1

REED – HANDOUT

Religion – A bond or fellowship between man and his Creator

- A set of belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a God or gods
- An institutionalized system of religious beliefs and worship
- Something a person believes in devotedly
- A particular system of faith and worship

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Gen 1:1)

Creation is the foundation of “all God’s saving plans, the beginning of the history of salvation” that
culminates in Jesus Christ. The profession of FAITH takes them up when it confesses that God the Father
Almighty is “Creator of heaven and earth (Apostle’s Creed).

Catechesis on Creation is of major importance It concerns the very foundations of human and Christian
life: for it makes explicit the response of the Christian faith to the basic (TWO) questions that men of all
times have asked themselves: “Where do we come from?” or “What is our origin?”;…..”Where are we
going?” or “What is our end?”…. These inseparable questions are decisive for the meaning and
orientation of our life and actions.

“By faith, we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made
out of things which do not appear.” (Hebrew 11:3). God progressively revealed to Israel the mystery of
creation. He reveals Himself as the One to whom belong all the peoples of the earth and the whole earth
itself; He is the One who alone “made heaven and earth”.

Among all the Scriptural texts about creation, the first three chapters of Genesis occupy unique place.
These texts remain the principal source for catechesis on the mysteries of the “Beginning”: Creation,
Fall, and Promise of Salvation

FACTS about the Mystery of Creation

1. God creates by wisdom and love

– it proceeds from God’s free will to make His creatures share in his being, wisdom and
goodness
2. God creates “out of nothing”
– God could create everything out of nothing and through the Holy Spirit, He can also give
spiritual life to sinners by creating pure heart in them. God “gives life to the dead and calls into
existence the things that do not exist .” (Rom 4: 17)
3. God creates an ordered and good world
– because God creates through wisdom, his creation is ordered: “You have arranged all things
by measure and number and weight.” (Wis 11: 20) The universe, the “image of the invisible
God”, is destined for and addressed to man, himself created in the “image of God” and called to
a personal relationship with God.
4. God transcends creation and is present to it
– God is present to His creatures’ inmost being: “In Him we live and move and have our being.”
(Acts 17: 28) In the words of St. Augustine, God is “higher than my highest and more inward
than my innermost self.”
2

5. God upholds and sustains creation

– God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and
existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to
act and brings them to their final end.
Prayer
- is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through
deliberate communication.
- In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a
deity or a deified ancestor. Wikipedia
- a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship.
- a devout petition to God or an object of worship.
- a spiritual communion with God or an object of worship, as in supplication, thanksgiving,
adoration, or confession.
- talking and lifting of the heart and mind to God or object of worship, accompanied by faith
- an inseparable act from Christian life

Importance of Prayer
Praying and listening to the answers that God gives you can help you better understand your
purpose in life. God will help you understand why you are here and what you can do to return to live
with Him after this life.
Prayer has been the natural response of humans to cope with difficult situations in life, such as
poverty, pestilence, sickness, death or disaster.

Purpose of Prayer
Traditionally, we pray to a higher power or god for things of necessity and want. Prayer
cultivates an attitude of humility and acceptance, and establishes our relationship with the source in the
right manner. It creates a feeling akin to that of a baby cradled in its mother's arms. Prayer should melt
the heart.

Benefits of Prayer
 Healing presence - prayer can bring a sense of a spiritual or loving presence and alignment with God
or an immersion into a universal unconsciousness.
 Positive feelings - prayer can elicit feelings of gratitude, compassion, forgiveness, and hope, all of
which are associated with healing and wellness.
 Getting closer to God
 Can foster a sense of connection to a higher power (according to Ryan Bremmer – Psychology
Professor at the University of St. Tomas in Minnesota)
 Can reduce feelings of isolation, anxiety and fear

Prayer VS. Worship

Worship – The feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a God or deity.

To worship is to show a lot of love and adoration for something. Religious believers
worship Gods, and people can worship other people and things too.
3

Worship is an extreme form of love – it’s a type of unquestioning devotion. If you

worship God, then you love God so much that you don’t question Him at all.

Worship is when we give our deepest affections and highest praise to something. True
worship of God is when we love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. It’s when we
prize God above everything else and put Him first in our hearts. As it says in Deuteronomy 6: 4-
5, “The Lord our God, the Lord is one!”

Blasphemy – the act of mocking God, or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred
things; profane talks
- The crime of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God or a
religion and its doctrines and writings

Example: Spitting on a cross, drawing pictures in a Qur’an, tripping a rabbi

Sacrilege – a violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred; desecration of sacred places and
space
- Act of treating something holy or important without respect

Example: a.) Robbing or vandalizing a church, chapel, oratory, convent or monastery;

or, committing immoral or sinful acts inside a sacred building, such as
murder or sexual acts.
b.) Muslims consider it sacrilege to wear shoes inside a mosque

Prayer VS Latria, Dulia, Hyperdulia

Latria – For the Catholic church, Latria is the veneration or worship due to God alone for His
supreme excellence and to show people’s complete submission to Him.
- It is essentially adoration. As absolute, it is worship only given to God, as the Trinity, or
one of the Divine Persons, Christ as God and as man, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the
Holy Eucharist.

Dulia – a theological term signifying the honour paid to the Saints.

- Is also a respect given unto the Angels and the Saints.

- Reverence of a disciple for his master or of a servant for his lord.
- It is the honor given to the angels and saints as friends of God

Hyperdulia – In the Roman Catholic Theology, this is the veneration offered to the Blessed
Virgin Mary as the most exalted of creatures.

- This is an elevated form of dulia which is respect and honor given to the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
4

Special Kinds/Forms of Prayers

1. Prayer of Adoration/Blessing – in this prayer, we express praise and honor to God. We

praise God for giving us life, for the wonder and beauty of our world, and for all the
many blessings we enjoy
2. Prayer of Contrition/Repentance – type of prayer to express our sorrow for sins we have
committed because they offend God who is all good
3. Prayer of Thanksgiving/Gratitude – a type of prayer when we express our deep gratitude
to God and appreciation for all the blessings He gives us
4. Prayer of Supplication/Petition/Intercession – (also known as a prayer for petition), is a
form of prayer wherein we earnestly ask or request for something (help or favour) from
God to provide us what we need

Prayer of Contrition/Repentance

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee (You), and I detest all my sins because
of Thy (Your) just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee (You) my God, who art
all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy (Your) grace to sin no
more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen.

Reasons you should be Praying Everyday:

1.Reduce Stress.- Doctors who have studied the physiological effects of prayer have reported
that when praying, heart rate and blood pressure decrease, and breathing regulates. ...

2. Build Relationships. ... with God, with family, with other people, with all other creation, with yourself
3. Spiritual Exercises. ...
4. Emotional Health.
5. Asking Forgiveness
6. Ask for Guidance
7. Request for Something We Want
8. Asking for Daily Nourishment
9. Put off Temptation
10. To bring about Miracles

A.C.T.S. of Prayer
1. Adoration – praising and acknowledging God for who He is

2. Confession – owning up to sin and asking for mercy and forgiveness for the sins committed

3. Thanksgiving – expressing or rendering gratitude to God for the many blessings and

answers to your prayers

4. Supplication – asking for anything and everything for yourself and for others
5

WHEN should we Pray?

1. Any time you want or need to talk with God.

2. Any time you feel the influence of God’s love.
3. You don’t have to wait for the perfect or proper place and time – just pray as you feel you need
to
4. Just pray and be at peace with God and yourself.
5. Pray when you feel the world is against you.

HOW do you Start a Prayer?

We open the prayer by addressing God as the One and Only God of all and the Creator of everything.
Start by saying "Father in Heaven" or "Heavenly Father." as an acknowledgment of His presence and
power over us. We address Him as our Heavenly Father, because He is the giver of our life, body and
soul. He is our creator and the one to whom we owe everything we have.

Meaning of PRAY (Acronym)

 Praise  – Praising God for who He is
 Repent – Humbly acknowledging your sin before God
 Ask  – Asking God to provide for your needs or the needs of others.
 Yield  – An act of submission to His will in your life
TYPES OF PRAYER (in the BIBLE)

1. The Prayer of Faith:

 James 5:15 says, “And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise
him up.” In this context, prayer is offered in faith for someone who is sick, asking God to heal. When we
pray, we are to believe in the power and goodness of God (Mark 9:23).

2. The Prayer of Agreement (also known as Corporate Prayer):

 After Jesus’ ascension, the disciples “all joined together constantly in prayer” (Acts 1:14). Later,
after Pentecost, the early church “devoted themselves” to prayer (Acts 2:42). Their example encourages
us to pray.

3. The prayer of request (or supplication): 

We are to take our requests to God. Philippians 4:6 teaches, “Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to
God.” Part of winning the spiritual battle is to be “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and
supplication” (Ephesians 6:18).

4. The prayer of thanksgiving: 

We see another type of prayer in Philippians 4:6: thanksgiving or thanks to God. “With
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Many examples of thanksgiving prayers can be
found in the Psalms.

5. The prayer of worship: 

6

The prayer of worship is similar to the prayer of thanksgiving. The difference is that worship
focuses on who God is; thanksgiving focuses on what God has done. Church leaders in Antioch prayed in
this manner with fasting: “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set
apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying
they laid their hands on them and sent them off” (Acts 13:2-3).

6. The prayer of consecration: 

Sometimes, prayer is a time of setting ourselves apart to follow God’s will. Jesus made such a
prayer the night before His crucifixion: “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying,
‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will’”
(Matthew 26:39).

7. The prayer of intercession: 

Many times, our prayers include requests for others as we intercede for them. We are told to
make intercession “for everyone” in 1 Timothy 2:1. Jesus serves as our example in this area. The whole
of John 17 is a prayer of Jesus on behalf of His disciples and all believers.

8. The prayer of imprecation: 

Imprecatory prayers are found in the Psalms (e.g., 7, 55, 69). They are used to invoke God’s
judgment on the wicked and thereby avenge the righteous. The psalmists use this type of appeal to
emphasize the holiness of God and the surety of His judgment. Jesus teaches us to pray for blessing on
our enemies, not cursing (Matthew 5:44-48).

The Bible also speaks of praying in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:14-15) and prayers when we are unable to
think of adequate words (Romans 8:26-27). In those times, the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us.

Prayer is conversation with God and should be made without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). As we
grow in our love for Jesus Christ, we will naturally desire to talk to Him.

10 Things You Should Know about Prayer

1. Prayer is talking with God
2. Prayer is acceptable to God only in Jesus’s name.
3. Prayer, apart from a relationship to God through Jesus, is heard by God — but not with a view to
answering
4. Prayer is a lifelong desire in all those indwelled by the Holy Spirit.
5. The Holy Spirit helps believers to pray.
6. In the Bible, almost every prayer includes a reason why God should answer.
7. Prayer shaped by the words of the Bible solves many of the most common problems
8. Jesus gave us a model for prayer.
9. Prayer is both natural and learned.
10. Prayer should be practiced privately, with the family, and with the church.

THE BEATITUDES

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted
7

Blessed are the 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

THE LORD’S PRAYER

(The Model Prayer taught by Jesus Himself)

Our Father in heaven, holy be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it
is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who
sinned against us. Do not bring us to the test, but deliver us from evil, Amen.

HAIL MARY

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the
fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

GLORY BE

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world without end, Amen

THE APOSTLE’S CREED

(The Perfect Prayer)

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only
Son. Our Lord, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into hell.
On the third day, He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the
right hand of the Father Almighty. From there, He will come again to judge the living and the
dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the
forgiveness of sins resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen
8

The Ten Commandments

To Remember:  God's laws tell us how to treat Him and each other

Commandment: a rule, law, or order

What are the 10 Commandments of God?
The 10 Commandments are a set of Biblical principles that are very important
in Christianity and Judaism. They are also known as the Decalogue, which is a word that comes from
Ancient Greek and Latin.

The Decalogue contains a privileged expression of the natural law. It is made known to us by divine
revelation and by human reason.
– means literally “Ten Words”; revealed by God to his people on the holy mountain; handed on to us
in the books of Exodus 14 and Deuteronomy 15

- The “Ten Words” point out the conditions of a life freed from the slavery of sin,
- The Decalogue is a path of life

“What good deed must I do, to have eternal life” – “If you would enter into life, keep the
Commandments” (Matthew 19:16-17)

The Ten Commandments, in their fundamental content, state grave obligations. Obedience to these
precepts also implies obligations in matter which is, in itself, light.

The 10 Commandments can be understood as a moral guidebook which try to explain how people
should behave towards each other. Most religions will have similar guidelines that help people make
decisions and act in what they believe to be the right way.

We have listed and explained the 10 Commandments below. You can also find information about the
story of the 10 Commandments as told in Exodus and Deuteronomy, two books of the Hebrew Bible.

The story of the 10 Commandments of God

The story of the 10 Commandments can be found in Exodus in the Bible. The story begins with a group
of people called the Israelites. Moses was one of the Israelites, so he was part of the group. They were
travelling through the desert when they came to Mount Sinai.

Moses decided to climb the mountain so that he could talk to God. He was already more than 80 years
old, so it was quite a challenge!
9

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS of god

1. I am the Lord your God…You shall not have other Gods besides me - (Exodus 20: 2-3); (CCC,
nos. 2083-2141)

The First Commandment embraces FAITH, HOPE and CHARITY. When we say “GOD” we confess
a constant, unchangeable being, always the same, faithful and just, without any evil. It follows
that we must necessarily accept his words and have complete faith in him, and acknowledge his
authority. He is almighty, merciful and infinitely beneficent.
St. Paul speaks of the “obedience of faith” as our first obligation. He shows that “ignorance of
God” is the principle and explanation of all moral deviations. Our duty toward God is to believe
in him and to bear witness to him.
This commandment exhorts that we shall have no other Gods before Him. We shall not bow
down or serve any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the water under the
earth for “I the Lord your God am jealous God.”

2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. - (Exodus 20:7); (CCC, nos. 2142-
2167)

This commandment is about having the proper faith in God. It tells people not to misuse God’s
name as a swear word, or by dropping it into conversation where it doesn’t belong.

3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day (Sabbath Day) – (CCC, nos. 2168-2195)

This Commandment instructs people to take the Sabbath day as a day of rest, both physical and
mental. This comes from the story of the creation of the world in which God took the seventh
day as a day rest.
Jewish people honour Shabbat as a day of rest. They don’t do any work from sundown on Friday
to sundown on Saturday to follow this Commandment. Often, they will have a big meal on a
Friday night with their whole family to celebrate.
After the sun has gone down, they are not allowed to do anything that is considered “work” –
this includes cooking and cleaning. Different families interpret this differently, but most Jewish
people will honour the Shabbat by taking a day off to rest and contemplate their relationship
with God.

4. Honor your father and your mother - (CCC, nos. 2196-2257)

This might be a little old-fashioned phrasing for today. We can interpret it as meaning that
people should be polite and respectful to their parents or guardians, or to adults in general.

5. You shall not kill – (CCC, nos. 2258-2330)

This one is quite straightforward! Even though it uses the old-fashioned version of “you”, it is
still applicable to modern life. In fact, several of these Commandments are quite good rules to
follow, whether you are a Christian, have another faith, or have no faith at all.
10

6. You shall not commit adultery - (CCC, nos. 2331-2400)

Some of the Commandments, like this one, are about faithfulness. The first one is about
faithfulness to God, and this one is about faithfulness to marriage vows.

7. You shall not steal - (CCC, nos. 2401-2463)

Another easy one! Whether it’s toys from your siblings or bigger thefts, this Commandment says
that people should respect other people’s possessions and not steal from them.
You can see from this Commandment that there is an overlap between Christian values, secular
(non-religious) values, and the law. The Commandments can simply be seen as a way to help
people understand right and wrong.

8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour - (CCC, nos. 2464-2513)

This Commandment says that we should be honest and truthful at all times. It means that we
cannot tell lies about other people because that can be very hurtful.

9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife - (CCC, nos. 2514-2533)

This Commandment says that married people should be loyal to each other and to the vows that
they make when they get married.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods - (CCC, nos. 2534-2557)

This means that people should not want things that belong to other people. That could lead to
temptation and doing something wrong, like stealing it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The First Commandment requires us to nourish and protect our faith with prudence and vigilance, and
to reject everything that is opposed to it.

There are various ways of sinning against FAITH:

1. Voluntary doubt – disregards or refuses to hold as true what God has revealed and the Church
proposes for belief
2. Involuntary doubt – refers to hesitation in believing, difficulty in overcoming objections
connected with the faith, or also anxiety aroused by its obscurity
3. Incredulity – is the neglect of revealed truth or the wilful refusal to assent to it.
4. Heresy – is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with
divine and catholic faith
11

5. Apostasy – the total repudiation of Christian faith

6. Schism – refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the
Church

Sins against HOPE:

1. Despair – man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for
the forgiveness of his sins; this is contrary to God’s goodness, to his justice – for the Lord is
faithful to his promises and to his mercy
2. Presumption – divided into two
a. Presumption upon man’s own capacity – hoping to be able to save himself without
help from on high
b. Presumption upon God’s almighty power or his mercy – hoping to obtain God’s
forgiveness without conversion, and glory without merit

Sins against CHARITY :

1. Indifference – neglects or refuses to reflect on divine charity; fails to consider its prevenient
goodness and denies its power
2. Ingratitude – fails or refuses to acknowledge divine charity and to return love for love
3. Lukewarmness – hesitation or negligence in responding to divine love
4. Acedia or Spiritual sloth – to refuse the joy that comes from God and to be repelled by divine
goodness
5. Hatred of God – contrary to love of God, denies God’s goodness and presumes to curse as the
one who forbids sins and inflicts punishments

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Virtues of Religion:

1. Adoration – the first act of the virtue of religion. This is to acknowledge God as our God, the
Creator and Savior, the Lord and Master of everything that exists, as infinite and merciful Love
2. Prayer – lifting up of mind and heart toward God as indispensable condition for being able to
obey God’s commandments
3. Sacrifice – every action done so as to cling to God in communion of holiness and achieve
blessedness
4. Promises – as in Baptism and Conformation, Matrimony and Holy Orders. Fidelity to promises
made to God is a sign of the respect owed to the divine majesty and of love for a faithful God
5. Vows – a deliberate and free promise to God concerning a possible and better good; an act of
devotion in which the Christian dedicates himself to God or promises him some good work

Acts and Deviation practices that can affect the worship to the true God:

1. Idolatry – believing or venerating other than the one true God; false pagan worship
2. Divination and magic:
a. Conjuring up the dead
b. Horoscopes
12

c. Palm reading
d. Astrology consultation
e. Interpretation of omens
f. Phenomena of clairvoyance
g. Recourse to mediums
3. Spiritism – involves the wearing of charms and amulet
4. Sacrilege – consists in profaning or treating unworthily the sacraments and other liturgical
actions, as well as persons, things or places consecrated to God; a grave sin especially when
committed against the Eucharist
5. Simony – defined as the buying or selling of spiritual things in exchange of power
6. Atheism – rejects or denies the existence of God
7. Agnosticism – postulates the existence of transcendent being which is incapable of revealing
itself, and about which nothing can be said; makes no judgement about God’s existence,
declaring it impossible to prove or even to deny or affirm

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Duties of Family Members in relation to the Fourth Commandment

Duties of Children

1. Respect for parents (filial piety) – derives from gratitude toward those who, by the gift of life,
their love and their work, have brought their children into the world and enabled them to grow
in stature, wisdom and grace
2. Obey the parents
3. Love and care
4. As much as you can, give them material and moral support in old age, in times of illness,
loneliness and distress

Duties of Parents

1. Education is the first responsibility and must extend to moral and spiritual formation
2. Must regard their children as children of God and respect them as human persons
3. Evangelizing the children (education in the faith)
4. Providing for their physical and spiritual needs

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Human Life – is sacred because from its 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
beginning to the end

Direct and intentional killing is gravely sinful. The murderer and those who cooperate voluntarily in
murder commit a sin that cries out to heaven for vengeance (examples: infanticide, fratricide, parricide,
abortion, euthanasia, suicide and murder of spouse)
13

Respect for the Dignity of Persons

a. Scandal – an attitude or behaviour which leads another to do evil; a grave offense if by deed or
omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense
b. The use of drugs – inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, (except on
strictly therapeutic grounds) is a grave offense as it constitutes direct cooperation in evil and
encourage people to practice gravely contrary to moral law
c. Organ transplants – are in conformity with the moral law if the physical and psychological
dangers and risks to the donor are proportionate to the good that is sought for the recipient;
organ donation after death is a noble and meritorious act…
It is not morally acceptable if the donor or his proxy has not given explicit consent
d. Kidnapping and hostage taking – bring on a reign of terror; morally wrong
e. Terrorism – threatens, wounds and kills indiscriminately; is gravely against justice and charity
f. Torture – uses physical or moral violence to extract confessions, punish the guilty, frighten
opponents, or satisfy hatred, is contrary to respect for the person and for human dignity
g. Amputations, mutilations and sterilizations – when directly intended and performed on innocent
persons are against the moral law, except, when performed for strictly therapeutic medical
reasons

Offenses against Chastity

1. Lust – a disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure

2. Masturbation – the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual
pleasure
3. Fornication – a carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman
4. Pornography – consists in removing real or stimulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the
partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends against chastity
because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other.
5. Prostitution – does injury to the dignity of the person who engages in it, reducing the person to
an instrument of sexual pleasure; it violates the chastity to which his/her Baptism pledged
him/her and defiles his/her body, the temple of the Holy Spirit
6. Rape – is the forcible violation of the sexual intimacy of another person. It does injury to justice
and charity; deeply wounds the respect, freedom and physical and moral integrity to which
every person has a right
7. Homosexuality – Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, homosexual acts are acts of depravity and
declared intrinsically disordered; contrary to the natural law; do not proceed from a genuine
affective and sexual complementary.
However, homosexuals must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Every sign
of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. They are called to fulfil God’s will in
their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties
they may encounter from their condition. They are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-
mastery, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely
approach Christian perfection

Offenses against The Dignity of Marriage

14

1. Adultery – refers to marital infidelity, an injustice, as one fails in his/her commitment to the
spouse
2. Divorce – a grave offense against the natural law; it does injury to the covenant of salvation, of
which sacramental marriage is the sign. It is immoral because it introduces disorder into the
family and into society. This disorder brings grave harm to the deserted spouse, to children
traumatized by the separation of their parents and often torn them
3. Polygamy – not in accord with the moral law; directly negates the plan of God which was
revealed from the beginning, because it is contrary to the equal personal dignity of men and
women who in matrimony give themselves with a love that is total and therefore unique and
exclusive
4. Incest – designates intimate relations between relatives or in-laws within a degree that prohibits
marriage between them; corrupts family relationships and marks a regression toward animality.
God helps us in many different ways to live a moral life. He gives us grace, which awakens in us
the desire to say no to temptation and sin and to choose only that which is good. He gives us the
Theological and Cardinal Virtues and the grace to practice human virtues so that we can grow stronger
in them. God gives us help and grace through the Church and through our reception of the Sacraments.
He also teaches us how we should live. One way he does this is by giving us laws to guide our actions.
The Ten Commandments are laws that God has revealed to us. Heeding the guidance God gives us in the
Commandments will help us know how to serve God and how we should live with each other. It also
helps us to be open to the grace of the Holy Spirit and what God can accomplish in us and through us by
that grace.