IRS2 Christian Morality

Module 5-Note 2
(Related Readings on Contemporary Moral Issues)
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

INTRODUCTION

"Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" To the young man who asked this question,
Jesus answers first by invoking the necessity to recognize God as the "One there is who is good," as the
supreme Good and the source of all good. Then Jesus tells him: "If you would enter life, keep the
commandments." And he cites for his questioner the precepts that concern love of neighbour: "You
shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honour
your father and mother." Finally Jesus sums up these commandments positively: "You shall love your
neighbour as yourself." (CCC #2052)

The Decalogue in Sacred Scripture: The word "Decalogue" means literally "ten words." God revealed
these "ten words" to his people on the holy mountain. They were written "with the finger of God,"
unlike the other 700 commandments written by Moses. They are pre-eminently the words of God. They
are handed on to us in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. Beginning with the Old Testament, the
sacred books refer to the "ten words," but it is in the New Covenant in Jesus Christ that their full
meaning will be revealed. (CCC #2056)

The "ten words" sum up and proclaim God's law: "These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at
the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he
added no more. And he wrote them upon two tables of stone, and gave them to me." (CCC #2058)
The Ten Commandments state what is required in the love of God and love of neighbour. The first three
concern love of God and the other seven love of neighbour. (CCC #2067).

Since they express man's fundamental duties towards God and towards his neighbour, the Ten
Commandments reveal, in their primordial content, grave obligations. They are fundamentally
immutable, and they oblige always and everywhere. No one can dispense from them. The Ten
Commandments are engraved by God in the human heart. (CCC #2072)

Commandment I. I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD. YOU SHALL NOT CARVED IDOLS FOR YOURSELVES IN
THE SHAPE OF ANYTHING IN THE SKY ABOVE OR IN THE EARTH BELOW OR IN THE WATERS BENEATH
THE EARTH. YOU SHALL NOT BOW DOWN BEFORE THEM OR WORSHIP THEM (Ex.20:2-5).

God makes himself known by recalling his all-powerful loving, and liberating action in the history of the
one he addresses: "I brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." The first word
contains the first commandment of the Law: "You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve him. . . .
You shall not go after other gods." God's first call and just demand is that man accepts him and worship
him. (CCC #2084)

"The first commandment embraces faith, hope, and charity. When we say 'God' we confess a constant,
unchangeable being, always the same, faithful and just, without any evil. It follows that we must
necessarily accept his words and have complete faith in him and acknowledge his authority. He is
almighty, merciful, and infinitely beneficent. Who could not place all hope in him? Who could not love
him when contemplating the treasures of goodness and love he has poured out on us? Hence the
formula God employs in the Scripture at the beginning and end of his commandments: 'I am the LORD.'"
(CCC #2086)

The Negative Side: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex.20:3)
The Positive side: “You shall worship the Lord your God” (Mt.4:10)

”The duty of offering God genuine worship concerns man both individually and socially” (CCC 2105).
Freedom means nobody is forced to act against his convictions, alone or in association with others.
Idolatry is the negative effect of the first commandment. Idolatry consists in “divinizing what is not God”
(Catholic Christianity. 2001). The Psalmist declares that you become like whatever you worship;
therefore, worship of creatures disfigures the image of God in us (CCC 2121).
The worship of living God makes us more alive; to worship a dead idol makes us more dead. God is
absolute and we should not absolutize what is relative.

3 kinds of worship:

Latria worship (in the strict sense) that is due God alone
Dulia veneration / honour to the saints who are in union with God
Hyperdulia a higher form of veneration / honour due the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary because of
the special privilege God has granted on her

Catholics never worship the Virgin Mary or the saints. Instead, Catholics venerate or honour them just
as God commanded us to honour our parents (Ex.20:12). Catholics never venerate the statue of graven
image (out of wood), per se. rather, these graven images serve as remembrance of the important
people, heroes of our faith, in the history of Christianity. In analogy, the girl will not kiss the picture
(made out of paper) per se, of her parents, in clear sanity. But, she kisses her parents (indirectly) as
represented by the picture. Man is the image of God (Gen.1:27). Man represents God on earth (an
analogy!).

Sins against the 1st Commandment:

☀ Superstition: Ascribing to created things, power which they do not possess, either in nature or in the
virtue of prayer. (e.g. Friday is unlucky day, Feng Shui, sleeping with your head directing the west is a
bad omen, etc.)
☀ Polytheism: Worship of many gods (e.g.anitos, diwata, etc.)
☀ Divination: Recourse to Satan or the demons, conjuring up the dead (necromancy) or other
practices to unveil the future (Jer.29:8/Deut.18:10). E.g., horoscope, astrology, palmistry,
clairvoyance, etc. Magic or Sorcery: Invocation of the spirits in order to produce miraculous effects.
Magicians during Moses’ time who enticed people (Ex.7:11). The Antichrist will perform also many
lying wonders (2 Thes.2:9). These are contradictory to the teaching of the scripture (CCC 2117).
☀ Tempting God: Consists in putting His goodness and mighty power to the test (CCC 2119). E.g.
swearing.
☀ Sacrilege: Profanation of the sacraments and other liturgical actions as well as persons, things, or
places consecrated to God. (E.g. simony, blasphemy etc.)
☀ Simony: The buying or selling of Spiritual things (Acts 8:9-24).
☀ Atheism: Denial of God’s existence. It is a sin against the virtue of religion (Rm.1:18).
☀ Agnosticism: Denial of God’s knowability or intelligibility. It is equivalent to practical atheism (CCC
2128).
☀ Spiritism: Invocation of the spirits in view of learning what is hidden from human keen. “Let there
not be found any one that consults spirit, for the Lord abhors all these things” (Deut.18:11).

Commandment II. YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD, YOUR GOD, IN VAIN (Ex. 20:7).

This commands on speaking with reverence of God and of the saints, and of all holy things; keeping
lawful oaths and vows. “Respect for His name is an expression of the respect owed to the mystery of
God Himself” (CCC 2144). A Name is sacred for a person is sacred, and a person’s name is a symbol for
the person. The name of God revealed in the burning bush is “I AM” (JHWH) (Ex. 3:14).

God’s name avows:

1. UniquenessHe is “I” i.e., the only one person.
2. Infinity God does not limit Himself to being this or that, He is simply I AM.
3. Omnipresence He has no past (‘was’) or coming future (‘will be’). He is always present (‘am’).
No Jew can utter this sacred name. Jesus ascribed this name to Himself in Jn.8:58 and the Jews
attempted to stone Him. This is because Jesus is God.

Sin against the second commandment:

1. Abuse of God’s name God’s name should not be used where slang-guttered words are
appropriate. Also the name of Virgin Mary and the saints (CCC 2146).
2. Promises Given to others in God’s name engage in divine honour and authorityDisrespect means
misuse of God’s name (CCC 2147).
3. Perjury Promises under oath with no intention of keeping it or after promising he does not keep
it Oaths Calling God to be your witness. Misuse of the oaths is a disrespect for the Lord (CCC 2149).
4. Blasphemy Any utterance against God inwardly (CCC 2148) or outwardly of hatred, reproach or
defiance in speaking ill of God, in failing in respect toward Him in one’s speech, in misusing God’s name.

Commandment III. REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH DAY (Ex.20:8).

The Sabbath is for the Lord and is set apart for the praise of God (CCC 2171). Jesus clearly explained that
Sabbath is made for man and not man for the Sabbath (Mk.2:27). Adam and Eve right after their
becoming in the face of the earth were commanded by God to take rest. Amazing! They have not done
any work but they have to rest as their first day on earth. This is the Semitic view of Sabbath i.e., resting
in the bosom of YHWH. Our first day of the week is also Sunday i.e., resting. Jesus before starting His
ministry retreated in the desert for forty days to pray and fast (Mt.4:1-2). Sabbath is day of resting and
not to be equated with Saturday.

The exegesis of the Sabbath:

 Jesus rose from dead on the first day of the week (Mt.28:1 Mk.16:2/Lk.24:1/Jn.20:1) The
Eucharist is celebrated way back in the early Church on Sunday “On the first day of the week
when we grouped together and break bread” (Acts 20:7)
 St. Paul admonished the Jews to leave the Jewish practices behind “You are observing days,
months, seasons and years. I’m afraid on your account that I laboured in vain” (Gal.4:10)
  The Lord gave the Sabbath to the people in the desert after their exodus from Egypt not
immediately after creation’s work (Ezek.20:10-12)
 When Mosses gave the people the Sabbath commandment there was no mention of any
calendar system – only a cycle of six days work and one day rest (Ex.35:1-3). The shift from
Saturday to Sunday of the Sabbath understanding can be done only by the True Church which
Jesus established (“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me”Mt.28:18 and these
were passed on to the apostles especially to Peter – the Rock on whom Christ built His Church).
Jesus explicates that the son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath – greater than the Temple of
Jerusalem; a distinction between the temple (old covenant) and Himself (the new covenant)
Mt.12:1-12

Pericope:
 God did not simply rest on the 7th day. God sanctified (an act of the King) and hollowed (an act
of the priest) that day (Gen.2:3).
 The command to sanctify the Sabbath day is given to Jews only (Ex.20:10).
 The apostles appointed Sunday as the rest day because Christ rose from the dead on Sunday.
 Christians are obliged to from servile work on Sunday and to assist at the public mass.

Works permitted on Sunday and Holidays of Obligation are:

 Servile work which is absolutely necessary especially the works of mercy
 Light and trifling work
 Occupations of an intellectual nature
 Reasonable recreation (Spirago, 1988)

Sin against the Third Commandment:

1. Requiring others to perform servile work. The Christian allows his servants and cattles to rest on
Sunday (Ex.10:10)
2. By carelessness about attendance in public worship. What folly, remarks St. Francis of Sales, to turn
day into night and night into day, and neglect one’s duties for frivolous amusement” (Saints’
Hagiography. 1991)
3. Indulging in diversions which are over fatiguing or which are sinful nature. St. Augustine opined “It
is better that one is occupied with needle of field-work on Sunday than indulge in vice” Saints’
Hagiography. 1991).

The Precept of Labour:

 Work is either mental or physical. Work is not degrading but sanctified by Jesus. In the parable
of the labourer in the vineyard (Mt.20), Jesus showed the importance of work in the economy of
salvation. In work, we become servants but not slaves.
 Every individual who can work is bound to work. If any man will not work, neither let him eat” (2
Thess.3:10). “Man is born to labour and the bird to fly” (Job.5:7).
 Every man is bound to perform work in relation to his vocation or calling. There are varied states
of life in society and each one has to function as far as his vocation is concerned (1 Cor.12:12).
Fulfilment of the person’s vocation leads to perfection.
 We should work the work of God but we ought not to forget the God of work. St. Paul clarified
“Whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 cor.10:31).
 St. Benedict in his monastic principle unceasingly asserts “ora et labra” i.e.”work and pray”.
However, we should not make work as our prayer for the two are inter-related but distinct.

The 6 ordinance of the Church:

☀ Rest from work on Sunday and holidays of obligation to give thanks to God for special graces.
☀ Fasting and abstinence are to be observed to Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
☀ Confess our sins at least once a year.
☀ Support the priest.
☀ No to mixed marriage (if possible) and to solemnize marriage in forbidden times (for the priest).

Commandment IV. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER (Ex.20:12)

This commandment shows us the order of charity (Love of God then our parents). “We are obliged to
honour and respect all those whom God, for our good, has vested with His authority” (CCC 2197). The
4th commandment strengthens the bond of the family which indirectly maintains social stability.
Husbands have authority over their wives on the basis of love (Eph.5:22-25). Both husband and wife
must maintain mutual relationship and authority (Eph.5:21).

“Authority in the biblical sense is not a power word but a goodness word; right and not might” (Catholic
Christianity.2001). Authority does not contradict equality nor does equality eliminate authority. In fact,
“the family members are persons equal in dignity” (CCC 2203).

Family:

☀ Essence “Man and woman united in marriage together with their children form a family” (CCC
2202).
☀ Origin God is the ultimate origin of the family. Its immediate origin is man and woman freely
choosing to create this micro-society. “The conjugal community established upon the consent of
the spouses” (CCC 2201).
☀ End Family has two essential ends: “Marriage and family are ordained to the good of the
spouses and to the procreation of the children” (CCC 2201).

Priority of the Family:

◉ In Origin and Rights the state is not the inventor of family or gives its constitution. The family
does not derive its rights from the state but from God.
◉ In End and Purposethe state fosters the good of families and marriages, not vice-versa.
◉ In Importancethe family is the foundation of society i.e., micro-society; “the original cell of
life” (CCC 2207).

DUTIES OF CHILDREN:

✣ Divine fatherhood is the foundation human fatherhood (Eph.5:14) and the foundation of
honours owed to parents (CCC 2214). God the Father is not a metaphor or a copy; it is a primal
fact and human fatherhood is the copy or image.
 ✣ Respect. The respect for parents is a natural affection born of the bond uniting the family
(Prov.1:18). It promotes harmony including relationship between brothers and sisters.
✣ Gratitude. Respect for parents is derived from valuation towards their unconditional love, work,
nurturance and the gift of life to the children. “Remember that through your parents you were
born; what can you give back to them that equal their gift to you?” (Sir.7:27-28).
✣ Obedience. It is the manifestation of filial respect. Children should obey their parents as long as
they live at home with them for family harmony.

“Obedience ceases toward parents with the emancipation (leaving home), but not of respect which is
always showed to them” (CCC 2217).

DUTIES OF PARENTS:
◉ They must regard their children as gifts of God and as human persons (CCC 2222).
◉ Conjugal love must extend to moral education and spiritual formation.
◉ They are to discipline but not provoke their children (Eph.6:4).
◉ They should not exert pressure to their children (CCC 2230).
◉ They must serve as living exemplars to their children (CCC 2223).
◉ They should establish as open line of communication and humility to acknowledge their fault to
their children.

Related Readings….
CHALLENGES FACING THE FAMILY
(by: CARDINAL ALFONSO LOPEZ TRUJILLO)

Marriage, as a natural institution, is subjected to concerted attacks aimed at undermining

instability. There is the denial of permanent stability and the consequent responsibilities incumbent on
the family. The marriage rate is declining and the number of those who do not marry is growing vis-à-vis
the “free” common-law unions are steadily increasing. There is the trend to consider marriage as a
private world of emotions and feelings, with no responsibility in society.
Marriage is not a mere union; it is a union of a responsible and stable community, before God
and society. All this pernicious assaults leads to a gross distortion of marriage, in the guise of changes
and global transformations. The economic, social, psychological and civil climate of today has a severely
disturbing effect on family life.
Christian families exist to form a communion of persons in love. As such, the Church and the
family are each in its own way living representations in human history of the eternal loving communion
of the Most Holy Trinity. Parents should learn to form their family as this Domestic Church, a Church in
the home where God is honoured. Christ love is the source and the foundation of the love uniting
spouses. Conjugal love is dependent on the total personal commitment, husband and wife give to each
other.
Commandment V. YOU SHALL NOT KILL (EX. 20:13)

Two schools of philosophy of life are in constant opposition today:

1. The “Sanctity of life Ethic” (Traditional) and

2. The new “Quality of Life Ethic”. The latter judges human life on the standard of quality and reckons
some lives not worth living. Consequently, deliberate ‘termination’ (a euphemism) for “killing” is
considered legitimate and morally good.
The criteria this ‘Quality of Life Ethic’ adopts are:

1. If it is wanted by another. The basis is the other’s will and judgment. This ‘others’ refer to those
considered in authority or command over the individual. ‘Unwanted’ fetus may be terminated at the
whims of the pregnant woman. The Jews were considered by Hitler ‘unwanted’, hence, the ignominious
holocaust. The Black Americans in early 60’s were adjudged by the Neo-Nazi (racist) ideology as
‘unwanted’. History attests to the pervert effects of this criterion.

2. Whether it has “too much” pain. Pain and suffering are viewed as repugnant to the progress of
society and, therefore, must be eliminated. This paves the way for assisted suicide or euthanasia. The
older and the aged are condemned to their ‘unnatural death’. The late Pope John Paul II exhorts society
that, “Suffering has a salvific role in the realization of God’s kingdom” (Salvifici Dolores, 1993).

The Sanctity of Life Ethic posits three reasons for the sacredness of human life:

1. OriginFrom its inception, it involves the creative ad-extra operation of God.

2. NatureIt remains in eternal relationship with its Creator i.e., Covenant.
3. EndGod is the finality; the destiny of man (CCC 2258).

The Basic Principles of Human Life

1. Persons are not things for manipulations, control and design.

2. Every person is unique.
3. Jesus recalls in the Sermon on the Mount, “You shall not kill” (Mt.5:21).
4. Christ entreats us to ‘turn the other cheek’ and to love our enemies (Mt.5:22-39).
5. Jesus ordered Peter to return his sword in its sheath (Mt.26:52).
6. God is the ultimate standard and He is a Person i.e., and I (not an it).
7. Our body is created by God as an abode for our immoral soul. “Our body is not our own, it belongs to
God” (1 Cor.6:13). Christ purchased our body with a great price (1 Cor.6:20).

Moral Issues (for discussion):

A. Capital Punishment

Arguments in favour of Death Penalty:

1. A requirement of justice. Justice should be just, human and humane. Traditionally, three ends are
attributed to punishment, namely: vindictive, exemplary and medicinal. Social justice demands
punishment must not be vindictive. Humane punishment is medicinal and healing. M.M.Gandhi said,
“An eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth will leave the world blind and toothless”.
JP II stated, “Modern society has the means of suppressing crime by rendering criminals harmless but
denying their chance to reform” (Evangelium Vitae, 1993).

2. Deterrent to a crime. This is the argument for exemplarity. Still, it is against human dignity when it
invokes killing the offender: the human person. Human person is ‘itified’ in this scheme of thought.
“Violence is not the humane and just way to solve problems; active non-violence is” (Gomez,OP., 2002).

3. Society self-defense against criminals. This is not an act of self-defense but a punishment. The moral
principle of collective social defense is applicable only in cases of defensive war.
4. Expiation. Death penalty as compensation for the evil of the crime and correcting the social
imbalance. Death of a person perturbs social equilibrium. Only God can take our lives.

Arguments against Death Penalty:

1. It does not deter potential criminals from committing heinous crimes.

2. Dead person cannot make reparations for crimes committed.
3. Heightened possibility of error in legal/judiciary decisions which is irreversible in terms of death
penalty.
4. There are other means in deterring individuals from committing crime.
5. Society can never be defenseless against criminals or else such society is a bunch of weaklings,
distinctively its government.
6. Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God (Gen.2:27).
7. Jesus disapproved the “law of Talion” (Mt.5:38-41).
8. Jesus manifested pardon to the woman caught in adultery (Jn.8:1-11).
9. Death penalty is an expression of despair on the part of society.
10. The biblical texts (Leviticus) expressing approval to death penalty is within a specific (Old
Testament) cultural and social milieu.

B. Self-DefenseSelf-defense is not pacifism. “The legitimate defense of persons and societies is not an
exception to the prohibition against the murder of an innocent that constitutes intentional killing” (CCC
2263). Legitimate self-defense is not only a right; it is a grave duty.

Conditions:
1. The aggression is actual. Mere planning or past aggression does not justify self defense.
2. The aggressor is the first to attack. You should not initiate the move (of assault) but anticipate.
3. Necessary. If possible to avoid aggression, one may not use forceful/violent means.
4. Absence of evil intentions. In repelling the aggressor, one should not harbour hatred or malevolence
towards him/her.
5. Due proportion between the aggression and the defensive response. The values threatened should
be of noble degree: life, chastity, integrity, honour, liberty etc.

C. Abortion “The expulsion of live embryo but inviable fetus from the body of the pregnant woman
with the resulting death of the embryo or fetus” (Dunn, 2003).

Types of Abortion:
1. Spontaneous Abortion. Popularly known as “miscarriage” is “that which in the interruption of
pregnancy occurs from natural causes, without deliberate human intervention” (Intengan,SJ., 1999).
2. Induced Abortion. Also known as “procured abortion” is due to deliberate human intervention.
3. Clandestine Abortion. Carried out by untrained personnel in a clinically inadequate condition, in our
lingo – “hilot”.
4. Clinical Abortion. Performed in hospitals especially in countries with legalized abortion.
From the juridical point of view, abortion is either legal or criminal. Legal abortion is the one allowed by
the civil law in some countries. Criminal abortion is an induced abortion forbidden by civil law e.g. 1986
Constitution of the Philippines, Art.2, Sec.12 “The state shall equally protect the life of the mother and
the life of the unborn from conception” (Philippine Constitution, 2002).
Four Main Reasons for Abortion:

1. Therapeutic abortion. The continuation of pregnancy endangers the life of the pregnant woman. In
moral understanding, when conflict arises between mother and the fetus (child), both have the right to
life. In case of real grave threat to the mother’s life, medical procedure (e.g. operation) must be
performed but not to terminate the life of the baby directly, only indirectly (Principle of Double Effect).
No such thing as therapeutic, if indeed, it is, then the fetus is the disease that needs therapy. But that is
not the case. So why eliminate the fetus, directly.

2. Eugenic abortion. The risk or certainty that the fruit of conception suffers from congenital anomalies
or malformations. This is through prenatal diagnosis either amniocentesis – Karyotopic analysis or
Echography (Doctors’ Ethics, 2001).

Congenital anomalies are caused by:

a. Presence of damaging gene.
b. Anomalies in the number / location of chromosomes.
c. Ingestation of fetotoxic substances (during pregnancy).
d. Illnesses of the pregnant woman.

The Church moral teachings maintain that the fetus, in this case, is the patient and therefore, has to be
given medical treatment, not killed. “Direct termination of the fetus is tantamount to pre-natal
euthanasia” (Gomez,OP., 2002). It is gravely intolerant and paternalistic.

3. Psychosocial abortion. “Termination of pregnancy that is unwanted for social, economic, or

psychological reasons, however, does not affect the physical or psychological health of the mother”
(Intengan,SJ., 1999). This is “Immoral than sterilization and contraception” (Evangelium Vitae, 1988).
We struggle against poverty but not in killing unborn life, which is a “result of moral poverty” (Latorre,
2004).

4. Humanitarian abortion. Sometimes called “ethical” abortion. This is to palliate the effects of
pregnancy out of morally faulty or socially dishonourable degree.

Some conditions advanced to forward this argument are:

a. Pregnancy from rape
b. Incest and seduction of minors
c. Pregnancy from traumatic situation

The truly humanitarian approach is “letting the human-unborn being born and giving him/her
afterwards for adoption” (Gomez,OP., 2002). John Paul II announced “in no way could this human being
ever be considered an aggressor, much less an unjust aggressor” (Evangelium Vitae, 1988).

Church Moral Precepts:

1. Direct and intentional killings (abortion, infanticide, parricide etc.) are gravely immoral (Gaudium et
Spes).
2. Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception (Donum
Vitae, 1991).
3. In the sacrament of Eucharist, Christ gives us His Body; when a woman justified abortion by saying,
“this is my (her) body”, she is taking a life that is not her own. “No person can own another person”
(Latorre, 2004).

Pro-Choice Movements (Kinds of Pro-Choicers):

1. All have the right to life and the unborn children are persons but they deny that this right be
protected by the law. This is a legal, as well as, moral blunder. The right to life is inalienable and is a
“constitutive element of civil society and its legislation” (Kreeft, 2001).
2. Those who admit that the law should protect the right to life and that the unborn are human beings
but deny that all human beings have the right to life. This is the philosophy of “might makes right”. Only
those in power and authority can define who has the right to life and the rest are cursed. The end does
not justify the means.
3. They admit that the law should protect the right to life and that all humans have the said right but
deny that the unborn children are humans. Before the Roe vs. Wade – legalizing abortion, life is
understood as starting from conception. After the Roe vs. Wade event, science textbooks changed their
truism not because of new science but of new politics.

The first kind of Pro-Choice activists committed a legal error.

The second class falls to moral blunder.
The third group of Pro-Choice activists are trapped in a serious factual and scientific error.
Christians are not pro-choice. Christians are pro-life. Between life and death or anything else, we have
only one choice and that is life for Jesus is The Life (Jn.14:6). This is the authentic meaning of freedom;
Freedom from sin and freedom in and for life!

Pro-Choice thematic proposition in legalizing abortion:

1. Legal abortion as a means of combating abortion
2. Legal tolerance of abortion
3. Ethical tolerance of abortion
4. The right to abortion
5. Abortion as public social service
6. Abortion is an ethical duty.
7. Abortion is a legal requirement.(Carlo Casini, 2002)

Pericope on the Pro-Life Movement:

1. Pro-Life is Pro-All Life. Human life is an indivisible good and the human person is an icon of Christ.
“Lean to value on a single life and you love all kinds of living creatures” (St.Francis of Assisi, 1990). This is
a resemblance of Gandhi’s doctrine of “Ahimsa”.
2. Pro-Life is Pro-Poor. It defends every human and humane life, in particular those in the periphery of
social ladder i.e., the poor. “The Family is the first school of the social virtues that all societies need”
(Familiaris Consortio)
3. Pro-Life is Pro-Science. It is crusade against the culture of death and for the culture of life; theory and
praxis. For praxis’credibility, it has to be true and based on verified data – true scientific data.
Related Readings….

DEATH PENALTY: ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE

(Excerpt from Fr. Fausto Gomez, OP)

Humane and just punishment ought to be medicinal, restorative, rehabilitative and healing: to give a
chance to the offenders to change. At the end of his career, Judge Fulco wrote, “Like everyone else, I
served in the war and saw an innocent generation die; but I can state that nothing gave me the sort of
bad conscience I felt in the face of the kind of administrative murder that is called capital punishment".
Moreover, violence is not the humane and just way to solve social problems; non-violence is. Legal
execution of human beings is not a natural but a violent end to life, and violence generates more
violence. Mario Cuomo, the former New York Governor, has said repeatedly, “The death penalty
demeans and debases us. It tells our children that it is all right to meet violence with violence”.

Related Readings….

THE VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE

(JP II: L’Osservatore Romano, 1999)

The developing human life in the mother’s womb, having come into being is the result of the power of
creation of God in mysterious cooperation with the life-giving power of man and woman, is from the
first moment of conception a gift particularly worthy of protection. Also the mother herself, bearing the
nascent and developing human child under her heart, deserves the highest degree of respect, reverence
and recognition.

Say yes to human life in all its stages. Understandably, you do your utmost to conserve the environment,
the plants and animals. Therefore, be even more decisive in saying yes to human life which in the order
of things stands far above all created realities of the visible world. Save the unborn man from the threat
of born-man, who presumes to destroy and kill the child in the mother’s womb.

Even if the birth of a child sometimes causes hardship, sacrifices, restrictions and burdens, the baby
should always be accepted and feel safe in love of its parents. In difficult situations, the responsible and
above all the believing person will – with the help of others – usually be able to find a solution befitting a
human being. By mastering such problems, man will mature and develop the right attitude towards
values and dignity, purpose and aims of human life.

D. Euthanasia. From Gk. “Eu” (Good) and “Thanatos” (Death). Literally means “good death”. From
the medical point of view, it refers to “all kinds of measures which intentionally hasten the death of the
patient whether by positive action or by omission in order to free the patient from pain and suffering”
(Smith, Christians on Euthanasia, 2000).

Kinds of Euthanasia:
1. Positive Euthanasiapopularly known as ‘active’ euthanasia is acts or omissions which result the
death of the patient
2. Negative or ‘passive’ euthanasia is depriving the patient of those disproportionate medical
measures which could unnecessarily prolong his life
3. Personal EuthanasiaBy choice of the patient himself
4. Legal EuthanasiaImposed by the law of the state
5. DysthanasiaHolding off for as long as possible and prolonging the life of a moribund person with
no foreseeable prospects of recovery i.e., permanent vegetative state
6. AdysthanasiaOr Antidysthanasia. Allowing a hopeless individual to die without using
disproportionate means to delay an imminent death. “Letting die” is not the same as killing.
7. Orthothanasia“Dying with dignity" from Gk. (upright or correct) (death). This must integrate three
main ethical values:
a. Proportionate defense and prolongation of life
b. Humanization of illness and death
c. Liberty of the human person

Church Positions on Euthanasia:

1. “Euthanasia is “one of the infamies of our times”.(Vatican II)

2. Human life is sacred. (Ex.20:13)
3. “The right to life means to be born and then continue to live until one’s natural end”(Crossing the
Threshold of Hope. 1994).
4. The physician is not the lord of life; neither is he the conqueror of death.
5. For all, there is a natural life span; “There is a time to die”. (Eccl.3:2)
6. Death is part of human life journey but not the ultimate reality or destiny.
7. Humans are obliged to take care of and prolong their lives through ordinary and proportionate
means.
8. “Good medicine cures sometimes, palliates often and comfort always”. (Gomez OP.,2002)
9. “What you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do it to me”. (Mt.25:40)
10. We are stewards of life(Principle of Stewardship)

Related Readings….
ANOTHER CASE
(by: H.P.DUNN, M.D.)
A relatively new phenomenon in medicine and nursing is allowing babies with spina bifida to
starve to death, perhaps assisted with heavy sedation. These children have a defect in the lower spinal
column covered with a cystic swelling on the skin. The legs and bladder are paralyzed; they have to live
in a wheelchair, but their intelligence is normal and they often have happy, endearing natures.
In 1986 in Melbourne, Australia, there was just such a case where the parents agreed to the
starvation regimen. After two days, the grandparents applied to the Supreme Court seeking its legal
protection. In a landmark decision, Mr. Justice Vincent ordered the hospital to commence feeding the
child.
No parent, he said, no doctor,no court has any power to determine that the life of any child,
however disabled the child maybe, will be deliberately taken from it. I want this proposition clearly
understood by all concerned. He warned that any course of medical treatment deliberately chosen for
the purpose of bringing about the death of a child is unlawful and it could result in “criminal charges of a
most serious kind”.

1. How would you morally assist the action taken by the parents who consented to the starvation
regimen (in Melbourne, Australia)?
2. Is the medical technique of starving babies to death in the name of physical/congenital defect morally
valid? Why?
3. Evaluate the pronouncement given by Mr. Justice Vincent. Cite at least 2 guiding moral principles in
this case.

E. Contraception “Any action taken to impede the union of spermatozoa and oocyte before, during or
after sexual intercourse”. (Dunn M.D, 2003) Literally, it is anti-life (“contra” : against and “ceptio”
:beginning of life). Other terminologies used are: Birth Control, Responsible Parenthood of Family
Planning).

Church Moral Teachings

1. It is immoral because it goes against the natural moral law in the use of sex. Onanism (Gen. 38:9-10)
2. It impedes the procreative aspect of conjugal love.
3. It opens the way for conjugal infidelity and lowering of morality.
4. Some contraceptives are abortifacient, by nature i.e. life is already conceived and it is deliberately
destroyed.
5. The use of contraception (e.g. condom) is not 100% prevention against venereal diseases esp. HIV-
AIDS.

F. Suicide

1. We are not the lord/owners of our life.

2. Life is a gift from God.
3. It is a sin not only against God, but against oneself.
4. It is contrary to the just love of self(CCC 2281)
5. It breaks the ties of solidarity with family.

G. Just War “No war is just in itself” (Catholic Christianity, 2001). It is murder on mass scale but it is
justifiable to go to war if it is necessary. The end of just war is peace. Its aim is not killing lives but
saving lives. “The end that makes a just war can only be peace” (Gomez OP., 2002).

The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force (CCC 2309) are:
1. Defense. Not aggressive but a defensive war.
2. Grave Damage. Damage inflicted by the aggressor is lasting, grave and certain (CCC 2309).
3. Last Resort. All other means have been exhausted and are proven ineffective.
4. Hope for Peace. There is a prospect for success and recovery i.e., peace.
5. Not Graver Evils. Must not produce graver evils and disorders. “Every war directed to the
indiscriminate destruction of whole cities with their inhabitants is a crime against God and
humanity”(Gaudium et Spes.80)

Commandment VI. YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY (Ex.20:14)

Three things contemporary men need: holiness, happiness and health corresponding to our spirit, soul,
and body. Sex is a gift from God. It is a power given by God to men, enabling us to become co-creators
(continuing creation) of life. Violation of these three needs of men makes us unholy, unhappy, and
unhealthy.

1. Sexual sin is sin and separates us from God.

2. God wants our happiness. Disobedience to His plan will make us unhappy.
3. Sexual sin has disastrous health effects: AIDS and other venereal diseases. Sexual revolution,
therefore, is death.

Church Teachings:

1. God is the creator and designer of sexuality.

2. The centrality of love (and not sex).
3. The holiness of the human body.
4. Procreation and sex are divine images of love.
5. The primacy of the family over self-gratification.
6. The Church is the extension of Christ (and all her teachings).
7. The Divine purpose of sex: unity and procreation.
8. Sex is a sign of the goodness of life.
9. Babies are signs that God has not given up on loving man.
10. God makes a soul; man makes a body.

Issues for Discussion:

1. Lust Sexual pleasure is good and not evil. God invented sex and its pleasure. But, lust is
“disordered desire for sexual pleasure” (Latorre, 2004). “Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when
sought for itself isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes” (CCC 2351).

2. Masturbation (Auto Eroticism) “The deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive
sexual pleasure”(Smith, 2000). The deliberate use of sexual organ outside the realm of marriage is
intrinsically wrong. It has also a mental aspect (imagination of lewd things) that aggravates its
culpability.

3. Fornication“Carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman” (Intengan). SJ,
1999). “It is contrary to the dignity of the persons and of human sexuality which is naturally ordained to
the good of spouses and the generation and education of children” (CCC 2353).

4. Pornography“It consists in removing real or simulated acts from the intimacy of the partners”
(Catholic Christianity, 2001).
5. ProstitutionIt reduces the person to an instrument of sexual pleasure. “Prostitution is a social
scourge” (Meyer, 2002). When it involves children and adolescents, it has added sin of scandal (Kreeft,
2001).

6. Rape“Forcible violation of sexual intimacy of another person” (Catholic Christianity, 2001). The
wounds the respect, integrity and moral dignity of the human person. “Graver is the rape of children
committed by parents (incest) or those responsible for the education of the children entrusted to them”
(Latorre, 2004).

7. Homosexuality“Sexual relations (the act itself) between persons of same sex” (Kreeft, 2001).

a. It is intrinsically a disordered act.

b. It closes act to the gift of life. Hence, contrary to the natural law.
c. We must be less judgmental on the subjective (not objective) culpability of the homosexuals.
d. Unjust discrimination of the homosexuals must be avoided (CCC 2358).
e. There is a difference between “homosexual desire” and “homosexual act”. We are responsible for
the acts we choose nut not of our desires (unless we freely consent to them).
f. Homosexual ‘desire’ is disordered but not a sin. Homosexual acts are intrinsically immoral and,
therefore, a sin.
g. Homosexuals are called to chastity (CCC 2359) just as the heterosexuals are.

8. Artificial InseminationSometimes dubbed as “Do-it-Yourself” technique. “The medical intervention

by which spermatozoa are introduced into the female internal genital act, not through normal sexual
intercourse, but by artificial means (syringe)” (Intengan,SJ., 1999).

Process:
1. Intra-vaginal
2. Intra-cervical
3. Intra-uterine

Types:
1. AIH – (Artificial Insemination by the Husband). The donor is the husband, himself.
2. AID – (Artificial Insemination by the Donor). The donor is a third party and not the husband.

Church Teachings:
1. This eliminates the unitive and procreative aspects of marriage.
2. It can be abused by “liberated mentality” individuals who just want to have a baby without any
commitment. The child, on the other hand, has the fundamental right to live in a complete – natural
nuclear family.
3. The imminent danger of scientific malpractices.
4. The medical procedures of extracting spermatozoa from the donor (husband or third party) gravely
immoral.

9. In Vitro Fertilization“Fertilization by the spermatocyte, in a laboratory, of an ovum previously

extracted from a woman” (The Future of Medical Science, 2000).

Types:
a. Homologous – Donor is one’s partner.
b. Heterologous – Donor is a third, sometimes unknown party.

Techniques (Ethics Manual, 2002):

a. Super-ovulation: maturation of several ova in a single menstrual cycle.
b. Zygote wastage.
c. Surrogate Motherhood (S-M).

Kinds of Surrogate Motherhood:

a. Gestational Another woman aside from the wife will carry it (pregnancy) through to viability;
produced with the ovum from the wife.
b. Genetic Ovum is produced by the donor.
c. FullCombination of gestational and genetic.
Church Teachings:

1. All Instances of IVF are morally inadmissible because:

 Separation of the goods of marriage (unitive and procreative).
 Separate the transmission of life from the framework of marriage.
 Obtain semen for fertilization in an immoral - objectionable manner.
 The right of the child to be nurtured in the maternal womb is disregarded (artificial gestation).
2. Zygote wastage is morally unacceptable.
3. Surrogate motherhood is morally objectionable.

Other Sins Against the 6th Commandment:

1. Impure thoughts and desires. Evil thoughts must be resisted because of their sinfulness and serve as
occasion to immodest actions. “Evil thoughts are abominations to the Lord”(Prov.15:26).
2. Impure words. These are signs of unchaste manners. It conditions to the sin against chastity. “The
tongue is a little member and boasts great things” (Jas. 3:5).
3. Impure actions. These are in reality against the very nature of man (see Rm.1:26).
4. Immodest looks. These sins which the eye looks for pleasure soon take possession of the heart.
“Many have perished by the beauty of a woman, and thereby, lust is rekindled as fire.” (Ecclus. 9:9).
5. Sexual Perversions. They are contradictory to the very nature of man which should act in accordance
with its end i.e., God, in His ultimate Goodness.

Related Readings….
BIOETHICS: THE NEW FRONTIERS
(H.P.Dunn, M.D.)

The gift of human life must be actualized (achieved and accepted)in marriage through the
specific and exclusive acts of husband and wife, in accordance with the laws inscribed in their persons
and in their union.
‘Personhood’ is a neologism which has been seized on by IVF, Abortion and AI because it seems
to depreciate the status of the fetus and allows for their sometimes nefarious activities. The concept is
that the zygote, embryo, fetus is not fully human until it has achieved personhood, whatever that
means.
From the time the ovum is fertilized a new life is begun which is neither that of the father nor of
the mother; it is rather the life of a new human being with his/her own growth. It would never be made
human if it were not already human. How could a human individual not be a human person?

1. How does modern scientific method depersonalize “personhood”?

2. How did Dr.Dunn argue on the human personhood of the ovum/zygote/embryo/fetus?

Commandment VII. YOU SHALL NOT STEAL (Ex.20:15).

This prohibits the unjust usurpation or keeping of the neighbour’s goods. This elicits ‘Justice and charity
in the care of earthly beauty’ (CCC 2401). This commandment regulates material goods and property
i.e., money and all that money can buy. By property, it means “all that a man needs for hi subsistence
and all that he possesses as his own” (Spirago, 1988).
Church Teachings(on Private Property and Common Good):

1. The goods of creation are destined for the whole human race” (CCC 2402).
2. The right to ‘private property’ does not eliminate the original gift of the earth to the entire mankind
(CCC 2403).
3. Man should regard ‘material’ he owns, not merely as exclusive to himself but that others can benefit
from them as well (Guadium et Spes, 69).
4. Private property is designed for the common good. The more we own private property, the more we
should contribute to the common good (Gomez, OP., 2001).
5. The ownership of private property makes it possessor a steward of Providence (CCC 2404).
6. The promotion of the common good, on the contrary, requires respect for the right of private
property (CCC 2403).
7. Private property and the common good, therefore, are not by nature opposed but complementary.
8. Political authority has the right and duty to regulate the exercise of right to ownership for the sake of
the common good (CCC 2406).
9. Since private property is for the common good, there is no absolute right to private property or
unrestricted capitalism and a totally ‘free market’.
10. Taking something from a corrupt master, for an emergency need is not stealing/theft! “There is no
theft if…refusal is contrary to reason. “(Gaudium et Spes, 69).

Issues for Discussion:

1. PromisesThese must be kept and contracts must be strictly observed. Promises bind individuals and
societies in their words and to the future.
2. Gambling‘Game of Chance’ or ‘wagers are not in themselves contrary to justice. In the other side,
“They become morally unacceptable if they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his
needs and those of others. The passion of gambling risk becomes an enslavement”. (CCC 2413).
3. International DebtThis is issue must be viewed not only in the economic perspective, but also from
the moral lens. It is against social justice to demand payment from poor countries five times of their
original loan when they have no sufficient amount to sustain national growth. The principle of solidarity
must be properly applied in this moral problem.
4. Labour and capital Labour must be over and above the capital in terms of priority i.e., person over
money. Workers must be given not just a minimum wage, but a ‘family living wage’ (Laborem
Excercens). And “surplus value” must be justly returned to the workers.

The Church Alternative Model of Development

Human development should incorporate certain moral-basic values.

1. It should be sustainable from the ecological parlance to respect the rights of future generations to a
fair share of the resources of the earth.
2. It should make work fulfilling and must not force people into a situation where they are effectively
denied the opportunity of humane work.
3. It should not rigidly identify ‘work’ with ‘employment’.
4. It should provide incentives to promote efficiency, at the same time, to encourage quality, safety and
ecological responsibility.
5. It should foster union of workers against unjust system of labour and frazzled capitalism.
6. It should enable the people to be involved in making decisions that affect their lives i.e., participative
decision-making.

Sins against the 7th commandment:

1. TheftSecret looting of another man’s goods contrary to the rational will of the owner. Judas was a
thief (Jn.12:6). To conceal or purchase stolen goods with knowledge makes one an accomplice of the sin.
2. RobberyIt is a theft accompanied by personal violence.
3. CheatingInjuring one’s neighbour in his possessions by crafty means. “Let no man over reach or
circumvent his brother in business” (1 Thes.4:6).
4. UsuryMaking use of the needy circumstances of another to one’s own profit. The usurer is called
‘money lender’.

The Church teachings regarding stealing:

1. One is under a strict obligation to restore the stolen goods or make compensation for the damage
done (Lev.6:1-5). This is what moral theology called ‘Restitution’. The following are guiding rules for
restitution (Social Ethics, 2000):

a. If the owner of the stolen property is dead, it must be given to his heirs. If the heirs are dead, it must
be given to the poor.
b. If the thief cannot restore the whole, he must restore as much as he can.
c. If poverty or any circumstances render the thief insolvent to restitute immediately, he must resolve
to do so as soon as possible and should fulfill that restitutive dimension of justice.
d. If the thief cannot restore even part of the stolen goods, he ought, at least, to do corporal works of
mercy and pray for the person he has wronged.

2. If someone has gotten stolen goods, he is bound to give them up to the rightful owner as soon as he
becomes aware that they were stolen.
3. He who refuses to make restitution will not obtain pardon of his sins from God nor absolution from
the priest. "He who will not render what he has robbed, shall die everlastingly” (Ezech. 33:15).

Related Readings….
ON GLOBALIZATION
(SOCIAL DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH, 2004)

Globalization gives rise to new hopes while at the same time it poses troubling questions.
Globalization is able to produce potential beneficial effects for the whole of humanity. In the wake of
dizzying developments in the field of telecommunications, the growth of the system of economic and
financial relations has brought about simultaneously a significant reduction in the costs of
communications and new communication technologies, and has accelerated the process by which
commercial trade and financial transactions are expanding world-wide. In other words, the two
phenomena of economic – financial globalization and technological progress have mutually
strengthened each other, making the whole process of this present phase of transition extremely rapid.

The challenge is to ensure a globalization in solidarity, a globalization without marginalization.

This technological progress risks itself being unfairly distributed among countries. It is evident, that
because of, the great disparities between countries regarding access to technical and scientific
knowledge and to the most recent products of technology, the process of globalization ends up
increasing rather than decreasing the inequalities between countries in terms of economic and social
development.

1. How did the Church perceive globalization? Is it condemned? Why?

2. What is, then, the challenge to globalization for the sake of the common good?

Commandment VIII. YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOR (EX.20:16)

It forbids all kinds of falsehood and demands total truthfulness. It commands not only telling the truth
but loving and living the truth in ourselves. The source of the cosmos (world order) and the spiritual
realm is Truth! Love is important in our lives. But “love without truth is false love” (Kreeft, 2001).
This commandment deters also misrepresenting truth. We must be creatures of truth for God is truth. In
Him, truth is perfectly personified, hence, truth is personal – “I am the…truth” (Jn.14:6). “Since God is
true, all members of His people are called to live in the truth” (CCC 2465).

TRUTH: In CCC 2465, it is said, “God is the source of all truth. His word, law and faithfulness endure all
generations”. This means:

1. The truth of God’s word is the revelation of His mind.

2. The truth of God’s law is the revelation of His will.
3. The truth of God’s promises is the revelation of His heart.

These three essential elements correspond to the three theological virtues:

1. God’s word stipulates the faith we believe (“Your word is truth” Jn.17:17).
2. God’s law specifies what charity chooses (“If you love me you will keep my commandments”
Jn.14:15).
3. God’s promises detail what hope trusts (“This is what He promised us, eternal life” 1 Jn.2:25).

Truth is a form of:

1. Justice “The virtue of truth gives another his just due”(CCC 2469). The demand to be truthful is
absolute and unqualified. But the demand to tell the truth is subject to justice. We are not morally
obliged to tell the truth by revealing secrets we promise to keep or express all our thoughts. “Honesty is
not saying everything we feel” (Kreeft, 2001). Neither, honesty is opposed to keeping the secrets from
those who have the right to know it.
2. Witnessing“Christians should not be ashamed in testifying to our Lord” (2 Tim.1:5). “The duty of
Christians to take part in the life of the Church impels them to act as witnesses of the Gospel” (CCC
2472).
3. Martyrdom“The supreme witness given to the truth of the faith; bearing witness even unto death”
(CCC 2473).

Issues for Discussion:

1. Perjury If a statement contrary to the truth be made publicly, it is either false witness (if it is in the
court) or perjury (if it is under oath). These gravely compromise the exercise of justice (CCC 2476).
2. Rash JudgmentAssumption of the credibility of the speaker without sufficient foundation.
3. Calumny Damaging the reputation of others and giving occasion for false judgments concerning
them.
4. Lying“Speaking falsehood with the intention of deceiving others” (CCC 2482).
5. Seal of Confession Secrecy“The secret of the sacrament of Confession is sacred and cannot be
violated under any pretext” (CCC 2490).
6. PrivacyThose in the mass media must observe the balance between the requirements of the
‘common good’ (excluding gossip) and “respect for individual rights” (CCC 2492).
7. SuspicionPresuming evil of one’s neighbour without reasonable grounds. “Charity thinks no evil” (1
Cor.13:5).
8. DetractionDisclosing the fault committed by the person without necessity.
9. SlanderAttributing to one’s neighbour faults of which he is not guilty. If the accusation is made
publicly, it is called libel.
10. AbuseMaking public the low opinion which one has of another. “The stroke of a whip makes a
blue mark, but the stroke of the tongue will break the bones” (Ecclus.28:21).

Commandment IX. YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR’S WIFE (Ex.20:17)

This is a sort of ‘internal’ dimension to the sixth commandment. God does not want only morally good
actions, but morally good hearts; not only to do good but to be good. Love is satiable by good deeds,
alone. The ‘heart’ in biblical and semitic culture is the center of the soul; deeper than feelings and
emotions and thoughts. “It is the source of thoughts and feelings” (Latorre, 2004). “Out of the heart
come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication” (Mt.15:19). “The struggle against carnal covetousness
entails purifying the heart” (CCC 2517).

Moral Developments:
1. ModestyAvoidance of sexually provocative action, speech or dress. “Everywhere modesty exists as
an institution of the spiritual dignity proper to man” (CCC 2524).
2. Purity“Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God”(Mt.5:8). It refers to three areas:
a. Charity
b. Chastity or sexual rectitude
c. Love of truth and orthodoxy of faith
3. Humility“I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh” (Rm.7:18). At the same
time, together with St. Paul, we affirm, “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me” (Phil.4:13). This
is an acknowledgment that by ourselves, we cannot overcome sin.
4. No CompromiseWe should not compromise truth and demand total honesty in our lives.
5. ConfessionA powerful weapon against any sin.
6. Be PositiveDo not wait for something and be passive in the face of temptation. We should fight not
just defensively but offensively through fruitful activities.
7. Firm ResolutionWe should focus and give God everything.
8. Love Not fear or disgust, is the antidote to overcome everything.
9. Devotion to the Blessed Mother Image of holy motherhood will combat images of impurity.
10. Good always ConquersIn the end, no evil is victorious. Satan has been conquered definitively by
Christ’s death on the cross. This is our solace.

Commandment X. YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR’S GOODS (Ex.20:17)

Covetousness mans a “disordered desire”. This could be desire for what we do not really need i.e., greed
or desire for what justly belongs to another i.e., envy. “Greed for money is more dangerous that greed
for things because it has no limit” (Catholic Christianity, 2001). “He who loves money never has money
enough” (CCC 2356).
Christians need detachment firm riches. “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Mt.5:3) corresponds to this
commandment. “The precept of detachment from riches is obligatory for entrance into the kingdom of
heaven” (CCC 2544). Even our Lord lovingly reminds us “where your treasure is, there will your heart be
also” (Mt.6:21). St. Thomas Aquinas promptly remarked, “An evil desire can only be overcome by a
stronger good desire” (Aquinas, 2002). Jesus warns us, “What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the
whole world and lose his own soul” (Mk.8:36).

Issues for Discussion:

1. CapitalismThe market system where economy rests on the valorization of capital over labour.
2. SocialismPrivate property has to be surrendered to the state; capital and labour should be equally
distributed among the members of the state.
3. MarxismThe rule of the proletariat; abolition of private property and the state which becomes the
vanguard of individual rights and ownership.
4. AnarchismTotal annihilation of the state and its rigid rules/constitution; laws are considered
obstacles to progress.
5. ImperialismThe final stage of capitalism (Lenin).This is the phase where all capitalists unite and
form one-solid alliance of power and national/international control, politics and economics.

Related Readings….
CHURCH AND POLITICS
(Fr. Fausto Gomez, OP., 2003)

The Church’s mission is directly a religious mission, not a political, economic or social one. The
Church, then, is not bound to any political, economic or social system. In fact, she can carry out her
evangelizing mission under any kind of government, provided there is recognition of the basic rights of
person and family, and of the demands of the common good.
The Church, therefore, is also concerned, indirectly, with the political life of persons and
communities: human promotion, temporal liberation, cultural advancement belong to evangelization, to
integral evangelization. Moreover, the Church has the right and duty to pass moral judgment on the
political order.
But the Church, as a sacrament of universal salvation, is not – should not be – a ‘politician’. She
encourages good politics and calls upon her lay members to become politicians if they feel called by God
to the most noble art of politics.
The mission of the state, on the other hand, is the attainment of the common good by ordering
the social life of all the citizens i.e., in the economic, political and cultural dimension of social life. The
Church respects the independence or autonomy of the temporal order. Nevertheless, that
independence to autonomy cannot be absolute: God is the Creator of the world, and Jesus is the Lord of
history and society. Furthermore, the Church works for a wholesome mutual cooperation with the state
but without asking or wanting special privileges for herself.
Regarding political authority, the Church respects this authority and asks her members to obey
only constituted authority, when it is exercised within the limits of morality and on behalf of the
dynamically constituted common good, according to a juridical order. St. Paul asks us to obey authority
that comes from God (Rm.13:1-6) but not the abusive authority, that comes from the devil (Rev.13).

Questions for Review and Reflection:

1. What is the primary mission of the Church?
2. What is the role of the Church in the field of politics?.
3. Are we morally obliged to obey all political authorities? Why?