Chapter
15

Morality: The Root of All Dignity

In This Chapter

The meaning and responsibility of free will

Listening to that voice in your head

Exploring virtue and vice

The various types of sin

Earlier in this book, we talked about how men and women are created in God’s image. Now we will return to this all-important point because it plays a major role in morality. Being made in God’s image influences—or should influence—everything a Catholic says and does.

Let’s review the basics: being made in God’s image means humans have intellect and free will. The Church teaches that these characteristics combine to give every human being an inherent dignity, something that provides a framework for all the decisions and actions that are part of everyday life.

In this chapter, we will look at how all of this works. What does it mean to have free will? Why do some choose vice over virtue? How serious is sin? And what does all of this have to do with our journey toward God?

Exercising Free Will

Earlier when we looked at the first section of the creed, we talked about God allowing all of his creations to work in cooperation with him, meaning God gives us free will and the ability to make mistakes or bad choices.

The Catechism explains that freedom is the “power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility.” (1731)

That means we can’t always claim that someone else is pulling the strings. If we do something wrong, or right, it is usually because we chose to do it all of our own accord. For the most part, we shape our own lives, and when we mature in “truth and goodness,” we get closer to the perfection of freedom, which is always directed toward God. (1731)

Church Speak

Beatitude means “happiness” or “blessedness.” The Catechism explains that all humans are called to eternal beatitude, which is life with God in the kingdom. (1719) Catholics most commonly associate this word with the Beatitudes, which are a series of teachings Jesus gave during the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3–12). A complete list of the Beatitudes is included in the appendix of Catholic prayers at the end of this book.

If our freedom is not fully and definitively connected to God, we run the risk of getting caught up in a game of good versus evil, and we all know that when that happens, sometimes evil wins. So our goal is to choose good, which will make us “freer,” and to avoid evil, which, in the end, will enslave us. (1732–1733)

Because we are free, we are also responsible. The two go hand in hand. The Catechism explains that being “responsible” means we are responsible not only for our direct actions—like cheating on a test or stealing from work—but also for indirect actions or omissions that cause other bad things to happen—like ignoring traffic laws. Now, if you’re ignorant of some rule or law, or you do something inadvertently, or you do something out of fear or habit, you are a little less culpable when it comes to the blame game. (1734–1736)

The Church teaches that every human being has a “right” to be a free and responsible person, and that we all owe each other respect. In order to live in dignity, people must have the right to exercise freedom. This freedom must be respected in moral and religious matters and protected by civil authorities. (1738) In other words, no freedom, no dignity.

So if we’re all so free, how is it possible there are so many things that are forbidden? Isn’t freedom all about doing whatever we want, whenever we want, with no one telling us what we can and can’t do? No. We’re not talking about freedom from rules and laws and morality here. We’re talking about the freedom to set the course of our lives, the freedom to choose right from wrong (and we are, of course, supposed to choose right), the freedom to take responsibility for our own actions, and, ultimately, the freedom to come into beatitude with God.

And where are we supposed to find the courage and strength to attain this kind of freedom? In Jesus Christ, of course, through the grace of the Holy Spirit. (1742)

Teachable Moment

Morality refers to the good and evil acts that humans commit. The Church teaches that there are three “sources” of morality: the “object,” which is whatever course of action you choose to take; the “intention,” which is the end-goal you had in mind when you acted; and the “circumstances,” which include the consequences of your action. You can have the best of intentions, but if the act or the circumstances are intrinsically wrong, you’re out of luck. All three things have to be morally good. Bottom line is, the end can never justify the means. (1750–1755)

The Voice in Your Head

Now we’re going to talk about conscience—you know, that little voice that tells you not to do something you really want to do. In the cartoon world, conscience is depicted as a little angel and a little devil sitting atop your shoulders, alternately whispering into your ears. According to Church teaching, your conscience isn’t sitting on your shoulder but is, instead, centered in your heart. It recognizes the difference between good and evil and pushes you toward good. The Catechism says that if you listen to your conscience, you “can hear God speaking.” (1777)

If you have a well-formed conscience, it means that you not only will recognize evil but will take responsibility when you commit evil, and will allow that judgment to remain with you and influence future decisions for the good. (1781) Let’s back up a minute. What’s a well-formed conscience, and where can you get one? The Catechism says a well-formed conscience is “upright and truthful” and that it “formulates judgments according to reason.” (1783)

Now, obviously we don’t start out in this world with a well-formed conscience. Something or someone has to help shape it, a process that continues over the course of a lifetime. From the time we’re very young until early adulthood, our parents—as well as teachers, extended family, and friends—help us form a truthful conscience, but that is not enough. We must also assimilate the word of God into our lives, something that happens through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the teachings of the Church, and the assistance of other Catholics, who serve as witnesses. (1785)

Of course, even people with the best-formed consciences can make mistakes. It doesn’t mean they purposely went against their conscience to do something bad. It may mean they were simply ignorant about something, so their conscience didn’t know enough to be outraged. In those instances, they are usually free from guilt. (1790)

But don’t think if you just don’t bother to explore a subject you can go your merry way and avoid responsibility. The Catechism explains if you purposely avoid finding out the truth about something or if you are “blinded” by the habit of sin, you are still responsible for the evil you commit. What might blind you to the truth? The bad examples of others, being a slave to your passions, staying purposefully and blissfully ignorant of the truth, or rejecting Church teaching, to name a few. (1792–1793)

Teachable Moment

Although it’s usually pretty easy to determine right from wrong, there can be times when it’s hard to see the forest for the trees. The Church offers a few easy rules to remember whenever you’re faced with a tough decision: Follow the “Golden Rule” and treat others the way you want to be treated; avoid doing anything that would make someone else sin; remember that good results cannot justify evil actions. (1789)

Virtue over Vice

You hear a lot about how important it is to be virtuous, but what does that mean? That we have to be living saints? And what exactly is a virtue anyway? It’s actually very simple. A virtue is “a habitual and firm disposition to do the good,” the Catechism says. If you are a virtuous person, you will not only perform good acts but you will give the very best of yourself. (1803)

The Church teaches there are two kinds of virtues: human virtues and theological virtues. We get “human virtues” through education and perseverance. (Remember the old saying: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.) What we do on our own doesn’t get us very far or keep us on balance very long, however. Because we are all wounded by sin, we also need divine grace to enlighten us, to elevate us, to keep us on the right path. (1811) We also need divine grace to keep us rooted in God’s life. So we are endowed with “theological virtues,” in which our human virtues must be rooted. (1812) Let’s look at each type of virtue in a little more detail.

Cardinal Virtues

Of the human virtues, there are four “cardinal virtues” that play a pivotal role in the moral life: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. All the other human virtues hinge on these.

Prudence is all about using practical reason to figure out what is really good in every circumstance, and to choose the right means to get to that good. It guides all other virtues “by setting rule and measure.” If you are a prudent person, it doesn’t mean you’re afraid to act, but that you have thought about the action and have judged it to be a good to be pursued or an evil to be avoided. (1806)

Justice is the virtue that puts the rights and claims of others into the limelight. With justice as your guide, you respect others and promote and seek “equity” for individuals and for the common good. (1807)

Fortitude gives you the strength to say no to something bad when you really want to say yes. It is the virtue that helps you resist temptation and overcome obstacles. (1808)

Temperance is not the virtue that prevents you from having a margarita at your favorite Mexican restaurant. It is, however, the virtue that should prevent you from having five or six margaritas. Temperance is just a less-hip way of saying “balance.” This virtue is about moderation and gives us “mastery” over our instincts. (1809)

Theological Virtues

All of the human virtues are rooted in the theological virtues, which are directly related to God and are the “foundation of Christian moral activity.” They enable humans to “live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity.” There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. (1812–1813)

Faith is the virtue that enables us to believe in God, in what he has revealed, and in what the Church has proposed as revealed, for our belief. The Church says that faith is dead unless it is put into action. (James 2:26) A Catholic is called not only to profess the faith but also to live the faith and spread the faith. (1814–1816)

Hope is what makes us search for happiness in God and in the kingdom of heaven and eternal life, as we place our trust in Christ’s promises and not our own capacities. We get our strength and hope through the graces we receive from the Holy Spirit, who opens our hearts and keeps us from discouragement. (1817–1818)

Charity is the virtue that inspires us to love God more than anything else in this world and to “love our neighbors as ourselves” for the love of God. Charity is the DNA of the moral life. The Catechism says that charity is “superior” to the other virtues and calls it the “source and the goal” of Christian practice. (1822–1827)

True Confessions

The Catholic Church teaches that to be fully united to Jesus Christ a Christian must live his or her faith in love, as this is disclosed through good works. How faith and love are related is a matter of some dispute among Christians. Catholics say love is the “form” of faith; Lutherans and other Reformation Christians say love is the “flower” of faith. The Catholic Church’s belief in Jesus’ call to put faith into action has led it to establish and operate some of the largest charitable organizations in the world. On both a worldwide and local level, the Church and various religious communities provide education, health care, orphanages, immigration services, care for the poor, and an endless string of other programs that touch on everything from prison ministry and soup kitchens to AIDS ministry and hospices.

Gifts and Fruits

On top of all of these virtues, Christians are guided in their moral lives by the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. There are seven gifts: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. The Catechism says that these gifts “complete and perfect” the virtues. (1831)

The Church teaches there are 12 fruits of the Holy Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity. These fruits are “perfections” the Spirit forms in Christians in preparation for life in the kingdom. (1832)

Sin: The Sequel

We’ve already talked in some detail about sin in Chapter 13. Remember, there is mortal sin, which is the really bad stuff, and venial sin, which is the everyday stuff. Think murdering your neighbor versus arguing with your spouse. We’ll talk about each in just a few minutes.

Right now we need to talk about God’s mercy, which, after all, is the only way we get right with God. The Catholic Church teaches that God created us all on his own; we didn’t do anything to warrant our own creation. However, we can’t be saved if we don’t get involved and take responsibility for the bad stuff we’ve done. (1847)

Church Speak

Sin is an “offense against God.” When we sin, we let our passions and attachments pull us away from God. Like the original sin of Adam, our sins are an attempt to become God on our own terms, setting ourselves up as the be-all and end-all of life. In this, we find we are in opposition to the way of life of Jesus, who shows us that salvation comes not from pride but from humility, not from inordinate self-love but from loving God and others, not from autonomy but from obedience. (1850)

Okay, so let’s get back to all the different kinds of sins we can commit. There are spiritual sins, sins against God, and there are sins against our neighbors and ourselves. We can sin in our thoughts, in our deeds, and in our omissions. (1853)

The Catechism explains that sins are judged by their “gravity,” and that the “distinction between mortal and venial sin” is found in Scripture, is corroborated in experience, and has been passed on through the Tradition of the Church. (1854)

To commit a mortal sin, three conditions must be present: it must be a “grave matter” you had “full knowledge” of in advance and committed with “complete consent.” A grave matter would be some of the really big stuff specified by the Ten Commandments. (1857–1858)

A mortal sin destroys our charity, and separates us from God. If it is not redeemed by our repentance and God’s forgiveness, it will land us in hell for all eternity. (1861)

Now, a venial sin is less serious than a mortal sin. It may weaken charity or slow down our progress toward the kingdom, but it won’t keep us out in the long run. If we continue to commit venial sins without repenting, however, we can get used to the behavior of minor sinning, and that paves the way for the big stuff. So even though venial sins don’t prevent you from receiving Communion or getting into heaven on their own, they can lead you down the garden path to hell if you don’t nip them in the bud. (1863)

The Catechism says that through repetition, sin “reinforces itself.” This is where vices come in. Vices are defined by the virtues they oppose and they come in many shapes and flavors. There are seven sins called capital sins (also popularly known as the “Seven Deadly Sins”), and they are labeled as such because they stand at the top of the list, engendering other sins and vices. They are pride, avarice (greed), envy, wrath (anger), lust, gluttony, and sloth (laziness). (1866)

Before you start checking off which vices and sins you have to worry about, here’s one more to consider: you are not only responsible for your own sins but for the sins of other people if you cooperate in them. In other words, you take on the burden of another person’s sin if you participate in it directly, order or approve it, praise it, do nothing to prevent it from happening, or protect the sinner after the fact. (1868)

The Least You Need to Know

God gives each of us free will, which makes us responsible for our own actions, good or bad.

If we sincerely listen to our conscience, which is centered in our heart, we can hear God speaking.

Virtues, which can be human or theological, are habits that lead us to do good things.

Sin comes in two basic forms: mortal, which is grave, and venial, which is less serious.

Sin leads to more sin and to vices, which are the opposite of the virtues they offend.