Morality: An Invitation to Life in Christ

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Chapter 1

• Morality An Invitation to Life in Christ

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In this chapter

• Morality Our Capacity to Choose Good or Evil
• Christian Morality Our Response to Jesus
• Grace Sharing in Gods Life
• Morality An Art and a Science
• Conclusion Morality Christian Vision in Practice

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Intro and Terms

• Morality
• Our decision making capacity as it affects
  ourselves and others
• Moral
• Positive promotes human welfare
• Immoral
• Negative harmful and destructive
• Nonmoral
• Neutral neither harms nor hurts
• Amoral
• No sense of right or wrong insensitive to moral
  effects of actions

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Moral Responsibility

• Gods gift of Free Will gives us incredible power
• We have the ability to make decisions that
  greatly impact our lives and those of others
• This power can be used positively or negatively
• God gives us this ability and we are to use it
  according to our sense of morality
• Acting in ways that promote the life and dignity
  of others
• We have the responsibility to use this gift of
  Free Will to impact the lives of others in
  positive ways
• Morality serves as a guide for our actions

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Everyday Responsibility

• Each day, we make numerous choices
• Every choice in some way impacts our lives and
  the lives of those around us
• You are what you do
• Our actions become the basis for the type of
  people we will become
• Patterns that will shape the way we will interact
  with the world and one another
• Thus, we are called to continually
• do the right thing by making decisions that
  benefit other people in positive ways
• The purpose of this course
• To help us develop the skill of proper decision
  making in the light of Catholic teaching

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Morality and Jesus

• Christian Morality
• The way that we live our lives in response to
  Jesus
• Jesus
• Truly divine and human
• Everything we face, he faced as a human person
• Model for how we should make decisions
• WWJD
• Not just a catch phrase, but a requirement to
  think about how our God would respond to a given
  situation
• Christian means Christ-like
• Are we truly like Christ?
• Are our actions consistent with those of Jesus?

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Catechism as a Guide

• In addition to the Bible stories of Jesus, we
  have an important guide in our lives
• Catechism of the Catholic Church
• Discusses the process of Christian moral decision
  making
• It is by looking to him in faith that Christs
  faithful can hope that he himself fulfills his
  promises in them, and that, by loving him with
  the same love with which he has loved them, they
  may perform works in keeping with their dignity
  (1698)

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Human Dignity

• Morality involves the understanding and respect
  of ones human dignity
• The fact that we are all created in the image and
  likeness of God (imago Dei)
• Our decisions as Christians must reflect this
  reality that ALL PEOPLE share this dignity
• Sometimes difficult when dealing with people that
  we may not like
• Gods love is responsible for our creation
• Knows no limits, knows no distinctions
• 1 John 4 7-21

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God is Love

• God creates out of love and it is Gods essence
  to love
• God reveals himself and forgives out of love
• Gods love is stronger than a parents love for
  children
• Gods love is everlasting Though the mountains
  may fall
• In response, we must love others
• We must express the love that God extends to us
• Gods love demonstrated through grace
• Gods love and life in us, Gods help
• Free gift to us
• We can accept or ignore
• Various expressions

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Cheap vs. Costly

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• Christian moral theologian
• Felt that faith in Jesus should lead Christians
  to resist actively any expression of inhumanity
• Cheap grace
• Believing God loves me no matter what therefore
  I can do whatever I want
• Costly grace
• A relationship with God that involves a challenge
  and a response on our part
• Gods love commits us to good choices
• Choosing good requires courage
• Risks including persecution

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An Art and a Science

• Living morally requires us
• Know how to promote human dignity
• Put this knowledge into practice
• Combination of two types of knowledge
• What is necessary to promote human dignity
• How to promote human dignity
• Morality involves the science (critical thinking)
  and the art (creativity and imagination)
• opportunity to participate in the goodness of
  creation

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Science

• Critical thinking
• Using systematic thinking and analysis in our
  lives
• Examining with an open mind what we normally take
  for granted
• Does not mean complete rejection
• Asking the question why?
• Not simply accepting convention
• Decision making
• Based on thinking and reasoning
• Awareness of the world
• Evaluation of positive and negative aspects of
  culture and applying awareness to specific
  situations

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Art

• Creativity and Imagination
• The ways in which we put our critical thinking
  into practice
• Ways in which we apply our awareness to specific
  situations
• Actions speak louder than words
• Critical thinking must be combined with actions
• Carrying out awareness to work for change
• Talents
• Gifts given to us by God which help us to live
  out or practice our lives of faith
• Matthew 25 14-27
• Parable of the Talents

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Imagination Morality

• Imagination
• The ability to think of different solutions to a
  problem or situation
• Servant with 10 talents vs. 1 talent
• Necessary part of the moral life
• Human quality
• The ability to dream a little dream
• Not just for great artists
• Life situations require us to use our
  imaginations to think outside of the box
• Negative image of a brick wall

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Gods Co-Workers

• Co-creators
• People who help transform the world and the human
  community into what God intends them to be
• Take part in Gods creation through our actions
• Key aspect of the Christian life
• Having an interest in the lives of others in
  positive, moral, ways to foster harmony
• Important question
• How can we create something beautiful out of
  ourselves and our relationships?

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Christian Vision in Practice

• Starting point
• God loves us
• We are made in the image and likeness of God
• Critical thinking
• Awareness of ourselves and the world
• Decision making
• Attempts to love others
• Made in a community setting
• Acting as Gods co-workers
• Using talents to contribute to the well-being of
  others and the overall goodness of creation

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Chapter 2

• The Virtues
• Cultivating Character

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In This Chapter

• Virtues Habits of the Heart
• The Theological Virtues Faith, Hope, and Charity
• The Cardinal Virtues Hinges Holding Together the
  Moral Life
• A Virtuous Person A Person of Integrity
• Creating Communities of Character
• Conclusion Become a Person of Integrity
  Cultivate Character

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Virtues Habits of the Heart

• Character
• The inclinations toward goodness or evil that are
  part of the fabric of a persons being
• Vices
• Patterns of behavior that are harmful to ones
  self or others
• Virtues
• Character strengths manifested on a consistent
  basis in decision making
• Habits of the heart that need to be cultivated
  and developed
• 2 Main Types of Virtues
• Theological
• Cardinal

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Theological Virtues

• Foundation of Christian moral activity given to
  us by God inner principles which must be
  strengthened
• Faith Hope Charity (Love)

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Faith Seeking to Do Gods Will

• Faith
• Belief in God the virtue of seeking to know and
  to do Gods will
• Requires openness and trust
• Faith-in-Action
• Trying to discover what is Gods will and then
  acting accordingly
• We must keep the faith and live it
• Profess and bear witness to it

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Hope A Virtue of Responsibility

• Enables us to trust that God is always working
  for our good
• Trusting the promises made by Christ and the help
  of the Holy Spirit
• Not wishful thinking
• Not passive
• Having the vision to see things differently and
  trying to bring about change
• Hope implies activity in cooperation with Gods
  grace

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Love The Cornerstone of Virtues

• Represents the core of the Christian moral life
• Places concern for God above everything else
• Demonstrated through love of neighbor
• to love is to will the good of another (CCC
  1766)
• Five characteristics of love
• Giving / Caring / Responsibility / Respect /
  Knowledge
• It is by loving that we are able to live moral
  lives

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Cardinal Virtues

• Practical common sense virtues
• Actions to help Christians live their lives
• Prudence
• Practical judgment
• what is the right thing to do in this particular
  situation?
• Common sense
• Justice
• reminds us that others have rights and basic
  needs that need to be met
• Fortitude
• Courage in the face of adversity
• Standing up for what is right
• Temperance
• Self-control eliminating unnecessary
  distractions to living a good moral life

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Virtuous Person - Integrity

• Integrity
• Being faithful to what one believes
• Putting ones money where mouth is
• 4 major aspects
• Genuineness
• Not hiding behind a role or image seeking honest
  communication with others
• Consistency
• Sticking to ones values
• Openness
• Honest with ourselves
• Empathy
• Identifying the joys and sorrows of others as our
  own

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Communities of Character

• Community of good character
• A community that exhibits an environment where
  virtue is the norm among its members
• Human interdependence is increasing an gradually
  spreading throughout the world. The unity of the
  human family, embracing people who enjoy equal
  natural dignity, implies a universal common
  good.
• CCC 1911