CFE 102 - PRELIMS

• Religion originates from the Latin word "re-ligare," meaning "to link or to bind again," emphasizing the reconnection with God due to sin
• God is associated with "nagbabalik-loob," and religion is the process of linking ourselves to God with the help of Jesus Christ
• Teachings of Jesus emphasize love, urging individuals to love one another and be disciples of Christ, not just believers
• Life lessons from Muniba Mazari include embracing accidents as transformative, understanding the unpredictability of life, and finding strength and empathy through pain
• Via crucis symbolizes life as a painful journey towards success, advocating for embracing pain but never giving up, and promoting constant love and forgiveness
• Paschal mystery highlights that in every death, there will always be a resurrection, emphasizing the innate goodness of human nature and the concept of human dignity
• Human dignity is rooted in the belief that humans are created good, although prone to sin, and possess rationality, distinguishing them as the highest form of creation
• Conscience, according to St. Augustine, is considered "the voice of God," guiding individuals to do good and avoid evil based on Christian standards
• The concept of Iesus Xpietos pertains to Jesus as the divine being, while Jesus of Nazareth emphasizes his human aspect, with the resurrection proving his divinity
• The formation of conscience progresses through stages from infancy to adulthood, with the community playing a crucial role in guiding individuals through these stages
• A sense of sin helps individuals understand morality beyond mere knowledge of good, emphasizing the importance of consistency in reflecting the image and likeness of God
• Christian morality is a response to God's self-offer in Christ and an invitation to a relationship
• Living out our relationship with God and others involves characteristics like faith, hope, and charity
• Vincent J. Genovesi, S.J., articulates various calls in Christian morality, including living eucharistically, eschatologically, prophetically, in faith, towards salvation, continual conversion, and freedom in Christ
• Our response to the relationship must be wholehearted, guided by the life and teachings of Jesus, towards the realization of God's Kingdom
• Christian morality challenges us to reflect on who we should be and what we should do in the light of what Jesus reveals to us about God
• Christian morality is about being attentive to the life of Jesus of Nazareth and allowing his teachings to inform our moral discernment
• The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that human dignity is rooted in God's love, making it inalienable and morally implying respect, defense, and promotion of human wellbeing
• As God's creatures created in His image, we have the responsibility to recognize and value the dignity of others and cooperate with God's grace to live a fully human life
• The inviolable dignity of every human person is emphasized in the Catechism for Filipino Catholics, highlighting that human value comes from what a person 'is' rather than what a person 'has'
• Authentic freedom is not merely doing what one wants, but doing the good, shared with others in the community and found in truth, according to CFC 694
• Freedom is a sign of the image of God in us, allowing us to choose what is good and act out of conscious and free choice, as stated by Vatican II
• Freedom of self-determination is a responsibility that requires us to act wisely and control inner drives to become what God wants us to be
• Authentic freedom involves freedom from interior and exterior obstacles, with sin being the greatest obstacle, according to CFC 696
• Conscience, as defined in Gaudium et Spes, is a law in man's heart written by God, guiding him to love good and avoid evil, and obeying it is the dignity of man
• Conscience is a strong internal guide that summons individuals to love good and avoid evil, holding them to obedience
• Conscience is considered the most secret core and sanctuary of a person, where they are alone with God, whose voice echoes in their depths
• Catholic tradition emphasizes the primacy, dignity, and inviolability of the moral conscience, which guides individuals to love, do good, and avoid evil
• Timothy E O'Connell presents the "three senses of conscience":

  • Sense of responsibility: the basic sense of responsibility characterizing the human person, driven by the inner urge to do good
  • Exercise of moral reasoning: searching for objective moral values and forming conscience through reflection, analysis, and accurate perception
  • Judgment of moral action: evaluating a particular action based on personal perception and grasp of values, essential for making a proper judgment
• The formation of conscience is crucial for making moral decisions and choosing the good, as it is shaped by various influences such as family upbringing, teachings from Sacred Scriptures, and social environment
• Freedom of conscience entails a duty to respect the same freedom in others, guided by the inner voice of God, leading to actions and decisions that bring individuals closer to God
• Erroneously formed consciences, ignorant of what is good and true or blinded by the habit of sin, can lead individuals to make wrong moral decisions and damage their relationship with God
• The Creation Story from Genesis 1:26-28 states that humankind was created in God's image, with the instruction to have dominion over all living creatures
• The term imago Dei refers to two main aspects: God's self-actualization through humankind and God's care for humankind
• Humans being in the image of God means they have special qualities that allow God to be made manifest in them, making them co-creators with God
• The moral implications of the doctrine of imago Dei include the necessity for humans to love other humans as each person is an expression of God
• Humans differ from other creatures due to their rational structure, capacity for deliberation, and free decision-making, which allows for self-actualization and participation in a sacred reality
• The freedom that makes humans in God's image can also lead to estrangement from God, as seen in the story of the fall (Adam and Eve), where humans can choose to deny their spiritual and moral likeness to God
• Three concepts of sin in the Bible:

  1. "Missing the mark" or "hardness of heart" focuses on failing to meet obligations stated in the Ten Commandments and the great commandment of love, resulting in a failure to respond to God's love

  2. Depravity and perversity refer to the defect of character or disorder that weighs the sinner down

  3. Rebellion and transgression picture sin as a conscious choice that destroys positive relationships
• Sins of omission and commission:

  • Sins of omission: failing to fulfill acts of kindness like feeding the hungry or clothing the naked
  • Sins of commission: treating others as objects, prioritizing pleasure or money over God, stealing, and spreading lies