s reign has not yet been realized. Thus,
indeed, it is a necessity for the well-being of
as part of the evangelizing mission to bring
the kingdom, but it risks neglect of God and
the peace of Christ, the Church, in several
of the poor.
documents, specifically treats the area of
promoting peace in the world.
The “meek,” derived from Ps 37:11, means
“slow to anger,” “gentle with others,”
Among these documents that deal with
connoting a form of charity. “Mourners”
peace are the following:
means that they mourn to see evil on earth
1) Pacem in Terris of 1963;
(originally, over Israel).
2) Gaudium et Spes of 1965;
3) Populorum Progressio of 1967;
“Merciful” refers to the pardoning of one’s
4) Sollicitudo Rei Socialis of 1987;
neighbor (Mt 6:12, 14-15; 18:35), to love (Mt
5) Sacramentum Caritatis; and
9:13; 12:7; 23:23), especially of the needy
6) the Second Plenary Council of the
(Mt 25:31-46), and even of one’s enemies
Philippines (PCP II)
(Mt 5:44-47). All vengeance is excluded.

“Clean of heart,” in the Old Testament, this

refers to ritual and moral impurity being
cleansed (Ps 24:4; 51; Is 1:10-20). In
 “Now an order of this kind, whose principles
Pacem in Terris are universal, absolute and unchangeable,
has its ultimate source in the one true God,
Who is personal and transcendent human
nature. Inasmuch as God is the first Truth
and the highest Good, He alone is that
deepest source from which human society
can draw its vitality, if that society is to be
well ordered, beneficial, and in keeping with
human dignity”. (no. 38)

While the Pope, in this document,

commends Christians who dedicated their
lives in the establishment of peace, he also
exhorts other Christians to join in this
mission. The Pope says, “The world will
never be the dwelling place of peace, till
peace has found a home in the heart of
The Pacem in Terris (On Establishing
each and every man, till every man
Universal Peace in Truth, Justice, Charity,
preserves in himself the order ordained by
and Liberty) by Pope John XXIII, on April
God to be preserved” (no. 165).
1963, stresses the necessary relationship
between order and peace.
He adds, “Peace is but an empty word, if it
does not rest upon that order founded on
It deals with four levels in human
truth, built upon justice, nurtured and
relationships:
animated by charity, and brought into effect
1. The order between human beings
under the auspices of freedom” (no. 166).
(nn. 8-45);
He stresses that peace cannot be achieved
2. The relationship between individuals
unless God helps (no. 167).
and public authorities (nn. 46-79);
3. The relationship between States (nn.
80-129), and
4. The relationship between human Gaudium et Spes
beings and the political communities
with the world communities (nn.
130-145).

“The order which prevails in society is by

nature moral. Grounded as it is in truth, it
must function according to the norms of
justice, it should be inspired and perfected
by mutual love, and finally it should be
brought to an ever more refined and human
balance in freedom” (no. 37).
 Populorum Progressio
The Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution
on the Church in the Modern World) of
December 1965 mentions in chapter V the
Fostering of Peace and Establishment of a
Community of Nations. This document
clearly explains the nature of peace that is
rooted in justice and love.

“Peace is more than the absence of war: it

cannot be reduced to the maintenance of a
balance of power between opposing forces
nor does it arise out of despotic dominion,
but it is appropriately called ‘the effect of
righteousness’. It is the fruit of that right
ordering of things with which the divine
founder has invested human society and
which must be actualized by man thirsting
after an ever more perfect reign of justice…”
The Populorum Progressio (On the
Development of Peoples), issued by Pope
But this is not enough. Peace cannot be
Paul VI on March 26, 1967 named a
obtained on earth unless the welfare of man
program on justice and peace.
is safeguarded and people freely and
trusting share with one another the riches of
This encyclical letter set up a Pontifical
their minds and their talents... Accordingly,
Commission in the Church’s central
peace is also the fruit of love, for love goes
administration, charged with “bringing to the
beyond what justice can ensure.
whole of God’s People the full knowledge of
the part expected of them at the present
Peace on earth, which flows from love of
time, so as to further the progress of poorer
one’s neighbor, symbolizes and derives
people, to encourage social justice among
from the peace of Christ who proceeds from
nations, to offer to less developed nations
God the Father. Christ, the Word made
the means whereby they can further their
flesh, the prince of peace, reconciled all
own progress” (no. 5).
men to God by the cross, and restoring the
unity of all in one people and one body, he
This document contains two parts. The first
abolished hatred in his own flesh, having
part is for man’s complete development,
been lifted up through his resurrection he
and the second is for the development of
poured forth the Spirit of love into the hearts
the human race in the spirit of solidarity.
of men... (no. 78)

It is in the latter part that the Pope

concluded that development is the new
name for peace. This is because excessive
economic, social and cultural inequalities
among people arouse tensions and
conflicts, and are a danger to peace (no.
76).
However, such development is not just in
terms of economic and material
possessions but the whole person’s
economic, cultural, political, and religious
needs.
The Pope affirms, “Peace cannot be limited
to a mere absence of war, the result of an
ever precarious balance of forces. No peace
is something that is built up day after day, in
the pursuit of an order intended by God,
which implies a more perfect form of justice
among men” (no. 76).
Sollicitudo Rei Socialis
An encyclical letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis
(On Social Concern) was issued by Pope
John Paul II on the occasion of the twentieth
anniversary of the encyclical Populorum
Progressio. In this encyclical, the Pope
made a biblically inspired integration of
solidarity and peace.
The motto of the pontificate of my esteemed
predecessor, Pius XII (1938-1958) was
peace as the fruit of justice. Today one
could say, with the same exactness and the
same power of biblical inspiration (cf. Is.
32:17; Jas. 13:35) peace is the fruit of
solidarity.
The goal of peace, so desired by everyone,
will certainly be achieved through the
putting into effect of social and international
justice, but also through the practice of the
virtues which favor togetherness, and which
teach us to live in unity, so as to build in
unity, by giving and receiving, a new society
and a better world (no. 39).
In the light of faith, solidarity seeks to go
beyond itself, to take on the specifically
Christian dimension of total gratuity,
forgiveness and reconciliation. One’s
neighbor is then not only a human being
with his or her own rights and a fundamental
equality with everyone else, but becomes
the living image of God the Father,
redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and
placed under the permanent action of the
Holy Spirit.
One’s neighbor must therefore be loved,
even if an enemy, with the same love with
which the Lord loves him or her; and for that
person’s sake one must be ready for
sacrifice, even the ultimate one: to lay down
one’s life for the brethren. (1 Jn 3:16)
 Sacramentum Caritatis Peace in PCP II

The Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Benedict

XVI’s Sacramentum Caritatis (On The
Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the
Church’s Life and Mission)
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the
Philippines also formulated a document
The Pope describes Eucharist, by its nature,
Second Plenary Council of the Philippines.
as a sacrament of peace.

One of the crucial issues addressed by the

“The Church gives voice to the hope for
social action apostolate of the Church to set
peace and reconciliation rising up from
up a special program is the peace and
every man and woman of good will,
economy. It is in this vision that the Church
directing it towards the one who “is our
encourages all sectors to actively work for
peace” (Eph 2:14) and who can bring peace
an end to the production and manufacture
to individuals and peoples when all human
of the technology of death and the arms
efforts fail.”
trade.
The Pope reminds us that in building true
The conciliar document recognizes that
peace, three conditions must be met, such
“history teaches there are sources of
as, restoration of justice, reconciliation, and
progress other than conflict namely love and
forgiveness (no. 89).
right. This priority of love in history draws
other Christians to prefer the way of
non-violent action. . . Non-violence is a
quality of the love of Jesus Christ.”[ No.
308.] With this, the document states,
“Peaceful but persuasive rallies,
assemblies, marches, demonstrations,
strikes and acts of ‘passive resistance’ to
unjust laws can be very effective even if
non-violent.”

Conclusion
In this complex world where materialism
and consumerism influence the existentialist
society, the Beatitude of Jesus Christ is
always opposed to it. But through this
teaching, people then were liberated from
the bondage of the letter of the law for by
the Spirit’s grace they were able to
experience their true humanity.
In a word, the Sermon on the Mount will
positively give us an inward transformation
leading to progressive establishment of our
moral life on a higher level. It’s not anymore
a question of how we can justify sin to be
avoided but rather living-out the ideal arising
faith and love. Hence, if one wishes to live a
happy and peaceful life, the value of the
Beatitude always offers them to us.
CHAPTER 9
Moral Dimension of Social
Realities: Politics, Economy and
Culture
OBJECTIVES
Specific Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the students are able to:
1. Realize that all social realities have moral
dimension and Gospel values;
2. Discuss the principles of human dignity,
human solidarity, common good, and
Christian stewardship in the social,
political, economic, cultural well-being of
the human person;
3. Integrate their knowledge on socio –
cultural disciplines to theology; and
4. Use the teachings of Jesus Christ and the
Church for moral evaluation on socio –
cultural problems affecting human life and
faith.
“We need to look at our cities with a
contemplative gaze, a gaze of faith which
sees God dwelling in their homes, in their
streets and squares.” (no. 71)
The social teachings of the Church are
made up of three different elements -
1) principles for reflections [SEE]
2) criteria for judgment [JUDGE] and
3) guidelines for actions [ACT].
Brief History
The Catholic Social Teaching of the Church
started on 1891, when Pope Leo XIII issued
an encyclical letter Rerum Novarum (On
the Condition of Labor) to respond to the
problems caused by industrial revolution in
which the rights of a particular class and the
rights of workers to organize must be
protected. On 1931, Pope Pius XI issued
Quadragesimo Anno (On Reconstructing
the Social Order), commemorating the
fortieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum.
It reaffirms the Church’s concern for workers
and defends workers’ rights. On 1961, a
Mater et Magistra (On Christianity and
Social Progress) was written by Pope John
XXIII who, two years later, also wrote
Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth). The
Second Vatican Council (1962-1965)
emphasized social teachings in some of her
documents such as Gaudium et spes (The
Pastoral Constitution of the Church in
the Modern World), which focuses on
responding to the joys and the hopes, the
grief and the anguish of the people of our
time, especially the poor.
In 1967, the world nature of social question
was emphasized by Pope Paul VI in his
Populorum Progression (On the
Development of Peoples). On the eightieth
anniversary of Rerum Novarum, Pope Paul
VI wrote an encyclical letter Octogesima
Adveniens (A Call to Action) in 1971. At
the same time, the Second General
Assembly of the Synod of Bishops issued
Justitia in Mundo (Justice in the World).
The primary document which Pope John
Paul II (now Saint) has comprehensively
written on social questions was Laborem
Exercens (On Human Labor). Six years
after (1987), Pope John Paul II issued
Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (On Social
Concern), which the Pope criticizes the
“wars of proxy” fought as part of the Cold
War by the Eastern and Western blocs in
developing countries as they compete for
influence, comparing the practice to
colonials. On 1991, Pope John Paul II writes
Centesimus Annus (On the Hundred
Year) recognizing the hundredth
anniversary of Rerum Novarum.
The recent popes, Benedict XVI and
Francis, in their respective Encyclicals and
Apostolic Exhortations, have emphasized
the social dimension of faith. Pope Benedict
XVI issued Deus Caritas Est (God is
Love) on 2005, and Caritas in Veritate
(Charity in Truth) in 2009. Pope Francis
issued an Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (On
Care for Our Common Home) on May 24,
2015, which addresses on the issue of
climate change; and Fratelli Tutti (On
Fraternity and Social Friendship) on
October 3, 2020, which address in building
a more just and fraternal world.
On the other hand, the local magisterium,
through Pastoral documents issued by the
Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines deals also with the morality of
social questions in the Philippines.
Ten Principles of Catholic Social
Teachings
1. Principle of Human Dignity
2. Principle of Human Solidarity
3. Principle of Common Good
4. Principle of Respect for Human Life
5. Principle of Association and
Participation
6. Principle of Preferential Option for
the Poor
7. Principle of Stewardship
8. Principle of Subsidiarity
9. Principle of Human Equality
10. Principle of Universal Destination of
Goods
Principle of Human Dignity
Human dignity is the very foundation of the
social teaching of the Church. This is based
on the Christian anthropology that every
human being is created in the image and
likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). For this
reason, human life is sacred that must be
respected, promoted, developed, and
defended from the moment of conception
until its natural death. This particular tenet is
actually echoed by the Catechism of the
Catholic Church on what the Bible is saying
by teaching about the dignity of man,
“Created in the image of the One God and
equally endowed with rational souls, all . . .
have the same nature and the same origin.
Redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, all are
called to participate in the same divine
beatitude: all therefore enjoy an equal
dignity” (no. 1934).
Vatican II affirms that every person is the
only creature on earth that God has willed
for its own sake (GS 24, par.3). It says
further that everyone must consider every
neighbor without exception as another self,
taking into account first of all the life and the
means necessary to living it with dignity, so
as not to imitate the rich man who had no
concern for the poor man Lazarus (GS 27;
Lk 16:19-31). The U.S. Bishops’ Pastoral
Letter made a very profound reflection on
the dignity of every human person being the
clearest reflection of God’s presence in the
world; all of the Church’s work in pursuit of
both justice and peace is designed to
protect and promote the dignity of every
person (The Challenge of Peace: God’s
Promise and Our Response, no. 15)
Principle of Human Solidarity
Solidarity is a moral and social virtue. It is
not a mere spirit of camaraderie or team or
some vague feeling of compassion or good
will. Rather, it is “firm and persevering
determination to commit oneself to the
common good, i.e., to the good of all and of
each individual because we are really
responsible for all” (SRS, 38). It includes a
love of preference for the poor, hence,
solidarity with the poor. It is a commitment
to achieve social justice, development and
peace – and to achieve these by peaceful
means and by respecting fundamental
human rights. Solidarity extends to the level
of relations between nations.
The new relationships of interdependence
between individuals and peoples, which are
de facto forms of solidarity, have to be
transformed into relationships tending
towards genuine ethical-social solidarity.
This is a moral requirement inherent within
all human relationships. Solidarity is seen
therefore under two complementary
aspects: that of a social principle, and that
of a moral virtue.
Solidarity must be seen above all in its
value as a moral virtue that determines the
order of institutions. On this basis of this
principle the “structures of sin” that
dominate relationships between individuals
and peoples must be overcome. They must
be purified and transformed into structures
of solidarity through the creation or
appropriation modification of laws, market
regulations, and juridical systems.
The principle of human solidarity leads us
also to another level of commitment that
human dignity should be protected and
promoted because man by nature is a social
being. This is what Pope John XXIII’s
Encyclical Letter Mater et Magistra that says
that human beings are the foundation, the
cause and the end of every social
institution. That is necessarily so, for men
are by nature social beings (no. 219).
Principle of Common Good
The common good is “the sum total
of social conditions which allow people,
either as groups or as individuals, to reach
their fulfillment more fully and easily” (GS,
26). It consists of three essential elements:
(a) it presupposes respect for the
fundamental rights of the human person and
the natural freedom necessary for the
development of the human vocation; (b) it
requires the social well-being and
development of the group itself, i.e.,
whatever is needed to lead a truly human
life such as food, clothing, health, work,
education, and culture should be accessible
to each one; (c) it requires peace, i.e., the
stability and security of a just order (cf.
CCC, 1907-09). These social conditions are
obtained through social justice.
Social justice is sometimes called the justice
of the common good. It demands
proportionate share in the fruits of economic
cooperation and equitable distribution of the
wealth of a nation among different social
classes. It also imposes obligations of
mutual relation on different social groups,
e.g., the better to assist the poor so that
they can live in a manner worthy of human
beings. Social justice condemns such
situations as “excessive economic and
social disparity between individuals and
peoples” (GS, 29), the concentration of
wealth in the hands of the few, and
excessive profits.
Principle of Respect for Human Life
“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 circumstances, claim for himself the
right directly to destroy an innocent human
being.”[ CCC, 2258, quoting Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith Instruction,
Donum viate, intro. 5. ] Since human life
must be respected from the moment of
conception until its natural death, “the
Church not only feels the urgency to assert
the right to a natural death, without
aggressive treatment and euthanasia, but
likewise firmly rejects the death penalty.”
Principle of Association and
Participation
The characteristic implication of subsidiarity
is participation, which is expressed
essentially in a series of activities by means
of which the citizen, either as an individual
or in association with others, whether
directly or through representation,
contributes to the cultural, economic,
political and social life of the civil community
to which he belongs. Participation is a duty
to be fulfilled consciously by all, with
responsibility and with a view to the
common good.[ Compendium of the Social
Doctrine of the Church, no. 189.]
This cannot be confined or restricted to only
a certain area of human growth, like in the
area of the world of work and economic
activity, information and culture, and in the
field of political and social life, but even in
the area of building an international
community.
Principle of Preferential Option for the
Poor
“The principle of the universal destination of
goods requires that the poor, the
marginalized and in all cases those whose
living conditions interfere with their proper
growth should be the focus of particular
concern. To this end, the preferential option
for the poor should be reaffirmed in all its
force. This is an option, or a special form of
primacy in the exercise of Christian charity,
to which the whole tradition of the Church
bears witness. It affects the life of each
Christian inasmuch as he or she seeks to
imitate the life of Christ, but it applies
equally to our social responsibilities and
hence to our manner of living, and to the
logical decisions to be made concerning the
ownership and use of good. Today,
furthermore, given the worldwide dimension
of which the social dimension has assumed,
this love of preference for the poor, and the
decisions which it inspires in us, cannot but
embrace the immense multitudes of the
hungry, the needy, the homeless, those
without health care and, above all, those
without hope of a better future.
Principle of Stewardship
“Created in God's image, we were
commanded to conquer the earth with all it
contains, and to rule the world in justice and
holiness; we were to acknowledge God as
Creator of all things and relate ourselves
and the totality of creation to Him, so that
through our dominion over all things, the
name of God would be majestic in all the
earth.”[ Gaudium et Spes, no.34.] “The
dominion granted to man by the Creator is
not an absolute power, nor can one speak
of a freedom to “use and misuse”, or to
dispose of things as one pleases. The
limitation imposed from the beginning by the
Creator himself. . . shows clearly enough
that, when it comes to the natural world, we
are subject not only to biological laws but
also to moral ones, which cannot be
violated with impunity.[ Pope John Paul II
Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, no.
34.]” The right to private property is valid
and necessary, but it does not nullify the
value of this principle that the goods of the
world are originally meant for all.[ Pope
John Paul II, Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, (no.
42).]
The Catechism for Filipino Catholics says
that we are called to exercise responsible
stewardship over all creation (no. 341).
Hence, a Christian steward is one who
receives God’s gifts gratefully, cherishes
and tends them in a responsible and
accountable manner, shares them in justice
and love with all, and returns them with
increase to the Lord.
Principle of Subsidiarity
“The principle of subsidiarity protects people
from abuses by higher-level social authority
and calls on these same authorities to help
individuals and intermediate groups to fulfil
their duties. This principle is imperative
because every person, family and
intermediate group has something original
to offer to the community.” (Compendium of
the Social Doctrine of the Church, no. 187.]
“In order for this principle to be put into
practice there is a corresponding need for:
respect ad effective promotion of the human
person and the family; ever appreciation of
associations and intermediate organizations
in their fundamental choices and in those
that cannot be delegated to or exercised by
others; the encouragement of private
initiative so that every social entity remains
at the service of the common good
Principle of Human Equality
Man and woman have the same dignity and
are of equal value, not only because they
are both, in their differences, created in the
image of God, but even more profoundly
because the dynamic of reciprocity that
gives life to the “we” in the human couple is
an image of God.[ Ibid., no. 111. ] The
dignity of man before God is the basis of the
dignity of man before other men. This is the
ultimate foundation of the radical equality
and brotherhood among all people,
regardless of their race, nation, sex, origin
culture, class. “God shows no partiality”
(Acts 10:34; Rom 2:11; Gal 2:6; Eph 6:9).
The Incarnation of the Son of God shows
the equality of all people with regard to
dignity: “There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free, there is
neither male nor female; for you are all one
in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28; Rom 10:12; 1
Cor 12:13: Col 3:11).
Principle of Universal Destination of
Goods
God destined the earth and all it contains for
all men and all peoples so that all created
things would be shared fairly by all mankind
under the guidance of justice tempered by
charity.[ Gaudium et Spes, no. 69.] The right
to the common use of goods is the “first
principle of the whole ethical and social
order, which is a natural right. This principle
is an invitation to develop an economic
vision by moral values that permit people
not to lose sight of the origin or purpose of
these goods. The Church social doctrine
requires that ownership of goods be equally
accessible to all and its use entails
obligation on the part of the owners.
Moral Politics and Governance
Archbishop Cruz emphasized, “when the
designs and desires, the resolves and
decisions of politicians already impact on
the spiritual, supernatural, and/or eternal
standing of their people in the local, regional
and/or national level, then these already
enter the domain of morals in terms of good,
or evil, of virtue or vice.”[ Archbishop Oscar
V. Cruz, Churchmen and Politicians, p. 182.]
It can, therefore be inferred that
constitutionality, legality, and general
welfare should not be the only ground for
any matter in political governance but also
morals because it cannot be separated from
the life of the constituents.
The Vatican II document says, “Political
authority, whether in the community as such
or in institutions representing the state, must
always be exercised within the limits of
morality and on behalf of the dynamically
conceived common good, according to a
juridical order enjoying legal status.”[ The
Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et
Spes), no. 74, 1965.] Though, according to
article II section 1 of the Constitution, our
political sovereignty resides in the people
and all government authority emanates from
them, but Christian moral values should
also be the foundation in the exercise of
political power and authority especially
when the desires and decisions enter the
spiritual and moral life in the here and now
as well as in the hereafter and beyond of
man.
Morality: Criteria for Good Governance
In the statement of Archbishop Fernando R.
Capalla, D.D., he said that all those who
enter politics must necessarily be persons
of wholeness and integrating especially in
the area of morality. The common good or
common welfare demands it. The absence
of it can bring the nation to disastrous
consequences.[ Mindanao Week of Peace,
Elections of 2010, Davao Catholic Herald,
Nov. 22 – 28, 2009, p. 5.] In the same
manner, the spiritual leaders, in their Joint
Statement of the Bishops - Ulama
Conference on the 2010 Mindanao Week of
Peace (November 25 – December 1), with
its theme: Responsive and Responsible
Governance: Key to Peace, Development
and Sustainability, said, “the kind of
responsive and responsible governance
depends largely on competent and morally
upright leadership. These spiritual leaders
invoked this leadership in spiritual and
moral matters in society as a characteristic
of responsive and responsible governance
from the holy books, the Qur’an and the
Bible, in Surah XXII, Al-Hajj, verse 41 and in
the Letter to the Romans chapters 12 and
13”, respectively.
Morality and the Economy
In a passage from the Encyclical
Quadragesimo Anno, Pope Pius XI, speaks
of the relationship between economy and
morality. It says,
“Even though economics and moral science
employs each its own principles in its own
sphere, it is, nevertheless, an error to say
that the economic and moral orders are so
distinct from and alien to each other that the
former depends in no way on the latter.
certainly the laws of economics, as they
termed, being based on the very nature of
material things and on the capacities of the
human body and mind, determine the limits
of what productive human effort cannot, and
of what it can attain in the economic filed
and by what means. Yet it is reason itself
that clearly shows, on the basis of the
individual and social nature of things and of
men, the purpose which God ordained for
all economic life. But it is only the moral law
which, just as it commands us to seek our
supreme and last end in the whole scheme
of our activity so likewise commands us to
seek directly in each kind of activity these
purposes which we know that nature, or
rather God the Author of nature, established
for that kind of action, and in orderly
relationship to subordinate such immediate
purposes to our supreme and last end.”
“In the economic and social realms too, the
dignity and complete vocation of the human
person and the welfare of society as a
whole are to be respected and promoted.
For man is the source, the centre, and the
purpose of all economic and social life."[
Gaudium et Spes, 63. ] The development of
economic activity and growth in production
and meant to provide for the needs of
human beings. Economic life is not meant
solely to multiply goods produced and
increase profit or power; it is ordered first of
all to the service of persons, of the whole
man, and of the entire human community.
Economic activity, conducted according to
its own proper methods, is to be exercised
within the limits of the moral order, in
keeping with social justice so as to
correspond to God’s plan for man.
In the light of Revelation, economic activity
is to be considered and undertaken as a
grateful response to the vocation which God
holds out for each person. Man is placed in
the garden to till and keep it, making use of
it within well specified limits (Gen 2:16-17)
with a commitment to perfecting it (Gen
1:26-30; 2:15-16; Wis 9:2-3)
Economic activity and material progress
must be placed at the service of man and
society. If people dedicate themselves to
these with the faith, hope and love of
Christ’s disciples, even the economy and
progress can be transformed into places of
salvation and sanctification. In this areas too
it is possible a love and a solidarity that are
more than human, and to contribute to the
growth of a new humanity that anticipates
the world to come.[ John Paul II, Encyclical
Letter Laborem Exercens, 25-27. ]
(Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the
Church, 326)
Morality and Culture
In the midst of our socio-cultural condition,
there is a “need for a radical personal and
social renewal capable of ensuring justice,
solidarity, honesty and openness. Certainly
there is a long and difficult road ahead,
bringing about such a renewal will require
enormous effort, especially on account of
the number and the gravity of the causes
giving rise to and aggravating the situations
of injustice present in the world today. But,
as history and personal experience show, it
is not difficult to discover at the bottom of
these situations causes which are properly
“cultural”, linked to particular ways of
looking at man, society and the world.
Indeed, at the heart of the issue of culture
we find the moral sense, which is in turn
rooted and fulfilled in the religious sense”.
(Veritatis Splendor, 98)
Evangelization and Inculturation
Sociologists and anthropologists use
different social processes of diffusion.
Among others is Fernand Braudel who
defines acculturation as a process of taking
and incorporating other norms and values
into their own. This means that people from
one civilization incorporate norms and
values for other cultures into their own. This
diffusion involves cultural borrowing and
cultural imitation. Example: Filipinos are
said to be the best English-speaking people
of Asia.
Enculturation, on the other hand, is the
deliberate infusion of a new culture to
another. Example: The teaching of
American history and culture to the Filipinos
during the early American regime.[ Ibid.] Dr.
Epitacio S. Palispis, in his book Introduction
to Sociology and Anthroplogy (p. 141), used
also the word acculturation which is the
process by which societies of different
cultures are modified through fairly close
and long continued contact, but do not
blend with one another. In a word, there has
been a borrowing of culture patterns and
values. But there is nothing about
“inculturation” mentioned in their works. In a
word, sociologists and anthropologists
never used the word “inculturation” in their
sociological and anthropological vocabulary.
Christians, however, use the word
“inculturation”, which is actually, according
to the Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines’ Pastoral Exhortation on
Philippine Culture, equivalent to
“evangelization”, “incarnation”, and
“contextualization”. Basically, this means
that the Gospel values as well as the moral
teachings of the Church penetrates into the
culture of man. Since political culture of the
Filipinos is really dehumanizing due to sin
and immorality, then, there is no other way
to transform them except by inculturating,
evangelizing, incarnating, and
contextualizing the Gospel values and the
moral teachings of the Church into the
political culture of man.
 Conclusion

Everything that happens in the society

affects the human person in his or her
entirety, i.e. spirit, body and soul (1 Thes
5:23). Let us remember that the world, and
everything in it, is created by God. Hence, it
is an indispensable moral responsibility of
each person to take good care of the world
as our common home, since the Gospel
must be preached to all creation, which
includes politics, economy, and culture.
Definitely, salvation is not just for the soul
but for the totality of humanity. But this
cannot be realized unless the faith and love
is put into action because only through our
evangelizing mission that we can bring
social transformation.

TOPIC VI

SUBTOPIC