Norm or Law is an ordinance of reason

promulgated by competent authority for the sake

of common good

Revealed Law is the law in Scripture w/c

comprises the Old & New Law or Law of the
Gospel.

Two Characteristics of Law

Old Law/Law in Old Testament

1. Law is based on vision, certain

presuppositions as presented in Christs sketch
of the ideal member of the Kingdom in the
Beatitudes.

is the first stage of revealed law. Through His

revealing word, God gave to Israel, His chosen
people, the Law of the Covenant.

2. Law arises from & expresses basic values.

This is exemplified in the Ten Commandments:
Moral Law is the work of Divine Wisdom.
Functions of Moral Law
1. They provide criteria for judging who we are &
how we should act.
2. Moral norms/laws help our moral
development, especially in the formation of
conscience, by expressing typical patterns of
moral behavior & human values.
3. They provide stability & consistency in our
lives by acting as a constant & reliable point of
reference.

This Law or Torah, called by various names

such as instruction, witness, precept & word,
went far beyond the limits of merely human law.
It covered not only moral demands &
prescriptions for religious ritual but even legal
stipulations for social behavior as well.
Instructive
for
us
are
certain
basic
characteristics:
1. It flowed directly from Covenant
relationship of Yahwehs loving call
creating His chosen people
2. . Obedience to Gods comprehensive
Law was the hallmark for the believing
Israelite.
3. It was Gods great gift, bringing great joy
to His people.
2 specific abuses

4. They can also challenge us by stretching us in

view of an ideal, or correcting us by illuminating
our faults.
Different expressions
interrelated:

of

moral

law

are

Eternal law the source, in God, of all laws

Natural Law is written & engraved in the soul
of each & every man ordaining human reason to
do good & forbid doing sin.
It can demand reflection that takes account of
various
lifes
conditions
according
to
circumstances, places & times.
It provides solid foundation on w/c man can build
structure of moral rules to guide his choices

1. By putting all the Laws ordinances

moral, religious, civil & ritual on equal
footing, an impossible burden was
placed on the people (Lk 11:46) & the
weightier matter was lost
2. By so extolling obedient observance of the
law, it seemed that persons could save
themselves simply by perfectly keeping the law
w/o any need for Gods grace.
The Old Law is a preparation for the Gospel.
It prophesies & presages the work of liberation
from sin w/c will be fulfilled in Christ
New Law/Law of the Gospel/Law in New
Testament

- is the perfection here on earth of the divine

law, natural & revealed.

Civil and Ecclesiastical Law/Law in the

Church

Christ did this fulfilling by:

Endowed w/ intelligence & freedom, they are

responsible for their fulfillment as for their
salvation.

1. inaugurating the new law of the

Kingdom
2. removing the imperfections allowed
because of their stubbornness of hearts
3. . perfecting the dietary laws regulating
eating & purity of food thru disclosing
their pedagogical meaning & recalling
that Sabbath rest is not broken by the
service of God or of ones neighbor
4. 4. setting the precepts of the law in a
hierarchical order in w/c everything is
subordinated to love of God & neighbor.
It practices the acts of religion: almsgiving,
prayer & fasting, directing them to the Father
Who sees in secret in contrast w/ the desire
to be seen by men.
It requires us to make the decisive choice
between 2 ways and to put into practice
the words of the Lord
It is called a law of love because it makes
us act out of the love infused by Holy Spirit
rather than from fear;
In its particular expression-the Beatitudes,
Christ describes those who are happy in
the Kingdom of God. He claims that

Law in the Church

It is in the Church, in communion w/ all baptized,
that the Christian fulfills his vocation
From the Church he receives the Word of God
containing the teachings of law of Christ.
From the Church, he receives the grace of the
sacraments that sustains on the way. From the
Church he learns the example of holiness in the
all holy Virgin Mary & the saints.
The Church, the pillar & bulwark of the
truth, has received this solemn command of
Christ from the apostles to announce the saving
truth
The Magisterium of the Pastors of the Church
in faith & moral matters is ordinarily exercised
in catechesis & preaching w/ the help of
theologians & spiritual authors.
The supreme degree of participation in Christs
authority is ensured by the charism of
infallibility

(1) instead of sensible satisfaction & many

possessions, detachment, meekness &
compassion bring us true happiness;

The faithful therefore have the right to be

instructed in the divine saving precepts that
purify judgment and w/ grace heal wounded
human reason & especially in times of crisis or
serious decisions

(2) instead of self-centered activity, thirsting

for justice to all & merciful forgiveness offer
authentic human interpersonal relationships

They have the duty of observing the decrees &

constitutions conveyed by legitimate authority
of the Church.

(3) instead of withdrawing from the problems

& concerns in the world to seek
contemplation, those who are clean of heart
& work for peace among all will find God,
source of true happiness.

You shall attend Mass on Sundays &

holy days of obligation requires the
faithful to participate in communal
Eucharistic celebration on the day
commemorating the Lords Resurrection
You shall confess your sins at least once
a year ensures preparation for the

Eucharist by the reception of the

sacrament
of
reconciliation
w/c
continues Baptisms work of conversion
& forgiveness.
. You shall humbly receive your Savior
in Holy Communion.
You shall keep holy the holy days of
obligation completes the Sunday
observance by participation in the
principal liturgical feasts w/c honor the
mysteries of the Lord, Virgin Mary &
saints.
You shall observe the prescribed days
of fasting & abstinence ensures the
times of asceticism & penance w/c
prepare us for liturgical feasts and helps
us acquire mastery over our instincts &
freedom of heart.
The faithful also have the duty of
providing for the material needs of the
Church, each according ones abilities.

Process of Moral Decision-Making

Moral acts have traditionally been described in
terms of the persons thinking & willing.
Three aspects of this thinking & willing are
currently emphasized as particularly important in
making moral decisions.

First, evaluative knowledge. The knowing that

influences making moral judgments is not only
head knowledge, w/c is speculative knowledge
of quantitative facts or information easily
detached from the knower & specific occasion
and thus ready for passing on, but also what
moves us to decision.
Second, imagination. What is pertinent here is
the influence of imagination on our moral norms:
their effectivity in our lives & their applicability.
Third, affectivity. Strong human passions have
always been recognized as limiting the moral
agents actual freedom.

Besides these three aspects of our acts of

knowing & willing, there are the more permanent
underlying factors of virtue & character w/c
influence our personal moral life. Here we stress
the emphasis on the moral persons character &
habitual ways of acting (virtues) rather than
preoccupied w/ detailed scrutiny of individual
acts. The interplay of our fundamental
commitment & stance who I am (character) w/
our freedom of choice what I do (virtues) is
another way of expressing their influence on our
decision-making process.
Process of Coming to a Moral Judgment
1. Moral discerning stage includes many
elements such as summarized in the common
pedagogical STOP formula (Search, Think,
consult Others, Pray). All these contribute to the
formation of a basic relevant vision that will
ground the decision to be made.
2. Moral demand brings in the role of the
pertinent moral norm, w/c our consciences wish
to formulate their dictates on what we must do.
3. Judgment or decision stage simply refers to
the judgment of conscience we make on the
morality of any proposed action & our
consequent decision to follow this dictate of our
conscience or not.
Christian Moral Action and the Kingdom of
Heaven
The dynamism of human moral action is tending
to a fullness that is always sought but still not
achieved.
1. The dynamism of action and the breaking in of
the kingdom of God. At the heart of Jesus
preaching and mission is the kingdom of God,
w/c is not of spatial or static nature but
expresses a dynamic event because it is the
breaking in of Gods royal reign into history
through Jesus Who comes to save His people,
offering complete forgiveness of all sins and
inviting us to conversion.

2. The crucial polarity of Christian action which is

always propelled toward a goal beyond all
temporal accomplishments but truly anticipated
in the present.

excellence because love always wants

the best for the beloved.

3. The Church is the dwelling place of hope.

After the breaking in of the kingdom into human
history, Christian action is grafted into its
dynamism.

the link between the state of beatitudes and

the moral teaching of the New Law.
1. Superabundance that gives God
glory. In Old Testament, obedience to
the Law merits the Lords blessing of
abundance and wealth and returns in
praise to the Creator and Redeemer.
2. The leading role of the Spirit in
human action. The Spirit inserts
Himself in action by means of charity.
3. Excellent actions as expression of
charity. If the foundation of morality is
love, then our action must pursue for

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for
they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will
inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, for they will
be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they
will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for
they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they will be called children of God.
Blessed
are
they
who
are
persecuted for the sake of
righteousness, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.