Living a New Life in Christ: Grace, Beatitudes, and Moral Choices

1. PART THREE LIFE IN CHRIST

2. “What the symbol of faith professes, the sacraments communicate…. through them the faithful receive the grace of Christ & the gifts of the Holy Spirit which give them the capability of living a new life as children of God in Christ”

3. We are created “in the image & likeness of God” & “called…to eternal beatitude.”

4. “We attain beatitude by virtue of the grace of Christ which makes us participants in the divine life.” Wow!!! “Christ in the Gospel points out… the way that leads to eternal happiness: the beatitudes.” “The beatitudes….reveal the ultimate goal of human activity which is eternal happiness.” “The beatitudes respond to the innate desire for happiness that God has placed in the human heart in order to draw us to himself.” “This happiness surpasses human capabilities.” “This promised happiness confronts us with decisive moral choices concerning earthly goods & urges us to love God above all things.” Life!!!

5. What is freedom? “The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. Freedom attains its proper perfection when it is directed toward God…. The choice of evil is an abuse of freedom & leads to the slavery of sin.” “Freedom makes people responsible for their actions” “The right to the exercise of freedom…is inseparable from his or her dignity as a human person.” “Our freedom is weakened because of original sin. This weakness is intensified because of successive sins. Christ, however, set us free…. With his grace, the Holy Spirit leads us to spiritual freedom to make us free co-workers with him in the Church & in the world.” Countercultural!!!

6. “object” “intention” (end) “circumstances” “An act is morally good when it assumes simultaneously the goodness of the object, of the end, & of the circumstances. “A chosen object can…vitiate an act in its entirety, even if the intention is good. “It is not licit to do evil so that good may result…. “An evil end corrupts the action, even if the object is good…. “Circumstances….never make good an act which is…evil.” “some acts…are always illicit”

7. Love & Hatred Desire & Fear “The passions are the feelings…which incline a person to act or not act…. “The chief passion is love which is drawn by the attraction of the good. One can only love what is good, real or apparent.” “The passions….are good when they contribute to good action & they are evil in the opposite case. “They can be taken up into the virtues or perverted by the vices.” Sadness Joy ANGER

8. “Moral conscience…is a judgment of reason which…enjoins him to do good & avoid evil ….When attentive to moral conscience, the prudent person can hear the voice of God” “The dignity of a human person requires the uprightness of a moral conscience” “An upright & true moral conscience is formed by education and by assimilating the Word of God and the teaching of the Church. It is supported by the gifts of the Holy Spirit and helped by the advice of wise people. Prayer and an examination of conscience can also greatly assist” “There are 3 general norms (1) one may never do evil so that good may result…; (2) the so-called Golden Rule…; (3) charity always precedes by way of respect… even though this does not mean accepting as good something that is objectively evil.” “A person must always obey the certain judgment of his own conscience…. One…must…work to correct the errors of moral conscience.”

9. “A virtue is a habitual & firm disposition to do the good.” “The human virtues….are acquired & strengthened by the repetition of morally good acts & they are purified & elevated by divine grace.” “The principal human virtues are called the cardinal virtues…. prudence, justice, fortitude, & temperance.”

10. They are the foundation & energizing force of the Christian’s moral activity & they give life to the human virtues. They are the pledge of the presence & action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being.” “The theological virtues are faith, hope, & charity.” “The theological virtues have God himself as their origin, motive & direct object…. they bestow…the capacity to live in a relationship with the Trinity….

11. “The gifts…are permanent dispositions which make us docile in following divine inspirations.” “The fruits…are perfections formed in us as the first fruits of eternal glory.”

12. Accepting God’s mercy “requires that we admit our faults & confess our sins.” “Sin ‘is a word, an act, or a desire contrary to the eternal Law’ (Saint Augustine).” “There are a great many kinds of sins.” “A distinction is made between mortal & venial sin.” “One commits a mortal sin when there are simultaneously present: grave matter, full knowledge, & deliberate consent. This sin destroys charity in us, deprives us of sanctifying grace, &, if unrepented, leads us to the eternal death of hell. It can be forgiven in the ordinary way by means of the sacraments of Baptism and Penance or Reconciliation.” “One commits a venial sin…when the matter involved is less serious or, even if it is grave, when full knowledge or complete consent are absent.”

13. “Sin creates a proclivity to sin” “Vices are the opposite of virtues. They are perverse habits which darken theconscience & incline one to evil.” “seven so-called capital sins”

14. In regard to sins committed by others, “We…have a…responsibility when we culpably cooperate with them.” “Structures of sin are social situations or institutions that are contrary to the divine law. They are the expression & effect of personal sin.”

15. “There is a certain resemblance between the communion of the divine Persons & the fraternity that people are to establish among themselves in truth & love. Love of neighbor is inseparable from love for God.” “The human person is & ought to be the principle, the subject & the end of all social institutions. Certain societies, such as the family & the civic community, are necessary for the human person. Also helpful are other associations on the national & international levels” “The principle of subsidiarity states that a community of a higher order should not assume the task belonging to a community of lower order & deprive it of its authority. It should rather support in case of need.” “Authentic human society requires respect for justice, a just hierarchy of values, & the subordination of material & instinctual dimensions to interior & spiritual ones…. where sin has perverted the social climate, it is necessary to call for the conversion of hearts & for the grace of God….Charity…is the greatest social commandment”

16. “Every human community needs a legitimate authority….The foundations of such…lies in human nature because it corresponds to the order established by God.” • “Authority is exercised legitimately when it acts for the common good & employs morally licit means…. political regimes must be determined by the free decision of their citizens…. Unjust laws & measures contrary to the moral order are not binding in conscience.” • The common good is “the sum total of those conditions which allow people…to reach their proper fulfillment.” • It includes basic human rights, as well as “development of the spiritual & temporal goods…, & the peace & security of all.” • It’s best “found in those communities which defend & promote the good of their citizens & of intermediate groups with forgetting the…entire human family.” • People can best promote it “by respecting just laws & taking charge of the areas for which they have personal responsibility such as the care of their own family & the commitment to their own work. Citizens also should take an active part in public life as far as possible.”

17. “Society ensures social justice when it respects the dignity & the rights of the person….when it provides the conditions that allow associations & individuals to obtain what is their due.” Human equality is based on everyone’s being made in God’s image, “endowed with the same rational soul…[&] the same nature & origin” Further, we are all “called in Christ…to the same divine beatitude.” Differences in individual giftedness should “encourage & often oblige people to the practice of generosity, kindness and…sharing” as well as “the mutual enrichment of cultures.” “Solidarity…is manifested in the 1st place by the just distribution of goods, by a fair renumeration for work & by zeal for a more just social order. The virtue of solidarity also practices the sharing of the spiritual goods…which is even more important”

18. “The moral law is a work of divine Wisdom. It prescribes the ways & the rules of conduct that lead to the promised beatitude & it forbids the ways that turn away from God.” “The natural law which is prescribed by the Creator on the heart of every person consists in a participation in the wisdom & goodness of God. It expresses that original moral sense which enables one to discern by reason the good & the bad. It is universal & immutable” “Because of sin the natural law is not always perceived nor is it recognized by everyone with equal clarity & immediacy” As per Dr. Jane Smith, "Just like our ears when subjected to noises that are too loud & sharp, lose some of their ability to hear, so too does our moral 'sense' when subjected to too much corruption lose its ability to judge what is right & wrong."

19. “The Old Law is the final stage of revealed law.” “while being holy, spiritual, & good, the Old Law was still imperfect because in itself it did not give the strength & the grace of the Spirit for its observance.” “The New Law…is the fullness & completion of the divine law, natural & revealed.” “The New Law is found in the entire life & preaching of Christ & in the moral catechesis of the apostles. The Sermon on the Mount is its principle expression.”

20. “Justification…is the merciful & freely-given act of God which takes away our sins & makes us just & holy.... It is brought about by…the grace of the Holy Spirit which has been merited for us by the passion of Christ & is given to us in Baptism. Justification is the beginning of the free response of man, that is, faith in Christ & of cooperation with the grace of the Holy Spirit.” “That grace is the gratuitous gift that God gives to make us participants in his trinitarian life & able to act by his love.” In addition to that “habitual grace, there are • actual graces (gifts for specific circumstances), sacramental graces…, special graces or charisms(…intended for the common good of the Church) among which are the graces of state that accompany the exercise of ecclesial ministries & the responsibilities of life.” • “Grace precedes, prepares & elicits our free response.”

21. “merit refers to the right to recompense for a good deed…. we of ourselves are not able to merit anything, having received everything freely from him…. God gives us the possibility of acquiring merit through union with the love of Christ, who is the source of our merits before God. The merits for good works…must be attributed…1st…to the grace of God & then to the free will of man.” “Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves & for others the graces needed for our sanctification & for the attainment of eternal life. Even temporal goods, suitable for us, can be merited in accordance with the plan of God. No one, however, can merit the initial grace which is at the origin of conversion and justification.” No one, however, can merit the initial grace which is at the origin of conversion and justification.”

22. Yes!!! “All the faithful are called to Christian holiness.” (“The Universal Call to Holiness” at the Bascilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC)

23. “Christians are united to the Eucharistic sacrifice of Christ in such a way that their moral life is an act of spiritual worship” “Christians…learn the example of holiness from the Virgin Mary &…the Saints.” “It is the duty of the Magisterium…to preach the faith….This…extends…to the specific precepts of the natural law because their observance is necessary for salvation” Wow!

24. “the indispensable minimum” “attend Mass on Sundays & other holy days of obligation &…refrain from work & activities which could impede the sanctification of those days” “confess one’s sins, receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation at least once each year” “receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter Season” “abstain from eating meat &…observe the days of fasting established by the Church” “help…provide for the material needs of the Church, …according to ability.” "precepts of the Church" A Christian’s moral life is indispensable from proclaiming the Gospel, because we “draw others to faith in the true God, build up the Church, inform the world with the spirit of the Gospel, & hasten the coming of the Kingdom of God.”

27. “To follow Jesus involves keeping the commandments. The law has not been abolished but man is invited to rediscover it in the Person of the divine Master who realized it perfectly in himself, revealed its full meaning & attested to its permanent validity.” As to Jesus’ interpretation of the law, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, & with all your soul, & with all your mind.’ This is the greatest & 1st commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

28. The “Decalogue, in presenting the commandments of the love of God (the 1st three) & of one’s neighbor (the other seven), traces…for every person…the path to a life freed from the slavery of sin.” “In observing the commandments, the people manifested their belonging to God & they answered his initiative of love with thanksgiving.” “Christians are obliged to keep” the Decalogue. “The Ten Commandments form an organic & indivisible whole….To break one commandment…is to violate the entire law.” “the Decalogue expresses the fundamental duties of man” “Christ without whom we can do nothing enables us to keep it”

29. “I am the Lord Your God, You Shall Not Have Other Gods Before Me” “the faithful must guard & activate the three theological virtues & must avoid sins which are opposed to them.” “adore God as the Lord of everything that exists” “Every person has the right & moral duty to seek the truth…. Once the truth is known, each person…has the right & moral duty to embrace it, to guard it faithfully and to render God authentic worship…. the dignity of the human person requires that in religious matters no one may be forced to act against conscience nor be restrained, within the just limits of public order, from acting in conformity with conscience”

30. "Polytheism" "& idolatry" "Superstition" "Irreligion" "Atheism" “The Christian veneration of sacred images …is justified by the incarnation of the Son of God….This does not mean the adoration of an image, but rather the veneration of the one who is represented” "Agnosticism"

34. Seems like superstition to me…

36. Irreligion

39. “One must show respect for the holy Name of God…. It is forbidden…to call on the Name of God to justify a crime…. It is…wrong to use the holy Name of God in any improper way as in blasphemy…, curses, & unfaithfulness to promises made in the Name of God.” A false oath “calls upon God who is truth itself to be the witness to a lie.” Perjury “is a grave sin against God who is always faithful to his promises.”

40. “On the Sabbath day one remembers God’s rest on the seventh day of creation, & …the liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt and the covenant…God sealed with his people.” “Jesus recognized the holiness of the Sabbath and with divine authority he gave this law its authentic interpretation: ‘The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath’ (Mark 2: 27).” The Sabbath has been changed to Sunday for Christians, because “Sunday is the day of the Resurrection of Christ. As ‘the first day of the week’ (Mark 16: 2) it recalls the first creation; & … as the ‘eighth day,’ which follows the sabbath, it symbolizes the new creation ushered in by the Resurrection of Christ…. it has become for Christians the first of all days & of all feasts. It is the day of the Lord in which he with his Passover fulfilled the spiritual truth of the Jewish Sabbath & proclaimed man’s eternal rest in God.”

41. “Christians keep Sunday & other days of obligation holy by participating in the Eucharist … &…refraining from those activities which impede the worship of God & disturb the joy proper to the day of the Lord or the necessary relaxation of mind & body.” Civil recognition of Sunday is necessary “so that all might be given the real possibility of enjoying sufficient rest & leisure to take care of their religious, familial, cultural & social lives…. [&] to have an opportune time for meditation, for reflection, for study, and…good works”

42. We must “honor & respect our parents & those whom God…has vested with his authority.” “A man & a woman united in marriage form a family together with their children…. Marriage & family are ordered to the good of the spouses & the procreation & education of children…. In Christ the family becomes the domestic church” “The family is the original cell of human society….Family life is an initiation into the life of society.” “Society, while respecting the principle of subsidiarity, has the duty to support & strengthen marriage & the family.” “Children owe respect (filial piety), gratitude, docility & obedience to their parents…. Adult children should give their parents material and moral support whenever they find themselves in situations of distress, sickness, loneliness, or old age.”

43. “Parents…have the first responsibility for the education of their children & …are the first heralds of the faith…. They have the duty to love & respect their children…& to provide, as far as possible, for their physical & spiritual needs. They should select for them a suitable school & help them with prudent counsel in the choice of their profession & their state of life…. they have the mission of educating their children in the Christian faith.” Parents educate their children in the faith “mainly by example, prayer, family catechesis, & participation in the life of the Church.” “Family ties are important but not absolute, because the first vocation of a Christian is to follow Jesus &love him…. Parents must support with joy their children’s choice to follow Jesus in whatever state of life, even in the consecrated life or the priestly ministry.”

44. “Authority should always be exercised as a service, respecting fundamental human rights, a just hierarchy of values, laws, distributive justice, & the principal of subsidiarity” “Those subject to authority should regard those in authority as representatives of God & offer their loyal collaboration…. This collaboration includes love & service of one’s homeland, the right & duty to vote, payment of taxes, the defense of one’s country, & the right to exercise constructive criticism.” “A citizen is obliged in conscience not to obey the laws of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order”

45. “Human life must be respected because it is sacred.” Defense can be legitimate: “for someone responsible for the life of another, legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty, provided only that disproportionate force is not used.” “punishment imposed [“by legitimate public authority”] must be proportionate to the gravity of the offense” “the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity ‘are very rare, if not practically non-existent.’ (Evangilium Vitae)”

46. “The 5th commandment forbids… direct & intentional murder…. direct abortion…. direct euthanasia…. suicide” as well as “cooperation” in these acts. “ordinary care owed to a sick person cannot be legitimately interrupted…. it is legitimate…to refuse… disproportionate medical procedures without reasonable hope of a positive outcome.”

47. “Terri Schiavo's tragic situation highlighted the need for greater dissemination of Church teaching on the moral necessity of providing food & water - even artificially.”

48. Terri’s parents believed that a 2004 statement from Pope John Paul II directly addressed Terri's situation. "administration of water and food, even when provided by artificial means, always represents a natural means of preserving life, not a medical act.... Death by starvation or dehydration is, in fact, the only possible outcome as a result of their withdrawal"

49. 'It was only a misinterpretation…that allowed people to imagine that they could withdraw nutrition and hydration from people in a PVS, and I think that the grounds on which they created that doubt and based the argument that it was okay to do so have been removed by the Pope" . Msgr. Kevin McMahon is the John Cardinal Krol Chair of Moral Theology at St. Charles seminary:

50. Society must ensure the “inalienable right to life“ of everyone ”from the first moment of conception”