TO: REV. FR. JEFFREY B.

ABEL
RE: SEM. GABRIEL ANTONIO I. REYES
RE: REFLECTION ON ETHICS
DT: AUG. 22, 2023

Ethics As a Manifestation

The creation of ethics in our world or in our society was somewhat founded on a longing

that’s like a yearning for God. It is a search and an answer for something greater than our

freedom, in how we act. If I were to put it into my own words, ethics is the replica of the

teachings of the Catholic Church about morality. Ethics and the Church both ask the same

question: Is it right?

Knowing a portion of what ethics is, it made me think: how did we, humans, made such

thing as ethics? What was the foundation, basis, and standard that we can really say that a certain

action is actually right or wrong? Taking this into consideration - just like what I have stated - it

is a longing that’s deep within ourselves that tells us what is right and wrong. The concept is

imprinted in every human being. It is already in ourselves. And as we what the Church teaches,

the search for God is innate to every person. This made me think that ethics is the concept of

what God wants us to do. The only difference is, Ethics tackles more about human conduct,

disregarding the existence of a supreme being.

From what I recall back when I was still in senior high, ethics can give several answers

but it’s not always accurately right, rather it eliminates confusion and clarify issues. After that,

it’s up to each individual to come to their own conclusions. So, I believed that if we can master

ethics, we can avoid unwanted results or consequences.

 Meditating ethics, I have come to think that it can also help us discover our values

because it seeks to give general advice on how to live good and happy life. It can be part of our

lifestyle where we always ask ourselves: what kind of person will I become if I do this? Is this

action consistent with who I really am? And thus, making us define ourselves. If only we can

practice ethics, and its principles, we can be sure that we will make decisions not with haste but

thorough thinking and is based on what we think is good and right.

Through the course of reading some modules about ethics, I encountered that ethics can

pinpoint a disagreement. It can infuse debates about moral issues that are currently happening in

our time; making ethics an essential part in our society. Without it, there would be chaos. With it,

there would be order and peace. So it is through ethics that a system of government or society

can survive.

What also caught my attention that made me reflect on is the elements of human acts. It is

almost the same with the determinants of how can an action be called as a sin in the Church.

They both consider the accountability of a person on his or her action; if it deserves praise or

blame.

I realized that, perhaps, ethics is the manifestation and response of what God tells us in

our hearts to distinguish what is right and wrong. For if we will think of it, how can we say that it

is right if we don’t know what is wrong? And how can we say that it is wrong if we don’t know

what is right? My answer is, God made the standard. He is the standard, the ultimate good and

He planted Himself in our hearts. Thus, making us what we really are and what we are truly

capable of: a human person made from the image and likeness of God.