freedom

“Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.”  -St. JP II

• true freedom isn’t just being free from rules so that one can do whatever they want, whenever they want, wherever they want

  • why? because choosing sin leads to slavery to sin

  • you can’t NOT sin if enslaved to sin, and if you can’t stop doing something, you are not free

• freedom is linked to choosing what is good—leads human person to happiness we were made for

• the moral code is not a duty to be followed BUT a reflection of what is good for humans

  • moral rules guide us towards higher goods instead of lesser ones

• true freedom in a moral context is NOT the ability to choose whatever you want, but being free to choose the Good

  • other examples: dating vs. marriage, career choices, etc.

• freedom from rules and restrictions vs. freedom for love and virtue

  • freedom from rules and restrictions

    • so that we can: do whatever we happen to think is best, which for most people means serving ourselves through sin

• freedom for love and virtue

  • so that we can: love/serve God and others instead of ourselves (which is what slavery to sin makes us do).

sin and conversion

original sin and the source of the world’s problems

1. the great drama of every human life is a the gap between who one is versus who one is meant to be/become

   1. in a condition of brokenness that harms relationships with God, others, self and creation

2. the primary source of sin is pride

   1. rejection of God’s will (which always wants and knows what’s best for us) in favor of one’s own will

   2. people do this out of distrust

deciding if an action is sinful

• object: the thing with which the action is essentially concerned (action that you are doing, must be in line with Law of God, some are always bad)

• intention: what you desire to accomplish (must want good outcome)

• circumstance: things separate from the object that are involved (people, place, time, etc)

  • all three of these must be good or neutral for an action to be considered moral

defining sin

• omission: neglecting to do something good that you should do

• commission: doing an act that is bad

• mortal sin: when someone has deadened themselves to goodness (grave matter/object, full consent of will and full knowledge that it is wrong)

• venial sin: when someone has wounded but not broken their relationship with God/others completely

conversion

• God’s mercy is always available to those who ask

  • this isn’t an invitation to take advantage of God’s forgiveness by dwelling in continuous sin (presumption)

• can occur in large and small ways

• conversion is not just leaving behind your sin; it is turning towards Christ, who loves you!

  • we’re not escapists

  • “Brethren let us long, for we are to be filled”

• temptation to think that if we leave behind sin we’re going to be missing out on something, but if we have the Highest Good, what Goodness could we be missing?

  • Why don’t people seek God’s mercy more often?

dignity of the human person

• the human person was made in the image of God and therefore has infinite dignity and worth

  • made in image and likeness of God = intellect and will

• created in the image of the one God and equally endowed with rational souls, all men have the same nature and the same origin. redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, all are called to participate in the same divine beatitude: all therefore enjoy an equal dignity

evaluating the human person

• placing a finite value on the life of a human person completely disregards Catholic moral tenets

• cannot treat the human person as something that can be valued based on what they produce, how efficient they are, etc.

  • goes against modern view of the person

• the right to life supersedes all other rights

  • all controversial issues surrounding life come down to whether or not the right to life itself comes above any other right

  • to draw a line and say that some lives have value and some don’t leads to all life being at risk

    • slippery slope

  • stages especially vulnerable in the eyes of the Catholic church

    • unborn - abortion, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, IVF

    • elderly - euthanasia, nursing home abuses, neglect