Lesson 3: The Locus for Dialogue with God

Letter of Paul to the Corinthians – 1 Corinthians 10:25-33

Leb translated as Heart

hebrew word core of the human person from where thoughts and plans, feelings and emotions come

New Testament has the Greek Word Syneidesis – St. Paul used as conscience

Corinthian Christians:
1. the veteran Christians or the disciples of strong conscience;
2. the neophyte Christians or the disciples of weak conscience.

The Dignity of the Human Conscience

conscience Latin word conscientia
derived from the two Latin word

cum scientia

with knowledge

Conscience – is a law
– persuades us to be obedient

Gaudium et Spes, no. 16 – teaches the dignity of conscience

Vatican II – Pastoral – the human person detects a law which he/she does not impose upon himself/herself
constitution on the church but which holds him/her to obedience

Vatican II teaches a host of things about conscience:

1. Conscience is where moral law is recognized.
2. Conscience has a basic function, consisting in urging the person to do good and to shun evil.
3. Conscience is a sacred locus for human dialogue with God.
4. Conscience is a common heritage of humanity.
5. The dictates of conscience must always be obeyed since it is the most intimate and ultimate.
6. Every human person has the duty to grow in maturity of conscience.

Types of Conscience:
1. Synderesis – medieval, religious books term for conscience
– value found in all humans infallible incapable of error and is a sure guide to human behavior
– moral evaluation

2. Moral Science – in search for truth according to Dignitatis Humanae no. 1 recognizes only one master – the truth
Lawrence Kohlberg 7 motives:
 Fear of Physical Punishment
 Desire for Material Reward
 Acceptance by Persons considered Significant
 Need for Law and Order
 Defense off Human Rights
 Quest for Justice
 Love

3. Syneidesis – greek word for conscience

– infallible – is not the impossibility of error but impossibility of sinning
– no moral evaluation
Moral Norm (Law)
1. Eternal Law – extent of saving plan of God
2. Natural Law – demand of creation
3. Positive Law – demand of the eternal law and of the natural law

Lesson 4: Tragedy and Hope in Human Life

Sin

Christian Concept of Sin

Psalm 51 – miserere or King David’s poetic song asking for mercy

Hebrew words that tell us what sin is all about:

 Pesha – offence, relationship that is broken
 Awon – guilt, literally the disfigurement caused by a massive weight
 Hattah – sin, losing one’s way in the journey of life

Bathsheba – wife of uraiah/natanaw ni David

Prophet Nathan – pinadala ni God

The Degrees of Sinfulness

 Venial Sins – offend God “slightly” and cause the spiritual sickness
 Mortal Sins – offend God “gravely” and cause spiritual death
– is a firm decision against God; rejection of God

Mortal Sin St. Paul Writes:

 Sexually immoral lives
 Worship idols
 Adulterers
 Perverts
 Thieves
 Drunkards
 Slanderers

2008, The Holy Father issued an updated list of mortal sins:

 Drug abuse or drug dealing
 Genetic manipulation
 Social injustice and inequalities
 Causing poverty
 Environmental pollution
 Becoming obscenely wealthy or personal enrichment to the detriment of the common God

Venial Sin –when the requirements for mortal sin are not met

Personal Sin – no sin is purely personal

Social Sin – a direct attack against neighbor

Committed Sin – evil is done (you shall not kill)

Omitted Sin – good is not done (honor your father and your mother)

Eternal Sin – bodily powers and energy

Internal Sin – memory and imagination

Example of Internal Sins:
 Mental Complacency or Sinful Fantasy – imagination of doing something wrong w/o actually wanting to do it
 Sinful Joy – the delight at having done something evil
 Sinful Regret –the sadness at not having done something bad
 Sinful Desire – determination to do something forbidden

Capital Sins – source of human sinfulness

 Vainglory – petty and ridiculous claim to superiority
 Envy – dislike for the excellence of others
 Anger – instinctive urge to suppress and repel whatever is hostile
 Avarice or Greed – disorderly pursuit of material things
 Lust – unrestrained quest for sexual pleasure
 Intemperance – lack of control or self discipline, in matters of drinking, such intemperance called gluttony
 Spiritual Sloth - lack of interest in the spiritual realm, repugnance to work

Responsibility for the Sins of Others:

1. Seduction – deliberate effort to lead one to sin (ex. teaching someone how to steal or pick pocket)
2. Scandal – conduct that was performed with no intention of leading someone to sin
3. Cooperation in the Sins of Others – degree of responsibility that an accomplice has in a sin perpetrated by the
principal culprit
Two kinds of such Cooperation:
a. Formal Cooperation – wholehearted collaboration
b. Material Cooperation – heartless collaboration

Conversion – refers to a change of direction. Understanding conversion begins with a knowledge of human
consciousness or awareness.

Levels of Consciousness:
1. Empirical – awareness of the what; the consciousness regarding one’s surroundings.
2. Intellectual – awareness of the why; the consciousness regarding the reasons behind one’s surroundings.
3. Rational – awareness of the which; the consciousness of the choices one has and of the option made.
4. Responsible – awareness of the who; the consciousness of the one to whom he or she is answerable for his or her
behavior.

Kinds of Conversion:
1. Intellectual – empirical to intellectual; process of getting rid of all falsehood and of being open to the truth no
matter what. Seen in authentic behavior.
2. Moral – intellectual to rational; process of shifting one’s standards of judgement from mere satisfactions to
genuine values. Seen in the courage to behave differently from the majority of people.
3. Religious – rational to responsible; process of doing everything for the one to whom he or she is responsible.
Seen in the attachment to God alone and above else.

Identification:
Ignorance – lack or absence of knowledge needed by a person in doing an act
Freedom – ability to act or not to act
Habit – an easy, pleasurable, and relatively permanent behavior
Temperament – an inborn innate disposition towards a certain way of acting or behaving
Obedience – the value of carrying out the will of God
Gratitude – the sense of being aware of the gifts that we receive each day
Fear – stressful condition from the threat of an impending future evil
Violence – the use of force
Passion – an intense emotion
Moral – good actions are also called by this term