Welcome!

Life in Christ: Christian Morality

Session 1: The Vocation of the Human Person

Our Journey Through the Catechism…

God’s Self Revelation& Our Faith Response

I. Profession of Faith II. Celebration of the Christian Mystery III. Moral Life in Christ

IV. Christian Prayer

How do I respond to the call to holiness in my daily life?

Session Schedule

• Opening Prayer• Paired Activity• Talk #1: Faith and Truth• Standing Activity • Talk #2: The Moral Act• Small Group Activity• Closing Prayer

Scriptural Meditation • Encountering & Engaging the Word of God • Using your imagination to enter into the scene • Picturing yourself as one of the characters,

or as an eyewitness• Meditating on Bl. John Paul II’s reflections

The Rich Young Man (Mt 19:16-22)

And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”

And He said to him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

The Rich Young ManHe asked him,

“Which ones?” And Jesus replied,

“You shall not kill; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your Father and Mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself...”

The Rich Young Man…

The young man said to Him, “All these I have observed. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad; for he had many possessions.

Paired Activity: Pair, Share, Compare

• What does the "call to holiness" mean in terms of the Christian moral life?

• Who is one of your heroes in the faith, and how does this person embody a life of holiness?

Talk #1:The Dignity of the Human Person

- The moral life begins in the act of faith

- As in all acts of faith, a moral conversion requires dying to one’s self and entrusting oneself to Christ.

- Faith & Truth = foundation for holiness

Image and Likeness of God

• For Christians, the truth is given in Christ

•To live in the truth (in Christ!) is to live a genuinely good life

• The Beatitudes depict this life of holiness to which all are called

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“The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation in the image and likeness of God; it is fulfilled in his vocation to divine beatitude.” (CCC, n. 1700)

Virtue: “an habitual and firm disposition to do the good” (CCC, n. 1803)

Cardinal Virtues

Prudence: “Right reason in action” (CCC, n. 1806; St. Thomas Aquinas)

Justice: “Constant and firm will to give due to God and neighbor” (CCC, n. 1807)

Fortitude: “Ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good” (CCC, n. 1808)

Temperance: “Moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods” (CCC, n. 1809)

Theological Virtues

Faith: “Believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us” (CCC, n. 1814)

Hope: “Desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness” (CCC, n. 1817)

Love: “Love God above all things for his own sake, and neighbor as ourselves” (CCC, n. 1822)

Conscience:“A Judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality

of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has completed” (CCC, n. 1777).

Good News: Uprightness of moral consciencePrudent judgmentAssume responsibilities for one’s actions

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Bad News: Malformation of ConscienceErroneous judgment

Red Balloon

Beatitudes (Mt 5:3-12)

• The foundations upon which our consciences need to be properly formed

•The perfection of the moral life

•The sure guides to being able "to do the Truth"

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“The Beatitudes reveal the goal of human existence, the ultimate end of human acts: God calls us to his own beatitude.” (CCC, n. 1718)

Standing Activity: “Beatitude Stations”

Select a Beatitude that you like best,most relate to, or find most challenging….

Create a "Billboard" in miniature for your Beatitude: – Use a sign or symbol to represent it– Create a slogan or motto to get people’s attention– Why is it counter-cultural? Who is a saint that lived it?

Consider how you could get your audience to (re)discover this concrete path to holiness.

Beatitude Attitude (Mt 5:3-12)Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,for they will inherit the land.

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

Blessed are the merciful,for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart,for they will see God.

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

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Talk #2: The Moral Act and the Human Community

• The purpose or goal or “end” of human life is holiness, beatitude, or sanctity

• This goal or “end” requires a conversion of the whole self to Christ

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++The Magisterium: The teaching authority of the Church

- Bears witness to the truth of human life- Led by the Holy Spirit, and a sure guide

to authentic freedom

Freedom “Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will,

to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility.” (CCC, n. 1731)

“Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward

God, our beatitude.” (CCC, n. 1731)

Components of a Moral Act

The constitutive elements of the morality of the human act are the object, the intention and the circumstances.

• “The object chosen is a good toward which the will deliberately acts itself. It is the matter of a human act.” (CCC, n. 1751)

• “In contrast to the object, the intention resides in the acting subject.” It is ordered to the end of the act. (CCC, n. 1752)

• “The circumstances, including the consequences, are secondary elements of a moral act.” (CCC, n. 1754)

The Human Person and Society

Although the person is formed and aided by society, “the human person . . . is and ought to be the principle, the subject and the end of all social institutions.” (CCC, n. 1881)

“…everyone should look upon his neighbor (without any exception) as 'another self,’ above all bearing in mind his life and the means necessary for living it with dignity.”

(CCC, n. 1931)

HUNGRY FOR GOD

Foundation of Human Society Common Good: “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.” (CCC, n. 1906)

Subsidiarity: “a community of higher order should not interfere in the internal life of the community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to co-ordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good.” (CCC, n. 1893)

Small Group Activity:Applied Principles of Catholic Morality

EITHER: Discuss a situation using the three dimensions of the Moral Act:

- Object or objective act- (Subjective) Intention- Circumstance/consequence

****************************************************OR: Discuss a contemporary social justice issue using principles of Catholic social teachings - respect for the human person, solidarity,

the common good, and subsidiarity….

**Which of the social teachings apply, and why? **Environmental protection; educational reform; nuclear disarmament; globalized capitalism.

actions: participating in youth sports; checking facebook while at work; sharing bad news of another person

intentions: providing for one's family; staying in touch with local, national and international news; protecting those who are poor and suffering

Review & Reflection:

How do I respond to the call to holiness in my daily life?

Follow-up Reflection and Resources

2) Recommended follow-up:

US/CCA, Chapters 23-24: “Life in Christ”

Catholicism, Episode II:“The Teachings of Jesus”

1) Session Evaluation & Feedback

3) For Catechists & Catholic School Teachers:“Record of Formation,” including:

required reflection & documentation

Closing Prayer: “Blessed are they”

Blessed are they, the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are they, full of sorrow, they shall be consoled.

Refrain:Rejoice and be glad! Blessed are

you, holy are you,Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the

kingdom of God!

Blessed are they , the lowly ones, they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they, who hunger and thirst, they shall have their fill. (Refrain)

Blessed are they…Blessed are they, who show mercy,

mercy shall be theirs.Blessed are they, the pure of heart,

they shall see God.

RefrainRejoice and be glad! Blessed are you, holy are you,Rejoice and be glad! Yours is the kingdom of God!

Blessed are they, who seek peace, they are the children of God.

Blessed are they who suffer in faith, the Glory of God is theirs. (Refrain)

Blessed are they…

Blessed are you who suffer hate, all because of me.

Rejoice and be glad, yours is the kingdom, shine for all to see. (Refrain)

Refrain:Rejoice and be glad!

Blessed are you, holy are you,Rejoice and be glad!

Yours is the kingdom of God!