REVIEWER-NOTES

Listen up Casuistry peeps... Just chatted with Doc Agnes now. Here is the scope of the finals in
Moral Theology. Feminist Model Virtues Natural Law Conscience and Scriptures Sin in the
Personalist, Feminist and Liberationist Perspectives. FYI. Thanks! God bless us all!

Virtues - Every human action is a moral action - We become what we do (outcome of free
choices/decisions) - Each person ought to establish proactive agenda - The question: What kind
of persons we should/want to become? Cardinal Virtues:
1. Fundamental hinges upon which hangs our image (nakaasalalay) of our moral person which
lead to good actions
2. Justice, Prudence, Fortitude and Temperance. These virtues as Cardinal lead to other good
actions like honesty, patience, courage, self control, etc etc. Return to virtue ethics from the
manualist model to confront the question: Is this act right or wrong Formation of virtues is
essential in forming character Virtues are historically/structurally constituted Historical- good
person/ character is shaped over time Social- communitys participation in the development of
virtues- community instructs, corrects, reminds to the person what the person ought to domaging mabuting tao sa conteksto ng pamayanan. Synchronic- determines to some degree the
ideals for character he/she will develop Completing paradigm of virtues
1. Patriarchal Paradigm Dualism and subordination (hierarchy) Control of passion- Reason over
desires/pleasure Unruly body must be tamed and dominated
2. Subordination of earthly goods to heavenly ones
3. Ideals for good Christian character is attributed greater emphasis depending on ones gender
and social status.
4. Chastity as the pinnacle of perfection for sex is seen as evil/sin
5. Sexual sin there is no smallness of matter either good or evil. Effects of this view: 1.
Disrespect for embodiment and for female humanity 2. Narrowing of moral life to matters of
sexuality Virtue in egalitarian-feminist paradigm Stress on justice than control Understanding
charity today Effect: Balance of restraint and enjoyment (Temperance).

Thanks Danoy. We generally have the same notes, parang iba lang siguro magiging numbering
ko if ever... Just to add, in sexual sins, there is no smallness of matter. It is either/or, good/evil
UNLIKE in justice issues like war. CHASTITY , as defined in the PHYSICALIST Way is the
abstinence from all nonmarital sexual thoughts and actions. BIBLICAL GROUNDING of this is

Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God." PURITY OF HEART is
interpreted as the ABSENCE of sexual thoughts, rather than a singularity of purpose/being
absorbed in the experience of God's Reign. SYNTHESIS: PATRIARCHAL PARADIGM- based
on Domination - control of lower by higher - reason over passion - spirit over body - man over
woman EGALITARIAN-FEMINIST PARADIGM - abandons dualistic perspective complementarity and mutuality - shift was ushered in by Vatican II's universal call to holiness
(Lumen Gentium) - There is a RECONSIDERING of what CHASTITY is in relation to
JUSTICE. -CHASTITY is now an expression of right relations. We still need to manage
sexuality but the ultimate reason is not PERFECTIONIST CONTROL OF IMPULSES but
rather, to make our sexual choices lead to right relations. EFFECT: Aside from what Danoy
already wrote here is the restoration of the ideals of poverty, chastity and obedience to the whole
community rather than restricting it to an elite corps of religious professionals.

Conscience and Scriptures

(Using the Handouts "The Bible, Culture and Ethics", "The Power of Story" and "Formation of
Conscience", pp. 142-144- old handout)
1. David Kesley
>Scripture when used in certain ways in the common life of the Christian community is essential
to establishing and preserving the community's identity
> it is the authority (Scripture) for the common life of the Christian community
> Scripture is authoritative for theology has self involving force
2. Scripture implies commitment. Believers define themselves in relation to Scripture yet the
Bible is not self interpreting (still under hermeneutical appreciation of the cultural context of
Scripture and today's readers)
(to be continued)

Erroneous Conscience
1. Different views
Bernard of Clairvaux
> Sin rooted from ignorance, freedom from sin means to have a virtue of humility and adherence
to the law
> Actions contrary to law, even though these actions are done out of ignorance were BAD.
Telling a lie, under whatever circumstances or regardless of one's motivation is WRONG.

2. Peter Abelard.
> Actions are either good or bad. If one is in error, without consenting (meaning full knowledge
and freedom), there is no sin.
> Whether actions done out of sincere erroneous conscience is sin, his answer is NEGATIVE
(while Bernard AFFIRMATIVE)
> MOTIVATONS maybe out of LOVE or CONSCIENCE. Conscience and love are no guarantee
that actions are morally right. But if one thought it to be right, then he call one's motivation right.
> Acting out of love or out of conscience is not a guarantee of right acting.
3. Thomas Aquinas.
> Whether a person is good when following an erroneous conscience, he distinguished between
sincerity and striving.
> If one knows that he/she acts according to erroneous conscience, that person is responsible for
erroneous conscience
> if the person doesn't know that he/she follows an erroneous conscience, that person is not
responsible.
> Thomas termed it "excused from blame" when one follows an erroneous conscience, provided
that person's ignorance is not due his/her fault. Like lying is still wrong, however in spite all the
striving of the person to do right but followed an erroneous conscience, the person is "Excused
from blame" -culpability.
4. William of Ockham.
> Adopted STA's argument on the primacy of Conscience
> He added that one exercises conscience responsibly, even it is erroneous, receives merit.
> Ockham (unlike Abelard) recognized that ignorance is sometimes blameworthy. (Like Bernard)
he recognized that There s goodness of an erroneous conscience acting in good faith. His striving
for the right is MERITORIOUS.
5. Pope Alexander VIII condemned all those who taught that an invincible ignorant conscience
did not, at least , excuse. (Bernard's attack on Aberlard is rejected)
6. Alfonso Ligouri.
> If a person acted out of love or charity when committing error, then not only he is excused but
GOOD. Moral Manualists of the 19-20th century endorsed Ligouri's teaching.
7. Francis Connel, Dean of Catholic University of Washington D.C.
. If a person acts out of an erroneous conscience, though the action is certainly per se not willed
by God, "GOD WILL REWARD HIM FOR SINCERELY FOLLOWING HIS CONSCIENCE".

Conscience

1.CHE
- The Human person's call to grow
vs. immaturity, childishness, hasn't outgrown his/her adolescent stage of life and continued
juvenile propensities influence us.
2. Christian call to grow (JCT)
- The call to grow is evident: in Scripture, in the Church Father's 12-14th century scholasticism,
concurrent charismatic and religious movements and in our contemporary era
- St. Paul " forgetting what lies behind and straining forward what lies ahead, I press on toward
the goal for the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:13-14)
- experience of Paul's journey to conversion and his missionary journeys following Jesus.
- "Movement" (Pasolini). The Stories of scriptures are stories of movements with the Lord.
- Gregory the Great- The world is moving against the river's rush
- Bernard de Claivaux- To not progress on the way of Life is to regress
Thomas Aquinas- To stand on the way of the Lord is to move backwards.
Not to follow the Lord is to retreat, the Lord who leads us expects us to move to follow.
The call to move with Christ is the move to grow, in love.
Moral life is a pilgrimage, a journey towards building virtue and character
Virtue assists us to harness weakness and overcome pitfalls, its function is to develop strengths.
The agenda of virtues is to develop a profoundly and positive response to the call to grow and
stands sharp in constrast to (my translation)- to SIN OBSESSED/ ORIENTATION OF MORAL
LIFE based from the manualist tradition. Moralilty is limited only to AVOIDING SINFUL
ACTIONS.
The call to grow (discipleship) is a call to put on virtue, is always heard in the Christian
Conscience
Vatican II (Gaudium et Spes, 16)
1. Conscience is at the depths of the human person
2. A law (perhaps this is coming from STA's Natural Law, Law of reason) which does not impose
but holds us to obedience, always calling us to love the good and avoid evil.
3. Speaks to our heart (the seat of all vital decisions and emotions of the person): do this, shun
that. For we have in our heart a law written by God (Again, natural law).
4. To obey its call is the very dignity of being a human person, according to it we will be judged.
5. Conscience is the secret core and sanctuary of the person, where he/she is alone with God

whose voice echoes in his/her depths.

6. Conscience reveals and fulfills the law: Love God and neighbor.
7. Fidelity to conscience, we are joined with the rest of humanity in search for truth.
8. The more a person and groups of persons listens to conscience, they turn aside from blind
choice and strive to be guided by objective norm of morality.- Here conscience is not only
subjective (personal) but objective (communitarian, ecclesial)
The voice of Conscience: Superego vs. Conscience (John Glaser)
Superego- a voice that calls us for compliance with authority (compliance vs punishment)
Conscience- suspicious of conformity
In my interpretation, it is doing the good even though it will be against a traditional norm or
social conformity. A catalyst of change is a person who moves and even defies a system which
leads people just to comply/obey out of fear/punishment.
Conscience and freedom: To listen to the heed of conscience is true freedom rather than freedom
as "doing what I want".
Conscience demands that we love God, ourselves and others. Conscience "dictates" that we
pursue justice.
Conscience formation is actualized in the context of community and in our social relationships in
the process of time. Conscience formation is formation of virtues with the help of the community
serving as mentors in shaping moral character. Virtuous practices become the exercises for the
formation of conscience.
(To be continued)

Natural Law Tradition

1. The Bible
Wisdom Literature, Gospels, Jesus' Parables, St. Paul's Nature
2. Greek Influence
Stoicism developed natural law, conformity with nature, morality according to givens of nature.
Aristotle- The Law of Nature is the orientation of all beings towards perfection.
Natural law of human persons- Rationality, morally good actions are those which are rationally
directed toward the full actualization of human potential.
3. Roman Influence
"Law" of the natural order, political order. Cicero- NL is the innate power of reason to direct

action. To live according to the law given in nature is to live in what reason commands.
Gaius- "jus civile", regulates civil rights and "jus gentium" regulates relationships between
legally autonomous territories
Ulpian, "Jus Naturale" nature taught all animals, generic rule of action common to humans and to
animals. For humans, natural law is a law what is proper to humans (pangtao, asal tao, angkop sa
pagpapakatao)
4. St. Thomas Aquinas
Distinctions between "order of nature" and "order of reason"
Reason- the totality of the human tendency to want to know the whole of humanity in all its
aspects- research, intuition, affection, common sense, and aesthetic sense.

Virtues
- Every human action is a moral action (St. Thomas Aquinas)
- We become what we do (outcome of free choices/decisions)
- Each person ought to establish proactive agenda
- The question: What kind of persons we should/want to become?
Cardinal Virtues:
1. Fundamental hinges upon which hangs our image (nakaasalalay) of our moral person which
lead to good actions
2. Justice, Prudence, Fortitude and Temperance. These virtues as Cardinal lead to other good
actions like honesty, patience, courage, self control, etc etc.
Return to virtue ethics from the manualist model to confront the question: Is this act right or
wrong?
Formation of virtues is essential in forming character
Virtues are historically/structurally constituted
Historical- good person/ character is shaped over time
Social- communitys participation in the development of virtues- community instructs, corrects,
reminds to the person what the person ought to do- maging mabuting tao sa conteksto ng
pamayanan.
Synchronic- determines to some degree the ideals for character he/she will develop
Completing paradigm of virtues
1. Patriarchal Paradigm
Dualism and subordination (hierarchy)
Control of passion- Reason over desires/pleasure
Unruly body must be tamed and dominated
2. Subordination of earthly goods to heavenly ones
3. Ideals for good Christian character is attributed greater emphasis depending on ones gender
and social status.
4. Chastity as the pinnacle of perfection for sex is seen as evil/sin

5. Sexual sin there is no smallness of matter either good or evil.

Effects of this view:
1. Disrespect for embodiment and for female humanity
2. Narrowing of moral life to matters of sexuality
Virtue in egalitarian-feminist paradigm
Egalitarianism- belief in a principle that all persons are equal and deserve equal rights and
opportunities
Stress on justice than control
Understanding charity today
Effect: Balance of restraint and enjoyment (Temperance).