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Principle

A guideline for living out our values and directing our actions.

Value

Something a person considers important or worthwhile.

Norm

A socially accepted standard translating beliefs into guidelines for action.

Belief

Something a person accepts as true.

Inordinate Attachment

An excessive attachment interfering with choosing what is good.

Duress

Pressure, threats, or force that limits a person's freedom.

Habit

A repeated behavior that can influence choices and responsibility.

Inadvertence

Failing to pay attention or being distracted while acting.

Ignorance

Not knowing something a person should know.

Merit

The reward associated with cooperating with God's grace.

Imputable

Able to be attributed to a specific person as their responsibility.

Determinism

The philosophy that actions result from causes independent of human will.

Moral Law

God's wise guidance directing people toward good and away from evil.

Natural Law

Human participation in God's eternal law through reason.

Civil Law

Laws established by government applying moral principles to social life.

Canon Law

The official body of laws governing the Catholic Church.

Revealed Law

What God has revealed through the Old Law and the New Law.

Beatitude

Happiness or blessedness, ultimately fulfilled in union with God.

Justification

God's act of making us right with him through Jesus Christ.

Vice

A bad habit or disposition inclining someone toward wrongdoing.

Metanoia

Conversion or a change of heart turning a person toward God.

Kingdom of God

God's reign and activity in the world revealed through Jesus.

Grace

God's free and undeserved gift enabling us to share in his life.

Six Impediments to Freedom

Ignorance, inadvertence, duress, fear, inordinate attachment, and habit.

Culpability

The degree to which a person is morally responsible for wrongdoing.

Source of Human Freedom

God creating us with intellect and free will.

Freedom

The ability to choose what is good and act responsibly.

License

Excessive, uncontrolled freedom treating personal desires as the only limit.

External Freedom

Freedom from outside factors that restrict our ability to choose.

Internal Freedom

Freedom from internal factors like destructive habits or attachments.

Passions

Emotions or feelings arising in response to things perceived as good or bad.

First Commandment

I am the Lord your God. You shall not have other gods.

Second Commandment

You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain.

Third Commandment

Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.

Fourth Commandment

Honor your father and your mother.

Fifth Commandment

You shall not kill.

Sixth Commandment

You shall not commit adultery.

Seventh Commandment

You shall not steal.

Eighth Commandment

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Ninth Commandment

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.

Tenth Commandment

You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.

Aquinas's Definition of Law

An ordinance of reason for the common good, promulgated by one in charge.

Ordinance of Reason

A law must be based on reason rather than arbitrary preference.

For the Common Good

A law should promote the well-being of the community.

By One in Charge

The law must be established by a legitimate authority.

Promulgated

The law must be officially made known to the people.

STOP Method (S)

Search out the facts: moral object, intention, circumstances.

STOP Method (T)

Think about alternatives and consequences.

STOP Method (O)

Others affected: consider dignity, rights, and well-being.

STOP Method (P)

Principles and Church teaching: apply relevant moral laws.

Moral Object

What action am I choosing?

Intention

Why am I choosing this action?

Circumstances

Who, what, when, where, and how of an action.

The Common Good

Social conditions allowing individuals and groups to flourish.

Virtue

A stable disposition to do good consistently.

The Golden Rule

Treat others as you would want them to treat you.

The Incarnation

God the Son became human in Jesus Christ.

Discipleship

Following Jesus by learning from him and putting teachings into practice.