CATECHISM PART III 20

CHRISTIAN MORALITY
Introduction: Part Two
(C 1691-2051, USC Ch. 23-24)

In the previous lesson, we touched upon the first six imprudent for the honor and glory of God is when the
building blocks of Christian morality. In Part II, we supernatural virtue of prudence contradicts the
continue with four more building blocks. natural.” (The Virtue Driven Life, pp 30-32: see Chapter 1
of this book for an example on how the natural and super-
BUILDING    BLOCK    7:    CARDINAL  AND   natural virtue of prudence may clash.)
THEOLOGICAL  VIRTUES  (C  1803-­‐1845,  USC  p.  315)  
Justice (C 1807). “When justice is done, it is a joy to
“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is the righteous, but dismay to evildoers” (Prov. 21:15).
just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is The human virtue of justice calls us to be fair and
gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything honest in our relationship with God and others. From
worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phil 4:8) a Christian perspective, justice must always be
tempered with mercy. God is our model in this regard.
“Growth in virtue is an important goal for every If God treated each of us as we justly deserved, who
Christian, for the virtues play a valuable role in living would be saved? The cardinal virtue of justice calls us
a Christian moral life.” (USC p. 317) to fight injustice wherever we see it. A small way to
We will look at the four cardinal virtues and the three bring justice into our world is to be generous in
theological virtues. tipping those who work for menial wages. Another
way is to advocate and vote for laws that will help the
What is a virtue? poor.

“A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do Fortitude (C 1808). This moral virtue gives us the
good… The goal of a virtuous life is to become like courage and strength to do the right thing even in the
God” (C 1803). Simply put, a virtue is a good habit face of difficulties and temptations as, for instance,
that helps us to practice Christian ideals in daily life. when we lose our job or even when we face death for
the sake of justice, e.g., St. Thomas More.
The Cardinal Virtues
Temperance (C 1809). This moral virtue is sometimes
There are many human virtues but from ancient times, called moderation. Temperance “moderates our
four of them have been considered principal or appetite for pleasure and secures the balance in
cardinal virtues. The term “cardinal” comes from the created goods, and helps us control our instincts and
Latin word cardo meaning hinge. All human virtues desires in a Christ-like way” (This is Our Faith, p. 253).
are related to or hinged to one of the cardinal virtues. But in his classic study of the cardinal virtues, Josef
The four cardinal virtues are prudence, justice, Pieper was quick to point out that the rich meaning of
fortitude and temperance. Wis 8:7 reads: “If one loves temperance is not captured by the concept of
justice, the fruits of her works are virtues. For she moderation. Moderation is only a small part of
[Wisdom] teaches temperance, prudence, justice and temperance – the negative part. According to St.
fortitude.” We will briefly examine each one of these Thomas Aquinas, temperance gives order and balance
key human virtues. to our life. It arises from a serenity of spirit within
oneself. The reasonable norm allows us to walk gently
Prudence (C 1806). “The natural virtue of prudence upon the earth. Temperance teaches us to cherish and
assists people to organize their lives and activities in enjoy the good things of life while respecting natural
order to achieve the goal of a happy life in this limits. Temperance in fact does not diminish but
world… The supernatural virtue of prudence helps us actually heightens the pleasure we take in living by
organize our activities, desires, possibilities, freeing us from a joyless compulsiveness and
resources, and behavior in such a way that we may dependence.
come to eternal life. We may do many things that are
imprudent from a worldly perspective but are prudent
for eternal life. The only time we need to be naturally
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Ways to acquire human virtues One author whose name I have mislaid writes:
(C 1810-1811, USC p. 317)
“Hope is about defining loss or resistance as
All of us have heard the saying “practice makes challenge, not defeat. Hope says that if we aren’t
perfect.” Through frequent repetition of a particular getting what we prayed for it is because we are being
act, we will acquire virtuous behavior. As we seek to directed to something better. A hopeful person keeps
grow in virtue, we will need the help of the Holy going forward despite resistance or setbacks,
Spirit and, when possible, fellowship with people who believing in St. Pauls’ words that even suffering can
are also seeking to live a virtuous life. serve to enlarge us, because “suffering produces
endurance, and endurance produces character, and
Pause: Can you name a practical situation where we need character produces hope, and hope does not
one of the cardinal virtues to assist us? disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured
into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been
given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).
The Theological Virtues (C 1812-1813, USC p. 317)
This kind of hope, of course, is more than just
optimism. Ultimate hope is grounded in God’s
“Faith, hope and love remain, these three, but the
promise that, at the end of day, truth and love will
greatest of these is love” (1Cor 13:13). In the
triumph over every obstacle, even death. Hope is
sacrament of baptism, each person is infused with
among the theological virtues because, like faith and
special graces and gifts to help him/her be a faithful
love, it holds us in relationship with God, the source
disciple of Christ. Some of these graces have been
and guarantor of our deep innate trust in the goodness
called “infused virtues,” the most important of them
of human life, cast into mystery yet toward a destiny
being faith, hope and charity. These virtues are called
beyond itself.”
“theological” (“theos” =God) because they have God
as their origin and object. We acquire these gifts not Love (C 1822-1829). Love is the greatest of all virtues
by human effort but from God. They help us to have (1 Cor 13:13), the greatest of the commandments (Mt
an intimate relationship with God. 22:36-37) and it is the very nature of God (1 Jn 4:16).
The Catechism states that “charity is the theological
Faith (C 1814-1816). Faith is the gift that enables us to virtue by which we love God above all things for his
believe in God and in what he has revealed. Through a own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love
mature faith, we are able to commit ourselves totally of God” (C 1822). (For more on the four cardinal virtues
to God. True faith expresses itself in good works. St. and the three theological virtues, see The Virtue Driven Life
James says “faith apart from works is dead” (Jas 2:26). by Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.)
We must be ready to “confidently bear witness to our
faith and spread it” (C 1816). (For more on faith as our Pause: Can you recall a time where your faith helped
response to Divine Revelation, see my Catechism Article 1, you to get through a difficult situation?
Part 2.)

Hope (C 1817-1821). Hope is the virtue that enables us BUILDING    BLOCK    8:    A  COMMUNITY  OF  LOVE  
to trust that God’s promises to us will be fulfilled.  AND  JUSTICE  
Faith and hope enable us to relate to and deal with un-
seen reality. “Only faith can guarantee the blessings “This is what Yahweh asks of you: to act justly, love
that we hope for, or prove the existence of realities tenderly and walk humbly before the Lord.” (Mic 6:8)
unseen” (Heb 11:1). One way to distinguish faith from Previous building blocks or foundation stones of
hope is to view faith as a “now virtue,” and hope as a Catholic morality dealt mainly with how we as
virtue that enables us to deal with the future. Faith and individuals are called to live the great commandment
trust in God help us to deal with our present struggles. of love. In this building block, we will focus on how
Hope helps us to trust that God will save us or, more we are to live the great commandment in
immediately, that there will be a successful outcome community—local and global. We can say that it is
to a present problem, e.g., sickness. Two sins against God’s dream that every person in our global family is
hope are despair (losing all hope) and presumption lovingly cared for and treated justly and respectfully.
(believing God will save us with little or no effort on In God’s family, there is no such thing as “us and
our part). them.” There is only “us.”

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Promoters of the common good (C 1905-1912) Christian response to social injustice

The Catechism states that “the common good In the Old Testament, the prophets were very harsh in
comprises the sum total of social conditions which their condemnation of social injustices, and so was
allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to Jesus. Jesus was the champion of the outcast and the
reach their fulfillment more fully and easily” (C 1924). marginalized. In his famous Last Judgment scene (Mt
Governments and individuals are called to promote 25:31-46), the saved are those who showed compassion
the common good, to create social conditions in which to those in need and the condemned are those who
all are treated with dignity and respect, all have an lacked compassion.
opportunity to grow spiritually and materially, and all
have basic human rights including the right to food, The Church’s response to poverty and injustice is
shelter, health care, education, employment and twofold: social action and works of justice. The
freedom of expression. former seeks to give immediate help to those in need,
e.g., food, clothing, medicine, etc.; the latter seeks to
On a global level, promotion of the common good remove unjust structures that are designed to keep the
involves the sharing of resources by developed nations poor poor, and favor the rich. We can say that Mother
with underdeveloped nations. “If a man who was rich Teresa is the patron saint of all involved in social
enough in this world’s goods saw that one of his action, and Martin Luther King the patron saint of
brothers was in need but closed his heart to him, how those involved in removing from society those sinful
could the love of God be living in him?” (1 Jn 3:17) structures that favor some and oppress others. Social
action ministries give a person a fish for today; social
Employers promote the common good when they pay justice ministries seek to teach a person how to fish
their employees just wage and create fair and safe for himself. Both initiatives are needed.
working conditions. Employees promote the common
Three large organizations within the Catholic Church
good when they do an honest day’s work and care
in the United States that carry out works of charity
about their employers and co-workers. Parents
and justice are: Catholic Relief Services, Catholic
promote the common good when they provide food,
Campaign for Human Development, and Catholic
shelter and emotional support for their children.
Charities.
Christians promote the common good when they We should note that many non-church groups are
become involved in politics and public life. In doing involved in social action and social justice activities,
so, they can fight to create social structures that are e.g., NGO’S (non-government organizations), human
respectful of persons, and fight structures that rights watch groups, the media when it does stories on
dehumanize the members of society. The Church justice issues. Wherever there is social injustice, all of
promotes the common good when she models justice us have a responsibility to be a voice for the oppressed
and love by the way she lives, by being a prophetic and to do what we can to remove such injustice. (For
voice for all who have little or no voice, and by more on the social teachings of the Church, see article
speaking out against all forms of social injustice. #25.)

Sins against the common good Pause: In your opinion, what is one of the greatest social
injustices in the United States and in our global family
Even though it is God’s dream that all his children
today?
live in peace and harmony and have the opportunity to
develop their human and spiritual potential, the reality
is very different. Some flagrant examples of sins and BUILDING    BLOCK    9:      THE  ROLE  OF  LAW  IN  
crimes against the common good are world hunger, CATHOLIC  MORALITY  (C  1948-­‐1986,  USC  p.  327)  
abortion, outsourcing of work to poor nations, unjust
wages, etc. In general, we can say that laws are meant to enlighten
and guide us, teach and protect us, and challenge us
Pause: Name some ways that our country pro-motes the with regard to the more important values in life. Good
common good and ways that it fails to do so. laws are like good teachers and good road maps: they
point us in the right direction. They show us which
roads to take (good values to embrace) and which
roads to avoid (values to resist).
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Moral law (C 1950-1953) and pray for those who persecute you...” (Mt 5:43-44).
We cannot live the New Law of love without God’s
Moral law is the work of Divine Wisdom (C 1950). It grace (the focus of our next building block).
is God’s instruction for right human conduct. It
teaches us what is good and how to act in order to Church law (C 2030-2021, USC p.330). Living as active
attain earthly and eternal happiness. It also points out members of our Church family helps us to live a good
to us the choices that lead us away from God. We will moral life. Through her teaching ministry, the Church
look briefly at four different types of laws, all of them helps us to better understand our call to holiness,
interrelated: natural law, civil law, revealed law (Old better understand what is asked of us as disciples of
and New Testament), and church law. Jesus, and better understand what are appropriate and
inappropriate responses to Christ’s law of love. In the
Natural law (C 1954-1960, USC p. 327). When God Church, we have outstanding and inspiring witnesses
created human beings, he built into their nature an of Christian living.
innate sense of what is right and wrong behavior. This
original moral sense is called natural law (C 1955). The Magisterium, the supreme teaching office of the
Natural law provides the whole human race with Church, has a special role to play as moral teacher in
certain principles to guide behavior – principles which our Church family. Briefly, her role is twofold:
may be interpreted and applied in a variety of ways in
different cultures and circumstances. Natural law is • to faithfully protect and interpret the moral
the foundation of human community and from it arises teachings of the Church. The Magisterium must
civil law. An example of natural law is the “law of fair protect moral truth from erroneous interpretations.
play.” When we say something is not fair, we assume
the existence of a universal moral law. Because • to deal with new moral issues (e.g., medical ethics)
natural law is placed by God in the heart of man, it that previous generations did not have to contend
with. The Church must seek guidance in her moral
applies to all people in all places and at all times.
Natural law provides the foundation for civil law. wisdom tradition and apply it to new questions
raised in every age.
Civil law. Without civil law, we would have chaos. In
Pause: If you were president or pope for a week, what
general, we can say that the purpose of civil law is to
law/s would you add to or strike from the books?
apply the principle of natural law to a particular
society. If some civil laws are unjust, we need to fight
to replace them with just laws, e.g., Roe v. Wade,
BUILDING    BLOCK  10:    GRACE  
which allows a doctor the right to kill an unborn child.
(C  1987-­‐2005,  USC  p.  328)  
Revealed law (C 1961-1974, 1981-1986). Revealed law The word “grace” literally means gift. The Catechism
spells out more concretely the central principle of defines grace as “the help God gives us to respond to
natural law, i.e., “Do good and avoid evil.” our vocation of becoming his adopted children. It
introduces us into the intimacy of the Trinitarian life”
The Catechism speaks of two stages in revealed law:
(C 2021). Grace is the free gift of God’s presence, life,
the law of the Old Testament which is summarized in
and love living within us, for the purpose of trans-
the Ten Commandments, and the law of the New
forming us into his likeness which we lose when we
Testament which is summarized in the Sermon on the
sin.
Mount (Mt 5, 6 & 7).
The way grace works is a bit like what happens when
The Old Law is imperfect and a preparation for the
a man who drinks too much and eats too much, and is
New Law of Christ. The New Law or the Law of the rough around the edges, falls in love with a beautiful
Gospel “fulfills, refines, surpasses and leads the Old
woman who loves him unconditionally. Her love
Law to perfection” (C 1967). In Mt 5:1-11, Jesus tells
transforms him. He quits drinking, begins to eat in
us that he came “not to abolish the old law but to
moderation, and gradually becomes a very nice person
bring it to fulfillment.” Jesus makes several contrasts
to be around with. All this happens because he allows
between what was said in the Old Law and what he is
the woman’s love to enter his heart and motivates him
now proposing as the New Law of love, i.e., “You
to change his whole way of living. He is free to accept
have heard it said, you shall love your neighbor and
or reject the love of his lady friend. So it is with us –
hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies,
God’s grace presence – God’s love – totally embraces
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us. It enables us to open our hearts to God, gives us
the strength to change and transform sinful habits, and
moves us in God’s direction.

Our role is to allow God to do his transforming work

in us and to cooperate with his grace. Our part may
seem easy but it is not. Dying to self and to sinful
attitudes and behavior is never easy. We must be
strongly motivated and very generous in our response
to God’s grace.

Pause: How have you experienced God’s grace in your

life?

Suggested actions

Try to be more in tune with injustices that exist in our

local, national and global society. Be more aware of
God’s grace presence that envelops your whole life.

Meditation

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved and

set me free. I once was lost, but now am found, was
blind but now I see.
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace
my fears relieved; how precious did that grace
appear the hour I first believed!
Through many dangers, toil, and snares I have
already come; ‘tis grace has brought me safe thus
far, and grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope
secures; He will my shield and portion be as long
as life endures.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright
shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing
God’s praise than when we first begun.
(John Newton)

Fr. Eamon Tobin ©

Ascension Catholic Church
Melbourne, FL
[email protected]

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