Class 8 Sin and Morality

1. Class 8Sin and Morality It all begins with Adam and Eve in the Garden

2. Overview…Things we will cover • “Conscience and God’s Law.” • Natural Law. • It’s an important topic, because a lot of people deny Natural Law, which is the law that God has imprinted in our minds and in our hearts. • Natural Law, is something that even a child, or a pagan would know. For example, there are certain things that are right, and certain things that are wrong. • Stealing is ALWAYS wrong. • Lying is ALWAYS wrong. • Killing is ALWAYS wrong. • These laws are written on our hearts. It’s called the Natural Law, which is anything that God has implanted upon our heart or our conscience, that when we do things that violate the Natural Law, we do feel guilty.

3. Healthy vs. unhealthy guilt! • There is a good kind of healthy guilt when somebody kills somebody, or somebody does something wrong; • they should feel guilty. • There is such a thing as good guilt. Good guilt gets somebody to repent, and not to do those terrible things again. • There is also such a thing as unhealthy guilt, and we want to avoid that.

4. Natural Law and Revealed Law • The Natural Law is imprinted on our hearts by God. • We also have Revealed law was given to us primarily by God on Mt. Sinai to Moses. • We call these the Ten Commandments. • The two Great Commandments summarize the Ten Commandments: Love of God and Love of Neighbor. • We have what we call both Natural Law and Revealed Law.

5. What is conscience? • A short definitions of conscience is “The voice of God within us.” • Conscience is a very important thing to try and understand. • Why? • It’s really God’s will, manifested in our hearts, in our intellect, and in our will. • It’s what we call the Voice of Reason, or the Voice of God within us.

6. Violated conscience example in Sacred Scripture • This was long before Moses gave us the Ten Commandments. • There was the story of Cain and Abel, - Gen 4:1-16 • Cain killed his brother Abel. • Even though it was before the Ten Commandments were given on Mt. Sinai, he knew it was wrong. • That’s why he hid himself, and when God said, “Where’s your brother?”, he said, “Who am I? Am I my brother’s keeper?” • He knew that he had done wrong. • When he had done this, he violated the Natural Law - violated his conscience.

7. Our conscience can tell us right from wrong! • We have to have what’s called a properly-formed conscience. • For our conscience, I like to use the example of a wrist watch, • Our conscience is like our watch, and our watch is only correct if it’s set according to what time it actually is. • Our conscience has to be formed upon what God’s law is, upon what Natural Law is. • If our conscience is in harmony with what God wants, then it’s called a well-formed conscience

8. Scrupulous conscience – not well informed • There are some examples of what we call “consciences that aren’t too well formed.” • On one hand, we have what is called a scrupulous conscience. • This would be a person who thinks they sin when they actually don’t, or somebody thinks a temptation is a sin. • In other words, a scrupulous person sees sin everywhere. • They think that almost everything they do is a sin. • It’s not healthy to have a scrupulous conscience. • It’s a lack of confidence in God, and in God’s goodness.

9. Lax conscience – not well informed • On the other hand, we have what is called a lax conscience, • A lax conscience means “one that’s a little bit loose.” • A lax conscience is somebody that thinks they never commit any sin. • In other words, nothing’s a sin, and there is no concept of sin.

10. What is desired? Delicate and tender conscience • What we want is called a delicate conscience, or a tender conscience. • This is the type of conscience that the saints had. • They knew that some things were sins, and other things weren’t. • They could tell the difference. • That’s what we want to pray for and work towards, is to have a well-formed, tender conscience, where we know right from wrong, and we don’t want to do anything to displease or offend God. • We don’t want to fall into either of these extremes.

11. The challenge is:to find proper balance! • It’s pretty difficult to sometimes work with people in either of these categories, • Scrupulous or lax, • Why? • They have their own challenges. • For a lax conscience • you have to remind people of the Ten Commandments, and the Beatitudes, and the teachings of Christ. • For a scrupulous conscience, • you have to encourage them to trust in God’s mercy and forgiveness.

12. Shifting gears… • Actual Sins, there are 2 types of sin we commit • Mortal sin or Venial sin. • Occasions of sin, • The Seven Deadly Sins.

13. Review on original sin • We have already talked about Original Sin. • This was the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, which comes to us because of our origins, of being part of the human race, all the way from Adam. • Original Sin, • is taken away at Baptism, • but the effects of Original Sin remain with us, even after we’re baptized.

14. What are the effects of Original Sin? • We still have a darkened intellect. • We only use about 10% of our brain. • We still have a weakened will. • We don’t have the ability to easily break bad habits • We still have concupiscence, which is tendency towards sin – unruly passions and desires. • Original Sin we inherit from Adam

15. Actual sin! • Actual Sin. • These are sins that we actually commit by our free-will; through our own actions and desires. • Sins we commit either as children or as adults; • In other words, but we commit them. • Original Sin is the sin of our First Parents, which we are not responsible for, but we inherit; it is washed away in Baptism. • Actual sin is what we are accountable for, and forgiven in Confession!

16. How do people fall into sin? • The way we fall into sin? • How does somebody move from temptation into sin? • Usually, it follow this logic. • 1. Before a person sins, there’s a temptation. • The temptation always comes first. • Normally it begins with a thought.

17. 1st step - temptation • For example, the idea comes into somebody’s mind to steal something. • Let’s say you’re at a jewelry store. The person behind the counter was showing somebody some diamond rings, and one of them was left on the counter, and the clerk didn’t know about it. • You’re standing there, and it doesn’t look like anybody’s around. • You see this $5,000 diamond ring. The thought enters the mind, “You know, I’d really like to have that diamond ring.” • That’s a temptation right there, the thought.

18. Temptation moves into the second step – affection • 2. Generally after the thought of temptation, comes the affection, or the liking of the temptation. - called affection • The object begins to look very appealing and pleasing. • When the person dwells upon that thought, they try to justify themselves and they might think, • “Wow, I’d really like to have that;” they have an affection for that.

19. Step 3 - desire • 3. The third step is the desire, • After they really take pleasure in that thought of stealing, and they commit the sin in their heart. • They’re going to go for that ring. • The clerk might be showing somebody else a watch down the line, so they have the desire, and they’re about to take it. • In their heart, they have decided to steal that.

20. Step 4 – action • 4. After the desire is there, the person makes the resolution to go ahead and carry out or perform the act itself, • In this case, it means putting the ring in the pocket.

21. 4 steps to sin in review… • The process for committing and sin and how it works is 4 steps. • 1. The thought, • 2. The attraction, • 3. The desire, • 4. The action.

22. What does Jesus say? • Jesus says that this is obviously a serious sin, if somebody has that desire and intention to steal that, because they’ve already done it in their heart. • Let’s say the guy was about to take it. Somebody comes in the front door, and he stops, but it was his desire; so in a sense, • Jesus says that He’s already committed that sin in his heart.

23. More serious? • Even though these are both serious sins, • there is more evil attached to the actual carrying out of the action, even though they’re both guilty. • When the action is carried out, it usually causes scandal, which is bad example. • It often has much worse consequences. • So if the owner of the jewelry store actually loses money on that item; whereas if only the desire occurred, and the ring was not stolen, • the owner of the store would not lose that $5,000 ring. • There are bad consequences which make this act worse than just desire on the part of the person himself who is about to act.

24. The problem is a vice forms • Once a person does an action like that, the next time it becomes a little bit easier. • Did you know that? • The next time, the person gets into the habit, a vice is formed. • What is a vice? • A vice is a bad moral habit in which there is a strong tendency to commit a grave sinful act through frequent repetition of the same act.

25. When a vice forms? • The conscience reacts • It beginsto harden, • It becomesvery lax. • Eventually, somebody could be, let’s say, a bank robber, or somebody who steals things all the time. • They become a hardened sinner, and they don’t even consider themselves sinful anymore. • It’s like living in darkness.

26. What does Scripture say? • St. John, - 1 John 1:6-8 • “He who claims to have no sin is living in darkness.” • Everybody has sins, obviously. • There are two exceptions of people who never sinned • Jesus Christ, who’s the Son of God, • The Blessed Mother, the Mother of God, whom was given special graces from God never to commit any serious sins, or even small sins. • It was a special grace from God, because Mary was conceived without Original Sin.

27. Are all bad actions sinful? • No, there are times when they might not be sinful; • Give us an example, • If somebody does not know that the act is sinful. • We see an example of this is in the Bible, when Noah got drunk, because he did not know the potency of wine. – Gen. 9:21 • That’s an example where he was not culpable, or not responsible for his actions. • He might have been thinking, “This is just like grape juice.” • He woke up the next morning with a hangover. • He did not realize he had made himself drunk.

28. What about an example in every day life? • Another example could be somebody who just had surgery and is taking medicine, • They actually take the wrong medicine, and poison themselves. • That’s not a suicide; • Because that action was done by accident. • It’s not a sin. • It’s through no fault of their own.

29. Another example of why it is not sinful? • If somebody dropped a loaded gun, perhaps a revolver, • And the gun goes off, • and it kills somebody; • That is not a sin, even though it was a bad action. • It was not deliberate or intended. • The intention was not there. • Sin always has to be in the will. • It always has to be a deliberate choice, • where somebody consents to the evil; and they go ahead and do it anyway.

30. What about participating in the sin of other people? • We can be held accountable for participating in the sin of other people • For example, if somebody counsels somebody. • Let’s say a girl is pregnant; she’s 16 years old, and she goes to her mother or father, and the mother or father says, “Yes, go have an abortion.” • That’s participating in someone else’s sin. • The parents are just as responsible if they’ve counseled somebody in that direction, as the girl herself. • If somebody orders somebody to commit a sin, or provokes somebody, or dares somebody, you always have these teenagers saying, “I dare you to go steal that car,” or “I dare you to go do this.” • The people that motivated the person on; it’s a sin for them, because they’re cooperating in that sin.

31. Other ways of cooperating in the sins of others? • Other ways that people can contribute to other people’s sins: • Teachers who teach wrong things deliberately, • Owners of adult book stores (that’s a sinful occupation because they’re leading other people into sin), • Selling condoms in a gas station • Publishing or selling bad books and magazines • These are all examples of leading other people into sin. • These are some ways in which we can cooperate, even though we might not commit the sin ourselves, and encourage other people to sin; • This cooperation is always wrong, and that’s a sin for the people that are cooperating in other people’s sins.

32. Material cooperation • Material cooperation – • This happens when you assist in another’s wrong doing without approving it. • The help given assists a person to perform the sinful action, although of itself the help is not wrong. • For example, providing a thief with information, because you are forced to act • Material cooperation with another persons evil action is allowed provided certain conditions are fulfilled. • Such collaboration is licit because the cooperator does not internally approve of the sin of another, • nor does he or she approve of the sinful use to which the assistance is put by the other.

33. Immediate material cooperation • Two kinds of material cooperation need to be determined: - immediate or mediate • Immediate material cooperation - IMC • IMC is when a person actually does something morally wrong with another person. • A surgeon and a nurse are engaged in aborting a fetus, the cooperation of the nurse or assistant is IMC. • Immediate material cooperation in the sinful act of another is ALWAYS WRONG AND SINFUL. • It is pointless to say that a person who is not under force performs a criminal action without intending to do so. – If force is used, you act out of fear.

34. Mediate material cooperation • Mediate material cooperation (MMC)– aka remote material cooperation • MMC is the concurring in the wrong action of another, but not in such a way that one actually performs the act with the other or agrees with the evil intention of the other. • While doing something that is in itself good or indifferent, a person rather gives an occasion to another’s sin, or contributes something by way of assistance. • Example: • Giving funds to Planned Parenthood who in turn use these funds for abortion or contraception.

35. What is the morality of MMC? • The morality of mediate material cooperation is judged on the principle of double effect theory. • In applying this principle there are norms that need to be observed. • 1. When acting, there is not an intention of an evil effect. – lack of knowledge about how funds are spent • 2. If there is a need for sufficient reason to permit the evil effect. • 3. The presence of proportionate reason is not sufficient to allow what is called MMC.

36. What is the principle of double effect? • This principle states it is morally permissible to perform an act that has at least two effects, one good and one that is bad. • Lying that you are harboring Jews in your attic • Good – safety and protection • Bad – lying to the people at the door who are asking • This has four criteria or conditions that need to be present and evaluated.

37. What are the 4 criteria - one good, one bad effect • 1. The act in itself that is to be done must be good or at least morally indifferent. • 2. the good effect must not be obtained by means of the evil effect; • the evil must be only incidental and not intended • evil is not an actual factor in the accomplishment of the good • 3. The evil effect must not be intended for itself but only permitted • All bad will must be excluded from the act • 4. there must be a proportionately grave reason for permitting the evil effect. • At least the good and the evil effects should be nearly equivalent. • ALL FOUR CONDITIONS MUST BE FULFILLED. If any one of these is not satisfied, the act is morally wrong.

38. Give us an example… • Consider the commander of a submarine in wartime who torpedoes an armed merchant vessel of the enemy, although he foresees several innocent children onboard who will be killed. (4 points to consider): • 1. He intends merely to lessen the power of the enemy by destroying an armed merchant ship. He does not want to kill innocent children. • 2. His action of torpedoing the ship is not evil in itself

39. Submarine commander • 3. the evil effect (which is the death of children) is not the cause of the good effect (the lessening and weakening of the enemy’s strength.) • 4. there is sufficient reason for permitting the evil effect to follow, and this reason is administering a damaging blow to those who are unjustly attacking his country.

40. Formal cooperation • Formal cooperation – (FC) • The deliberate concurrence in another person’s usually sinful action. • The formal cooperation act is always sinful if: • Besides giving external help of whatever kind, one interiorly wants the evil action to be performed. • Formal cooperation is a sin against charity by doing spiritual harm to one’s neighbor; • Also a sin against justice

41. Mortal sin vs. venial sin • There are two kinds of actual sins: mortal sin and venial sin. • Mortal sin • “A serious offense against the Law of God.” • That’s a violation of God’s Law, in a serious way, such as: • blasphemy, • murder, • adultery, • arson, • robbery. • Just to name a few!

42. Mortal sin • The word mortal comes from the Latin word “mors”, which means “death,” • like a mortuary, or somebody tells you something, and you get “mortified” (it means you want to die!) • Mortification means “a dying to one’s self.” For example, all of us are “mortals.” It means we’re all going to die

43. Why is it called a mortal sin? • A mortal sin is called “mortal” because there’s a death of Sanctifying Grace in the soul. • Remember, Sanctifying Grace is God’s very life within our souls; • We receive God’s love and life in Baptism and this is called Sanctifying Grace. • When the soul commits a mortal sin, Sanctifying Grace is no longer present. • The soul is still alive. • Why? Because the soul does not die. • The soul lives forever.

44. Soul does not die, the body does! • Even though our bodies die, and whether we’re cremated, or buried in the ground, our bodies will not live forever; • but our souls are immortal, they never die. • Examples would be, let’s say, if you could see God’s grace within a person’s soul, let’s say their soul looked very bright, filled with light. • The holier saints, like Blessed Mother and the Apostles, maybe would have 10,000 watts shining forth. • Maybe all of us would have 500 watts. Some people might have less voltage than others. • Let’s say with a mortal sin, the electricity is cut. • It’s just darkness, and just no light whatsoever. That’s an example of mortal sin

45. Another example of a mortal sin! • Let’s say somebody is living in a house. • In the house, there’s warmth, light, and activity. • That’s how it is, our bodies, according to the Bible, are “Temples of the Holy Spirit.” • God dwells within us as a temple. • If we commit a mortal sin, God leaves our soul. • God is no longer present within our soul through Sanctifying Grace, which would be the example of somebody moving out of the house; and then the house is empty.

46. What happens to the house over time? • What happens to that house over weeks, over months, over years - it begins to fall apart. • If you don’t have anybody living there, • the shutters fall off, • and all sorts of things happen to a vacant house. • Look at a house that’s been vacant for 10 years, as compared to a house that somebody lives in. • There is a need for preventive maintenance, it is called confession, sorrow, and contrition!

47. A BIG difference • There’s a big difference. • If our souls have God’s grace, • then they’re healthy and strong; • But without God’s grace, • they begin to deteriorate.

48. A Common question – How can somebody in the state of mortal sin still do good things? • Some of those things are what’s called “naturally good acts.” • Even an atheist can be a philanthropist and give money to charity. • Even an atheist or an agnostic can be generous to the poor, for example. • These are naturally good actions. • Somebody that’s in mortal sin would still, by God’s grace, receive what’s called Actual Graces.

49. More… • Sanctifying Grace is gone from the soul, but God can still give that person Actual Graces, or strength, power, and blessings from God to do good things. • For example, even somebody in mortal sin would still get the grace to go to Mass every Sunday. • People can and still will help one another. • Some actions are natural actions, and some are supernatural actions. • For example, even somebody in mortal sin can still pray to God. • That’s a supernatural act, but that means that God gave that person that grace to pray.

50. Half way point?