ST.

AUGUSTINE’S PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may

all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work,
too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that
I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy
Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O
Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.
 Lesson 1

Introduction To
Christian Morality
MOTIVATION ACTIVITY
https://youtu.be/P7OpGyeHfDo
1. What are the Filipino customs and
traditions found in the video?
2. What other Filipino customs /
traditions can you add that are not
found in the video?
3. Do you still see these customs /
traditions being practiced today?
ETYMOLOGY AND DEFINITION

Morality – Latin word mos, moris which means custom

Custom – refers to a “more or less

permanent moral behavior in
accordance with the precepts of the
natural moral law which is universally
known and common to all men.”
Examples of such custom are:

Telling the truth; paying debts; honouring one’s

parents, respecting the life and property of others, etc.

In this context, morality refers to the “rightness or

wrongness of an action in relation to a standard or
norm of conduct”
Morality is “the science of what
man ought to be by reason of
what he is.”

Antonin Sertillanges – Dominican and

French theologian and philosopher
Michael Pennock provides a brief elaboration of
these three important elements:

a. Morality is a science.
The more human knowledge expands,
the more refined mankind’s moral sense
can become.
The more we learn about ourselves, the
more we learn about what is right and
wrong.
b. Morality is concerned with what ought to be.

Morality is not content with how

things should be. It is interested
in how people should act; it asks
persons to be better.
Concerned with what is ideal (to
cooperate with the God-given
help available to them).
c. Morality judges (what is) right and wrong in the light of
what humanity is.
This is the most important element in Sertillange’s definition.
Morality asks people to be the persons they are meant to be.
People vary widely on what they think is a proper definition
of humankind.
Ex: a Christian’s point of view; an atheistic view
Decision-making for a Christian is
greatly helped by asking: “What is
the human thing to do?” “How
should I act as a child of God?”
These are good questions before
acting on something because as
St. Ireneaus of Lyons says: “The
glory of God is man fully alive.”
How can MORALITY be summed up according to
Michael Pennock?

MORALITY can be summed in the word RESPONSIBILITY.

Response and ability.
For Christians, morality is a response to God’s incredible,
freely given love and his gift of salvation offered to us
through Jesus Christ. It is a YES to Jesus’ gift of himself to
us.
Point for reflection:
How do we say YES to Jesus? Do we say YES to Jesus?
In today’s context, living a morally upright life can be
very challenging and difficult. The society has become
so permissive and contaminated with ideologies that
are opposite to the values of Christ and the teachings of
the Church.

•Sexual promiscuity, infidelity, dishonesty, drug

addiction, pervasive acceptance of lying, cheating,
bullying, cursing, etc. What has happened to the world,
that people today appear so bereft of values? 
MORALITY is the ability to
respond to God, the ability to
love, the ability to say YES to
God. This ability is itself a gift
of the Holy Spirit to us at
baptism. This is grace.
 God, our Father has given us the
calling to love and at the same time
the power to respond.

“The love of God has been poured out in our hearts through
the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5)
Video: Ang Tatay Kong Basurero

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=3EnE3zN9fcQ
How did the different persons in the video demonstrate
morality?
Living a morally upright life
can be difficult and
challenging. But it is not
impossible. As Christians,
we believe that the grace of
God is enough to help us
overcome our weakness.
CHRISTIAN AND CATHOLIC MORALITY
WHAT IS CHRISTIAN MORALITY?
It is concerned with identifying and explaining the principles
that determine the quality of human behaviour in the light of
Christian revelation. It disposes the human person to pattern
his behaviour to the life lived by Jesus.
Ex: Christ’s life of loving and humble service to the Father
and humankind. His commandment is: “To love God and to
love one’s neighbor”
 2. Christian morality is a call of the human person
to live a life of constantly following Jesus Christ.
Is it easy to become disciples of the Lord?

It is never easy. The human person is

always faced with different challenges.
But Jesus never abandoned us. The Holy
Spirit was sent to be our Helper and
Friend; will always inspire us to live in
unity with others; to support each other
in order to attain our vision of living as
disciples of Jesus Christ and children of
the Father.
WHAT IS CATHOLIC MORALITY?
CATHOLIC MORALITY is CHRISTIAN MORALITY guided by the Teachings
of the Church.

“A Catholic faithful believes that

Jesus has entrusted his teaching
authority to the Church, and the
Church has the responsibility to
offer guidance, help and direction
in solving moral problems.” –
Michael Pennock
FUNCTIONS OF CATHOLIC MORALITY
The fundamental concepts of Catholic morality
include freedom, truth, natural law and conscience.

a. God creates us in the state of freedom. We are at liberty to

choose, based on reason and will, whether to act or not to
act in a specific situation. We are RESPONSIBLE for our
choices! With our choices, we also choose our destiny:
eternal life with God or eternal damnation.
b. We believe that moral truth is
objective, and not relative to the
subjective whims of culture or
taste. Moral truth is valid at all
times and everywhere because
God is its ultimate source.
c. Human beings have an innate sense of basic
moral truth. Using reason, man can deduce the
principles of natural law. But because sin
clouds our vision and truth, God has chosen to
directly reveal the law to us.
d. We use our natural facility called conscience to
apply the general principles of the law to
specific situations, judging specific actions to
be right or wrong in accordance with objective
law.
IMPORTANCE OF MORALITY
By: Fr. Michael Moga, SJ – Jesuit priest

He briefly outlines the basic purpose or importance

of morality as a guide to fullness of freedom, the
entrance of the eternal into the life of man, a guide
to the fullness of human development, a guide
towards reality, and a guide toward meaning.
a. a guide to fullness of freedom
b. the entrance of the eternal into the
life of man
c. a guide to the fullness of human
development
d. a guide towards reality
e. a guide toward meaning