CFC [P.236 - 240]

all the commandments derive their redemptive vitality; which changes them from servile constraints into a force which liberates our true humanity.

822.     Beatitudes. Christ’s law, then, liberates from mere externalism, from being bound to the letter of the law, endured as servile constraints, for a life graced by the Spirit’s gift of a change of heart. By inspiring a new vitality in us, the Spirit enables us to experience our true humanity. Positively, as inwardly transformed by grace, re-created in God’s im-age, we are enabled to gradually establish our moral life on a different basis. The idea of simply avoiding sin, being legally “justified,” is replaced by an ideal arising faith and love, the fruit of the indwelling Spirit. This “new basis” for moral life is graphically portrayed in Christ’s poetic sketch of those “blessed.” The Beatitudes oppose the wisdom of the world (cf. 1 Cor 1:20): materialism, the cult of wealth, the lust for power, ruthless competition, the ethic of success. In God’s Kingdom, these values are reversed.

823.     In the Beatitudes, Christ describes those who are truly “happy” in the Kingdom of God. Most people, according to St. Thomas, relate happiness to: 1) sensible pleasures and satisfaction of desires, or 2) success in undertakings and interpersonal relations, or finally 3) deep reflection and contemplation. Christ claims that instead of sensible satisfaction and many possessions (1), detachment (poverty of spirit), meekness and compassion bring us true happiness. Instead of completely self-centered activity (2), thirsting for justice for all and merciful forgiveness offer authentic human interpersonal relationships. Instead of withdrawing from the problems and concerns in the world to seek contemplation, those who are single-minded/clean of heart, and work for peace among all will find God. Such a life will undoubtedly bring trials and persecutions because of our sinful selves and the world; but it is the life of faith, hope and love of the disciples of Christ (cf. CCC 1717).

III. Law in the Church

824.     Christian moral tradition has developed another type of law called “Natural Law” because it expresses the wisdom of God in His creation and because it belongs to the very nature of human persons. It is not imposed on them from the outside like an arbitrary restriction, but as a call coming from their deepest selves (cf. CCC 1954). Already within Sacred Scripture, moral knowledge is related to human “nature,” in the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament. But it is especially St. Paul who brings this out: “When Gentiles who do not have the [Jewish] law keep it as by instinct, . . . they show that the demands of the law are written in their hearts. Their conscience bears witness together with that law” (Rom 2:14f). In Catholic morality, natural law means the sum of the rights and duties which follow directly from the nature of the human person, endowed with reason and freedom, not to be confused with social norms and conventions, nor with public opinion, nor with civil law (cf. CCC 1954-60).

825.     Three basic convictions of the natural law approach are central to Catholic morality. First, the basis for the “natural law” is the truth that God has created everything and is the root of all things. The natural law written in the heart of man manifests the order willed by God in creation. Human moral life is grounded in reality ^__ our moral responsibilities flow from the very structure of who we are as persons in society through history. Therefore, secondly, natural law morality is knowable by all persons, independent of their religious faith. Engraved in the conscience of each, the natural law is accessible to all (cf. CCC 1954). Thirdly, there are objective moral values and teaching that can be universalized, addressed to all people of good will. “All are required to follow its precepts” (CCC 1956). Paul VI offers a concrete description of the natural law in life:

826.     In the design of God, all are called upon to develop and fulfill themselves, for every life is a vocation. At birth, everyone is granted, in germ, a set of aptitudes and qualities to bring to fruition. Their coming to maturity, which will be the result of education received from the environment and personal efforts, will allow all to direct themselves toward the destiny intended for them by their Creator. Endowed with intelligence and freedom, they are responsible for their fulfillment as for their salvation (PP 15).

827.     But to avoid abusive rationalistic and narrowly legalistic interpretations, the natural law must be viewed in terms of certain fundamental aspects. First, as real: morality is based on reality, not just on commands as the legal positivists hold. Moral life means doing the good, not just blindly following law. Second, it is experiential because it directly concerns our relationships with ourselves, with others, and with society. Third, it is historical since our human nature is involved in the historical process of our self-becoming growth. Fourth, it deals with the specific nature and consequences of our free acts, and therefore, fifth, is basically personal, since it is grounded in the human person’s nature. These features indicate how the natural law approach can be effective in today’s moral climate.

828.     Christ and the Natural Law. But what has this “natural law” got to do with God’s Law as manifested in “Christ, our Moral Norm”? (cf. # 796) Many seem to misunderstand and think of the natural law in purely philosophical terms, as completely separated from God’s law. In reality they are intimately connected, for in obeying the natural law, we obey the divine law itself ^__ “eternal, objective and universal” (DH 3), of which it is the expression (cf. CCC 1955).

829.     We see natural law and God’s law united in Christ. First in their very being: since God creates all persons in and through Christ (cf. Jn 1:3; Col 1:16f), Jesus is the model for both our human nature [natural law] and all our free moral acts. Second, existentially and operationally they are one because Christ is both our final destiny built into our human nature, and the norm for our free moral thoughts, words and deeds by which we journey toward this destiny. Third, historically they are united in Christ because through the historical event of the Incarnation, Passion, Death and Resurrection, Christ manifested and actualized all the above links. In Christ God ratified the dignity of all human persons, our unity with Him, and our path to Him through our human world and activities. Fidelity to the human in history is fidelity to Christ’s presence. In the end, then, “the New Law or the Law of the Gospel is the perfection here on earth of the divine law, natural and revealed” (CCC 1965).

IV. Process of Moral Decision-Making

830.     Elements. We have seen the person as moral agent (chap. 13), the social context of moral acts (Chap. 14), and now their structure (moral norms). What remains to be studied is what goes on in the actual process of making moral judgments and decisions. Here we can only treat briefly some of the more important aspects of this ordinary yet complicated process we all go through every time we make a moral decision of any importance.

831.     Agent in Deciding. Moral acts have traditionally been described in terms of the person’s thinking and willing. Three aspects of this thinking and 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,” speculative knowledge of quantitative facts or information, easily detached from the knower and specific occasion, and thus ready for passing on, but also what moves us to decision. It is “knowledge of the heart,” knowledge involving quality and values, not easily detached from the knower and the concrete situation, and therefore more difficult to communicate. Evaluative knowledge is personal knowledge. It is how we Filipinos know one another, especially within our family and circle of friends.

832.     Second, imagination. The power of the Christian story, images, and devotions has already been mentioned. What is pertinent here is the influence of imagination on our moral norms: their effectivity in our lives and their applicability. Moral norms taught us by our elders will hardly be effective unless our own imagination draws together the universal, abstract terms of the norms with our concrete personal experience. Finally, imagination is most needed in applying universal moral norms to specific actual cases.

833.     Third, affectivity. Strong human passions have always been recognized as limiting the moral agent’s actual freedom. Today, however, affections are seen more broadly as influencing all our moral judgments. Rather than an obstacle to freedom, our human affections often open us up to deeper knowledge and understanding in our interpersonal relationships. They help us see more truly, compassionate with others. One dimension of Christian moral education, then, is to form true Christian affectivity ^__ authentic Christian ways of affectively responding to situations and others.

834.     Virtues and Character. Besides these three aspects of our acts of knowing and willing, there are the more permanent, underlying factors of virtue and character which influence our personal moral life. Virtues are taken up at length in Chapter 17 on Love of Neighbor. Here we only wish to stress the current emphasis on the moral person’s character and habitual ways of acting (virtues), rather than being overly preoccupied with detailed scrutiny of individual acts. The interplay of our fundamental commitment and stance ^__ who I am ^__ with my freedom of choice ^__ what I do ^__ is another way of expressing this influence of virtue and character on my decision-making process.

835.     Process of Coming to a Moral Judgment. The process of deciding can be outlined in three steps: moral discernment, moral demand, judgment or decision. First, the 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.

836.     The second step of demand brings in the role of the pertinent moral norm, which our consciences use to formulate their dictates on what we must do. Our consciences always work on accepted moral norms. They never act as a law unto themselves. Likewise, moral norms and commandments touch us only through our consciences. Strangely enough, many do not seem to realize this dynamic interaction of conscience and law. By erroneously claiming freedom from all law by reason of their conscience, they ignore the basic relational nature of their authentic freedom and of themselves as persons.

837.     The third step, the judgment or decision stage, simply refers to the judgment of conscience we make on the morality of any proposed action, and our consequent decision to follow this dictate of our conscience or not.

838.     Conscience and the Magisterium. As Catholics, we Filipinos decide serious moral questions with the special help of the teaching office of the Church, the Magisterium. This is to be expected, for in times of crisis or serious decisions, Filipinos naturally consult others for help and guidance. It is only natural, then, that Catholics look to the moral leadership of the teaching Church, with its long tradition and world-wide experience. But the real basis, the supernatural reason is “the Holy Spirit’s unfailing guidance of the Pope and the college of Bishops when they fulfill their role as authentic teachers of faith and morals” (NCDP 276). It is the distinctive mission of the Church’s magisterium to proclaim and interpret the moral law before men in the light of the Gospel (cf. DH 14; CCC 2036). “The faithful therefore have the duty of observing the constitutions and decrees conveyed by the legitimate authority of the Church. Even if they are disciplinary in matters, these determinations call for docility in charity” (CCC 2037).

839.     The interaction between Catholic Filipinos’ consciences and the teaching authority of the Church holds no danger or restriction to “freedom of conscience.” On the contrary, obedience to the Magisterium manifests clearly the relational and communitarian nature of conscience noted above. The awareness of “being obliged” is experienced within one’s own call to personal responsibility. “We discern how freedom and obedience mutually imply each other rather than being incompatible” (NCDP 276).