WEEK 1: A.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN CATHOLIC/CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS

Faithful to the command of Jesus who once said in the Gospel, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I
commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt. 28:19-20).

Religious Education becomes a significant avenue for evangelization− the task and mission of all Christians. Today,
the Church continues to faithfully fulfill this mission as an integral part of her identity.

The principal purposes of this mission as follow (Vatican II’s Declaration on Christian education, Gravissimum
Educationis proclaimed by St. Paul VI):

 that the baptized, while they are gradually introduced to the knowledge of the mystery of salvation, become
ever more aware of the gift of Faith they have received;
 that the baptized learn how to worship God the Father in spirit and truth (Jn. 4:23) and be conformed in their
personal lives according to the new man created in justice and in holiness of truth (Eph. 4:22-24);
 that the baptized develop into a perfect manhood, and to strive for the growth of the Mystical Body; and
 that the baptized become aware of their calling, they learn not only how to bear witness to the hope that is in
them (Pt. 3:15) but also how to help in the Christian formation of the world.

To understand more clearly this mission rooted in the gospel, let us take a look at some important attributes of
Religious Education.

1. Nature and Aim of Religious Education

 Religious Education is an integral dimension of the Church’s evangelizing mission. Evangelization is the “total
mission of the Church in bringing the Good News into all strata of humanity, transforming it from within and
making it new. Its foundation, center and summit is the clear proclamation that in Jesus Christ, the Son of God
made man, who died and rose from the dead, salvation is offered to all as a gift of God’s grace and mercy.” (EN
18-27). The Church experiences this gift of salvation when through God’s gift of faith, she entrusts her whole
self freely to God (DV 5).
 It aims to make men’s faith become living, conscious, and active through the light of instruction; to put people
not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ.
 Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said, “We are only Christians if we encounter Christ. It is only in this personal
relationship with Christ, in this meeting with the Risen One, that we are truly Christians.”
 Religious Education is “education in the faith… especially the teaching of Christian doctrine… imparted in an
organic and systematic way with a view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life” (CT 18).
Religious is an essential process for the integral Christian formation of Jesus’ disciples today.

THREE LEVELS OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (Ian Knox)

a. INFORMATION (FAITH AS BELIEVING). The first level involves imparting basic information about the
Christian/Catholic faith, which includes “statements” and explanations of doctrine and official teaching, creeds of
belief (e.g., the Apostles’ Creed), moral values (e.g. Ten Commandments), historical information (e.g., Bible
history, history and structure of the Church), Scripture, sacraments, liturgical celebrations.
b. FORMATION (FAITH AS TRUSTING). The level of formation is the “level of affect, or emotion, or value” (Knox,
2003). This aspect of Religious Education corresponds to the trusting and doing aspects of faith, which involves
heart and hands.
c. TRANSFORMATION (FAITH AS DOING/OBEYING). The level of transformation is the level of personal contact with
Jesus that leads to conversion. On this level, believers “develop and renew their faith to make a personal
commitment to Jesus and present every aspect of life and fill that life with meaning” (Knox, 2003).

To emphasize further these dimensions, the National Catechetical Directory of the Philippines (NCDP) identifies five
specific goals of Catechesis and/or Religious Education:

 the understanding of the truths of the Catholic faith, drawn directly from the basic sources of faith- Holy
Scripture, Tradition, and Magisterium;
 the education in the basic principles and practice of Christian Morality;
 the instruction of Catholics on how to pray and to participate actively in the Church’s Liturgy;
 the development of a sense of belonging and committed service as active members in the Church community.
 the incarnation of the Christian faith in attitudes and values of daily life and interpretation of daily life in the
light of the Gospel.

APPROACHES OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

1. NCDP says that “There is no single best method of catechesis.” The efficacy of every method of Catechesis is
based on its intelligent use by the catechist, and on the total human environment ultimate source of efficacy.
2. “Catechesis must be Christ-centered… Everything− the Blessed Virgin, the saints, the sacraments, word of life,
devotions, etc.− must be taught in relation to Christ, and with the purpose of leading the catechized into
intimacy with Christ” (PCP-II 157). For Catechesis to be Christ-centered, it “must be rooted in the Word. Nothing
and no one speak better of the Incarnate Word than the scriptural Word of God… ‘Ignorance of the Scriptures is
ignorance of Christ’” (PCP-II 1589).
3. Renewed Catechesis must also be authentically Filipino and systematic.
4. Inculturation is the intimate transformation of authentic cultural values through their integration in Christianity
and the insertion of Christianity in the various human cultures.

B. THE CICM-RP PROVINCE’S VISION AND MISSION OF EDUCATION

CICM and Religious Education

 Catechesis or Religious Education is an essential part of the CICM missionary activity.

 Jan Van Bauwel, CICM, wrote that Catechesis “was and remains to be an important concern of all CICM
missionaries in the Philippines, since their first arrival on November 2, 1907.”
 Bishop Constant Jurgens wrote Katecismo ti Doctrina Kristiana and organized and financed the Summer Institute
for Catechists. He was appointed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to lead the
committee composed of CICM fathers to prepare a new inter-diocesan catechism.
 Joseph Tahon, CICM wrote the first instruction of children and beginners.

SIX (6) CICM SCHOOLS IN THE PHILIPPINES

CICM Philippine Province's Vision

It envisions an integral human formation of the youth who will become mature Christians and active members of the
Church. To realize this vision, the CICM-RP Province has the following general educational objectives:

1. to form an educational community of administrators, faculty, students, personnel, and parents;

2. to give the educational community an adequate exposure to the Catholic faith
3. to animate the lay people in our institutions;
4. to reflect continually in the light of Catholic faith;
5. to be committed to the service of the people of God and human society;
6. to look ways and means to give the same chances to the children of as many disadvantages families;
7. to serve as a dynamic base for the CICM Institute;
8. to cooperate with the local Church;
9. to integrate and promote the life-giving aspect of the cultural and moral values; and
10. to strive in providing the society academic excellence of international standards.

Missionary Identity of the CICM

 Each member of the school community must become fully aware of his/her responsibility to reach out to non-
Christians and discover with them the impact of the Gospel on the social reality, justice, and solidarity.
 Likewise, he/she must be conscious of his/her responsibility to reach out to others as brothers and sisters and
to establish fraternal relations with them
Four Components of Christian Formation

a. Prayer and Liturgy

 In the life and ministry of Jesus, prayer occupies a very essential part. We find in the gospels several accounts of
Jesus at prayer. He often goes off to a deserted place (Mk 1: 35) or to the mountain and spend the whole night
in prayer (Lk 6-12). He is a perfect model and teacher of prayer to His disciples, both then and now. He even
teaches His disciples the most basic of all Christian prayers, the “Our Father.”
 “Prayer is a vital necessity to Christian life…, Prayer and Christian life are inseparable” (CCC 2743-44)
 Prayer is “intimate conversation with GOD” (St. Teresa of Avila)
 It is through prayer that we too can grow in our personal relationship with God.
 Liturgy is “the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed…” (SC 10)
 Liturgy is Christian’s (Catholic’s) official public worship, which is centered in the Eucharist and the other
sacraments. In the Liturgy, the Christian community gathers around the Lord whose presence is encountered
through the assembly, the minister, the scriptural Word, the prayers and songs, and the species of bread and
wine.
 In the Liturgy, we assemble and pray in the name of our Lord through whom we have “access in one Spirit to the
Father” (Eph. 2:18). Here we encounter in faith the Lord. In other words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, as
quoted in the CBCP’s Pastoral Letter, “We can also encounter Christ in reading the Holy Scripture, in prayer, in
the liturgical life of the Church. And it is only in this personal relationship with Christ, in the meeting with the
Risen One, that we are truly Christian.”

b. Social Involvement

 Christians are called to take an active part in transforming the community, society and the whole world.
 It is an essential part of our life to be actively involved in finding solutions to the problems of our society such as
poverty, oppression, discrimination, graft and corruption, criminality, environmental destruction, and many
other societal problems.

c. Religious Education

 Religious Education is more than just giving “religious information,” or knowledge about religion like the
Scripture, doctrine, church history, liturgy and morality.
 It should lead every Christian towards a personal and intimate relationship with God. It should make every
Christian aware of God’s presence and be touch with Him who cares for human beings.
 Religious Education, the words of Pope Benedict XVI, “contributes to the overall formation of the person and
makes it possible to transform knowledge into wisdom of life.”
 Through Religious Education, “school and society are enriched with true laboratories of culture and humanity in
which, by deciphering the significant contribution of Christianity, the person is equipped to discover goodness
and to grow in responsibility, to seek comparisons and to refine his or her critical sense, to draw from the gifts
of the past to understand the present better and to be able to plan wisely for the future” (Pope Benedict XVI,
2009).
 Religious Education in CICM schools is geared towards the integral Christian formation of the youth so that they
will become mature, active and responsible members of the Church and society.

d. Vocation-Mission Animation

 A Christian vocation is a response to the call of God to live life as a faithful disciple of Jesus.
 Out of His great love, God has willed and planned that we are brought into this world. He calls on us to live to
the fullest (Jn. 10:10). He calls us to take part in the life and mission of the Church. Through our Christian
Baptism, He has called us to be disciples of His Son. God invites us to give our generous and loving response to
His call.
 In order to make the entire school community become aware of that call, and that generous response that it
requires, the CICM has a Vocation-Animation Program Activities for the program are undertaken throughout the
school year especially during the months of September and October. Through such activities, the school
 community is invited to express concretely its support to the missionary work of the whole Church in general,
and to the CICM missionary projects in particular.

C. CICM-RP MISSION PRIORITIES/PROJECTS

CICM RP Province continues to respond to the mission entrusted by Jesus to the Church. As a concrete manifestation
of its commitment to be of service to God and to the Church, CICM-RP Province, in its Vision-Mission, re-affirmed the
following missionary projects/priorities during its 2011 provincial assembly.

1. Indigenous People (IP). The CICM in the Philippines is tasked to promote the apostolate to the IP. Part of the
congregation’s commitment to the IP is the promotion of livelihood programs. This is to ensure that the Ips will
have a venue for self-development and sustainability.
2. School Apostolate/Campus Ministry. The CICM has six schools in the Philippines. The congregation believes that
school apostolate is a way of doing apostolate to young people in need of guidance, supervision and formation.
3. Poor Parishes, while giving special attention to BEC. As a missionary congregation, the CICM finds meaning in
serving the Church through the establishment of parishes and communities both in rural and urban areas.
4. Special Concerns: Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC). JPIC is an integral part of the CICM thrust to
respond to the call of God in serving the world. Hence, all schools and parishes are tasked to integrate in their
curriculum and program the relevance of JPIC.

D. Overview of Religious Education 12b (RE 12b)

 This workbook looks closer at certain actions which, done repetitively, develop into habits that are considered
as virtues or vices. Christians are called to embrace good habits that reflect one’s faith in the saving grace of
Christ, hope in the great promise of resurrection and love towards Christ and others. It reminds them that one’s
moral responsibility is not limited to having a relationship with Jesus Christ, but it also extends towards others
including the rest of creation.
 This book anchors the norms of morality in two great teachings of the Church, the Ten Commandments and the
Beatitudes which reflects some of the teachings of Jesus. These teachings illuminate Christians on fundamental
guidelines on how they will act and behave in their encounter with fellow beings.

GENERALIZATION:

 The Inspired Word of God brings back the learners to the rootedness and foundation of the Christian faith and
the Sacred Tradition that mutually dialogues with concrete human experiences today.
 The CICM commits to enrich the religious learning of the students to understand where their faith is coming
from and relate how they will apply these religious concepts and principles in real-life situations.
 In the changing situations and paradigms, CICM becomes one of the instruments of God’s proclamation of the
good news to the rest of creation.
 The learning path of their Religious Education aims to strengthen their Christian faith and encourage them to
live their life in accordance to the will of God.

Week 2: Definition of Morality

A. WHAT IS MORALITY?
As the image of God, created above all other creatures, the human being has the ability to “know and love
his Creator, and as set by him over all earthly creatures… while glorifying God” (Gaudium et Spes 12).
“Being in the image of God, the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not something
but someone.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 357). “In creation, man holds a special place” (Catechism
for Filipino Catholics 65). As a creature with a human dignity, he/she is endowed with a sense of morality
(cf. Dignatatis Humanae 1). This morality can be classified into two forms: descriptive and normative (cf.
Driver, J. Moral Theory: The Fundamentals).
1. DESCRIPTIVE MORALITY

 It refers to the study of people’s beliefs about morality and to an existing code of conduct put forward
by a certain society. It is contrary to the belief that there is a universal standard of conduct that applies
to all human beings.
 Under descriptive morality, the standard of conduct which is the law is exclusive and applicable only to
a certain society.
 A society might have a moral code that regards practices as necessary for purity or sanctity as more
important than practices related to whether other persons are harmed or not. A society might have a
morality that takes accepting the traditions and customs of the society, including accepting authority
and emphasizing loyalty to the group, as more important that avoiding and preventing harm.
Examples (local context):

 The virtue of saving money and spending less is warmly embraced by a particular cultural community,
while others spend excessively as if there is no more tomorrow.
 Christians uphold monogamous relationships, while other religions allow polygamy as long as husband
can make both ends meet for the family.
2. NORMATIVE MORALITY

 This adapts the concept of universalism, such as the existence of code of conduct that governs all
rational persons, under plausible specified conditions. Thus, it refers to universal guide to govern
behaviors of all rational persons, who are vulnerable but still should be moral agents. Example: The
dignity and worth of human life is a universal concept freely embraced by all individuals regardless of
their profile (religion, ethnicity, gender and others).
 Through normative morality, one’s reason prohibits, requires, discourages, encourages or allows
him/her to perform an action.
 Saint Thomas Aquinas believes that the faculty of reason has been implanted by God− through which a
person is able to legitimately judge the circumstances and conditions surrounding a moral decision
which eventually requires him/her to choose a morally acceptable one.
Defining morality, as to its intent and purpose, clarifies the essential features that everyone, who is subject
to a moral judgement, determines what kind of actions are morally acceptable and permissible.
Human intelligence can be a powerful guide in working out moral problems. However, Christians have more
than reason to guide them and this is Jesus Christ our Lord, the perfect norm of morality. Therefore,
morality studies and judges a person’s action, intention, and circumstance whether it is right or wrong in
the light of what humanity is.
For a person who is pre-occupied on oneself and does not recognize a Supreme Being over him/her, good
and bad are determined by what he/she believes to be right or wrong. On the other hand, Christian who
believes in Jesus, the perfect norm and guide in moral response, decides on action that is proper for a child
of God. From, a Christian point of view, moral problem-solving is greatly helped by asking the question,
“What a human being ought to do?”
B. MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT MORALITY
In order to have a concrete and more specific understanding of morality, it is important to unlearn to
unlearn existing misconceptions as to its nature, purpose, and extent. These misconceptions have
redirected individuals to pursue certain standards that are not appropriate, believing that they are
following what is acceptable, but in reality, goes contrary to what morality is all about. The following are
some of the existing misconceptions that must be properly addressed:
1. MORALITY IS A MATTER OF OPINION.

 Everyone is entitled to what a person thinks and upholds as good or bad. There are no ultimate
guidelines on ascertaining a certain action or behavior. There are varieties of moral rules that are
found in various cultures of the world. As such, one considers a certain behavior as acceptable since
there is a feeling of comfort or pleasure, but considers another as inappropriate due to discomfort or
inconvenience.
 For some, morality does not apply to watching pornographic movies because the prohibition of such is
just a product of one’s opinion, conventional opinion, and there is no moral basis. For them, watching
such movies enhances one’s awareness about sexuality. In this instance, morality is misconceived
because watching such becomes an indifferent act, in spite of the fact that is distorts and poisons the
mind of young people.
2. ALL OPINIONS ABOUT MORALITY ARE EQUAL AND CORRECT.

 Since it is said, everyone is entitled to one’s opinion; it is also upheld that one’s moral belief is equal
with those of others. Some consider their opinions on morality as more acceptable because they are
clearly explained and justified. As personal belief is sufficient to judge the goodness and badness of a
certain act.
3. MORALITY IS OUTSIDE THE WORLD OF THE “PRACTICAL PEOPLE.”

 Laws or norms of morality are of no importance since they do not enhance one’s material progress;
hence morality produces inconvenience.
 A woman resorts to abortion because the child is considered as a hindrance to pursue her other plans
and live her life according to her preference. Practicality must be geared towards what is good, not
only for the good of oneself, but also for the good of others. In such situation, the woman is only
concerned about herself and disregards her responsibility as a result of her pre-marital sexual
engagement.
4. MORALITY DEVELOPS GUILT AND MORAL OBLIGATION WHICH MAKE A PERSON’S LIFE UNHAPPY.

 The existence of guidelines or the norms of morality puts a standard which an individual has to live up
to, and when one fails, he/she is caught cheating and is consequently sanctioned. Such incident makes
a person unhappy and develops guilt from within himself/herself. However, such sanction should not
be seen as punishment but part of Christian formation. There is a need for the student to realize that
cheating during a quiz violates primarily the virtues of honesty and justice.
5. MORALITY IS CENTERED ONLY ON THE ACT ITSELF SETTING ASIDE THE CIRCUMSTANCE AND
INTENTION BEHIND THE ACTION.

 The action is judged according to how it appears regardless of other factors related to the commission
of the action. The motive or circumstance behind the action is discounted resulting in a wrong moral
judgement.
 A student fails to attend the class. When a student fails, he/she is judged right away as an irresponsible
person. The action of such student is not the only criterion in moral judgement. The action alone is not
sufficient to come up with a moral evaluation. Other aspects such as the circumstance and the
intention are needed (it is possible that the reason for failing to attend class is sickness, or some
emergency reasons).
GENERALIZATION: Morality is embedded in the reality of every human being. It serves as a fundamental
consideration for every action of an individual and of the society at large. We are given our human dignity,
that is, our innate goodness. And the understanding of morality focuses on the goodness of the human
person and a person’s dignity rather than a person’s sinfulness. Explicitly signify your innate goodness as a
manifestation of your human dignity by:
1. Developing a study habit to enhance your self-worth
2. Avoiding any vices to develop yourself-respect
3. Being courteous and respectful to everyone regardless of their social or economic status.
There are several moral problems and issues confronting an individual− which some are life-changing.
Reality has it that on a day-to-day basis, individuals determine what needs to be done and not to be done
in order to get through the day.

Week 3: Human Acts

A. Object of Morality
“The intellectual nature of man finds at last its perfection, as it should, in wisdom, which gently draws the
human mind to look for and to love what is true and good (GS 15). Only in freedom that man can turn
himself towards what is good. “Freedom makes man a moral subject. When he acts deliberately, man is, so
to speak, the father of his acts, that is, acts that are freely chosen in consequence of a judgment, of
conscience, can be morally evaluated. They are either good or evil” (CCC 1749).
Morality requires the determination of the specific nature of action. While human acts and acts of man
both pertain to the actions or behaviors of an individual or group of individuals, they must be clearly
delineated in order to discern which brings moral responsibility (cf. Veritatis Splendor 1). Human acts call
us to our moral responsibility “is an inseparable duty to make ourselves the neighbor of every man, no
matter who he is, and if we meet him, to come to his aid in positive way, whether he is an aged person
abandoned by all… a refugee, an illegitimate child wrongly suffering for a sin he did not commit…” (GS 27).
Human acts are actions that are proper to humans; thus, the crucial element of willful consent and
knowledge of the action REASON must be present. One must freely use his/her intellect and freewill when
acting, behaving, and doing. Human acts reveal the value of responsibility or accountability. Eating healthy
foods, reading notes in preparation for an exam, and saying no to drugs are just few examples (cf. VS 8.)
Acts of man are different since the actions themselves are not reflective of the person as a rational being.
The actions are performed without conscious deliberation or knowledge and with the absence of freewill.
Acts of man constitute unconscious and involuntary actions. Examples are breathing, digestion, circulation
of air in the body, and the like. These are all natural processes within the body that continue to function
without the use of freewill and reason. Other examples include those reflexive in nature, such as catching a
falling object when surprised, reacting when touching a very hot surface, and others. These actions are
exhibited without the need for reasoning and freewill. They just happen naturally as automatic responses
to the situations. Morality, therefore, covers human acts and not acts of man.

DETERMINANTS HUMAN ACT ACT OF MAN

Knowledge/ Use of Yes No

Intellect
Presence of Free Will Yes No

Conscious Process/ Yes No

Voluntariness
This clearly shows the differences between human act and act of man. As an object of morality, human act
is done with full knowledge of the action, performed with the use of free will and acted upon voluntarily.
The absence of these three crucial determinants renders the action as mere act of man.
B. Constituents of Human Acts
1. Human acts must be known and deliberate. An individual, as the moral agent, has full knowledge in
doing a certain action. There is a prior knowledge and a deliberate evaluation whether to do an action
or not.
2. Acts must be free. An individual as the moral agent is free from any external factors in doing a certain
action. There is an obvious absence of constraint from within and outside of the individual. He/she is
neither forced nor intimidated to perform a certain action.
3. Human acts are voluntary. The action proceeds from the willingness of an individual to perform action
with a perceived knowledge of the end.
NOTE: The three constituents of human acts are essential in determining the morality of an action. The
absence of one renders the evaluation of morality insufficient.
NOTE: Human actions are qualified as good, bad or indifferent. The quality and standard of a human act
depends on the relationship of the act with the norms of morality.

 An act is good when it agrees with the dictates of right reason.

 An act is bad when it disagrees with the dictates of right reason.
 An act is indifferent when it stands no relation to the dictates of the right reason.
C. Elements in Determining the Morality of Human Acts
There are three determinants of morality a person must be acquainted with in order to assess the quality
of human actions.
1. The object/act. This is the human action itself. This answers the question WHAT. Some examples are
telling a lie, praying the rosary, stealing, helping a blind person cross the street, listening to the
teacher, and gossiping with friends. For an act to be morally good, the object must be good in itself;
otherwise, it is bad.
2. The circumstance. This refers to the persons involved, the time, place, and occasion that surround an
object/act. In other words, it answers the questions: WHO, WHEN, WHERE and HOW. This can change
or completely alter the moral quality of a human act. Circumstance is a condition modifying human
actions, either by increasing or diminishing the moral responsibility. It plays an important role in
affecting the morality of an action because human acts are performed at a definite time and place, in a
particular manner, for a certain reason, etc. All Of which, in one way or another, increase or diminish
the responsibility of the action. Circumstance can make a good action evil, as when a guard on duty
goes to sleep. It can increase or minimize the guilt of the individual as when a student lies to his/her
teacher when he/she cheats. Since all human actions occur at a certain time and place, the
circumstance must always be considered in evaluating the moral quality of any human act.
3. The intention or end or purpose. Every human act, no matter how trivial or significant, is done with an
intention or purpose/the reason behind the act. This answers the question WHY. For a human act to
be morally good, the agent or doer must have a good intention. Some actions, like torturing or
maltreating a child is always wrong. Other actions may either be good or bad, depending on why one
does them. The morality of many things that one does is determined by the intention such as walking,
talking, reading, and so forth. Many such activities are said to be morally indifferent in themselves but
when performed, their moral quality lies in the intention and circumstance behind these activities. The
end or intention can modify human actions in four ways:
a. An indifferent act may become morally good or bad.
Example: To study law is in itself an indifferent action. It becomes good when inspired by the thought of
alleviating human sufferings or making a decent living. It becomes bad if it is intended to perform illegal or
immoral actions.
b. An objectively good act may become morally bad.
Example: A person gives alms to a poor girl with the intention of seducing her.
c. An objectively good act may receive more goodness.
Example: a person may give alms not only to help the poor but also for the love of God.
d. An objectively bad act can never become good in spite of the good motive.
Example: to steal money with the good intention of giving it to charitable institutions or to the poor, as the
legendary Robin Hood did. As the principle says, "The end does not justify the means."
MISSIONARY RESPONSE:
After our discussion on human acts, we learned that human act is proper to a human being which proceeds
from free will with the dictate of right reason and acted upon voluntarily. We now have a clear
understanding of the distinction between human acts and acts of man. In accordance with our human
nature, do some good acts by:

 Joining Parish organizations and participating actively in their activities

 Supporting an anti-bullying campaign
 Advocating an anti-vandalism campaign in the campus
 Volunteering for the realization of Solid Waste Management Program of the school
GENERALIZATION:

 Morality is applicable to human acts since these presuppose free will and knowledge of the action.
 Morality completely excludes acts of man since these constitute conscious and involuntary actions.
 Object, circumstance, and intention are three determinants of morality. These three have to be
considered to properly ascertain whether an action is morally acceptable or not.

Week 4: Impediments to Human Acts

Humans are called to share with the divine life of God. However, there are hindrances for humans to
achieve this call to holiness. “Strong feelings are not decisive for the morality or the holiness of persons;
they are simply the inexhaustible reservoir of and affections in which the moral life is expressed. Passions
are morally good when they contribute to a good action, evil in the opposite case. The upright will order
the movements of the senses it appropriates to the good and to beatitude, an evil will succumbs to
disordered passions and exacerbates them. Emotions and feelings can be taken up into the virtues or
perverted by the vices” (CCC 1768).
“Man, therefore, is divided in himself. As a result, the whole life of men, both individual and social, shows
itself to be a struggle, and a dramatic one, between good and evil, between light and darkness” (GS 13).
When individuals face the reality of life, their decisions and actions are eventually affected by certain
psychological and physical factors that determine whether their actions are morally acceptable or not (cf.
VS 6-8).
I. IGNORANCE. Ignorance pertains to the lack of pertinent information, as to the nature, circumstances,
and effect of a certain action. Either in commission or omission, the willful lack of initiative to extensively
understand the whole picture of the circumstance affects the moral quality of an action.
Ignorance takes place when an individual consciously proceeds to act on a certain matter without due
consideration of the relevant or necessary information related to it. Usually, this takes place when
someone unconsciously violates certain rules and regulations. When asked to be made responsible for the
action committed, one asserts that he/she must not be held accountable since he/she was unaware that
such was a violation. This is a clear manifestation on how ignorance directly alters the moral quality of an
action.
Ignorance differs in the spectrum. Some actions done with ignorance can reduce moral liability while
others maintain or even aggravate the responsibility of the person concerned.
Classification of Ignorance
1. Invincible Ignorance. There is invincible ignorance when individual lacks pertinent information as to the
moral quality of the action since he/she fails to realize his/her state of ignorance himself/herself. This may
also apply in circumstances when there is effort and diligence exerted to know the moral quality of the
action, but still it is almost impossible for him/her to acquire proper knowledge of the matter.
When confronted with this circumstance, the existence of invincible ignorance renders the human act
involuntary, thus the moral responsibility of the individual is negated. A good example of this kind is a
person who is illiterate (one who does not know how to read and write), who is caught jaywalking.
2. Vincible Ignorance. It occurs when the lack of required knowledge to determine the goodness or
badness of a certain action, can be dispelled or learned through ordinary efforts, conscientiousness and
proper diligence. When one would make an effort to study, to investigate and to ascertain the goodness or
badness of an act, it can easily be determined as the information is accessible and available.
When an individual has exerted all the necessary efforts to dispel his/ her ignorance, his/her state of
vincible ignorance lessens his/her moral responsibility.
Example: A violation of a school policy defined in student handbook on the prohibition of gambling in a
Catholic institution. Once caught, such student is subjected for disciplinary action.
Two Forms of Vincible Ignorance
Affected ignorance is the willful deliberation of an individual to assert and pretend his/her ignorance in
order to plead his/her innocence to a charge of guilt in the commission and/or omission of an act. In fact,
his/her affected ignorance is performed with malice. Naturally, any action, performed under affected or
pretended ignorance, does not excuse a person from his/her action. In fact, it actually increases his/her
moral responsibility. Example: A student who pretends not to know the school’s policy on proper haircut to
excuse him/her when confronted by the guards.
Supine ignorance or crass ignorance happens when a person exerts little effort to know something.
Example: Giving a wrong medicine to a sick person may result to the sickness of the person getting worse.
II. Concupiscence results from giving in to inordinate passion that hinders one to exercise correct
reasoning. The circumstances through which concupiscence takes place affect the extent of moral
responsibility of an individual for his/ her own actions. An action fuelled with negative passion, such as lust,
heightens the moral responsibility of an individual. It only seeks to accomplish morally bad actions.
Example: Juan had succumbed to sexual gratification. Love or long term intimacies seem to be a far-
fetched idea. He usually engages in pre-marital sex with different partners with no consideration of any
long-term impact on his emotional well-being. His strong urge towards sexual gratification characterizes
the passion that grips him. In this case, the moral responsibility of Juan increases.
In determining the morality of an action influenced greatly by concupiscence, its quality depends on the
particular timing this action has been performed. The moral responsibility increases or decreases based on
whether the action has been performed before or after the passion has been elicited.
Classification of Concupiscence
1. Antecedent concupiscence. A spontaneous inordinate passion influences an action before it has been
controlled by the will.
Example: Juan was already running late for his class. When he entered the school campuses the guard
confiscated his ID for no apparent reasons. Out of his anger, he unconsciously cursed the guard.
Considering that antecedent passion is spontaneous, the moral responsibility of a human act is determined
through the following:

 First, antecedent concupiscence destroys freedom, when it suddenly arises and impels an individual to
act before any control of the will is made possible. This being the case, the antecedent concupiscence
brings no culpability.
 Secondly, antecedent concupiscence does not always destroy freedom, for passion seldom escapes
the control of reason, thus one is still morally responsible for his/her actions.
 Lastly, antecedent concupiscence lessens freedom and diminishes the responsibility of human actions
because they tend to blind the judgment of the intellect and block the freedom of the will.
2. Consequent concupiscence is present when the intellect is aware of the hidden inordinate passion and
the will chooses to arouse the said passion. It possesses the attribute of pre-meditation, the passion has
already passed through the intellect and controlled by the will, but still, the individual performs the human
act. Since passion is deliberately and voluntarily acted upon, it does not lessen voluntariness of the action
at all, but rather increases it.
Example: Gluttony is a very good example. Pedro is obese. During a town fiesta, he had visited the houses
of his four friends, eating to his satisfaction. On his way back home, he decided to drop by a fast food
restaurant for more food, and later on, he vomited. Clearly, it is within his control to limit his food intake;
however, despite being full from the feast, he deliberately decided to eat more on his way home. His moral
responsibility increases since it is within his will, reason and disposal to decide to stop, but failed to do so.
III. Fear impairs the performance of a human act since the individual is threatened by the impending
dangers. The presence of danger and intimidation affects his/her thought-processes in determining the
goodness or badness of his/ her actions. The existence of the danger and/or threats limits his/ her ability to
use his/her will and reason and merely acts based on his/her instinct to survive or to overcome the
situation. A human act done with fear or in spite of fear is considered as voluntary. Example: Maria was
invited to attend a late night party after school, afraid of not asking permission from her parents, she
turned down the invitation of her friends. Since acts done with fear are voluntary, an individual is morally
responsible for his/her own actions.
However, for a human act done from or through fear or because of fear, the individual is threatened and
performs an action that may be considered involuntary. Because of the presence of danger, he/she does
not anymore use his/her will or reason, but follows his/her instinct to survive.
Example: While walking on a dark alley, Pedro was accosted by a robber pointing at his head a gun.
Trapped and in danger of being killed, Pedro has no alternative but to fight back. As a result, the robber
was terribly hurt. In this case, Pedro does not have moral responsibility for hurting the robber because he
had performed self-defence to protect himself from a very clear and present danger. Acts done from fear
or through fear, in certain cases are involuntary because the agent is obligated to choose to avoid the
greater evil. This kind of situation lessens voluntariness and thus, decreases moral responsibility.
4. Violence is the application of physical force upon a resisting person to compel him/her towards the
commission or omission of an act against his/her free will and reason. It endangers the life and well-being
of the person, and renders him/her to perform an action in order to save himself. Physical actions resulting
from violence are involuntary by themselves, thus diminish or decrease the moral responsibility of the
individual.
Self-defence is a classic example in the face of aggression, one has to protect himself/herself from the
attacker. During civil unrest or hostilities, people tend to hide and protect themselves when they are
attacked. Diplomacy is not anymore an option, since arms have been used by the perpetrators.
5. Habit is the development of firm and stable behavior pattern of acting. An individual naturally and
consciously performs an action, as a result of
Its repetitive performance through time. With the presence of habit, an individual acts based on his/her
repeated responses on situations.
Good moral habits are called virtues while bad habits are vices. An individual is expected to exert utmost
effort to free himself/herself from a vicious habit. The goodness and badness of an act, influenced by habit,
are ascertained based on the effort exerted and awareness. The presence or non-presence of effort to
overcome a habit increases or decreases the moral responsibility of the agent. As a basis in determining
moral responsibility of habitual acts, certain principles are in place:
Habits do not destroy the voluntariness of a human act. These habits either increase or decrease moral
responsibility.
If a habit has been developed involuntarily and unintentionally, then the existence of a habit lacks
voluntariness and decreases responsibility as long as the person remains ignorant of the existence of
his/her habit. If a vicious habit has been developed voluntarily, but a constant effort is being made to
counteract it, the act proceeding from the habit is considered less voluntary and not fully imputable to the
doer or agent of the act. This diminishes moral responsibility.
MISSIONARY RESPONSE:
After our discussion, we are ascertained of some impediments to human acts. It is indispensable for us to
overcome these impediments. We overcome these impediments by:

 Trusting in God’s power to shrink down the walls impeding you to do good.
 Surrounding yourself with good friends who inspire you to do good.
 Putting yourself one step ahead of the others in your studies, like studying ahead the topics to be
discussed by your teacher.
GENERALIZATION:

 Impediments to human acts affect the morality of a person’s action.

 Impediments to human acts hinder one from performing his/her moral responsibility.
 These impediments either increase or decrease the moral responsibility of the person doing the
action.
 These impediments include ignorance, concupiscence, fear, violence, habit.
Week 5: Norms which Govern Human Conduct (LAW)
After fully establishing the essential constituents of a human act as being deliberate, free and voluntary,
the next step in judging whether there is a corresponding moral responsibility that comes with it is to base
it on existing norms of conduct. Thus, the norm of morality is a standard against human acts are judged in
order to determine their goodness or badness. “The law is good, provided one uses it in the way is
supposed to be used.” (CFC 800)
Norms

 Not all people are able to use properly their intellectual and freewill and not really have a formed and
informed conscience at once, the human person has set for himself/herself and for the community
standards or guidelines to follow in order to live a morally upright life.
 In the early times, these norms were in the forms of customs which later became part of the
community culture and tradition and from which the terms “Moral” and “Ethics” are derived.
A. LAW

 ordinance of reason directed towards the common good and promulgated by one who has the care of
the community (St. Thomas Aquinas)
 enacted in order to promote genuine human development must be based on higher norms which are
called the Eternal Law and the Natural Law.
KINDS OF LAW
1. ETERNAL LAW

 Posits the fundamental framework through which human acts are directed and governed.
 In order for actions to be considered as morally acceptable, human actions must be anchored on the
divinity and perfection of God.
 It also enunciates that God revealed Himself to man/woman through His spirit in order to help humans
in conducting their lives and actions in accordance with His Divine wisdom and love (VS 43)
 Through the Eternal Law, humans are guided to achieve their eternal destiny of union with God.
 It has aided humans with the absolute standard on what should be done and what should be avoided.
 It is more characterized as an intrinsic motivation wherein one intends to act and to do something,
with pure intentions, in order to be at peace with himself/herself with God. This is in contrast with
other norms of morality which solely focuses on the external actions.
 God’s divine plan for all His creatures and the “exemplar of divine wisdom as directing all actions and
movements.”
Characteristics of the Eternal Law:

 Eternal – this law is with God who has no beginning and will also last with God has no end. It governs
all creatures of God from the beginning until the end of time.
 Immutable – the eternal law is not subject to change and it always governs all creatures in accordance
with God’s plan.
 Absolutely universal – the eternal law is applicable to all creatures.
2. NATURAL LAW

 Contends that human acts are derived from nature of man/woman, thus binding upon society (HV 11).
 This law are discovered and understood by people with the aid of reason. “the natural law is written
and engraved in the heart of each and every man, since it is none other than human reason itself
which commands us to do good an counsel us not to sin” (VS 44)
 It affirms that since humans are by nature rational beings, it is morally appropriate that they should
behave in a way that conforms to their rational nature.
 It is also defines as the light of understanding placed in us by God so we know what to do and what to
avoid.
 Natural Law could be summed up as the law of human conduct which arises from human nature as
ordered to its ultimate natural end and which is recognized by the natural light of reason (cf. HV 11-13)
Moreover, the contents of the Natural Law are classified into:

 Fundamental moral principles in their general applications such as

 “Good is to be done and evil is to be avoided”, “the end does not justify the means” etc.
 General moral principles which sustain and preserve the basic relations of the human person, to God
to himself/herself, and to the neighbors. Example: “adore God”, “honor your parents” and others.
 Applications of the general principles of morality to specific situations in life and society; and
 Remote conclusions derived from a process of reasoning which require good education and deeper
reflection. Example: mercy killing, indissolubility of marriage and others.
Characteristics of the Natural Law:

 Universal – this law is applicable to all creatures.

 Recognizable – there is no excuse on the part of the human person in not following the Natural Law
since he/she has the faculty to recognize or realize such in his/her own reflection or with his/her own
interaction with other creatures. The human person will realize or notice the existence of the Natural
Law through observations, interactions with others, and through deeper reflection of his/her activities
or very own existence.
 Obligatory – upon realizing that this is the very law that will lead him/her to his/her well-being and to
his/her desired destiny, there is no other choice or better choice for the human person that to obey it.
Not obeying it would lead to the things that the human person would like to avoid in life which is
destruction and damnation.
 Immutable – since the law is in accordance with the divine plan or with the eternal law, it will never be
changed or is not subject to change.
3. POSITIVE LAW

 “positive”- being promulgated or “published”.

 In the context of positive laws, a law enacted should not take effect unless it is promulgated or
announced.
Positive law is categorized into two:

 The Divine Positive Law- a God-given law which is promulgated for all creatures or only for a specific
group of community. Example: Ten Commandments which God gave to the Israelites through the
prophet Moses.
 The Human Positive Law- an ordinance of reason promulgated for the common good by one in charge
of the community or by a competent authority. Example: the ordinance of a certain place or the
constitution of a certain country.
Key words of the Human Positive Law:

 Ordinance- decree/command and not a request; it demands obedience. One has to follow it.
 Reasonable- based on reason and not on mere emotion. It must be useful or good which means it
must attain its goal. Its characteristics are just or fair, honest, possibility of fulfillment, relatively
permanent and must be promulgated.
 Common Good- serve the interest of the majority and not favor only few individuals.
 Competent Authority- someone who is knowledgeable, just, wise and respectable.
GENERALIZATION: The norms of morality are illustrated and explained how laws become significant factors
determining the morality of human person.
These laws are indispensable aspects as they affect and help an individual or group in shaping one’s
decision.
When Christian base their actions on these norms, the achievement of the ultimate end is facilitated.

Week 6: Norms which Govern Human Conduct (CONSCIENCE)

CONSCIENCE

 comes from the Latin word, conscientia , meaning “a joint knowledge” or “knowledge with”.
 It is also considered as God’s voice that echoes in the heart and mind of an individual. In other words,
it is the law of God implanted in one’s heart.
 Conscience is not simply about ideas or concepts. It involves as well one’s practical reasoning based on
what the situation offers – the circumstances, the intention and the action itself.
 It is the place of the loving colloquy between God and man, and therefore the voice of God (St.
Augustine)
 Conscience takes the form of knowledge as ideas, and knowledge as practical judgment. This judgment
is said to be a thorough deliberation of what is good and bad.
 Conscience would tell, one must abhor the evil/bad and embrace what is good.
 “Follow your conscience”, “Let conscience be your guide,” “Your conscience is your God”
A. Two moments of conscience:
1. ANTECEDENT CONSCIENCE – is a conscience that judges an act before it is done. In other words,
before an action is carried out, one may decide with his/her conscience whether to do or not to do. A
person may act according to what he/she thinks, based on what pleases him/her or not. However,
such action is subject to moral evaluation.
Example: During a quiz—when a student has two options whether to cheat or not. Before he/she
cheats, the person knows and is able to deliberate whether such action is pleasing to him/her or not. If
it is pleasing, then he/she decides to cheat. He/she eventually passes the exam. However, he/she is
not exempted from moral deliberations whether such action is moral or immoral. The human action
although pleasing to that student does not mean it is moral.
2. CONSEQUENT CONSCIENCE – judges and act after it is being done. In other words, moral assessment
comes after the completion of a certain act. Such act may be judged whether moral or immoral, as to
then human culpability or non-culpability of the person concerned.
Example: For instance, going to the example above, consequent conscience works after the cheating
has been done executed by the student and so he/she starts feeling guilty about the act that he/she
committed. A part of him/her would say it is just all right because it caused him/her a good end which
is passing the quiz. However, another part of him/her says he/she should have not done it because it
was unfair to those who reviewed and yet got failing scores. He/she finally realizes it as wrong.
Consequent conscience therefore assess an act as good or bad after it has been done.
B. Classification of Conscience
1. CORRECT CONSCIENCE – conscience that tells a person and judges that an act is indeed a good action,
while a bad act is, indeed, bad.
Example: proper segregation of waste and planting trees to other measures to protect mother earth are
good acts. These good acts are, indeed, judged as good with the impact they have in protecting the
environment.
2. FALSE CONSCIENCE – opposite of correct conscience. This classification of conscience clearly manifests
an assessment where one judges a good act as bad and bad act as good.
Example: one example is gambling. Gambling in any form is not at all good. In every game, one wins at the
expense of another person’s loss. Assessing this situation, one may say that such action is good for it is a
form of fun and game of luck. Thus, the bad act is perceived as good for it pleases and comforts people.
3. SCRUPULOUS CONSCIENCE – one is always afraid of committing errors; hence, the person becomes
rigorous in everything he/she does. In other words, such kind of conscience makes a person think in a very
legalistic manner (a person interprets the letter of the law alone, not its spirit)in such a way the person
follow what is there in the law and follows it no matter what it contributes to the person’s life. What
matter most is the fact that he/she will not commit any error, thus, not following rules/laws is tantamount
to committing errors.
Example: fulfilling one’s Sunday obligation of attending mass is a good act. Misunderstanding the
ecclesiastical law subjects one to a scrupulous conscience. While it is true that everyone needs to fulfill this
obligation, it does not however bid sick people. When a student of Catholic institution goes to mass despite
being sick, this conscience works on the person. Here, one may not attend mass anymore considering the
condition but still forces himself/herself due to the fear of committing a sin.
4. LAX CONSCIENCE – a person keeps on excusing him/herself from every mistake committed. It is as if,
he/she does not commit any mistake at all.
Example: Violation of traffic rules. Not stopping even when the red light is on and giving the reason that no
one sees anyway as there are no traffic enforcers around. The driver finds excuse from the mistake that he
committed since he is not reprimanded because no one has seen what he had done.
5. CERTAIN CONSCIENCE – a firm of judgment that one is not in error. It means it is clear and evident that
what a person does is, indeed, right.
Example: A law professor delivers her lecture on a particular law that had already been amended. She is
not updated of the amendment of the law and therefore she believes in good faith that what she delivers
in class still prevails and is allowed in our justice system.
6. DOUBTFUL CONSCIENCE – postulates the idea that judgment is always suspended because of the
uncertainty of the goodness and badness of a human action. The word ‘doubt’ denotes the idea that one is
not sure of what he/she is doing.
Example: a person’s suspension of his/her desire for getting in shape until his/her doctor gives clearance
that he/she is fit to go through strenuous activities. The suspension gives him/herself a reasonable period
to assess whether or not such an idea would really help him/her or would rather bring about a problem on
his/her health.
7. MUST CONSCIENCE and OUGHT CONSCIENCE – it is of greatest importance that on the way to
adulthood, the authoritarian must-conscience of the child develops into the personal ought-conscience of
the grown-up, mature person.
MUST CONSCIENCE - an evolving conscience in childhood which is predominantly and authoritarian in
nature. It evolves out of parental commands, restrictions and prohibitions. Some form of punishment often
accompanies these commands. The child of course does not know why he must or must not do certain
things. He complies with the orders because they are prescribed by their parents. As the child grows older
and progresses towards adulthood, the must-conscience has to give way to the mature ought-conscience.
OUGHT CONSCIENCE – no longer primarily sustained by fear of punishment and external imitation.
C. Challenges to the Formation of Conscience
It helps one to deliberate properly whether what he/she is doing is good or bad. Indeed, it is the task at
hand to give some points to facilitate the formation of one’s conscience. It is good to stress that the
formation of conscience is a life-long process.
1. EXTREME RELATIVISM – everybody decides according to what he/she thinks to be the good one,
without referring or consulting some people or other authorities. It is very detrimental to decision
making if one is engrossed with his/her relativistic mentality. There will be no room for clarification
and consultation.
2. MISINFORMATION – every now and then, one hears reactions, comments and opinions of people.
Some are very convincing and persuasive. Yet, it is not a guarantee that it is the truth.
3. INDIVIDUALISM – it is a drive towards thinking what satisfies a person and disregarding others. In
other words, it is an attitude of “my world and mine alone and outside of me is not significant.
D. Formation of Conscience
Oftentimes, our actions are dictated by our conscience that is why it is necessary for us to continuously
form our conscience in accordance with our Christian belief. And with all the challenges, it is good to
determine some ways to form a right certain conscience—conscience that is educated and formed.
1. PRAYER – Prayer is of vital importance in the process of conscience formation. Person who wish to
have certain Christian conscience must develop a prayer life, constantly communication with God. One
needs to assimilate prayer in his/her faith and put it into practice. In this way one’s moral conscience is
formed. In prayer, a person is helped how to discern what is good from what is bad, how to accept and
correct mistakes, and reflect on concrete experiences.
2. LISTENING TO THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL – in this way, persons may see and realize their
actions in relation to what Jesus is telling them in the Gospel.
3. AFFIRM THE ROLE OF THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY – As children of God, people always need to
depend on one another especially on things that they want to clarify with regard to their course of
action. People do not live on earth individually but with others.
4. CONSIDER THE MULTI-DISCPLINARY APPROACH – other fields of science such as psychology,
economics, civil laws, etc. are considered in forming one’s conscience. However, these fields should
not only be the only measure in decision making. What is at stake here is that other perspectives are
considered, and it is where one can derive good decision
GENERALIZATION: The norms of morality are standards according to which human acts are judged in order
to determine their goodness or badness. These norms include law and conscience.
When Christians base their actions on these norms, the achievement of the ultimate end (kingdom and
happiness) is facilitated.
The norms of morality include conscience which is a voice, ever calling a person to love and to do what is
good and avoid evil.
The relationship between man’s freedom and God’s law is most deeply lived out in the heart of the person,
in his moral conscience.
Conscience is not simply about ideas or concepts because it involves as well one’s practical reasoning
based on the situation offers.

Week 7: Cardinal Virtues

I. Definition of Virtue:
According to Etymology: The word virtue comes from the Latin root vir, which means “man”. At first virtue
meant manliness or valor, but over time it settled into the sense of moral excellence. Virtue can also mean
excellence in general.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Virtues are firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual
perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct
according to reason and faith. They make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life.
The virtuous man is he who freely practices the good.
II. Classification of Virtues:
Cardinal Virtues: Are thought to be four virtues—prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance—that can
be practiced by anyone and which form the basis of a natural morality governing civilized society. They are
thought to be logical rules that offer common sense guidelines for living responsibly with fellow human
beings and represent the values that Christians are directed to use in their interactions with one another.
Theological Virtues: These are considered to be gifts of grace from God—they are given to us freely, not
through any action on our part, and we are free, but not required, to accept and use them. These are the
virtues by which man relates to God Himself—they are faith, hope, and charity. While these terms have a
common secular meaning that everyone is familiar with, in Catholic theology they take on special
meanings, as we’ll soon see. Justice is connected to the idea of rights. While we often use justice in a
negative sense, justice in its proper sense is positive. Injustice occurs when we as individuals or by law
deprive someone of that which he is owed. Legal rights can never outweigh natural ones.
A. Cardinal Virtues:
1. Prudence: Thomas Aquinas ranked prudence as the first cardinal virtue because it is concerned with the
intellect. Aristotle defined prudence as recta ratio agibilium (right reason applied to practice). It is the
virtue that allows us to judge correctly what is right and what is wrong in any given situation. When we
mistake the evil for the good, we are not exercising prudence—in fact, we are showing our lack of it.
Because it is so easy to fall into error, prudence requires us to seek the counsel of others, particularly those
we know to be sound judges of morality. Disregarding the advice or warnings of others whose judgment
does not coincide with ours is a sign of imprudence.
2. Justice: According to Saint Thomas, Justice is the second cardinal virtue, because it is concerned with the
will. As Fr. John A. Hardon notes in his Modern Catholic Dictionary, it is “the constant and permanent
determination to give everyone his or her rightful due." We say that "justice is blind,” because it should not
matter what we think of a particular person. If we owe him a debt, we must repay exactly what we owe.
3. Fortitude: The third cardinal virtue, according to St. Thomas Aquinas. While this virtue is commonly
called courage, it is different from what much of what we think of as courage today. Fortitude allows us to
overcome fear and to remain steady in our will in the face of obstacles, but it is always reasoned and
reasonable; the person exercising fortitude does not seek danger for danger's sake. Prudence and justice
are the virtues through which we decide what needs to be done; fortitude gives us the strength to do it.
Fortitude is the only one of the cardinal virtues that is also a gift of the Holy Spirit, allowing us to rise above
our natural fears in defense of the Christian faith.
4. Temperance: Saint Thomas declared, is the fourth and final cardinal virtue. While fortitude is concerned
with the restraint of fear so that we can act, temperance is the restraint of our desires or passions. Food,
drink, and sex are all necessary for our survival, individually and as a species; yet a disordered desire for
any of these goods can have disastrous consequences, physical and moral.
MISSIONARY RESPONSE:
After our discussion, we learned that virtue is not based on a single action. Since virtue is a habit, it
requires consistency. In order for us to be consistent, we need to:

 Establish a stable relationship with God, who is the fount of all virtues.
 Connect ourselves with God through sacraments and scriptures.
 Always perform virtuous act from the heart.
GENERALIZATION:

 Virtue is a habitual act.

 Prudence is the exercise of good reason.
 Justice is giving what is due to others.
 Fortitude allows us to overcome fear and to remain steady in our will in the face of obstacles, but it is
always reasoned and reasonable; the person exercising fortitude does not seek danger for danger's
sake.
 Temperance is the restraint of our desires or passions