CHRISTIAN

MORALITY
Morality for a Christian is the
application of God’s laws regarding a
person’s private and public behavior. In
his or her seeking to live a moral life, a
Christian tries to obey the rules for his
or her personal behavior that have
been decreed by God and recorded in
the Bible.
Morality: What’s in
it?
🞇 Morality includes a huge variety of topics,
all of which pertain to human behaviors.
🞇 These include:
🞇 War, Health Care, economics, poverty,
discrimination, sexual morality, criminal
justice, etc….any human activity that has
a moral dimension.
Where to find the
specs
🞇 Where can one find the offic ial
presentation of C atholic beliefs
and teachings about the moral
law?

🞇 The
C atechism of the C atholic
Church!
Basi
s
🞇 Morality begins in the natural law

🞇 Natural law enables man to discern

by reason the good and the evil,
the truth and the lie.
Its about
Happiness
🞇 Moralityshould not just be “thou
shalt nots”

🞇 Instead,we must understand that the

moral law essentially sets a person
up to achieve happiness.
 “Endowed with a spiritual soul, with
intellect and free will, the human person
is from his very conception ordered to
God and destined for eternal beatitude.
He pursues his perfection in “seeking and
loving what is true and good.”
(CC C 1711)
 Mini-
review
When we talk about morality, we are evaluating
the goodness or evil of human .

Behavior or actions

Man can discern that which is good from that

which
is evil by the gift of .

Reason

What is the motivator and ultimate goal of living

a moral life?

The Beatific Vision—being with God in

Happiness?
How does the moral law provide the way
to
true happiness?

Living by the moral law helps us get closer

to God, who is the true source of
happiness
🞇 What
is the Greatest
Commandments?

To love God above all else and to love

your neighbor as yourself.

This is the basic principle of the moral

law
 Objective vs.
Subjective
🞇 The standards of Christian morality are objective,
not subjective

🞇 This is because they are determined neither by

general consensus nor individual preference,
rather it is God that gives them to us.

🞇 If
moral standards were subjective, then they
would
vary and change from person to person.

🞇 What could be some dangerous examples

of subjective moral standards?
Closer to
Cthehrist
🞇 The moral law is objective. It was first given to
Jewish people by God and then perfected
and further explained by C hrist.

🞇 Reminder: Christ emphasized love of God

and neighbor as the basis for all moral law
(Greatest Commandments).

🞇 This
perfected law taught by Christ serves as the
pathway toward our ultimate happiness
which is God’s plan for us as we grow in
holiness.

🞇 Every morally good choice brings us c loser to

The moral law is guided by the Cardinal Virtues
and
the Theological Virtues

These virtues assist in living the commandments

because they are the foundation for all moral
virtues.
With them we attain the appropriate disposition
to draw closer to God.
 Moral Law and Free
🞇 Creation Account: God blessed Adam and Eve
Will
with complete self-mastery; meaning full
control over their minds (intellect), wills, and
passions.

🞇 Then they fell into Original Sin. This violation of

God’s command lost them control over their own
faculties and passed on this weakness or
tendency to sin to all mankind.

🞇 As
a result all men are born with a clouded mind,
a weakened will, and disordered passions.
 Original Sin <
Baptism
🞇 Because of Original S in we need God’s help
(grace) to distinguish good choices from evil
choices.

🞇 TheSacrament of Baptism restores us back into

the “Image of God,” eliminating the stain of
Original Sin.
 Mini
Review
🞇 What kind of freedom did Adam and Eve
possess before the fall?
🞇 Complete self-mastery of mind, will, and
passions.
🞇 Adam and Eve’s sin is called .
🞇 Original Sin.

🞇 What are the three consequences of Original Sin for

us?
🞇 A clouded mind, weak will, and disordered
passions.

🞇 Why do we need God’s help to make good

decisions on our own?
🞇 The effects of Original Sin makes it hard to
recognize good and evil.
 Moral Law and
Grace
🞇 Grace is a free gift that God gives us so we
can share in his life and conform ourselves to
his will.

🞇 There are 2 kinds of Grace

🞇 Sanctifying Grace is the abiding grace that

we receive at Baptism through which God
Himself dwells in our souls, and we share in
His life.

🞇 Actual Grace is a temporary grace that gives

us the knowledge and strength to do what is