Christian Moral Principles Midterm

What is the name of the 3rd pillar of the Catechism?

"Life in Christ"

Name the 2 sections of the 3rd Pillar of the Catechism

Man's vocation: Life in the Spirit and the Ten Commandments

What are the 3 chapters of Man's Vocation?

The dignity of the human person, the human community, God's salvation: law and grace

What the 8 topics that we discussed in chapter 1 of Man's Vocation?

image of God, vocation to beatitude, freedom, morality of human acts, morality of the passions, moral conscience, the virtues, sin

T/F All Christians are called to the vocation of beatitude

true

Why can learning about Jesus teach us more about ourselves?

Because Jesus has human nature working perfectly the way it is supposed to so we can learn how to act to journey to God, because His nature is also so closely united to God

What is the consequences of detaching freedom from truth?

freedom is our ability to choose and makes us responsible for our actions, but without truth it is undermined

What (and how) do the beatitudes respond to?

our natural desire for happiness, they respond to it by pointing us to the good, living out the Beatitudes points us to Christ

How do the Beatitude confront us with moral choices?

They give us examples of behavior that ultimately leads us to God, which we can make choices about cultivating in our lives.

Is beatitude a free gift?

YES

What does God give us to attain Him? based on Gaudium et Spes

freedom, the ability to choose Him

What is freedom?

the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, on one's own responsibility

Can an act be a human act without freedom?

No, a human act has to have understanding and will

To what extent does freedom make man responsible for his acts?

to the extent they are voluntary

What factors decrease imputability?

ignorance, duress, fear, habit, psychological, social factors, inordinate attachments

Describe freedom for excellence

freedom comes from the intellect and will, acting with understanding and choosing it for yourself, with a natural inclination toward the good

Describe freedom of indifference

freedom comes before the intellect and will which allows you to choose indifferently between good and evil

How does choosing the good make us more free?

Choosing evil enslaves us to sin, when we lie we have to now serve that lie to not get caught in it, so we aren't free to make the same choices if we hadn't lied

Do external factors affect freedom?

Yes, injustice, social, political, economic, cultural conditions all play a part as well

What are the 3 sources of morality?

the object, intention, and circumstances of an act

What is the object of an act?

the act itself, what is done by the act

What is the end of an action?

the intention, what you are trying to accomplish

What are the circumstances of an action?

The situations surrounding the action

T/F all 3 sources of morality of an action have to be good for the act to be good

true

Give an example of an act being intrinsically evil by its object

stealing

What are the passions?

emotions that incline us to act or not in regard to perceived good or evil

what is the most fundamental passion?

love

why is love the most fundamental of the passions?

it is the first movement of the human heart to the good that all other passions have their source in

What are the principle passions, including love?

love, hatred, desire, fear, joy, sadness, anger

How do the passions incur moral quality?

if they engage reason and will they can be moral or immoral

T/F the passions can be morally neutral, if true explain how

True, if they don't engage the reason and will

T/F the passions are part of moral perfection, if true explain how

True, the Holy Spirit work through the passions to inspire us to moral good or dissuade us from moral evil

Give an example of the passions in moral perfection.

The passions contribute to moral perfection when they are appropriate to the situation. For example, If your roommate steals your leftovers out of the fridge, you could become angry. If you then let that anger propel you to have a conversation about boundaries with your roommate, both pointing them to moral action and recovering your personal space, then the anger is contributing to moral perfection.

"Deep within his conscience man discovers a law"

GS

what is conscience?

a judgment of reason where the human person can recognize the moral quality of a concrete act

how are the passions involved in moral perfection?

the passions should move you toward the moral path with your will, the will shouldn't move you by yourself

What 3 things are included about conscience?

knowledge of the first principles, applying them to the circumstances, then making a judgement about the concrete act

What is an example of a first principle?

Do good, avoid evil

What does conscience entice us to follow?

the moral law

T/F conscience is essential to human dignity

True

What should man do when confronted with an uncertain moral decision?

always seek what is right, try to discern God's will in divine law (What does God say about this?), examine your past experience and the norms of the time with prudence, advice, and the Holy Spirit

T/F The conscience can err

True, the conscience can make a decision away from reason or can be ignorant

T/F Ignorance can be blameworthy

True, if it is willful ignorance

What is a good conscience formed by?

virtue, Scripture, prayer, examination, reflection

What 3 major moral guidelines does CCC 1789 give?

never do evil that good may result, do what you want others to do to you, don't make someone else stumble

what is invincible ignorance? does it allow for culpability?

the person isn't responsible for the ignorance, no

what is virtue?

a habitual and firm disposition to do the good

what are the four cardinal virtues?

justice, temperance, prudence, fortitude

what verse talks about the cardinal virtues?

Wisdom 8:7

What are the 2 types of human virtues?

moral and intellectual

What type of human virtue are the cardinal virtues?

moral

What is prudence?

right reason in action, how we discern the true good in situations

what is justice

the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor, being upright toward your neighbor and God

what is justice toward God called?

religion

what is fortitude?

firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good

What is temperance?

moderate the attraction of pleasures

"Virtue is a good quality of the mind, by which one lives rightly, which no one uses badly, which God works in us without us"

St. Augustine, virtue is impossible to use badly because it is a firm, habitual disposition to the good. By saying God works without us, St. Augustine is honing in on the necessariness of grace in attaining virtue

What is the object of the theological virtues?

God

T/F We can gradually increase in the theological virtues because they are built up by choices, not infused by God

False, they are infused by God and grown in us through His free gift

Which Scripture verse reveals the theological virtues?

1 Corinthians 13:13 "So faith, hope, and love abide, but the greatest of these is love"

Finish the sentence... The theological virtues are the pledge of the _______ and ________ of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being. Where does it come from?

presence and action, CCC 1813

T/F The moral virtues are rooted in the theological virtues while the intellectual are not.

False, all the human virtue is rooted in the theological

what is faith?

"the virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that He has said and revealed to us"

Describe the 3 types of faith

credere Deum- to believe in God's existence

credere Deo- to trust God

credere in Deum- the believe unto God

Explain credere in Deum more

to be propelled toward hope and charity by belief

Does faith include thinking?

Yes, Augustine defined it as thinking with assent

What does faith perfect?

the intellect

Can you come to believe in truths of the faith with only your reason?

No, it requires trust in God's testimony

What is hope?

how we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness

fill in the blank... hope is ______ desire and ________ expectation

expectant, desirous

What aspect of the human person does hope perfect?

the will, by inspiring it to trust in God's promises

What does hope respond to?

our desire for happiness

Which virtue fulfills the hope of Israel?

hope

Which virtue could be described as a weapon that protects us in the struggle of salvation?

hope

what is charity or love?

how we love God above all things for His own sake and can then love our neighbor as ourself

What aspect of human nature does charity perfect?

the will

which is the greatest of the virtues?

charity

which virtue is the form of the others? and how?

charity, meaning that it inspires all the other virtues

What Scripture verse details the gifts of the Spirit?

Isaiah 11:1-2

how many gifts are there?

7

what are they?

understanding, knowledge, fear of the Lord, counsel, might, wisdom, piety,

define the gifts of the Spirit

permanent dispositions which make man docile in following the promptings of the Holy Spirit

Fill in the blank.... ________ complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them.

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Differentiate between the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit

Both the Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit are given to us rather than built up through our own efforts. However, the Gifts perfect the virtues while the Fruits are perfections in themselves.

What are the 12 Fruits of the Spirit?

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity

What is sin?

an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience

Differentiate between moral and venial sin

mortal sin has 3 three conditions if any one of them isn't met, the sin is venial

What are 3 conditions of mortal sin?

serious matter, full consent, full knowledge

What are the consequences of mortal sin?

loss of charity and the state of grace, without reconciliation causes hell

What must we do when we see an act dealing with grave matter?

entrust judgment to the justice and mercy of God

what are the consequences of venial sin?

charity is wounded

What is sin?