Freedom and Responsibility

2 Approaches:
Objectives: 1. Responsibility as Duty
1. Doctrine  the person holds certain duties or obligations towards others
 To examine the essence of freedom and the inevitability of responsibility of 2. Responsibility as Agency
the agent.  the person is the cause of something
2. Morals  He is the one that brings about something
 To exercise authentic freedom for the benefit of the self, and in conjunction
The Significance of Human Action
with others.
3. Worship Human Actions
 To perform righteous acts out of free will and obedience to the will of God.  Acts that are only proper to human persons which are performed deliberately.
 They are the outward expressions of a person’s choices, the disclosure or revelation
“That which is chosen not only changes the world around the chooser, but changes the of person’s moral identity, his or her being as a moral being.
person who is making the choice.”  At the core of an action is a FREE, SELF-DETERMINING CHOICE, which is
MORALS are for man, not for the brute; they are concerned with his thoughts, desires, something spiritual and abides within the person determining the very being of the
words and deeds person.
Man = Moral Agent
Moral Determinants of Human Acts
1. Object of the Act
Moral Agent 2. Circumstance
 The one who is capable of good and evil, and who, in consequence of this faculty of 3. Intention
choosing between right and wrong, is responsible to God for the good and evil he For Pope John Paul II…
does.  “It is precisely through his acts that man attains perfection as man. Human acts are
moral acts because they express and determine the goodness or evil of the individual
Freedom who performs…
 The quality or state of being free: such as the absence of necessity, coercion, or  They are deliberate choices, they give moral definition to the very person who
constraint in choice or action performs them, determining his profound spiritual traits.”
Freedom and Morality Impairment of the Human Acts
 Freedom is so central to the moral life that without it we cannot properly speak of A. Knowledge of a moral situation
being moral persons at all. a. Ignorance
 Morality pertains to those areas of our lives where freedom is possible and enables 1. Invincible Ignorance
us to actualize our potential as the image of God.  an ignorance of which the subject is not aware, and which he
 Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this is unable to overcome by himself
or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility. (CCC 2. Vincible Ignorance
#1731)  an ignorance which is the fault of the agent, such that if he
 The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true had conscientiously availed himself of opportunities offered,
freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey he could have corrected it
and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to “slavery of sin”. (CCC #1733) b. Error
Responsibility  Error about moral truths
 It is when actions are did “independently,” “out of one’s initiative.”  The agent is not making any efforts of knowing the truth
o e.g. fake news
 This is the feeling of consciousness of freedom
 From Vatican Radio itself, here is what Pope Francis actually said,
in context:
 o “But what is scandal? Scandal is saying one thing and doing another; it is o e.g. a person's aggressiveness, rebellion against authority, fear of social contacts, or avoidance
a double life, a double life. A totally double life: ‘I am very Catholic, I of confrontation at all costs.
always go to Mass, Ibelong to this association and that one; but my life is
not Christian, I don’t pay my workers a just wage, I exploit people, I am Here we see why education in good habits is so important. The child who learns to
dirty in my business, I launder money…’ A double life. And so many
resist sin from an early age will have a much greater degree of freedom as an adult,
Christians are like this, and these people scandalize others.
o “How many times have we heard – all of us, around the neighborhood and
and be able to channel her energies far more constructively.
elsewhere – ‘but to be a Catholic like that, it’s better to be an atheist.’ It is that, A person who allows a bad habit to develop is responsible for all the consequences it
scandal. You destroy. You beat down. And this happens every day, it’s enough to may eventually bring.
see the news on TV or to read the papers. In the papers there are so many
o e.g. heavy drinking, acts of impurity, dishonesty at work, rudeness to others, swearing in social
scandals, and there is also the great publicity of the scandals. And with the scandals
there is destruction.” media.
c. Inattention The person who struggles against bad habits and tries to overcome them, but
 may be the result of drunkenness, of violent emotion, sleepiness or occasionally lapses back into sin, is less culpable.
absent-mindedness. CONSCIENCE
B. Full consent to a particular moral act  “Conscience is a judgment of reason by which the human person recognizes the
a. Antecedent Passion moral quality of a concrete act.” – CCC 1796
 Vehement passion may reduce the voluntariness of an act,
because it weakens or swamps the working of reason.
b. Fear
 Fear is the shrinking back of the person from an impending evil. It
is reckoned to be grave when there is a threat of death, torture,
unemployment and destitution.
o Social pressure is a very pervasive form of fear,
operating through the instinct for acceptance, esteem,
safety, competitiveness.
c. Force
 Force is where violence is employed to constrain a person to act in
a certain way.
 Kinds of Force:
1. Absolute Force  If the conscience is wrong then the action is wrong.
 removes voluntariness and culpability, if the  Conscience is our natural facility to judge.
person dissents totally and resists as best he o This powerful capacity to determine right from wrong is uniquely human.
can.  A conscience is designed to do three things:
o E.g. A teller who gives up all the cash in the vault 1. Before an Action
during a robbery.
 Antecedent Conscience
2. Relative Force
 it prompts us to do good and to avoid evil (SYNDERESIS).
 only lessens the voluntariness of an action, it
2. During an Action
does not remove it totally.
o E.g. When a prisoner betrays his fellow soldiers  Concomitant Conscience
under torture.  Conscience makes a judgment about the good and evil of particular
d. Ingrained Habit actions in specific situations.
 Depth psychology and study of the unconscious mind have taught us that many 3. After an Action
tendencies have deep, hidden roots.  Consequent Conscience
  Conscience bears witness after we act. This is why we feel guilty after  is 'that part of the id which has been modified by the direct
doing bad things. influence of the external world.’ It develops to mediate between
the unrealistic id and the external real world.
Our consciences are NOT the source of morality.  It is the decision-making component of personality.
o God is the source of morality, and conscience is God’s voice in our
 The ego operates according to the reality principle
hearts. Humans are the only creatures with this special gift.  Reality - reality principle
We do not make things good just by convincing ourselves they are good. We can’t
“make” them good, because OBJECTIVE MORALITY exists. 3. Superego
Our conscience helps us make good moral choices.  Its function is to control the id's impulses and persuading the
1. To help us make good choices, our conscience must be well formed. ego to turn to moralistic goals rather than simply realistic ones
2. A well-formed conscience makes it possible to live a good moral life; a faulty and to strive for perfection.
conscience can ruin a moral life.  Morality – morality principle
3. A good moral life is the only way to true happiness.
"The Creator of the world has stamped man's inmost being with an order which his  Freud made the mistake of identifying conscience with the superego, as if
conscience reveals to him and strongly enjoins him to obey" – Pope John XXIII, Pacem in conscience were merely an externally imposed set of moral rules which
Terris made us feel guilty when we disobeyed them
B. Jean Piaget
CON-SCIENTIA  Piaget worked in child psychology
C. Erik Erikson
 Latin words which mean ‘a joint knowledge’
 Erikson divided life into eight principle psycho-social phases
 Knowledge of oneself
D. Lawrence Kohlberg
 2 Meanings:
 Lawrence Kohlberg researched the moral development of conscience. He
1. Psychological meaning
distinguishes six stages at three levels of development.
 (often 'consciousness')
 reflective in nature Christian Level
 looking back, remembering, recollecting 1. Fear Conscience
2. Moral meaning  Instinctive or Instructive
 (a judgment or decision)  At this level, an act is judged as good if it is rewarded, and evil if it is
 directive in nature punished.
 looking forward, directive of prospective activity. o Good: Rewarded
o Bad: Punished
Development of Moral Conscience o Example: A young boy at this level may surrender a lost wallet to the OSA because he
A. Sigmund Freud knows he will win the praise of his teachers and his classmates for being honest .
 Father of modern psychoanalysis. 2.  Moral or Ethical
 He divided the human psyche into three sections:  Ethical or Moral
1. ID  At this level, a person begins to realize that the goodness or evilness of an
 the impulsive (and unconscious) part of our psyche which act does not depend on the approval or disapproval of others or on the
responds directly and immediately to basic urges, needs, and prospect of a reward or punishment.
desires.  a person begins to understand that particular acts uphold universal human
 The id operates on the pleasure principle values, regardless of whether the act is met with approval or criticism.
o Example: A young man brings a lost wallet to the OSA because he understands that it
 Instinct - pleasure principle
is objectively important to do so.- Doing what gives him a sense of his authentic
2. Ego identity and character.
3. Christian or Religious
  At this stage individuals begin to see their moral acts as a response of faith whether physical (sickness) or moral (self-centeredness, dealing with
to God – to do what is good and to live the fullness of a graced life. excessively strict persons, or even hidden pride).
 Persons with a Christian conscience judge as act to be good or evil based on  A person suffers from a gnawing, unreasonable fear that he/she has
the teachings, the life, and the perfect example of Jesus offended God or is about to do so at every step. He lives in permanent dread
o Example: A young man at this level may bring a wallet to the OSA because he of committing mortal sin over the smallest matter.
recognizes that this simple act is a concrete response to the call of Christ, as well as a 5. Lax Conscience
reflection of deep personal relationship with Him.
 Judges without sufficient reason that a certain action is not, or is only
slightly, sinful.
 If laxity becomes excessive because of repeated sins, we can speak of a
Kinds of Conscience hardened conscience.
1. Certain Conscience  The pharisaic conscience attaches great importance to petty rules, and
 the judgment of a person who—on the basis of true principles—decides, in neglects weighty matters.
conformity with the truth, that a particular action is licit or illicit.  The bourgeois conscience is sentimentally distraught about evils close at
 There is no fear of being mistaken. hand, but unconcerned about events in a different country, or among a lower
 This is the standard of morality class.
2. Erroneous Conscience
 the judgment of a person who—on the basis of false principles that are The Decalogue
thought to be true—mistakenly determines that a particular action is licit or
Commandment
illicit.
 "word" (dabhar) as the ten words of God (ex 34:28)
a. Invincibly Erroneous Conscience
 king's "command" (es 1:12);
 The individual does not know and has no way of knowing
 "precept" (mitswah) of God (de 4:2), of a king (2ki 18:36);
that his conscience is mistaken.
 He is incapable of correcting the error without somebody  "mouth" or "speech" (peh) of God (ex 17:1), of pharaoh (2ki 23:35). They
else's help.  express theocratic idea of morality wherein the will or law of God is imposed upon
b. Vincibly Erroneous Conscience men as their law of conduct (2ki 17:37).
 This can develop when a man shows little concern for Moses and the Stone Tablet
seeking what is good and true, and conscience gradually Ark of the Covenant
becomes almost blind, from being accustomed to sin. Decalogue
o Example: Children raised in a home where profane is rampant
with parents
 The Ten Commandments
3. Doubtful Conscience  Deka logoi (Greek) – “Ten Statements”
 the suspension of judgment on the moral goodness or evil of an action The Greatest Commandment
because the intellect cannot see clearly whether it is good or bad.  An expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest
 Forms: commandment in the Law?”
a. Doubt of Law  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
b. Doubt of Fact and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.
 A doubtful conscience cannot be followed if it entails the possibility of doing  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the
something bad; the doubt must be resolved first. Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
4. Scrupulous Conscience
 Says that an action is sinful based on weak or insufficient reasons Two Main Division of the 10 Commandments
 The causes of a scrupulous conscience could sometimes be supernatural, 1. Love for God
like a trial sent by God. Generally, however, it is due to natural causes, 2. Love for Others
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your  Fasting is reducing the amount of food you eat below normal levels.
mind  Abstinence means not eating meat (fish is not considered meat in this
(Love for God) case).
I. I am the LORD your God: you shall not have other Gods before me.  Age: 18 - 59
II. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. 5. You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.
III. Remember to keep holy the LORD'S Day. 6. Observe the Church’s marriage laws
Love your neighbor as yourself (Love for Others) The Commandments Handout ni Sir
IV. Honor your father and your mother.
V. You shall not kill.
VI. You shall not commit adultery. 1st Commandment: I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD. YOU SHALL NOT HAVE OTHERS
VII. You shall not steal GODS BEFORE ME.
VIII. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
On Sinai God said: “Thou shalt not have strange gods before Me” (Exod. xx. 2-7).
IX. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
That is to say, “Thou shalt worship the true God only; thou shalt worship no false gods.” In the
X. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
First commandment interior and exterior worship is required of us.
The ten commandments are arranged in order A. The adoration we pay to God consists in this: That we acknowledge both in
 The first three comprise our duty to God as our supreme Ruler. our hearts and by our actions that He is Our Lord and we are His creatures
1st - worship and fidelity and His servants.
2nd – reverence To worship God is to acknowledge our own misery and His greatness.
3rd – service He who worships God says with David “My substance is as nothing before Thee!”
 The remaining six commandments contain our duties to ourselves and to our Our adoration of God manifests itself first by interior reverence, then by external
fellow-men. signs. We call those persons pious who worship God in truth.
4th – duty towards God’s representatives on earth B. We worship God interiorly by acts of faith, hope, and charity.
5th – protection of life
6th – purity By faith we give our assent to all the utterances of the most high and the
7th – property true God, we adore God as the perfect truth. By hope we expect all good things
8th – honor from the almighty and most bountiful God, we adore Him as the source of all
9th & 10th – domestic life of one’s neighbor. good. By charity we occupy our selves exclusively with God, we adore Him as
our final end. Thus, the worship of God consists of these three things: faith, hope,
The Precepts of the Church and charity; by acts of these virtues we are to manifest our reverence for Him.
 The Precepts of the Catholic Church are a description of the absolute minimum Exterior worship is nothing more or less than the expression of faith, hope, and
actions required of Catholics regarding the Church. charity.
 The Church uses these precepts remind us that Christian life requires a commitment
C. We adore God exteriorly by vocal prayer, sacrifice, genuflections,
to prayer and active participation in the liturgy and sacraments. If we fall below this
prostrations, folding of hands, striking the breast, etc.
bare-minimum level, we can’t rightly consider ourselves to be in full communion with
Sacrifice is the surrender or destruction of some visible gift of God, in
the Catholic Church.
order thereby to honor Him as our sovereign Lord. By sacrifice we attest our
The Precepts belief that God is the Author of all being, the supreme Lord of all, to Whom
1. You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from accordingly we owe allegiance. The oblation of visible objects is a sign of the
servile labor. interior, spiritual sacrifice, whereby the soul surrenders herself to God as her final
2. You shall confess your sins at least once a year. and blissful end. By kneeling down or prostrating one’s self, as Christ did in the
3. You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season. Garden of Olives, we acknowledge our own insignificance before God; clasping
4. You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
 the hands signifies that we are fettered, i.e., helpless; striking the heart, like the j. Polytheism - Worship of more than one god
publican in the Temple, that we are de serving of chastisement. k. Atheism - It rejects and denies God's existence
D. We must pay supreme worship to God only, for He alone is the sovereign l. Agnosticism - affirms that God is incapable of being known, as if He
Lord of heaven and of earth. was incapable of revealing Himself.
Our Lord said to the devil, when he tempted Him: “It is written, the Lord 2nd commandment: YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN
thy God shalt thou adore, and Him only shalt thou serve” (Matt. iv. 10). If I am in VAIN.
the presence of a personage of distinction, it would be showing contempt for him
were I to turn away from him, and devote my attention to someone greatly his The Second Commandment is this: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy
inferior; so it would not be right to allow any object but God to engross our mind God in vain;” that is to say, thou shalt not utter it without reverence. By the name of God is
and thoughts. It is however no sin to reverence creatures in whom the not meant the mere word alone, but the majesty appertaining to the Most High.
perfections of God are reflected. We do not worship them with supreme worship;
we only honor and venerate them for God’s sake. Thus, it is permissible to A. In the Second Commandment God commands us in the first place to show due
venerate the saints. respect to His divine majesty. This we must do in the following manner:
1. We should frequently call upon the name of God with true and heartfelt
devotion, especially at the commencement of all we do and in time of
trouble.
2. We ought to show respect for all that appertains to divine worship; more
a. Veneration of Saints especially for the servants of God, for holy places, sacred things, and
Saints, broadly speaking, are all people who follow Jesus Christ religious ceremonies.
and live their lives according to His teaching. 3. Sins against the second commandment:
a. Cursing - using the name of God the Father to curse, condemn, or
Catholics, however, also use the term more narrowly to refer to berate others.
especially holy men and women who, by persevering in the Christian b. Blasphemy - uttering against God words of reproach, hatred or defiance.
Faith and living extraordinary lives of virtue, have already entered - Speaking ill against God
Heaven.
- Failing to respect Him in our speech.
b. Three levels of Reverence c. Taking the Lord’s name in Vain - speaking God’s name in an empty,
1.Dulia - reverence given to Saints insincere, or irreverent manner
2.Hyperdulia - reverence given to the Blessed Virgin Mary i.e., Oh my God.
3.Latria - adoration and worship given to God alone d. Swearing of Oaths in God’s Name - making God as witness to what
"We adore God but we honor His saints." one affirms; a false one is absolutely contrary to the Holiness of the
E. Sins against the 1st Commandment divine name.
a. Idolatry – worship of a false God e. Sacrilege - Indecorous behavior towards persons who are consecrated
b. Apostasy - completely abandoning and rejecting all faith. to the service of God, holy places, sacred objects or actions.
c. Heresy - a partial rejection of one or more of the truths of the faith. i. Personal Sacrilege - to deal so irreverently with a sacred person
d. Superstition - giving an object power which it does not have. that, whether by the injury inflicted or the defilement caused,
e. Schism - refusing to obey the pope. there is a breach of the honour due to such person.
f. Magic - the belief in supernatural power that comes from a source other e.g. cursing the Pope
than God ii. Local Sacrilege - the violation of a sacred place
g. Divination - the practice of seeking power or knowledge through e.g. using the church as a playground
supernatural means apart from the one true God iii. Real Sacrilege – the irreverent treatment of sacred things as
h. Despair - Man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for distinguished from places and persons.
help in attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. e.g. using the rosary as a fashion statement
i. Presumption - Confident expectation of divine blessing and the beatific
vision of God. 3rd Commandment: REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE LORD'S DAY.
 On Mount Sinai almighty God spoke, and said: “Remember that thou keep holy the 4th Commandment: HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER
Sabbath day. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work” (Exod. xx. 8, 9). The Third
1. Our parents are to be honored, because they are God’s representatives and
Commandment thus contains two injunctions, the command to sanctify the Sunday, and the
our greatest benefactors.
command to work We are all children of Our Father in heaven, and He causes us to be fed and
A. God commands us to sanctify the seventh day, because on the seventh day He brought up by our earthly parents. Thus, parents take the place of God in regard to
rested from the work of creation. the education of their children; they are His representatives, and as such, the honor
due to Him must be paid to them, for the viceroy can claim the same respect as the
Man, who is made after the image of God, ought to follow the example of the
monarch who has delegated his authority to him.
Lord his God; as God ceased from work on the seventh day, so man ought to rest
after six days labor. Man needs this rest after working for six days. Just as one is 2. We ought to honor our parents by respectful behavior, love, and obedience.
obliged to sleep for six or seven hours after the work of the day is done, in order to When God bids us honor our parents. He commands us to love and obey
recruit one’s bodily powers, so one needs a longer period of rest after six days of them, for this is included in the reverence we owe them. Love is due to them as our
labor. greatest benefactors. It is the first duty of a Christian to compensate his parents for
B. Sunday was appointed by the apostles as the day of rest Instead of the the trouble and the sacrifices his education has entailed on them.
Sabbath, because Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday.
Sunday is a festival of the Holy Trinity; for on the first day of the week God a. Respect towards our parents consists in esteeming them from our heart
as God’s representatives, and manifesting this esteem outwardly by word
the Father began the work of creation, God the Son rose from the dead, and God the
and deed.
Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles. The apostles were authorized to transfer
Esteem for our parents must be heartfelt, otherwise outward
the day of rest from Saturday to Sunday, because it was not so much the observance manifestations of esteem would be mere dissembling.
of the Sabbath, as the observance of a fixed day in each week upon which God  Christ showed great respect for His Mother at the marriage feast
insisted in the commandment. of Cana; for although He told her His hour for working miracles
C. We are bound on Sunday to abstain from servile work and to assist at the was not yet come, He complied with her request. We must honor
public Mass; we ought, moreover, to employ this day in providing for the our parents even if they are poor and in a humble class of life.
salvation of our soul.  Joseph, when Governor of Egypt showed great respect for his
Servile work is that which entails severe physical exertion, and is exhausting aged father. Al though he was only a shepherd, he brought him
to the bodily strength. It is the work generally done by servants, menials, artisans, to the king and presented him before him (Gen. xlvii. 7).
and laborers; in a word the work belong ing to the class that serves, hence the name.  King Solomon rose from his throne to meet his mother, although
she was not of royal lineage; he bowed to her, and made her sit
The work permitted on holy-days of obligation: on his right hand (3 Kings ii. 19).
1. Servile work which is absolutely necessary, (works of mercy);
b. Love of our parents consists in kind feelings and kind actions
e.g. The job of medical practitioners, police force, Bureau of Fire towards them.
Protection, etc… We are bound to love our parents, as we are bound to love all
2. Light work men, because they are our neighbor, made in God’s image. But this is
e.g. washing the dishes not enough: They have a right to a special affection on our part, because
3. Reasonable recreation. we are their children, because they love us so tenderly, and confer so
e.g. Family dinner out after a long week of busy schedule many benefits upon us.
D. Sins against the third commandment
c. Obedience towards our parents consists in fulfilling all their lawful
a. Missing Mass on Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation without serious
commands, as long as we are under their authority.
reason.
“Children, obey your parents in all things” (Col. iii. 20). Just as
b. Doing unnecessary work on Sunday.
parents are bound to provide for the education of their children, so it is
c. Intentional failure to Fast or Abstain on appointed days. the duty of children to obey their parents. Children are only bound to
d. Requiring employees to work on Sunday in non-essential occupations. obey their parents as long as they are under their control, and they are
e. By indulging in diversions which are over-fatiguing or sinful in nature. only bound to obey in matters which come within the sphere of the
 parental authority, such as their manners and behavior at home and mortal frame sustains injury, the spirit, the noble inmate of that dwelling, suffers
abroad, their companions, etc. Parents have no right to dictate to their with it. The Romans had a proverb: A healthy mind in a healthy body. Our body is
children in regard to the calling they shall embrace, for a vocation comes not our own, it belongs to God (1 Cor. vi. 13).
from God. Parents cannot dispose of their children’s future, when they
are no longer subject to them. St. Francis of Assisi would not let his 2. We are bound to take precautions for the preservation of our health and of
father make a merchant of him; St. Rose of Lima refused to marry. Yet our life.
the advice of parents should always be asked; age gives them greater Health is worth more to us than vast riches. If we thoughtlessly do
discernment and experience of life, and they are the best and wisest anything to shorten our life, we defraud ourselves of a part of our seed-time. The
counsellors a man can have. eagle takes the utmost care of its egg, not for the sake of the shell, but of the
young eagle in closed in the egg; so we should take care of our body because of
3. Our duty is the same in regard to those who are in authority over us, as it is the soul that dwells within it.
to our parents; our teachers and governors, masters and employers, and
our elders in general. B. OUR DUTY IN REGARD TO THE LIFE OF OUR NEIGHBOR
The old are to be respected by the young. “Honor the person of the aged
man, and rise up before the hoary head” (Lev. xix. 32). It becomes the elder to A strict obligation is laid upon us to avoid everything that may destroy
speak first (Ecclus. xxxii. 4). The Spartans entertained great respect for the aged; the health or life of our neighbor.
when an old man could not find a place at the Olympian games, they all rose up
to give him a seat. Alexander the Great was one day sitting by a warm fire, when 1. Accordingly, it is sinful to wish ill to one’s neighbor, to injure his health, to
he saw an aged soldier shivering in the cold; he called him in and gave him a challenge him or accept a duel, or to put him to death unjustly and
place on his own regal couch. willingly.
a. He who hates his neighbor, wishes him dead; hence hatred often leads to
murder.
A. Sins against the Fourth Commandment Hatred suggests revenge. Witness Esau, who sought to kill his brother
1. On the part of the Children: Jacob (Gen. xxvii. 41); King Saul, who repeatedly endeavored to slay David
a. Serious failure to care for aged parents. (1 Kings xxiv.); Joseph’s brethren, who would actually have put Joseph to death,
b. Failure to carry out the last will of a deceased parent. had not Ruben interfered (Gen. xxxvii.). Real hatred is a mortal sin, whether the
c. Serious disrespect for or disobedience to parents, superiors or evil one wishes to one’s neighbor be great or small.
authorities.
d. Wishing death or evil on parents. b. Men often injure their neighbor’s health by quarrels and blows, by the
2. On the part of Parents: adulteration of articles of food, by dangerous practical jokes, and culpable
negligence.
a. Abuse or serious neglect of children.
By quarreling one excites one’s neighbor, and deprives him of interior
b. Failure to baptize children in a reasonable time (within a few months
peace and content, thus destroying his well-being. Contention and quarrels
after birth).
cause shedding of blood (Ecclus. xxviii. 13). Blows often cause severe pain or
c. Serious neglect of the Religious Education or upbringing of bodily injury.
children.
c. Whoso kills his neighbor unjustly and intentionally, commits a heinous sin.
5TH Commandment: YOU SHALL NOT KILL Such a one is called a murderer.
A. OUR DUTY IN RESPECT TO OUR OWN LIFE Cain was a murderer; he slew his brother Abel. God Himself said that the
Many of the ceremonies in the administration of the sacraments, ceremonies voice of Abel’s blood cried to Him from the earth for vengeance (Gen. iv. 10). The
full of meaning, are performed upon the body. By these the Church intends to inspire murderer robs his victim of the highest earthly good, his life; he deprives him of
us with great respect for our bodies, and to teach us their high worth and dignity. the opportunity of gaining merits for eternity, and of preparing himself for death.

1. Our body was created by God as an abode for our immortal soul. 2. He commits a still greater sin who destroys the spiritual life of his
St. Peter speaks of his body as a tabernacle which he would shortly have neighbor, either by tempting him to evil or by giving scandal.
to quit (2 Pet. i. 14). It fares with the soul in the body as with the inmate of a “If thou persuade thy neighbor to sin,” St. Augustine says, “thou art his
house. If the house be unhealthy, the dweller in it falls sick. Our body is like the murderer.” And he who gives scandal is guilty of murder. Nay, even of a greater
shell of an egg; if the shell be injured, the young bird within is hurt; so if our
 sin than murder, because the life of tins soul is of far more value than the life of  Exposing someone to mortal danger without grave reason.
the body.  Refusing to assist a person in danger.
 Those who have usurious and avaricious dealings that leads to hunger and
3. It is, however, lawful to wound or even to kill our fellow-man, if he
death of their brethren.
threatens to take our life by violence, or anything that is absolutely
2. Against Unborn Children
indispensable to our life, and we have no other means of defense. This is
Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of
called the right of self-defense.
conception.
Self-defense is not wrong, because our object is not to take another
man’s life, but simply to preserve our own; and the moral worth of an action is  Abortion
determined by that which is, not by that which is not its object. We are permitted o Direct Abortion: abortion is willed.
to defend, but by no means to avenge ourselves; hence if we can save ourselves o Formal Cooperation in an Abortion: people who does a completed
by flight, we ought to do so. If it is enough to wound our adversary we must stop abortion.
short there.  Other Experimentations on Fetuses:
o Attempts to influence chromosomic or genetic inheritance that is not
4. He who has wrongfully injured his neighbor, either physically or spiritually, geared towards the betterment of the fetus.
is bound to repair the harm done to the utmost of his power. 3. Euthanasia – painless killing of a patient suffering from a painful or incurable
If anyone has been the means of inflicting bodily harm upon his disease, or an irreversible comatose.
neighbor, he must pay the doctor and all the expenses of his illness, make good 4. Suicide (even serious entertainment of suicidal thoughts) – taking of one’s life.
the loss of his earnings, etc. If he has killed him he must provide for his family. If 5. Failure to Respect Soul of Others: Scandal, etc.
he has given scandal to his neighbor, or led him into sin, he must strive to 6. Failure to Respect Health.
counteract the evil consequences by a good example, prayer, instruction, etc.  take into account needs of others and the common good (help in attaining
living conditions that allow them to grow and reach maturity: food, clothing,
C. OUR CONDUCT IN REGARD TO THE LOWER ANIMALS housing, health care, basic education, employment, social assistance);
 Use of Drugs that isn’t for therapeutic reasons.
The lower animals are created by God for the service of man.
 Anything that is excessive that leads to abuse (alcohol, food, tobacco,
The benefits we derive from the animals are these: medicine).
 They supply us with what is essential to life, e.g., food, clothing, etc.; 7. Failure to show Respect for the Person and Scientific Research.
 they help us in our work,  Cloning
 they cheer us by their amusing ways,  Experimentation
 Some instruct us by their example; bees, for instance, incite us to  Organ Transplant/Selling when a person is not deceased.
industry, storks to filial affection, sheep to the practice of patience, 8. Failure to Respect Bodily Integrity.
etc.  Kidnapping
In our relations to animals, it is our duty to care for their well-being, to refrain  Hostage Taking
from tormenting them, not to kill any useful animal without a special reason, and  Terrorism
finally not to treat them with exaggerated tenderness.  Torture
We ought to take care for the well-being of animals.. Those who keep  Intended Amputation, Mutilation, Sterilization.
animals are bound to provide them with necessary food, to keep them clean, and in 9. Failure to Respect the Dead.
good condition. To torture animals wantonly is an abuse of the sovereignty given to 10. Failure to Safeguard Peace.
man by the Creator over the brute creation.  Anger (reaches deliberate desire to kill).
 Deliberate hatred (when one wishes evil towards another).
D. SINS AGAINST THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT  Failure to avoid war (forbids intentional destruction of human life.)
1. Intentional Homicide
6TH COMMANDMENT: YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY
 Direct and Intentional Killing (murderer and those who cooperate voluntarily
in murder). In the Sixth Commandment almighty God prohibits everything that might stain our
 Intention of indirectly bringing about a person’s death. own purity or that of our neighbor.
 One cannot enlarge upon sins against the Sixth Commandment, for the mere Immodest pictures and plays corrupt more surely than impure conversation,
mention of what is impure takes the bloom oil our innocence. Nevertheless, Holy Scripture because what one sees makes a deeper impression than what one hears. The
warns the faithful repeatedly and emphatically against these sins, so the Church cannot pass indiscriminate reading of novels is to be avoided; there are many (and these are the
them by in silence. For this vice perhaps causes the destruction of more souls than any other; most dangerous of all), which under a false semblance of propriety, kindle the
in fact, among the lost souls in hell, few will be found entirely free from it. passions, and thus do more harm than works of an openly immoral character.

A. God more especially forbids: 6. Immodesty in dress

1. Impure thoughts and desires
Those who dress immodestly are the devil’s instruments for the ruin of souls.
Evil thoughts are to be resisted both on account of their sinfulness in The longing for admiration does not come from a simple heart; it is a snare to entrap
themselves, and because they lead to immodest actions. They are like a spark which others into vice.
occasions a great conflagration, unless it be immediately extinguished.
B. Sins against the Sixth Commandment
Evil thoughts must accordingly be banished at once; this is done most readily 1. Adultery - defilement of marriage bed
by diverting the mind, or having recourse to prayer. One ought to flee from unchaste 2. Fornication - sexual intercourse between an unmarried man and woman.
thoughts as one would flee from an assassin, for they cause the death of the soul. 3. Divorce - It claims to break the contract, to which the spouses freely consented,
Impure thoughts, if entertained, give rise to impure desires, i.e., the wish or longing to live with each other till death.
for the sin suggested. As the tree springs from the root, so evil actions spring from 4. Birth Control - unintentional promotion of pre-marital sex.
lust. Lust is the consent of the will, and this is as really sinful, as Our Lord says, as is 5. Self-Abuse (Masturbation) - enjoying sexual pleasure alone.
the deed itself (Matt. v. 28). 6. Sins against Chastity - defilement of the flesh, spirit and of perfecting
sanctification in the fear of God.
2. Impure words
The sixth and ninth commandments are studied together because they both deal with
A man whose conversation is unclean has a thoroughly polluted conscience. commands about purity. The sixth commandment refers to external acts, and the ninth to the
Unchaste words are a sure sign of unchaste manners. And those who take pleasure willful thoughts and desires.
in listening to improper conversation, are in great danger of falling into sins of
unchastity. Difference:

3. Impure actions 6th = action 

9th = feeling 
These acts are differently designated, according as they are committed by
the unmarried (Deut. xxii. 21), the married (Lev. xx. 10), persons related to one For the same sin God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah: "And the Lord rained upon
another (1 Cor. v. 1), or as they are sins against nature (Rom. i. 26). Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire" (Genesis 19). Today the site of these cities is
covered by the Dead Sea, an ever-present reminder of the evil of impurity. "Thou shalt not
4. Immodest looks commit adultery." "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife." By the sixth commandment we
Bold looks are forbidden, because they lead to sin, just as a parent forbids are commanded to be pure and modest in our behavior; by the ninth, in thought and in desire.
his child to play with edged tools. The sin on which the eye looks with pleasure soon 7TH COMMANDMENT: YOU SHALL NOT STEAL
takes possession of the heart. “Many have perished by the beauty of a woman, and
hereby lust is enkindled as a fire” (Ecclus. ix. 9). He who observes no custody of the In the Seventh Commandment almighty God forbids us to wrong our neighbor in his goods
eyes, is like a driver who pays no heed to his horses; he will be carried away and and property.
dragged to destruction.
By property is meant all that a man needs for his subsistence and all that he possesses as
5. Looking at immodest pictures, going to improper plays, and reading books of an his own: e.g., his money, clothes, provisions, house, land, etc.
immoral tendency
a. THE RIGHT OF POSSESSION
 Earthly goods are necessary to man’s subsistence, such as food, clothes, a justice by fasts and penances, his sin will not be remitted. Without restitution there is no
dwelling-place, money, etc. forgiveness.

1. Consequently every man is justified in striving to gain earthly goods after a just c. Sins against the Seventh Commandment
manner, and in possessing them as his personal property. a. Theft - the secret taking of another man’s goods contrary to the rational will
of their owner.
Since it is the natural right of every man to preserve his own life, he is b. Robbery -theft accompanied by personal violence.
justified in gaining for himself and keeping as his own, those external goods c. Cheating - injuring one’s neighbor in his possessions by crafty means.
which are indispensable to his existence. Furthermore, a man is bound to provide d. Usury - charging of excessive interest or money. A usurer takes unjust
for those who are dependent upon him, and this he could not do if he himself advantage of the need of another in order to make excessive profits.
lived from hand to mouth. Personal property is justly obtained when it is either e. Willfully injuring another man’s property - One may injure another's
acquired by labor or by gift. property by setting it on fire, treading down his crops, fishing or shooting on
his grounds without permission, pulling down fences, defacing books,
Nature does not give man the right to certain goods; the right to possess
furniture, and buildings, etc.
them must be acquired. It is acquired in the first place by labor. God has
f. Keeping what one has found
ordained that the earth should not yield what is requisite- for the maintenance of
g. Refusing to pay one’s debts
human life without cultivation. Property as a rule, is gained by work, but
h. Buying stolen goods
sometimes it is a free gift.

2. This commandment forbids the acquisition of property by unjust means, i.e., by

taking away what belongs to our neighbor. The seventh and tenth commandments are treated together because both deal with
commands about property. The seventh commandment refers to external acts, and the tenth
Property is unjustly acquired by theft, robbery, cheating, etc.
to intentions or desires, against honesty.
b. RESTITUTION OR SATISFACTION
Difference:
He who has purloined from his neighbor or wronged him in his property, is under 7th = action 
a strict obligation to restore the stolen goods or make compensation for the damage done 10th = feeling 
th
(Lev. vi. 1-5). 8 COMMANDMENT: YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST OUR
NEIGHBOR
A thief may restore the stolen property through the priest, who is pledged to
secrecy, and will give him an acknowledgment of its receipt. A. THE PROHIBITION AGAINST INJURING OUR NEIGHBOR IN HIS HONOR
1. A good reputation is a precious possession
If anyone has stolen goods in his possession, he is bound to give them up to the
rightful owner as soon as he becomes aware that they were stolen. An honorable reputation, or a good name, consists in being well thought of,
and well-spoken of by our fellow-men. The opposite of honor is shame. A good
Thus anyone who, whether by purchase or gift, has acquired possession of reputation is the best thing on earth; it is a talent entrusted to us by God, for he who
something that was stolen, ought to give it back to its owner. If he does not know that it has a good reputation can do a great deal of good, because he has influence over
was stolen, he is said to be a just possessor, but if he does, then he is an unjust others. The esteem of others is essential to real happiness; who can enjoy his life if
possessor. he knows that he is despised by his fellow-men?
He who refuses either to give up the stolen property or to compensate for the 2. We ought to strive to acquire a good name, and for that, defend our character if it
loss sustained, will not obtain pardon of his sins from God, nor absolution from the priest. is under attack
As long as one who has wronged his neighbor refuses to make reparation, It is God’s will that we should strive after honor, for He implanted within us
though he entreats the divine pardon with tears, though he seeks to appease the divine feelings of honor and an abhorrence of disgrace. To suppress this instinct would be
to act at variance with His appointment. It is our duty to defend ourselves when our
 name is attacked. St. Francis of Sales tells us that only when grave and disgraceful refers to any intense form of human desire. In Christian theology,
crimes are imputed to us, such as no man can allow himself to be charged with, concupiscence means a movement of the sensitive appetite which is against human
should we take steps to clear ourselves. Finally, be it remarked, much more can be reason. Paul calls it a rebellion of the flesh against the spirit. Concupiscence, which
done by bearing an affront patiently than by displaying great anxiety about our good comes from original sin, unsettles man's moral powers and inclines him to sin
name. Many eminent servants of God, by the calmness with which they bore the (although not itself being a sin).
criticisms of godless men, were the means of converting their accusers.
Three kinds of concupiscence according to St. John
3. We ought to refrain from everything that may wound our neighbor’s honor.
1. lust of the flesh - temptation for physical (do something to make flesh feel
Thus suspicion, detraction, slander, and abuse are forbidden, also listening satisfied) desire from some sinful activity.
with pleasure when our neighbor is spoken against. 2. lust of the eyes - desire to possess what we see or to have those things
which have visual appeal.
4. Sins against the eighth commandment 3. the pride of life (Jn 2:16) - sinful temptation for excess greatness or
a. False Witness and Perjury power.
b. Failure to Respect Reputation of Others C. Sins against the 9th Commandment
c. Rash Judgment - an act of mind that, on the basis of insufficient evidence, 1. Impure thoughts and desires
attributes something morally discreditable to another or denies something
morally creditable. In Catholic Tradition, the ninth commandment forbids lust (carnal concupiscence).
d. Detraction - disclosure of another’s faults and failings to persons who did not
know them without objectively valid reason.
e. Calumny - by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others 10TH COMMANDMENT: YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR’S GOODS
and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them.
f. Suspicion - supposing evil of one’s neighbor without reasonable grounds. The tenth commandment forbids all desire to take or to keep unjustly what belongs to
g. Slander: attributing to one’s neighbor faults of which he is not guilty. If the others, and also forbids envy at their success. We are permitted to desire the property of
accusation is made publicly it is called a libel. others only when we propose to obtain it by legitimate means, such as by purchase or
h. Taking pleasure in listening to detraction exchange. "For covetousness is the root of all evils, and some in their eagerness to get rich
i. Lying: speaking in a falsehood with the intention of deceiving. have strayed from the faith and have involved themselves in many troubles" (1 Timothy 6:10).

9TH COMMANDMENT: YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR’S WIFE 1. Among those guilty of violating the tenth commandment are:
a. Those who desire or resolve to steal or cause loss to others, even if the
Everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in resolution is not carried out.
his heart" (Mt 5:28). b. Children who wish for the death of their parents in order to obtain their property;
c. Those who wish for war, epidemics, storms, fire, legal troubles, social outbreaks
A. What does it mean to "covet"?
or other calamities, in order to profit from the resulting high prices of their
The American Heritage Dictionary (4th edition, 2000) tells us that to covet is products; and
"to feel blameworthy desire for that which is another’s; to wish for longingly." It is also d. Those who deny the right of private property, such as Communists.
"to feel immoderate desire for that which is another’s."

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1996) tells us that to covet is "to

2. Sins against the 10th Commandment
long inordinately or unlawfully, to hanker after something forbidden, to wish, long or
a. Greed - The desire to amass unlimited earthly wealth
crave for something (especially the property of another person)."
b. Avarice - A passion for riches and the power that comes from them
Our English word comes from the Latin word cupere meaning "to desire," c. Envy - sadness at the sight of another’s goods and the immoderate desire to
which in turn comes from the Sanskrit word kup meaning "to become excited." acquire them for oneself.
d. Any desires which involve unjust harm to our neighbor's goods
B. What is Concupiscence?
"We should banish our desires for whatever does not belong to us. Our immense thirst for
goods is never quenched. As it is written ‘He who loves money never has enough'" (Roman
Catechism). It is not sinful to desire to gain a neighbor's goods by just means.