Based on the work of Richard M Gula Faith Informed by Reason

An understanding of Catholic Morality begins with two essential questions.

What sort of person should I try to be? How should I live my life?

The two core principles of Catholic morality are human dignity and community.

We believe that actions are always an expression of a person.

Three aspects of moral actions: 1. The Intention 2. The Act Itself 3. The Circumstances

What actions are good? How do you know what’s good? What is the source of goodness? How have ideas about goodness developed?

Aristotle believed that the good is happiness. A good man is one who functions according to his nature, which is a rational nature. Hence, a good man is one who reasons well and chooses well.

Hedonists believe that good is pleasure. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize pleasure and minimize pain.

Utilitarians believe that good is what is most useful for most people. Actions are measured by their consequences. Jeremy Bentham

The basic conviction of Catholic morality is that God is good.

We believe that we are first called to be loving persons in the imitation of Christ. What sort of action should I perform because I believe in Christ?

We believe that every human person is created in the image of God

To be a human person is to be essentially directed to others. We are communal at our core.

A person’s subjective responsibility for moral behaviour is relative to the development of that person’s moral capacity.

How does the Church teach about morality?

From Scripture and Tradition, we understand: Original sin Actual sin (mortal and venial) Social sin

Norms are derived from experience, the value of persons and social relationships.

Scripture is our normative criterion of judgment. It is the privileged, though not exclusive, source of our knowledge of God and good.

How do we form our conscience?

The Story of Jonah

The Church is the shaper of Catholic moral character. bearer of moral tradition. community of moral deliberation.

We are called to discernment, to know who we are – how we stand before God and one another.

Catholic Graduate Expectations A discerning believer formed in the Catholic faith community An effective communicator A reflective and creative thinker A self-directed, responsible, life-long learner A collaborative contributor A responsible citizen

Catholic Morality Faith Informed by Reason Based on the work of Richard M Gula Produced by Alfred Guidolin for Nipissing University EDUCE 1526 © 2009 A San Marco Production