Morality: A Response to God's Love, Student Text

by Joseph Stoutzenberger

• ISBN13: 9780159014868
• ISBN10: 0159014867
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-07-31
• Publisher: OUR SUNDAY VISITOR INC

Table of Contents

Part 1: Foundations for Catholic Morality
A Call to Catholic Living	1	(19)
Moral decision making reflects our nature as persons endowed with intellect and free will	2	(5)
Catholic morality is our response to Jesus	7	(4)
Grace as sharing in God's life is both a comfort and a challenge	11	(4)
The grace of the Holy Spirit helps us live our vocation to follow Jesus	15	(5)
Jesus	20	(20)
Jesus is the starting point of Catholic morality	23	(3)
Love is the guiding principle of Catholic morality	26	(4)
The kingdom of God is a central theme in the mission of Jesus	30	(1)
Jesus models service and calls upon his followers to serve	31	(9)
The Church	40	(20)
The communion of saints refers to holy things, especially the Eucharist. It also refers to holy people from the past, present, and future who are inspired by the Holy Spirit to use their talents for helping others	43	(2)
The Church is a God-given gift that assists us in our moral lives	45	(4)
The Church's sacraments are the ``masterworks of God'' that give us grace to follow Christ	49	(3)
The Church is a source of moral guidance for Catholics	52	(8)
Conscience	60	(20)
Our dignity as persons created by God requires us to follow our conscience	62	(2)
Popular uses of the word conscience are frequently inadequate to describe all that the term involve	64	(4)
A fuller understanding of conscience includes three dimensions: awareness, development, and judgment	68	(4)
Scripture and Tradition emphasize the importance of using our conscience to make informed moral decisions	72	(8)
Sin and Morality	80	(20)
Two images of sin that are frequently used in Scripture are missing the mark and hardness of heart	83	(4)
In Christianity the primary message about sin is one of forgiveness	87	(4)
Distinction among types of sin is intended to help people overcome sin	91	(4)
Social sin refers to behavior patterns, values, and social structures that encourage or support sin in a society	95	(5)
The Virtues	100	(20)
Virtues are character strengths that we develop over time and through consistent use	102	(2)
The theological virtues of faith, hope, and love are gifts from God	104	(6)
The cardinal virtues are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance	110	(3)
An important aspect of the moral life is creating communities of character	113	(7)
Moral Decision Making	120	(20)
Three sources of moral decision making are: the object chosen, the intentions, and the circumstances	123	(2)
Moral decision making involves asking what and who	125	(3)
Moral decision making involves asking why, how, when, and where	128	(5)
Discernment means calling upon as many resources as possible to evaluate whether an action is right or wrong	133	(7)
Part 2: Catholic Morality Applied
The Decalogue	140	(20)
God's gift of the Decalogue to the Israelites is also a gift to us	142	(4)
The first commandment affirms the importance of adoring the one true God and rejecting false gods	146	(8)
The second commandment calls for speaking and acting with reverence toward God	154	(2)
The third commandment reminds us to set aside the Lord's Day for prayer, worship, rest, and recreation	156	(4)
The Family and Beyond	160	(20)
The Catholic family is a domestic church with the Trinity as its model	162	(3)
The fourth commandment calls for harmony within families and society by honoring parents, elders, and leaders	165	(4)
For the past fifty years the Information Age has influenced family life and values	169	(6)
Computers, video games, and the many forms of information technology impact our moral lives	175	(5)
Cherishing Each Person	180	(20)
The fifth commandment mandates us to respect the life of the unborn	182	(5)
Respect for life is a principle that guides us in caring for those who are sick or who are near death	187	(4)
The fifth commandment forbids intentional euthanasia	191	(3)
Church teaching targets the issues of life support and physician-assisted suicide	194	(6)
Promoting Peace	200	(20)
We are called to counteract violence in its many forms, both explicit and hidden	203	(3)
Church leaders have declared capital punishment an unnecessary affront to the dignity of human life	206	(5)
The Church promotes alternatives to war and calls for restriction of warfare as much as possible	211	(3)
The moral issues of nuclear weapons and the arms race, terrorism, and nonviolence challenge us to follow the gospel of Christ	214	(6)
Sexuality and Morality	220	(20)
Sexuality is more than physicality; it is a drive toward fruitful union and a reaching out to others	223	(2)
Catholics are called to follow Jesus, the model of chastity	225	(3)
Catholicism presents marriage as the naturally-ordered context for full sexual expression	228	(2)
Catholic moral teaching based on the sixth and ninth commandments provides guidance for decision making in areas of sexual behavior	230	(10)
Living the Truth in Love	240	(20)
The eighth commandment calls for respect for truth	242	(4)
We can abuse speech by what we say or fail to say	246	(4)
Disregard for truth leads to a culture of mistrust	250	(3)
A truthful society seeks to give all people a voice and to address their needs	253	(7)
Generosity and Justice	260
The seventh commandment involves the topics of stealing, the use of private property, and the necessity of making amends	262	(4)
The tenth commandment helps us appreciate the need to follow the way of Jesus in order to avoid the sins of envy, avarice, and greed	266	(3)
Justice applies the seventh commandment to the pursuit of the common good	269	(4)
Catholic social teaching offers guidance for achieving social justice	273