Moral Theology (September 11, 2020)

1) Scripture
 The Bible took more than a thousand years to take shape.
 The Bible does not have one theology; it has theologies. It does not have one ethical
perspective; it has a variety of ethical perspectives.
 On one and the Bible makes claims for special revelation – special knowledge given to
persons of faith.
2) Magisterium
 Is the church’s institutional teaching authority on matters of faith and moral.
 Is also used to refer to the hierarchy and their exercise of official teaching authority in the
church.
3) Experience
 Doctrinal development is growth in the Church insight into Christ; we grow in understanding
what it means to imitate Christ in our life as a Church
 Since the time of the early Church, slavery had been accepted as a legitimate practice.
 Only in the 19th century that the world begun to stop the practice of slavery.
4) Natural Law
 Natural law approach to ethics has the fundamental belief that God created an ordered
universe with a specific purpose.
 God created human beings with enough intelligence so that they can use their reason to
observe that natural world and make reliable judgments about God’s purpose and had
human behavior may cooperate with God’s plan.

Biblical Perspective of Sin

1) Covenant
 Covenant expresses our personal relationship with God.
 God’s offer of love awaits our acceptance.
 Sin understood within the context of a covenant relationship between us and God.
 Sin in the Bible is not merely breaking the law. Sin is breaking or weakening the
bond of love we have with God.
2) Heart
 Divine love is either or embraced by the heart.
 It is where vital decisions are made; it is the center of feeling and reason, intention
and consciousness, decision and action.
 The moral vision of the bible sees good and evil not just in deeds but in the heart.

Kinds of Sin

1) Original Sin
 Exists prior to our free personal acts.
 Deprivation of Original Holiness and Justice
  It is the human condition of living in a world where we are influenced by more evil.
 Our whole being and our environment are infected by this condition of evil.
 Two consequences: Death & Concupiscence.
 The doctrine of original sin tells us that we are not completely broken by sin.
2) Mortal and Venial sin
 The term mortal and venial sins came into use as a result of efforts to be precise4 about the
distinctions in the degree of sin.
 Mortal sin is a conscious decision to act in a way that leads to a turning away from relating
to God, to others, and the world in a positive and life giving away.
 Mortal sin involves the gravity of the objective harm that the action causes and how deeply
invested is the person in action.
 Venial sin is called analogously.
 It wounds our relationship with God, others and the world but not radically break the
relationship.
 It is action inconsistently with our basic commitment but it does not spring from our
deepest level of our knowledge and freedom.
3) Conscience
 Always summoning him to love well and avoid evil, the voice of conscience when necessary
speaks to his heart: do this, shun that.
 Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of man.
 Sanctuary is holy, sacred and safe place.

 Forming our conscience is a process of conversion and lifelong task.
 Thru prayer and reflection.
 By allowing ourselves to be shaped and inspired.
 By being open to dialogue with others.