Catholic Morality

Morality

Is the law of God written in our hearts. More than just acts of good or evil, it is living a life directed by grace towards what is good, right, and loving and ultimately, God (the ultimate good).

Divine Law

The highest norm of human life- eternal, objective, and universal-whereby God orders, directs, and governs the entire universe and all the ways of the human community, by a plan conceived in wisdom and love.

Natural Law

God's plan for human living that is written in the very way God created things.

Free Will

The gift from God that allows us to choose between good and evil. Human freedom attains its perfection when directed toward good, love, and God. It is the basis for moral responsibility.

Conscience

A moral decision making ability centering on what a person has already done or will do in the future It is a God-given gift to every human being to be able to discern good from evil.

Righteousness

Conduct in conformity to God's will (How God wants us to live). It means to be in right relationship - with self, others, creation, and God.

Principle of Human Dignity

All human beings are created in the image and likeness of God and therefore are loved, redeemed, and priceless (have infinite worth). This is inherent, inalienable, and inviolable.

Grace

God's life within us, which is a gift from God that helps us live as Children of God.

Peace

When God's order or will is taking place.

Beatitudes

Jesus' teachings about the meaning and path to true happiness; descriptions of the way to attain eternal blessedness, or holiness, to which God calls all of us.

Happiness

All are created (wired) for this. God is the source and object of all beatitude. The secret to this is moral living.

Holiness

It means to be set-apart and consecrated to God and God's purposes. It refers to God's presence within us (grace) and our faithfulness to God by living as Christ lived.

God's Will

Refers to God's plans and intentions. This is always directed towards the good, towards life, towards love.

Virtues

Good habits, qualities, and patterns of behavior that incline us to do good and make good moral choices

Cardinal Virtues

The "hinge" virtues from which all other virtues come. They are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.

Theological Virtues

Three foundational virtues that are infused by God into the souls of the faithful: faith, hope, and charity.

Divine Revelation

God's self-communication by which God makes known the mystery of His loving plan, realized by his actions and words over time, most fully by his sending us his divine son, Jesus Christ.

Sacred Tradition

The living transmission of the deposit of faith, faithfully preserved, handed down, and interpreted by the Church's Magisterium.

Materialism

The belief that the only important thing in life is material wealth, not God

Jesus's Greatest Commandments

"Love the Lord your God above all else and love your neighbor as yourself."