Eternal and Natural Law

A set of flashcards summarizing key concepts related to Eternal and Natural Law.

Eternal Law

The unchangeable, perfect, and ultimate standard of truth and order that originates directly from God's own wisdom and eternal being, governing the entire creation. It is the divine blueprint and ultimate source for all things, reflecting God's providentially loving care for the universe and possessing inherent universal applicability and immutability, from which all other just laws derive their authority and meaning.

Natural Law

The objective moral law understood through human reason, inherently inscribed in our nature by God, which precisely reflects and participates in God's eternal law. It is universally accessible to all people through their intellect, without special divine revelation, and guides human conscience toward actions that align with God's will and promote authentic human flourishing, such as preserving life, procreating, living in society, educating offspring, and seeking truth.

Moral Law

A rational and authoritative expression of God's eternal law, established by God to lovingly guide individuals and communities toward moral behavior, spiritual well-being, and ultimately, salvation. It finds various integral expressions in the natural law (discernible by reason), divine revelation (Old Law and New Law given through Sacred Scripture and Tradition), and the authoritative teachings of the Church, all illuminated and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Beatitudes

Eight declarations of blessedness ('blessings') taught by Jesus Christ in His Sermon on the Mount, outlining the characteristics, attitudes, and virtues of those who truly follow Him and strive for spiritual perfection. They present a radical path to true happiness that is distinct from worldly success, redefine moral values according to God's reign, and describe the perfection of charity, fulfilling God's promises in a spiritual and eternal sense.

Old Law

The first major stage of God's revealed law, found in the Old Testament, particularly summarized in the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai. It served as a sacred covenant, a preparation for the Gospel, revealed humanity's capacity for sin, and offered essential moral guidance, discipline, and a pedagogical framework for the people of Israel, being 'holy, spiritual, and good,' yet imperfect in its inability to provide the grace necessary for its full observance.

New Law

The Law of the Gospel, which is primarily the grace of the Holy Spirit, perfectly fulfilled and perfected by Jesus Christ Himself. It is an internal law of love, actualized through faith in Christ and expressed through unconditional and self-sacrificing love (agape) for God and neighbor. Its core tenets are articulated especially in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, the Great Commandments to love God and neighbor, and made accessible through the Sacraments.

Papal Infallibility

A solemn doctrine of the Catholic Church stating that the Pope, by divine assistance of the Holy Spirit, is preserved from error when he definitively proclaims or defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church. This charism ensures the preservation of the Church's authentic teaching from corruption and error, particularly when exercising his office ex cathedra (from the chair, as universal shepherd and teacher), and does not imply impeccability (freedom from sin).

Capital Sins

Seven particularly serious vices or immoral habits that are considered fundamental sources or roots from which many other sins and sinful inclinations arise. These include pride, greed (avarice), envy, wrath (anger), lust, gluttony, and sloth (acedia), each representing a major obstacle to spiritual growth, opposing the theological virtues, and undermining the perfection of charity.

Sin of Commission

A sin that results from a freely chosen and deliberate thought, word, or deed that is contrary to God's moral law. It involves actively performing an evil action or expressing an evil sentiment, consciously choosing to do what is morally wrong, and thus is an active transgression against God's commands.

Sin of Omission

A sin that occurs when an individual knowingly and freely fails to do something good, just, or required by God's moral law. It is the culpable failure to act when one has a clear moral obligation to do so, missing an opportunity to perform a virtuous deed, and thus is a failure to fulfill a moral duty.

Grace

A free and undeserved supernatural gift from God, given to us through the merits of Jesus Christ, that assists us in living according to God's will, participating in His divine life, and ultimately achieving salvation. It is God's active, loving presence and intervention in human lives, perfecting our nature and enabling us to grow in holiness.

Charisms

Special, extraordinary graces or unique gifts given by the Holy Spirit to individuals not primarily for their own sanctification, but for the sake of building up the Church and for the greater good of humanity. These gifts are diverse (e.g., prophecy, healing, teaching) and are always meant to serve the common good, strengthen the community, and advance the mission of the Church.

Mortal Sin

A grave violation of God's law that completely severs a person's relationship with God, leading to the loss of sanctifying grace (spiritual death) and eternal beatitude if unrepented. For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must simultaneously be met: it must involve grave matter (serious offense against God's law), be committed with full knowledge of its sinful character and gravity, and be carried out with complete and deliberate consent of the will.

Venial Sin

A less serious sin that damages, but does not totally break, a person's relationship with God. It involves a moral disorder that a person commits either without full knowledge or complete consent, or concerning a less grave matter. While it weakens charity and merits temporal punishment, it does not deprive the soul of sanctifying grace and can be repaired through acts of charity, prayer, and penance.

Conscience

The inner voice or faculty of practical reason and a judgment of intellect that guides persons to evaluate the moral quality of an action; it urges us to do good and avoid evil, based on God's law inscribed in the human heart. It is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man, where he is alone with God, whose voice echoes in his depths, requiring diligent formation and to be followed by sound moral judgment.

The Ten Commandments

A foundational set of divine laws given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, outlining fundamental moral obligations for all people and revealing the conditions for true freedom and authentic love as part of God's covenant with Israel. They are divided into two primary parts: duties toward God (the first three) and duties toward neighbor (the subsequent seven), and are eternally binding, summarized in the two great commandments of love, and remain valid for all humanity.

Virtue

A habitual and firm disposition to do good, enabling a person to act with ease, self-mastery, and joy. Virtues are moral excellences that are developed through repeated deliberate actions and continually strengthened by God's grace, leading to a good, holy, and truly human life aligned with God's will, perfecting human nature and making one good and one's actions morally good.

Sanctifying Grace

A habitual, permanent, and supernatural gift, also called deifying or habitual grace, that perfects the soul itself, making it holy and enabling it to live with God, to act by His love, and to participate in the divine life as an adopted child of God. It is first received at Baptism, restores one's friendship with God, and is lost through mortal sin.

Actual Grace

God's specific intervention and assistance in particular moments, enabling us to act morally or to obtain and grow in sanctifying grace. It is a temporary, transient prompting or inspiration from God to do good, avoid evil, or perform a particular good work, serving as a divine impulse toward holiness for specific acts rather than a permanent state of the soul.

Theological Virtues

Virtues directly concerned with God, having God as their origin, motive, and object, and infused into the soul by God at baptism. They uniquely dispose Christians to live in a right, intimate, and loving relationship with the Holy Trinity. They are faith (belief in God and all He has revealed), hope (trust in God's promises of eternal life and necessary grace), and charity (love for God above all things and neighbor as self for God's sake), and cannot be acquired by human effort alone.

Cardinal Virtues

Four human or moral virtues that play a pivotal role and are considered the foundation, or 'hinge,' of all other moral virtues because they govern our actions, purify our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and faith. These are prudence (right reason in action), justice (giving God and neighbor their due), fortitude (courage in difficulties), and temperance (moderation in pleasures). All other moral virtues are grouped around these four, and they are acquired through human effort aided by God's grace.

Divine Revelation

God's communication of Himself and His divine plan to humanity, primarily through sacred Scripture (the Bible) and sacred Tradition (the living, inspired transmission of the Church's faith). This self-communication, completed in Jesus Christ, is how humanity comes to know God's will, His saving love, and His moral laws that guide us to eternal life, providing truths that human reason could not discover on its own.

Original Sin

The fallen state of human nature into which all generations of people are born, resulting from the first sin of Adam and Eve in paradise. It is a state of deprivation of original holiness and justice, inherited by all humanity rather than a personal sin committed by us, leading to a wounded nature, darkened intellect, weakened will (concupiscence), suffering, and death. It is overcome by the grace of Baptism.

Personal Sin

A sin committed by an individual person through a free and knowing act (a thought, word, or deed) or omission, distinct from Original Sin. Personal sins are directly attributable to the individual's responsible choice and are a willful offense against God's law. They can be either mortal or venial, depending on their gravity and the conditions under which they are committed.

Social Sin

The collective effect of many personal sins and sinful structures that contribute to societal injustices, oppression, and systematic evil. It refers to situations, institutions, or patterns of behavior within a society that are contrary to divine goodness, negatively affect the entire community, erode human dignity, and often make it easier for individuals to commit personal sins. Examples include systemic racism, widespread poverty, or war.

Freedom

The power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility. True freedom is inherently ordered towards choosing the good that leads to God and eternal happiness, allowing for self-determination and moral accountability. It is not merely the absence of constraint but flourishes most genuinely when aligned with God's truth and moral law.