Morality Study Guide – Unit 1
Spectrum of Truth: Relativism vs. Absolutism
Jesus is the Source and Model of Truth for Christians
Know the main points from the Sermon on the Mount
a. focus on the Spirit rather than the Letter of the Law
b. Beatitudes
c. Teaching on prayer, fasting, almsgiving, judging, wealth, and dependence on God
Ecclesiology – the study of the nature, mission, and efforts of the Church
Ekklesia – assembly, people called by God
Mission – to bring about the kingdom of God (where His will is obeyed)
Method – preaching, prayer, & service
The Church stands as a vehicle for communicating Christ’s Moral Authority to mankind. This task is entrusted to the Magisterium – the teaching authority of the Church which resides in the bishops, preeminently in the bishop of Rome, the Pope.
The Magisterium communicates its moral authority through a number of sources:
a. Scripture (recall that it was the Magisterium that determined which books were par of the Canon of Sacred Scripture.
b. Catechism – a book of Catholic Doctrine. The Universal Catechism is the most comprehensive and most recent
c. Apostolic (Papal) writings
1. Apostolic Constitutions (most “weighty”)
2. Encyclicals and other decrees
d. Ecclesial Documents – writings from Vatican “departments”, national bishops’ conferences, and individual bishops.
Natural Law & its implications
Precepts of the Church
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Sunday, February 3, 2008
The Church as Vehicle of Moral Teaching
I. Ecclesiology - the study of the nature and mission of the Church.
As part of his continuing mission fo the salvation of humanity Christ established his Church to teach, govern, and sanctify humanity.
A. The Nature of the Church is that of an "Ekklesia", Greek for "assembly".
An assembly consists of people called together by someone for a purpose. The Church is "People Called by God."
B. The Mission of the Church, the purpose for which it is called, is to bring about the Kingdom of God. Note that the Kingdom of God is a state in which God's will is given due respect as supreme authority and is obeyed rather than the will of man.
C. The Method the Church uses to build up the Kingdom of God is three-fold, corresponding to the three-fold nature of the Christian as Priest, Prophet, and King. Thus the Church's efforts consist of Prayer, Preaching, and Service.
D. The Organization of the Church is hierarchichal, led by the pope, successor of St. Peter and Vicar of Christ. He is advised and assisted by the college of Cardinals. Locally each diocese is led by a bishop, who is a spiritual descendant of the Apostles themselves. They are the chief shepherds of the flock they are called to serve. They are aided by priests and deacons in their apostolic ministry.
II. The Communion of Saints - this is the idea that membership in the Church transcends time and space. We are at one with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ regardless of how much time or physical distance separates us. The "spiritual" division of the Church is as follows:
A. Church Militant - as the name implies, these are members of the Church engaged in the battle against sin and evil, and is comprised of the souls here on earth.
B. Church Suffering - these are the souls suffering the pains and consequences of earthly sin, namely the souls in Purgatory where they await purification and entrance into heaven. They are aided by our prayers and charitable works when offered on their behalf.
C. Church Triumphant - this is the portion of the Church that has triumphed over sin and evil and enjoys the beatific vision of God in Heaven. These are the souls tha we know officially as "saints", both named and anonymous. Their intercessory prayers, as well as their example, are of benefit to us in our life of discipleship.
We will investigate exactly how the Chruch serves as a vehicle of moral authority next time, and there will be yet another Powerpoint posted on Weblcocker.
Until then,
Ad Jesum per Mariam,
Mr. B.
As part of his continuing mission fo the salvation of humanity Christ established his Church to teach, govern, and sanctify humanity.
A. The Nature of the Church is that of an "Ekklesia", Greek for "assembly".
An assembly consists of people called together by someone for a purpose. The Church is "People Called by God."
B. The Mission of the Church, the purpose for which it is called, is to bring about the Kingdom of God. Note that the Kingdom of God is a state in which God's will is given due respect as supreme authority and is obeyed rather than the will of man.
C. The Method the Church uses to build up the Kingdom of God is three-fold, corresponding to the three-fold nature of the Christian as Priest, Prophet, and King. Thus the Church's efforts consist of Prayer, Preaching, and Service.
D. The Organization of the Church is hierarchichal, led by the pope, successor of St. Peter and Vicar of Christ. He is advised and assisted by the college of Cardinals. Locally each diocese is led by a bishop, who is a spiritual descendant of the Apostles themselves. They are the chief shepherds of the flock they are called to serve. They are aided by priests and deacons in their apostolic ministry.
II. The Communion of Saints - this is the idea that membership in the Church transcends time and space. We are at one with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ regardless of how much time or physical distance separates us. The "spiritual" division of the Church is as follows:
A. Church Militant - as the name implies, these are members of the Church engaged in the battle against sin and evil, and is comprised of the souls here on earth.
B. Church Suffering - these are the souls suffering the pains and consequences of earthly sin, namely the souls in Purgatory where they await purification and entrance into heaven. They are aided by our prayers and charitable works when offered on their behalf.
C. Church Triumphant - this is the portion of the Church that has triumphed over sin and evil and enjoys the beatific vision of God in Heaven. These are the souls tha we know officially as "saints", both named and anonymous. Their intercessory prayers, as well as their example, are of benefit to us in our life of discipleship.
We will investigate exactly how the Chruch serves as a vehicle of moral authority next time, and there will be yet another Powerpoint posted on Weblcocker.
Until then,
Ad Jesum per Mariam,
Mr. B.
Jesus Christ, Source & Model of Christian Morality
Chapter 2 in your text examines the public ministry of Christ as the source of our moral authority. A few noteworthy nuggets:
a. Christology - the study of the nature(s) of Christ.
b. Doctrine of the Incarnation - The Church teaching that God became man in the person of Jesus Christ. He possesses both divine and human nature simultaneously.
c. Jesus became man so that we might have a share in the divine nature.
d. He accomplished the salvation / redemption of mankind through his sacrifice on the cross and subsequent resurrection, collectively known as the Paschal Mystery.
e. Prior to the Paschal Mystery, Christ spent approximately three years publicly preaching, healing, and performing miracles.
d. The quintessential preaching of Christ is that found in the Sermon on the Mount (or "on the plain" in Luke's Gospel). The Powerpoint notes on this sermon will be posted on Weblocker.
e. Christ's moral teaching is encapsulated in the "Greatest Commandment", to Love God above all else and to Love one's neighbor as one's self. (Christian Morality stands in contrast to Jewish morality at the time of Christ which was highly rigid and legalistic.)
Until next time,
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
Mr. B
a. Christology - the study of the nature(s) of Christ.
b. Doctrine of the Incarnation - The Church teaching that God became man in the person of Jesus Christ. He possesses both divine and human nature simultaneously.
c. Jesus became man so that we might have a share in the divine nature.
d. He accomplished the salvation / redemption of mankind through his sacrifice on the cross and subsequent resurrection, collectively known as the Paschal Mystery.
e. Prior to the Paschal Mystery, Christ spent approximately three years publicly preaching, healing, and performing miracles.
d. The quintessential preaching of Christ is that found in the Sermon on the Mount (or "on the plain" in Luke's Gospel). The Powerpoint notes on this sermon will be posted on Weblocker.
e. Christ's moral teaching is encapsulated in the "Greatest Commandment", to Love God above all else and to Love one's neighbor as one's self. (Christian Morality stands in contrast to Jewish morality at the time of Christ which was highly rigid and legalistic.)
Until next time,
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
Mr. B
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The Church & Morality
After examining Christ as the source of our moral authority, we are now looking at the role of the Church in relaying that moral discipline to each generation.
As a case study, please examine this article on St. Louis University basketball coach Rick Majerus. Majerus recently spoke at a campaign event for presidential candidate and democratic senator Hillary Clinton - particularly Majerus spoke in favor of legalized abortion.
As a coach at a Catholic university, Majerus' comments drew the attention of St. Louis archbishop, Raymond Burke, who has criticized the coach and called for him to recant.
This provides us an excellent example of the Church's role in articulating and encouraging the moral teachings of Jesus Christ, even when that means standing in conflict with American society.
Until next time,
Ad Jesum per Mariam,
Mr. B.
As a case study, please examine this article on St. Louis University basketball coach Rick Majerus. Majerus recently spoke at a campaign event for presidential candidate and democratic senator Hillary Clinton - particularly Majerus spoke in favor of legalized abortion.
As a coach at a Catholic university, Majerus' comments drew the attention of St. Louis archbishop, Raymond Burke, who has criticized the coach and called for him to recant.
This provides us an excellent example of the Church's role in articulating and encouraging the moral teachings of Jesus Christ, even when that means standing in conflict with American society.
Until next time,
Ad Jesum per Mariam,
Mr. B.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Epistemology
From the Modern Catholic Dictionary:
A theory of knowledge. A branch of scholastic philosophy that studies the principles underlying the acquisition of knowledge, the methods of logical reasoning, and the critical evaluation of truth, certitude, and right thinking. (Etym. Greek epist_m_, knowledge + logia, science, knowledge.)
This semester is a study of Catholic Moral Tradition, and morality is essentially distinguishing good from evil, right from wrong.
The question must be asked, "how do we know what is right or wrong?" Are these terms static and unchanging - absolute, if you will? Or are right and wrong dynamic, flexible, even relative to the person or the situation?
We will explore the Church's response to these questions at lenght, but first we return our attention to the question of epistemology: What is Truth? How do we know what is True? What characterizes Truth?
For the Church's response we turn to our standard sources: Sacred Scripture & the Catechism.
AJPM,
Mr. B
A theory of knowledge. A branch of scholastic philosophy that studies the principles underlying the acquisition of knowledge, the methods of logical reasoning, and the critical evaluation of truth, certitude, and right thinking. (Etym. Greek epist_m_, knowledge + logia, science, knowledge.)
This semester is a study of Catholic Moral Tradition, and morality is essentially distinguishing good from evil, right from wrong.
The question must be asked, "how do we know what is right or wrong?" Are these terms static and unchanging - absolute, if you will? Or are right and wrong dynamic, flexible, even relative to the person or the situation?
We will explore the Church's response to these questions at lenght, but first we return our attention to the question of epistemology: What is Truth? How do we know what is True? What characterizes Truth?
For the Church's response we turn to our standard sources: Sacred Scripture & the Catechism.
AJPM,
Mr. B
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