Unit 1: Called to salvation in Christ

Our purpose and worth in life: Dignity

- Is reveaveled trhough Jesus Christ

Who is Christ?
a. The ultimate REvelation
b. The good Teacher
c. Shed Light on the mystery of the human person
d. Calls to decipleship

---Lesson A: Christ as the Image of the invisible God---

Happiness:meaning
- We try to find meaning in our lives. It is known as the core(hearts) or happiness.
Happiness is a natural desir that we have searched for since forever.
- This can be found in the ranks of maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and can come in many
forms. What society might consider the ultimate happiness may or may not be yours.
- Domini, Non Nisi Te “Lord, nothing except you” → God is happiness and absolute
meaning, god is life. We come from god so we go to god. God created jesus for the
closeness thing
- Our goal: Sequela Christ- give up on our wealth and very self then redirect ourselves
with christ

If God is happiness, how do we attain him:

- By claiming we are redeemed though it is hard to do
1. We do it through Jesus Christ as the Ultimate REvelation of the father- The
true mediator between god and man, so we can reach god
2. Christ is god in a human way- god gave us jesus to share his life. Because f
christ we feel like were with god and experience his love
3. Christ is human in a devine way- god is jesus, so god came down and lifted us up
by liberating us from sin. Christ is a like a role model who teaches us how to be
god in human terms and proved we are not helplessly sinful

If christ is our way to god, what is he described as in the gospel

- He is the way, the truth and the life
- Tempted by the devil but failed
- Jesus literally means “ the one who is to save people from their sins”

---Lesson B: Jess christ as the good teacher---

Opening- We find it hard to distinguish good and evil becase: (1) we exhalt freedom to the
extent it becomes absolute, whis is also a source of values; (2) individualistic ethics where we
value moral judgement categories; (3) there are alot of psychological and social conditioning
that influence freedom stated under a study; (4) customs, behavior patterns, and institutions
influence our conception of morality

1. JESUS OPENS UP THE FAITHFUL TO THE SACRED SCRIPTURE

- Morally good actions should be based on the 10 commandments aka Decalogue
a. First tablet: god is the beginning and end of our life
b. Second tablet: summarized as “you shall love your neighbor and yourself”
- Jesus shows us to perfectly commit to the commandments
- The Christian moral vocation is precisely: to commit ourselves through the power of
Christ’s redeeming grace to the progressive overcoming of the evil of sin in and around
us – a personal human reaching out in loving service to others – rather than simply
avoiding sin or shrinking from evil.
2. JESUS REVEALS THE FATHER’S WILL
- Always Three-fold yeses coviering the dimensions( intrapersonal, interpersonal, societal)
must be grounded on saying yes to god( foundation)
- Only no to sin
3. JESUS TEACHES ABOUT MORAL ACTION
- Turn to christ to know what is good and evil
- Know:
a. The questions asked by the young richman in the gospel
b. The meaning of christs reply and be guided
4. JESUS SHEDS LIGHT ON MAN’S LOFTY VOCATION
- Ultimate vocation: communion with d through responding to christ’s calling
- Loving everyone as god loves us
5. CHRIST IS ALWAYS PRESENT TO HIS CHURCH
- Church must proclaim, said by without without fear of error, daith and morals
- Chirsh must be deeply conscious of its duty to interpret the gospel depending on scieties
changes over time

---Lesson C: Jesus sheds light on the mystery and dignity of the human person---
Because Jesus was incarnated, it shed light onto the mysteries of whatevs. That dignity is:
- Created in the image and likeness of god: because:
a. Faculty- we have (1)Intellect and Freewill(recognize voice of god therevofer
recognize good and evil) and (2)Moral being
b. Irreplaceable and non-substitutable- we are not objects, we must treat others
equally, and no status and gender distinctions
c. Responsibility and stewardship- Everyone is to “subdue” the earth, Laudato
Si(Praise be to you, my Lord) spirituality
d. Adopted children of god- conform mind and hearts to christ; called by name
e. Destiny- pilgrims on the way; to be in communion with our creator
- Redeemed by the blood of christ: we were sinful from the birth becuase of our
anscestors, now we are not once we receive the blood of christ:
a. Sapagkat akoy tao laman- this is unacceptable justification
 b. Being redeemde by christ implies living a new life: REscue-Share-Task
- Sanctified by the holy spirit
a. Empowerment- Initiatives belong to god; moved my te holy spirit
b. False Asssertion- independence formth assistance of the holy spirit
Human Person in experience:
Most appropriate springboard in any moral discourse; tries to answer Human person vs Human
Nature; and is in a personalistic perspective
a. Open and relation by nature- (1) socal and gregarious (2)”by, with, for” others;
(3)Trinitarain in origin; (4) Social well-being and Common good; (5) God
b. Concious beings- (1) self aware through free will; (2) mirrors gods knowlesge and love in
our own small way; (3) we have readon or understand things
c. Emobodied spirits; (1) unity of body and soul; (2)soul is our essence while body is good
nad honrable
d. Historical realities; (1)pilgrims on the way; (2)we are our own cause; (3) live “now and
here” (4)dynamism in moral reflection
e. Uniques yet fundamentally equal- (1) we are all equal despite differences; (2) same
nature, origin, and divine calling;(3) tho equal we still have unique identity

---Lesson D: call to discipleship---

What do we care most about life? In:
1. Egocintrism- to live for oneself, get everything you can to be happy. Serving only yourself
2. Alterity- valuing others; being servants for our neighbors. Serving only others
3. Ethics/etiquetter: apres vous”after you, please) or me voici “here i am”. Serving other
before yourself

Call to discipleship:
1. Christian discipleship is Counter-Cultural and Radical Alterity
- We listen and follow jesus to know what is good and evil
- Discipleship entail: if i follow u, by denying myself, i will receive something much greater
- Disciple: a lover of truth, jesus, the way and life
- To be a disciple one must imitate jesus who gives pharmacy to the will of the father
- A disciple is expected to live in loving service of others
*christ’’s crucifixion was terrible but it was the image of happiness. Hate welath, pleasure, power
and honor like christ. While love the will of the father, righteosness, peace and bring gods
mercy*

2. The Church: willed by god to make possible encounter with christ

The church must:
- Perpetuate jesus’ presence on eart
- Help ppl find christ

Unit 2: called to Happiness

---Lesson A: Search for the True Happiness---
1.Worldviews/ trends in achieving happiness
- Hendonism- happiness is pleasure, pleasure gives happiness. Both material and
physical makes one happy
- Materialism and Cosumerism:
Materialism- valuing material and opposing intellectual values. More material, more
happiness.
Consumerism- happiness depends on the level of consumption(buying material goods)
- Eudaimonism- happiness ca be acquired through the practice of virtues. These virtues
makes good habits, then makes ppl not care about passion.
2.God as the ultimate happiness of the human person
a. St. Thomas Aquinas on Happiness
- Happiness as end. Since we have free will and reason we can know, seek, then
obtain happiness.
- We are masters of our own actions
- The end may be achieved last but it is the first thing that comes up when we seek
happiness. It is the cause on why we act.
- We try to find our final end:
1. False happiness- wealth, power, glory, horor and fame; a means to an
end that cannot bring satisfaction
2. Two types of happiness:
- Imperfect happiness- while on earth
- Perfect hapiness- the beatific vision of the uncreated good in
heaven
b. Happiness in God as the Ultimate Goal of Human Beings
- Happiness is the meaning of life.
- Ppl yearn for the absolute truth thus thirst for knowledge
- We are rational beings for we have reason and free will; unlike irrational beings
like animals who seek their end thru instincts
- Prove that we gods will
c. God’s Commandments: Criteria in Attaining Eternal Life
- Obedience to decalogue = eternal life
d. Beatitudes: Call to Perfection
- Basic attitudes and dispositions that one should adapt in life
- Gives idea about true happiness to pursue but cannot in this world
- Articulate the destiny of man
- Reminders so we can be morally good
- Beatitudes:
The first three beatitudes are dedicated to removing the obstacles, which purely
material goods can present to be genuine happiness.
- Blessed are the poor in spirit, refers to the need for detachment either
from riches or honors, which results from humility.
- Blessed are the meek, protects man’s irascible nature from falling into
excessive anger and keeps it within the bounds of reason.
 - Blessed are those that mourn, moderates man’s desire for pleasure by
keeping it in proportion, which is the effect on us when we suffer trials,
tribulations and the death of loved ones.
The second group explains our duty to serve our neighbor.
- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. The
active life should be devoted principally to one’s duty and spontaneous
inclination to serve one’s neighbor.
- Blessed are the merciful. But spontaneous inclination also leads us to
go beyond what is strictly due to others and show them generosity,
understanding and forgiveness, and indeed gratuitously without expecting
anything in return
The third group brings forth the importance of living a contemplative life.
- Blessed are the pure of heart. We say of men who triumph over the
passions,
- Blessed are the peacemakers. The virtues gifts, which perfect man in
his relations with his neighbor, have peace as their effect, as we read in
Isaiah: “The work of justice shall be peace” (32:17).

---Lesson B: The Moral Good of Human Acts---

How do i distinguish good and evil
- consequentialism/ utilitarianism
a. Consequentialism- focuses on the result, intentions are irrelevant
b. Utilitarianism- acting to produce the greatest good for the greatest no of people
even if u sacrifice ursled
1. Act utilitarianism-choose the greatest good for the majority
2. Rule utilitarianism- - choosing greatest good for majority, but if its for the
lingg run. If its only for the short run, nah
- Deontological ethics- there is moral obligations and u must follow it regardless of how u
feel.. Right and wrong is totally knowable.
Forms of categorical imperative
a. Universalizabilty principle- act should be universal law without contraditions
b. Formula of humans- treat urself and others and act as and end never as means
- Virtue ethics- from good people, right actions follow effortlessly. By nature we are
virtuous. Virtue is the midpoint between the extremes of deficiency adn excess

Moral Goods of human Acts:

1. The nature of human acts
Human acts or actus humani
- Acts that defines him/her as a person. Acts done with sufficient knowledge of the agent
and full deliberate consent.
- St homas:
a. Acts we are reponsible for
b. Done with nowledge and love
c. With intellect and will
 d. Freely chosen informed act
e. Worthy of praise
f. Has value for good and evil
Human nature or Actus Hominis
- Acts that arise without the same amount of knowledge and freedom; acts that are
concern of moral; not voluntary, reflex
2. Constituents of human acts
Knowledge, voluntariness and freedom must be present
1. Knowledge
- Intellectual, awareness, creaetes will, conscousne ss
- Actions desired are from knwoledge
2. Voluntariness
- Moving towards it while know its end
- Desired and willed. Knowing the act itsel and consetning
- Kinds
a. Perfectly- performed with full attention and consent
b. Imperfectly- performed with imperfect and partial attention or consent
c. Direcltly- act is intended as an end or means to an end
d. Indirectly- not intended but permitted because of an object directly willed
e. Negative Voluntary Act- The will effects something negatively by the
voluntary omission of an act, might be altered by and evil
- Principle of double effect
1. Moral object may not be evil in itsel
2. The good and evil effect must proceed equally
3. intention must be good
4. There must be proportionately Grave reason for it to permit evil effect
3. Freedom
- External personal value
- Cna be ralized or through intrinsic
- Depends on avaliability of chioces
3. Sources of morality
a. Object of the act itself(finis operis)
b. Intention or the end of the act(finis operantis)
c. circumstances
4. Impediments to morality
Realities with ethics and jurisprudence must reckon with:
- Impairments of required knowledge
a. Ignorance
b. Error
c. inattention
- Impairments of free consent
a. Passion
b. Fear and social pressure
c. Violence
 d. Disposition

Unit 3: Called to the Fullfillness of Life

---Lesson A: Genuine Freedom- the pursuit of the good---

1. Freedom as Expression of Dignity: God’s Image and Likeness in Man

- Freedom is anchored on man’s dignity, i.e., being made in the image and likeness of
God; Can only be achieved in God
- True freedom is only for the good
- Genuine Freedom straightens’s man’s path towards the awareness of one’s fidelity
which was lost through sin
2. Dignity and Freedom: The Fulfillment and Manifestation of God’s Presence in Man
- Our life is God’s so he can make it then take it; We are only acceptable to god thru
CHrist’s blood; Baptism makes us adopted son’s or daughters and temple of the holy
spirit; With god’s presence, we become holy/sacred
- Freedom is when we treat others with respect (cuz god is in everyone’s presence)
- God created us cuz he loves us, so we must be faithful in return
- Cognition of one’s and other’s dignity must be the basis of a person’s genuine exercise
of genuine freedom.
- a person must always bear consciously and unconsciously that they are the only one
answerable and accountable for all the actions they committed
- intrinsic goodness of man is exercised through the aid of his/her freewill and intellect.
- Being faithful to one’s dignity = goodness
- The more we choose good, the freer we become.

3. Freedom and Law

a. The Imagery of Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil:
- the power to decide what is good and what is evil is God’s only
- We are free but it is limited to God’s commands.
- God’s Law is a form of love cuz we humnas dont know any better!
- God’s Law protects and promotes freedom
- Today ethics create conflict between Freedom and Law
- Because we today we have the right to determine good or evil; god is the
only one who is supposed to know that
- Today’s freedom creates value thus freedom only becomes a moral
autonomy
- Sin separates man from god and brings death. But with jesus christ we are able
to get closer to god.
b. God left man in the power of his own counsel" (Sir 15:14)
- Genuine freedom is an outstanding manifestation of the divine image
- God left us so that we seek him out of our own freewill
 - Created things have their own law and values which are gradually to be
discovered, utilized and ordred by man

---Lesson B: Law- Abiding in truth---

What is just law?
Anarchism- is a kind of a tendency in human thought and action which tries to detect structures
of authority, domination, and hierarchy and to challenge them, ask them to demonstrate their
legitimacy, recognizing that they are not self-justifying. They have the burden of justification.
- Though if something is with order/heirachy doesnt mean it is legitimate
- the effort to discover such systems. And when they can’t justify themselves, they have to
be dismantled and in order to move towards greater freedom, justice, opportunity,
individual creativity, cooperative activity
- Meaning if we cant justify it (racism) we try to abolish it then find equality

1. Sense of Law according to Aquinas

a. Law is not limited to:
- Legislative, or judicial domain
- Commands, obligations, moral imperatives
- Controlling what other people are free to do.
b. Law is a Teacher- It is about a rational or reasonable principle of order by which things
are directed to their ends. In this way, law is a teacher.
c. Law is a Ruler- measure of human acts
- law guides us in our actions to make sure that they are upright and ordered to the
common good.

2. Definition of Law According to Aquinas

a. Definition of law
- An ordination of reason for the common good from him who has care of the
community, which is promulgated or made known.
b. Two elements
1. Law is an ordination of Reason
- involves some kind of ordering and specifically an ordering according to
reason.
- not a command of the will of the superior.
- expression of his (superior) reason consisting in a kind of reasoned plan
or ordering of things towards the common good
2. Law is an ordering to the common good
- Common good is the end that law aims at and serves
- Good that can be shared by many the explanation of why a law exists and
what it is doing:
- law is an ordering based on reason for the sake of and directing
the community towards the common good.
 - Common good can be found in the right ordering to God as the
common good and final end of all that is.

3. Types of law according to Aquinas- arranged via hierarchy

a. Eternal Law
The order of creation as it preexists in the divine mind
- It reflects god
- God himself and his plan is eternal so
b. Natural Law
The natural creature’s participation in the eternal law
- Rational creatures(human) participate in god’s plan(eternal law)
- Unlike lower createure’s we humans have the reasoning to move towards our
ultimate end, not just follow instinct
- This is the eternal laws made to be understood by humans
- Five Principles of Natural Inclinations:
• To good (to what perfects us)
• To self-preservation
• To sexual union
• To knowing the truth
• To Living in society (justice, truth, fairness towards others)
- This is the design of our being that is why we are inlined to it
- Properties of the Natural Law
- • Universal. Binds all men at all times and in all places, for it is the very nature of
men.
• Indispensable. Man has no authority over natural law. God is the source of
natural law.
• Immutable and Dynamic. Exists for as long as human nature exists. Changes
in the condition of man results in modified or new demands of the Natural Law.
c. Divine Positive Law
What god has revealed through divine revelation in the OT and NT about how human
beings should live in order to come to the supernatural good of heaven.
- These are things we could not have know by ourselves that is why god revealed
it
d. Human Law
Application or determination of the natural law on various levels in particular community
- an ordination of reason for the common good, in this case the common good of a
nation, of the state, of the city
- Particular nad specific
- Doesnt apply everywhere but only to particular places
- Church laws:
• To hear mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.
• To fast and abstain on the days appointed.
• To confess at least once a year.
• To receive the Holy Eucharist during Easter Time.
 • To contribute to the support of the Church.
• To never violate laws concerning marriage.

---Lesson C: Conscience- man’s sanctuary---

The Freudian Personality Diagram

- Id. The in born primitive portion of the storehouse of libido, the basic energy that
continually pushes for immediate gratification.
“The Pleasure Principle”.
- Ego. The portion of personality that organizes, plans and keeps the person in touch with
reality. Language and thought are both ego functions.
“The Reality Principle”.
- Superego. The ‘conscience’ part of personality, which contains parental and societal
values and attitudes incorporated during childhood.
“The Ought Principle”

1. The Definition of Conscience

- Conscience is 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 already completed
2. The judgment of Conscience
- judgment of conscience does not establish the law; rather it bears witness to the
authority of the natural law and of the practical reason with reference to the supreme
good, whose attractiveness the human person perceives and whose commandments he
accept
- "Judgment" which reflect the truth about the good, and not in arbitrary "decisions"
3. Types of Conscience
a. Correct Conscience- it is a question of the objective truth received by man
b. Erroneous Conscience- it is a question of what man, mistakenly, subjectively considers
to be true
4. Formation of Conscience
- to make it the object of a continuous conversion to what is true and to what is good.

Unit IV. Called to Holliness

---Lesson A: following Christ as the Primordial and Essential Foundation of Christian

Morality---

Banality of Evil- doing evil without realizing that it was evil

1. Man is disfigured by sin

- Vice- A settled habit caused by sinful action which disposes to further sinful action.
- When we follow the inclination of our animal nature against reason
 - Happens if we commit sin routinely
- Continue doing evil and sin
- Definition of SIn- Inordinate action that discords with truth and goodness in its intention,
object, and circumstances.
- is failure to live the Great Commandment to love God, others, and self
- Distinction in the ways that we sin
a. We can sin against God, our neighbor, and ourselves.
b. Some sins are sins of thought, some sins
are sins of word,some are sins of deed.
- Sins of Commision- of action, whether in thought, word, or deed.
- Sins of Ommission- Sins of inaction, whether in thought, word, or deed
- Gravity of sin
a. Mortal sin- sins that turns us directly away from God; doing evil with full
intent and freedom; Conditions
1. Grave Matter- goes against the 10 commandments
2. Full Knowledge- presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of
the act
3. Complete consent- we freely choose to do evil
b. Veinal Sin- when we commit sin in a less serious manner, or in a grave
matter but without full knowledge and consent
- The proliferation of sin- Sin creates a proclivity to sin; it endangers vice by
repetition of the same acts
- Capital sins- they endanger other since/vices
- Sin is a personal act- we are responsible of a sin others committed when we
cooperate
- Structures of Sin
a. Sin gives rise to social situations and institutions that are contrary to the
divine goodness.
b. Structures of sin are the expression and effect of personal sins.
c. They lead their victims to do evil in their turn.
d. In an analogous sense, they constitute a social sin
2. Conversion and holiness
- Metanoia- total change/ turn of heart
- Turning from sin and towards god
- Christ is our model- we follow and imitate him
- Call to holiness by
a. Following jesus daily
b. Loving god and neighbor
- Conversion is
a. A particular act
b. Lifelong process
c. A daily event
d. God’s gift
e. Happens thru the holy spirit
 - . Become holy if we pray everyday

---Lesson B: The spirit configure us to Christ through the Virtues---

Virtue is a state of character which makes a man good and makes him do his work well

Moral virtues allow us to feel emotions:

- At the right times
- Towads the right objects
- With the rigt motives
- In the right way

Coruage- regulates fear and confidence

Temperance- regulates bodily pains and pleasures
Generosity- helps us give and spend money