OUR HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH Christ.

It is the Church that Jesus Himself

established. It is the Body of Christ. It is the
The word “CHURCH” came from the Greek word family of God. It is the Church where we
“ekklesia” which means “ASSEMBLY” of belong. This is the Church we Love.
“gathering of people”
Ethics
Catholic – is universal meaning one whole. - Foundation of Moral Valuation
- It is what is acceptable and unacceptable
Church – people of God in human behavior.
Church – structure/building - As a subject for us to study is about
determining the grounds for the values
Peter (Simon Barjoma) with particular and special significance to
- First pope human life.
- Head of the church
- Petros means rock Moral
– specifics beliefs of attitude that people
Sacrament – it is the visible image of the invisible have or describe acts that people perform.
God. Thus, it is sometimes said that an
Primodial Sacrament – Jesus Christ individual’s personal conduct is referred
- 33 years – one earth to as his morals, and if he falls short of
- 30 years – ministry behaving properly, this can be described
as immoral.
Emmanuel – God is with us
Ethics
First 4 apostles are fishermen: - discipline of studying and understanding
1. St. John ideal human behavior and ideal ways of
2. St. Andrew – first follower thinking. Thus, ethics is acknowledged as
3. St. Peter – first pope an intellectual discipline belonging to
4. St. James philosophy.
- Ethics therefore is the disciplined study of
“For where two or three are gathered together in morality.
my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt.
18:20) Moral Issue
- Calls for moral valuation
It is better to pray together to feel the presence of - “Often debatable”
Jesus Christ. We are Catholic/Christians because - “euthanasia”
we believe. - “Capital punishment”

Names attributed to the Church: Moral Decision

- Choice of what act to perform
1. Household of God - Decision of right thing to do
“But if I should be delayed, you should know how Example: I choose not to take something I did not
to behave in the household of God, which is the pay for.
Church of the living God, the pillar and
foundation of the truth.” (1 Tim 3:15) Moral Judgement
- We all know the Lord’s prayer - Observer who makes an assessment on the
- We are part of one family of God actions/behavior of someone.
2. Sheepfold Example: A friend of mine chooses to steal from a
- Christ is our shepherd; we are the flock store, and I make an assessment that is wrong.
3. Cultivated Field
- The church is a field (1 Corinthians 3:5-9) Moral Dilemma
- Weed: usually tinatanim-treego - to choose over a complicated situation
- Is it up to us who we are in the field wherein one is torn between choosing one
4. Building of God of two goods or choosing between the
- The Lord compared Himself to the stone lesser of two evils.
which the builders rejected, but which was Example: A mother may be conflicted between
made into the corner stone. wanting to feed her hungry child, but then
- Jesus is the capstone of our church. recognizing that it would be wrong for her to steal.
- Without the capstone the church will
collapse (Acts 4:11) The grounding problem of ethics is the search for
5. Spouse of Christ a foundation for our moral beliefs, something solid
“I betrothed you to one husband to present you as that would make them true in a way that is clear,
a chased virgin to Christ” (2 Cor 11:2) objective, and unmoving.
- We call the church as Holy Mother
- The wife of Jesus is the church Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics
- Alterchristus (another Christ) - Aristotle is considered to be the most
- Feminine important virtue ethicist.
- A student of Plato
The Church is the assembly of baptized - Plato (student of Socrates)
persons who have a common faith in Jesus
The parts of the soul of the virtuous (arete) person Distinction between “I want” and “I ought”.
are in harmony and in right order Such person can Moral actions are not spontaneous, if I see
live a good life (eudaimonia) someone in need of help, I may be inclined to look
the other way, but I will recognize that my duty is
For Aristotle, everything that we do is pointed to to help. Considering only those actions that are
our very “Telos” seemingly good according to Kant are actions that
seem good by duty, that are good to my common
Telos – “End” “Purpose” “Goal” sense of duty and for that they are right.
- It is the fulfilling its role well that defines
what is the ultimate good of that thing or Kant’s Duty ethics suggests that right actions
animal. should only be based of REASON and not desires
or emotions.
Humans only have one main Goal. And that is to
be HAPPY. Nature of Imperatives:
1. Hypothetical Imperatives
Telos of man – “Eudaimonia” - If you want you ought. The ought or the duty is
Eudaimonia - “Happiness” “fulfilled life” conditioned by your desires, wants and goals. Our
- Happiness for Aristotle is becoming who goals are grounded in SELF-INTEREST
you are supposed to be—to function as - “If you will treat me well, then, I will tell you the
you are supposed to function. It is more on truth”
doing than having. 2. Categorical Imperatives
- And we can only achieve that by - It applies to all situation (categorical)
becoming virtuous. - It is commanding, ought to do (imperatives)
- The general from of DO. (Unconditioned)
Arete (Virtue) - For Kant there is only one imperative command,
- “golden mean” between the extremes of and it is the Moral Law.
excess and deficiency - “Tell the truth”
- doing things in RIGHT WAY, in the - Reason over Sentiments
RIGHT TIME, in the RIGHT PLACE, in
the RIGHT AMOUNT, towards the Formulation of the Categorical:
RIGHT PERSON.  First Formulation:
“Act only on that maxim through which you can at
But how do we become virtuous? the same time will that it that it should become a
1. Moral Exemplars universal law.”
- the model person (family, relatives, loved ones)
2. Experience In this formulation, Kant emphasizes that a
- this can give us wisdom to know what is right person’s action in order for it to be morally
3. Choosing to be better every day acceptable must be universal. In other words, it
- we need to follow good decision must always apply to every situation. For example,
“You shall not kill”. It is a universal maxim
If you want to be happy, you must be virtuous  because it can apply to every situation. That is why
it is categorical. That a person ought not to kill.
Categorical Imperative - An action can only be moral, if it can be
“Madaling maging tao, pero mahirap magpaka- universalizable.
Tao” - Right is right and wrong is wrong.
- No gray areas in morality.
Animal – Instict
Human – Instict + Reason  Second Formulation:
“Act so as to will the maxim of your action as a
To be Human is to use our reason. And in using universal law in the kingdom of the Ends.”
our reason, we can produce the “Categorical Kingdom
Imperative” and be Moral. - organized union of accepted moral laws.
Collection of laws and maxims which are
Immanuel Kant’s Duty Ethics universally valid and end themselves.
- Immanuel Kant was born on April 22, 1724, in
Kaliningrad, Russia. But first, the “Kingdom of Ends” must be
- He died on February 12, 1804, in Konigsberg, discussed. Kant explains that the “Kingdom” is the
Russia. well-organized union of accepted moral laws
which binds every rational beings. In other words,
“Two things fill the mind with ever new and they are the collection of laws and maxims which
increasing admiration and awe, the oftener and are universally valid and ends in themselves. They
the more steadily we reflect on them: the starry are the ideal maxims which can make society an
heavens above and the moral law within.” ideal society. These laws, being the ideal laws
which are universally valid must always be an end
Kant’s Theory represent: in themselves because they are already “good in
Deontological Ethics themselves”.
• For him, a right action consists solely in - No other intentions, always be an end in
an action that is ruled and justified by a themselves.
rule or principle.

Notion of Duty:
• Third Formulation: Necessary Being
“Act in such a way that you always treat – Always existed
humanity, whether in your own person or in – Always will exist
the person of any other, never simply as a – Can’t not exist
means but always at the same time as an end.”
Contingent being
In this formulation, respect for other people is put – Any being that could have not existed
into emphasis. It states that one must not by any
means use and treat other people for his own Argument from Degrees
advantage. This means that a person must not in - Properties come in degrees. In order for there to
any way regard people only as a means but always be degrees of perfection, there must be something
an end. perfect against which everything else is measured.
- Treat other people for his own advantage God is the pinnacle of perfection.

What is wrong will always be wrong, even though Teleological Argument

everybody is doing it; and what is right will - All things have an order or arrangement that
always be right even though nobody is doing it. leads them to a particular goal. Because the order
of the universe cannot be the result of chance,
Natural Law Theory design and purpose must be at work. This implies
Thomas Aquinas divine intelligence on the part of the designer.
– Italian Philosopher and Theologian Saint This is God.
Thomas Aquinas, also known as Thomas
of Aquino, was born on 1225 in What is Natural law?
Roccasecca, Italy. He was the son of - The moral philosophy of St. Thomas
Landulph, count of Aquino, and Theodora, Aquinas (1225-1274) involves a merger of
countess of Teano. at least two apparently disparate
– Before being born, a holy hermit traditions: Aristotelian eudaimonism and
prophesied to his mother: “He will enter Christian theology. 
the Order of Friars Preachers, and so - is the rational understanding and
great will be his learning and sanctity that following of God’s final purpose.
in his day no one will be found to equal - God Created everything on purpose.
him.” - Humans were created with the ability to
– St. Thomas Aquinas later became one of reason and can therefore choose to follow
the most influential medieval thinkers of an intended purpose.
Scholasticism and the father of Thomistic - A good action in one which was achieved
School of Theology. by fulfilling the purpose for which it was
– Greatly influenced by ARISTOTLE designed.
– A Roman Catholic who argued that God - Reason should be the guide
created everything with a purpose. - Through the use of reason we can come up
– A rational basis for Morality with the four cardinal virtues
o Prudence
Aquinas’ 5 proof of God’s existence: o Justice
Argument of Motion o Fortitude
- Our senses prove that some things are in motion.
o Temperance
Things move when potential motion becomes
Basic Goods
actual motion. Only an actual motion can convert a
– Life
potential motion into an actual motion. Nothing
can be at once in both actuality and potentiality in – Ability to reproduce
the same respect (i.e., if both actual and potential, – Education
it is actual in one respect and potential in another). – Longing for God
Therefore, nothing can move itself. – Living in a society
Therefore, each thing in motion is moved by – Avoiding offense
something else. The sequence of motion cannot – Shunning Ignorance
extend ad infinitum. Therefore, it is necessary to How does the natural law work?
arrive at a first mover, put in motion by no Basic Good + Reason = Morality
other; and this everyone understands to be God Instictively, I want to live.
+
Argument of Causation Instictively, I want to live.
- Everything must have a cause or something that = I have to promote life. It is wrong to kill
creates an effect on another thing. Without the first
cause, there would be no others. Therefore, the Through the use of reason, we can extract morality
first cause is God. from the basic goods.
But if it is natural for us to be good? Why is there
Argument of Contingency a lot of evil in the world? EMOTION &
- Because objects in the world come into existence IGNORANCE
and pass out of it, it is possible for those to exist or
not exist at any particular time. However, nothing Summary
– It is a participation in the Eternal Law
can come from nothing. This means something
– Not made by humans
must exist at all times. This is God. – Same for all human beings at all times
– An unchanging rule or pattern which is there
for human beings to discover
– Naturally knowable moral law.