Unit two morality

Jesus and the new law

• Jesus calls us to the beatitudes; goals are eternal happiness and to love as he loved, meaning self-emptying love, and allow God to live in us and teach us the power of the holy spirit 

spirit of the law

• perfects old law, intensifying the law, setting a higher standard, not limiting the law, emphasizes intent and love=standard 

letter of the law

•  strict interpretation of the literal meaning limits the minimum requirements of the law 

the great commandment 

• Do unto the other as you would have them do unto you; not an eye for an eye, but as an equal, having total self emptying kove that serves centered on the great commandment

golden rule

• calls us to change our attitudes 

• Rid ourselves of moral superiority 

• Never judge our neighbors' hearts thats for God akine 

• You can see actions as sin and call them to change but do not judge or force 

beatitude 

eight blessings  preached by Jesus in the sermon on the mount - teach you about supreme happiness and who God calls us to be

beatific vision

• contemplation of God in heavenly glory source of eternal happiness 

kingdom of God

• - God's reconciling/renewing all things through his son + to his will being done on earth as it is in heaven 

• Began with Jesus and will be perfectly complete at the end of times 

metanoia

•  Greek term for repentance, turning away from sin, the intention of living a Christian life

beatitude one

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

beatitude two

Blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.

beatitude three

Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.

beatitude four

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.

beatitude five

Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.

beatitude six

Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God.

beatitude seven

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.

beatitude eight

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

theological virtue

Theo( From God) - gifts from God that empower us to be good so that we may do good - INFUSED BY GOD INTO OUR SOULS AT BAPTISM, enable 

us to live in relationship to the Blessed Trinity 

theological virtue one

faith - enables us to believe in God

theological virtue two

• Hope -enables us to desire heaven and eternal life 

theological virtue three

Charity/love - the greatest virtue of all, enables us to love God and our neighbor

charity meaning

always means poured out for the other, and we give love through the sacraments for the other

cardinal virtues

• healthy, good habits that help us to do good/empower us to become what God wants us to be

• , moral skills that help us live a Christ-centered life, they give our actions, help us face obstacles to following Christ, and help us move closer to eternal life with God. It has to be a habit - doing something once is not a virtue

the opposite of virtue

sin

The Cardinal Virtues - 1

• Prudence  - right reason in action; helps us see beyond the immediate; become actors, not reactors (this virtue drives the others)

The Cardinal Virtues - 2

Justice -  Giving God and each person his or her due by right

The Cardinal Virtues - 3

• Fortitude - courage to persist in living a Christian life 

The Cardinal Virtues - 4

• Temperance - moderation in controlling desires; “balance”

main idea of resposibility and impediments to freedom

 to the degree that your choices and actions are voluntary, you are responsible for them. Impediments to your freedom can limit your culpability for sinful actions

imputable

• definitely attributable to a specific person or entity, then that person/entity can clearly be held accountable for said actions (this doesn’t say that you can choose if its imputable - you will have to accept responsibility when you face God) 

entity

•  like a group of people like a school being held responsible for actions

• Every act directly willed is imputable to its author (the actor) 

why are we resposible for our actions

•  because responsibility and freedom go hand in hand bc your free choices have consequences -we are accountable for their impact 

• We also have the capacity to grow from accepting responsibility

  • If you are forced you are not held to the same degree of accountablity

  • we can grow from our sins 

impediments to freedom limit -

• - things that block us from being able to be fully free within our actions

we can overcome impediments to freedom through

•  prayer and acts of self-denial, you can regain freedom to cooperate with God’s grace and live more lovingly toward God, your neighbor, and yourself

impediment one

Ignorance - sometimes a person truly does not know the right way to behave

impediment two

Inadvertence - not paying attention or being distracted can limit a person's culpability for an action.

impediment three

Duress- Your freedom is certainly impeded when someone forces you to do something

impediment four

• Inordinate attachments - sometimes money/other material attachments enslave a person to such a degree that the person is not able to act with full freedom 

impediment five

• Habit - repeated behavior can lead to habits 

• Good habits = virtues 

• Bad habits = vices (gluttony)  

emotions are NOT morally good or bad

true

most basic emotion is

love

emotion are

•  morally neutral to the degree that emotions engage our reason and will; we can find moral good or evil in them when they influence us to a particular action that is good or evil