Called to Serve

C.M. Cabato
It was a sultry Saturday afternoon. Raul, Ben, Joel, Lerma, and Marie were
having fun time together. Suddenly they heard people shouting.
“What’s happening? Why are people running towards the corner store?
“Raul asked a man who was heading towards the crowd.
“There’s a child hugging tight ate the electric post far to, close enough
to reach the wires and too far to climb down!”
“How did he climb all the way up?” Marie queried.
“He climbed the tree near the post, and jumped right into the post like
Tarzan. Realizing where he was, he hugged the post tight and scream in
fear!” Exclaimed a schoolmate who just came from the crowd.
“Then why isn’t anybody helping him?” asked Ben.
“Well,” answered the boy, “everybody around was afraid to climb, and the few
onlookers didn’t bother to help.
“My!” Raul exclaimed. “Let’s go and help!”
“Are you out of your mind?” admonished Lerma.
“I’m going there to help,” Raul said.
“You mean you’ll stop having fun? Let the oldies help!” Marie insisted.
“Sorry, but I have to go to help,” Raul said.
“But how can you help?”
“I’m a good climber. Way back in the province, I helped my grandfather pick macapun from
tall coconut trees,” beamed Raul while running double time towards the electric post.

“Pakikisama, getting along with others, is among the many Filipino traditional values that
are deeply consonant with the Christian vision" (cf. CFC 792).

Trust – is believing in the working of the Holy Spirit even if He cannot be seen.

Dignity – worth and value of human person as created into the likeness and image of God.
Inherent – intrinsically ours, or part of us.
What is moral life?
- the gospel reading points out the essence of discipleship: love as expressed through self-
sacrifice and service to others. Self-denial means “taking up the cross” and practicing selflessness.
Christian moral life is the following of Christ in all our daily free actions, values, and attitudes,
empowered by Christ’s liberating and transforming presence, through the grace of His Spirit, within
the Christian community (CFC 715).
The Catechism for Filipino Catholics (CFC 674) explains that for Christians, moral living is
simply, “following Christ”. Yet when “morality” is mentioned, the first thing we think about is laws,
commandments, a series of don’ts and dire punishment if we fail. But Christian faith is more than a
set of truth to believed; it is the way of Christ which leads to life (cf. CCC 1619). Fulness of life here
on earth means that, in all innumerable actions, events, and problems of daily life, “we walk with
Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (Jn. 14:16).
Moreover, Christian moral life is about the Gospel. It is about growing in love and holiness.
It is also the process of becoming authentically human (CFC 675).

What is morality?
- Morality has been defined as “a set of principles by which we can find out if our conduct,
behaviors, and attitudes are right or wrong”. Michael Pennock (2001) cited morality as a “special
kind of knowing – a knowing of what ought to be done’. Human beings, both as individuals and
societies, are constantly confronted with decisions and choices that demand answers and a course
of action.” For example, take a student who must decide whether or not she would tell her parents
that she is pregnant; a high school senior trying to decide whether or not he would join a fraternity
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with notorious reputation; or a community that is trying to decide whether or not to allow a
religious denomination of a different faith belief to construct a worship hall in the vacant section of
the residential areas. Each of the above decisions and other similar cases search for answers on the
questions, what must I do? Or what must we do?
The Morality of Human Acts
– human acts are either good or evil. The morality of human acts depends on:
- the Object chosen
- the end in view or the intention; and
- the circumstances of the action (CCC 1749-1750)

1. Object Chosen – is a good toward which the will directs itself deliberately. It is a matter of human
act. The object chosen morally specifies the act of the will insofar as reason recognizes and judges
it to be (or not to be) in conformity with the true good. objective norms of morality express the
rational order of good and evil, attested to by conscience (CCC 1751). In most cases, it is easy to see
if we propose to do is morally good or not. By using our reason (intellect), we can recognize and
judge which actions correspond to the true good.

2. Intention –In contrast to the object, the intention resides in the acting subject. Because, it lies at
the voluntary source of an action and determines it by its end, intention is an element essential to
the moral evaluation of an action. The end is the first goal of the intention and indicates the purpose
pursued in the action. The intention is the movement towards the end; it is concerned with the goal
of the activity. For example, a service done with the end of helping one’s neighbor can at the same
time be inspired by the love of God as the ultimate end of all our actions. One and the same action
can also be inspired by several intentions, such as performing a service in order to obtain a favor or
to boast about it (CC 1752).

3. The Circumstance - including the consequences, are secondary elements of a moral act. They
contribute to increasing or diminishing the moral goodness or evil of human acts (for example, the
amount of a theft). They can also diminish or increase the agent’s responsibility (such as acting out
of a fear of death). circumstances of themselves cannot change the moral quality of acts themselves;
they can make neither good nor right an action that is itself evil (CCC 1754).
A morally good act requires the goodness of the object, of the end, and of the circumstances
together. An evil end corrupts the action, even if the object is good in itself (such as praying and
fasting “in order to be seen by men”) … there are some concrete acts - such us fornication – that is
always wrong to choose, because choosing them entails a disorder of the will, that is, a moral evil
(CCC 1755).
One may not do evil so that good may result from it (CCC 1756).
The person as a Moral Agent
– every catholic is called to live a catholic moral life. This means that we are to respond to
the call of becoming loving persons in the “fulness of life-with-others-in-community” before God
and imitation of Jesus Christ through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit in the Church. To be able
to do this, we are gifted by God with a most precious possession, our dignity as a human person. To
have dignity is to have worth and value. To be honored and respected, to be endowed with a
characteristic that is Inherent (intrinsically ours, a part of us), inviolable (cannot be violated or
desecrated), and inalienable (cannot be taken away from us).
We believe that our origin is God and that we are created into His image and likeness. This
image and likeness refer to God like qualities.
Furthermore. CCC 27 holds that human exists because God has created him/her through
love, and through love continue to hold him/her in existence. Since we are made from God’s love,
this is part of our dignity as human persons. Moreover, CCC 1704 relates that the human person
participates in the light and the power of the Holy Spirit. By his/her reason, he/she is capable of
directing himself/herself towards his/her true good. he/she finds his/her perfection in seeking and
loving what is true and good. In addition, CCC 1706 explain, by that his/her reason, a person
recognizes the voice of God which urges him/her “to do what is good and avoid what is evil”.
Everyone is obliged to follow this law, which made itself heard in conscience and it is fulfilled in love
of God and neighbors.

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 Here are some suggestions which you may consider before making a moral decision or
choice.
1st: Identify the problem.
Understand each side of the issues and find out the values involved. What are your needs and
priorities? What is/are the most important to you?

2nd: Ask Yourself

What is your intention? What do you want to achieved? What will happen if you will do this
or that? Will your act be a moral or evil act?
3rd: Word of God
If you want to follow Jesus’ teaching and example in making moral decisions, we must know
the scriptures.

4th: Follow the Love Commandment

“Love God above all” and “Love others as yourself”.
5th: Consult Others
Find others who can help you make the right decision.
6th: Pray
Faith and confidence to God’s providence will surely help us to love others as Jesus has loved
us.
7th: Act
Now we can decide what course of action we will take.
Michael Pennock – in his book Foundation of Catholic Morality (2001), we can consider the
following in making decision.

1. Moral discernment which refers to our ability to know the difference between right and wrong
and we can develop this through the traditional STOP formula.
S- earch for the facts
T-think about the possible alternatives and consequences
O-thers are to be consulted
P-ray sincerely and wholeheartedly.

2. Consider the respective moral norms or standards which our conscience consults before making
decisions.
St. Miguel Muñoz.
Bro. Miguel was born in Ecuador on November 7, 1854 as Francisco Muñoz. He was
nicknamed Pancho. Though his family was wealthy, and could afford expensive medical treatment,
Pancho suffered from having deformed feet which made him unable to walk. Yet at the age of five,
the Blessed Mother appeared to him and miraculously cured his twisted feet. That day was the start
of his great love for Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
At nine, Pancho met the Christian brothers, a congregation of religious brothers who
dedicated their lives in the education of boys. He came to know about the Christian Brothers and
became attracted to their way of life, that, while still in his teens, he decided to become a Christian
Brother. This disappointed his parents who though not against their son’s vocation, could not bear
the thought that such a rich and intelligent boy should become a priest. However, after months of
prayer and discussion, they finally gave their blessing to Pancho to enter the religious life.
It was in 1868 when Pancho joined the Christian Brothers. He received the religious name
Brother Miguel. He wrote his first textbook at 17. This was followed by more books, poems, and
songs. He was a well-loved teacher, known in his classes as kind and gentle.
His holiness was visible and felt by many. The secret of his saintly way of life was revealed
in his own words. “I will give myself completely to Jesus so that he can use me exactly as he wishes.
I want everything I do, every book I read, to give glory to God.
Bro. Miguel spent the last years of his life in Europe translating books into Spanish. Ha gladly
accepted this knowing this was where he was needed. He caught a bad cold that later on got worse
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and affected his lungs. On February 9, 1910, Bro. Miguel Muñoz died. Miracles happen to those who
sought his help through his prayers. Pope Paul VI beatified him on October 30, 1977. Pope John Paul
II declared Bl. Miguel Muñoz a saint on April 7, 1984. Every year on February 9, the Christian
Brothers celebrate his feast.

Christian moral life is simply the call to become loving person in the fullness of life with
others in community before God, in imitation of Jesus Christ. The key to moral life, then is, the human
person, considered in the light of both reason and faith. all human rights, personal, and social, all
moral duties and responsibilities, all virtue and moral characters – all depend directly on the
answers we give to the questions: who am I as a person in community? /as a disciple of Christ in His
Church?
The way of Christ “leads to life”, a contrary way “leads to destruction”. The Gospel parable of
the two ways remains ever present in the catechesis of the Church; it shows the importance of moral
decisions for our salvation.” There are two ways, the one of life, the other of death, but between the
two, there is a great difference.”

4|Learning Activity Sheet in Christian Morality S.Y. 2020-2021