ENCYCLICAL LETTER VERITATIS SPLENDOR
Third Part
Chapter III
"Lest the Cross of Christ be Emptied of Its Power"
(1 Cor 1:17)
Moral Good for the Life of the Church and of the World
For freedom Christ has set us free (Gal 5:1)
84.
The fundamental question which the moral theories
mentioned above pose in a particularly forceful way is that of
the relationship of man's freedom to God's law; it is ultimately
the question of the relationship between freedom and truth.
According to Christian faith and the Church's teaching, "only
the freedom which submits to the Truth leads the human person to
his true good. The good of the person is to be in the Truth and
to 'do' the Truth".[136]
A
comparison between the Church's teaching and today's social and
cultural situation immediately makes clear the urgent need
for the Church herself to develop an intense pastoral effort
precisely with regard to this fundamental question. "This
essential bond between Truth, the Good and Freedom has been
largely lost sight of by present-day culture. As a result,
helping man to rediscover it represents nowadays one of the
specific requirements of the Church's mission, for the salvation
of the world. Pilate's question: 'What is truth' reflects the
distressing perplexity of a man who often no longer knows who
he is, whence he comes and where he is going. Hence
we not infrequently witness the fearful plunging of the human
person into situations of gradual self-destruction. According to
some, it appears that one no longer need acknowledge the
enduring absoluteness of any moral value. All around us we
encounter contempt for human life after conception and before
birth; the ongoing violation of basic rights of the person; the
unjust destruction of goods minimally necessary for a human
life. Indeed, something more serious has happened: man is no
longer convinced that only in the truth can he find salvation.
The saving power of the truth is contested, and freedom alone,
uprooted from any objectivity, is left to decide by itself what
is good and what is evil. This relativism becomes, in the field
of theology, a lack of trust in the wisdom of God, who guides
man with the moral law. Concrete situations are unfavourably
contrasted with the precepts of the moral law, nor is it any
longer maintained that, when all is said and done, the law of
God is always the one true good of man."[137]
85.
The discernment which the Church carries out with regard to
these ethical theories is not simply limited to denouncing and
refuting them. In a positive way, the Church seeks, with great
love, to help all the faithful to form a moral conscience which
will make judgments and lead to decisions in accordance with the
truth, following the exhortation of the Apostle Paul: "Do not be
conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of
your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is
good and acceptable and perfect" (Rom 12:2). This effort by the
Church finds its support--the "secret" of its educative
power--not so much in doctrinal statements and pastoral appeals
to vigilance, as in constantly looking to the Lord Jesus.
Each day the Church looks to Christ with unfailing love, fully
aware that the true and final answer to the problem of morality
lies in him alone. In a particular way, it is in the
Crucified Christ that the Church finds the answer to
the question troubling so many people today: how can obedience
to universal and unchanging moral norms respect the uniqueness
and individuality of the person, and not represent a threat to
his freedom and dignity? The Church makes her own the Apostle
Paul's awareness of the mission he had received: "Christ... sent
me... to preach the Gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, lest
the cross of Christ be emptied of its power... We preach Christ
crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but
to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power
of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor 1:17,23-24). The
Crucified Christ reveals the authentic meaning of freedom, he
lives it fully, in the total gift of himself and calls his
disciples to share in his freedom.
86.
Rational reflection and daily experience demonstrate the
weakness which marks man's freedom. That freedom is real but
limited: its absolute and unconditional origin is not in itself,
but in the life within which it is situated and which represents
for it, at one and the same time, both a limitation and a
possibility. Human freedom belongs to us as creatures; it is a
freedom which is given as a gift, one to be received like a seed
and to be cultivated responsibly. It is an essential part of
that creaturely image which is the basis of the dignity of the
person. Within that freedom there is an echo of the primordial
vocation whereby the Creator calls man to the true Good, and
even more, through Christ's Revelation, to become his friend and
to share his own divine life. It is at once inalienable
self-possession and openness to all that exists, in passing
beyond self to knowledge and love of the other.[138] Freedom
then is rooted in the truth about man, and it is ultimately
directed towards communion.
Reason and experience not only confirm the weakness of human
freedom; they also confirm its tragic aspects. Man comes to
realize that his freedom is in some mysterious way inclined to
betray this openness to the True and the Good, and that all too
often he actually prefers to choose finite, limited and
ephemeral goods. What is more, within his errors and negative
decisions, man glimpses the source of a deep rebellion, which
leads him to reject the Truth and the Good in order to set
himself up as an absolute principle unto himself: "You will be
like God" (Gen 3:5). Consequently, freedom itself needs to be
set free. It is Christ who sets it free: he "has set us free
for freedom" (cf. Gal 5:1).
87.
Christ reveals, first and foremost, that the frank and open
acceptance of truth is the condition for authentic freedom: "You
will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (Jn
8:32).[139] This is truth which sets one free in the face of
worldly power and which gives the strength to endure martyrdom.
So it was with Jesus before Pilate: "For this I was born, and
for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the
truth" (Jn 18:37). The true worshippers of God must thus worship
him "in spirit and truth" (Jn 4:23): in this worship they
become free. Worship of God and a relationship with truth
are revealed in Jesus Christ as the deepest foundation of
freedom.
Furthermore, Jesus reveals by his whole life, and not only by
his words, that freedom is acquired in love, that is, in
the gift of self The one who says: "Greater love has no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (Jn 15:13),
freely goes out to meet his Passion (cf. Mt 26:46), and in
obedience to the Father gives his life on the Cross for all men
(cf. Phil 2:6-11). Contemplation of Jesus Crucified is thus the
highroad which the Church must tread every day if she wishes to
understand the full meaning of freedom: the gift of self in
service to God and one's brethren. Communion with the
Crucified and Risen Lord is the never-ending source from which
the Church draws unceasingly in order to live in freedom, to
give of herself and to serve. Commenting on the verse in Psalm
100 "Serve the Lord with gladness", Saint Augustine says: "In
the house of the Lord, slavery is free. It is free because it
serves not out of necessity, but out of charity... Charity
should make you a servant, just as truth has made you free...
you are at once both a servant and free: a servant, because you
have become such; free, because you are loved by God your
Creator; indeed, you have also been enabled to love your
Creator... You are a servant of the Lord and you are a freedman
of the Lord. Do not go looking for a liberation which will lead
you far from the house of your liberator!"[140]
The
Church, and each of her members, is thus called to share in the
munus regale of the Crucified Christ (cf. Jn 12:32), to
share in the grace and in the responsibility of the Son of man
who came "not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as
a ransom for many" (Mt 20:28).[141]
Jesus, then, is the living, personal summation of perfect
freedom in total obedience to the will of God. His crucified
flesh fully reveals the unbreakable bond between freedom and
truth, just as his Resurrection from the dead is the supreme
exaltation of the fruitfulness and saving power of a freedom
lived out in truth.
Walking in the light
(cf. 1 Jn 1:7)
88.
The attempt to set freedom in opposition to truth, and indeed to
separate them radically, is the consequence, manifestation and
consummation of another more serious and destructive
dichotomy, that which separates faith from morality.
This
separation represents one of the most acute pastoral concerns of
the Church amid today's growing secularism, wherein many, indeed
too many, people think and live "as if God did not exist". We
are speaking of a mentality which affects, often in a profound,
extensive and all-embracing way, even the attitudes and
behaviour of Christians, whose faith is weakened and loses its
character as a new and original criterion for thinking and
acting in personal, family and social life. In a widely
de-christianized culture, the criteria employed by believers
themselves in making judgments and decisions often appear
extraneous or even contrary to those of the Gospel.
It
is urgent then that Christians should rediscover the newness
of the faith and its power to judge a prevalent and
all-intrusive culture. As the Apostle Paul admonishes us: "Once
you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as
children of the light (for the fruit of the light is found in
all that is good and right and true), and try to learn what is
pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful words of
darkness, but instead expose them... Look carefully then how you
walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the
time, because the days are evil" (Eph 5:8-11,15-16; cf. 1 Th
5:4-8).
It
is urgent to rediscover and to set forth once more the authentic
reality of the Christian faith, which is not simply a set of
propositions to be accepted with intellectual assent. Rather,
faith is a lived knowledge of Christ, a living remembrance of
his commandments, and a truth to be lived out. A word, in
any event, is not truly received until it passes into action,
until it is put into practice. Faith is a decision involving
one's whole existence. It is an encounter, a dialogue, a
communion of love and of life between the believer and Jesus
Christ, the Way, and the Truth, and the Life (cf. Jn 14:6). It
entails an act of trusting abandonment to Christ, which enables
us to live as he lived (cf. Gal 2:20), in profound love of God
and of our brothers and sisters.
89.
Faith also possesses a moral content. It gives rise to and calls
for a consistent life commitment; it entails and brings to
perfection the acceptance and observance of God's commandments.
As Saint John writes, "God is light and in him is no darkness at
all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in
darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth... And
by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his
commandments. He who says 'I know him' but disobeys his
commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever
keeps his word, in him truly love for God is perfected. By this
we may be sure that we are in him: he who says he abides in him
ought to walk in the same way in which he walked" (1 Jn 1:5 -6;
2:3 -6).
Through the moral life, faith becomes "confession", not only
before God but also before men: it becomes witness. "You
are the light of the world", said Jesus; "a city set on a hill
cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a
bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Mt
5:14-16). These works are above all those of charity (cf. Mt
25:31-46) and of the authentic freedom which is manifested and
lived in the gift of self, even to the total gift of self,
like that of Jesus, who on the Cross "loved the Church and gave
himself up for her" (Eph 5:25). Christ's witness is the source,
model and means for the witness of his disciples, who are called
to walk on the same road: "If any man would come after me, let
him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Lk
9:23). Charity, in conformity with the radical demands of the
Gospel, can lead the believer to the supreme witness of
martyrdom. Once again this means imitating Jesus who died on
the Cross: "Be imitators of God, as beloved children", Paul
writes to the Christians of Ephesus, "and walk in love, as
Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering
and sacrifice to God" (Eph 5:1-2).
Martyrdom, the exaltation of the inviolable holiness of God's
law
90.
The relationship between faith and morality shines forth with
all its brilliance in the unconditional respect due to the
insistent demands of the personal dignity of every man,
demands protected by those moral norms which prohibit without
exception actions which are intrinsically evil. The universality
and the immutability of the moral norm make manifest and at the
same time serve to protect the personal dignity and
inviolability of man, on whose face is reflected the splendour
of God (cf. Gen 9:5-6).
The
unacceptability of "teleological", "consequentialist" and
"proportionalist" ethical theories, which deny the existence of
negative moral norms regarding specific kinds of behaviour,
norms which are valid without exception, is confirmed in a
particularly eloquent way by Christian martyrdom, which has
always accompanied and continues to accompany the life of the
Church even today.
91.
In the Old Testament we already find admirable witnesses of
fidelity to the holy law of God even to the point of a voluntary
acceptance of death. A prime example is the story of Susanna: in
reply to the two unjust judges who threatened to have her
condemned to death if she refused to yield to their sinful
passion, she says: "I am hemmed in on every side. For if I do
this thing, it is death for me; and if I do not, I shall not
escape your hands. I choose not to do it and to fall into your
hands, rather than to sin in the sight of the Lord!" (Dan
13:22-23). Susanna, preferring to "fall innocent" into the hands
of the judges, bears witness not only to her faith and trust in
God but also to her obedience to the truth and to the
absoluteness of the moral order. By her readiness to die a
martyr, she proclaims that it is not right to do what God's law
qualifies as evil in order to draw some good from it. Susanna
chose for herself the "better part": hers was a perfectly clear
witness, without any compromise, to the truth about the good and
to the God of Israel. By her acts, she revealed the holiness of
God.
At
the dawn of the New Testament, John the Baptist, unable
to refrain from speaking of the law of the Lord and rejecting
any compromise with evil, "gave his life in witness to truth and
justice",[142] and thus also became the forerunner of the
Messiah in the way he died (cf. Mk 6:17-29). "The one who came
to bear witness to the light and who deserved to be called by
that same light, which is Christ, a burning and shining lamp,
was cast into the darkness of prison... The one to whom it was
granted to baptize the Redeemer of the world was thus baptized
in his own blood".[143]
In
the New Testament we find many examples of followers of
Christ, beginning with the deacon Stephen (cf. Acts
6:8-7:60) and the Apostle James (cf. Acts 12:1-2), who died as
martyrs in order to profess their faith and their love for
Christ, unwilling to deny him. In this they followed the Lord
Jesus who "made the good confession" (1 Tim 6:13) before
Caiaphas and Pilate, confirming the truth of his message at the
cost of his life. Countless other martyrs accepted persecution
and death rather than perform the idolatrous act of burning
incense before the statue of the Emperor (cf. Rev 13:7-10). They
even refused to feign such worship, thereby giving an example of
the duty to refrain from performing even a single concrete act
contrary to God's love and the witness of faith. Like Christ
himself, they obediently trusted and handed over their lives to
the Father, the one who could free them from death (cf. Heb
5:7).
The
Church proposes the example of numerous Saints who bore witness
to and defended moral truth even to the point of enduring
martyrdom, or who preferred death to a single mortal sin. In
raising them to the honour of the altars, the Church has
canonized their witness and declared the truth of their
judgment, according to which the love of God entails the
obligation to respect his commandments, even in the most dire of
circumstances, and the refusal to betray those commandments,
even for the sake of saving one's own life.
92.
Martyrdom, accepted as an affirmation of the inviolability of
the moral order, bears splendid witness both to the holiness of
God's law and to the inviolability of the personal dignity of
man, created in God's image and likeness. This dignity may never
be disparaged or called into question, even with good
intentions, whatever the difficulties involved. Jesus warns us
most sternly: "What does it profit a man, to gain the whole
world and forfeit his life?" (Mk 8:36).
Martyrdom rejects as false and illusory whatever "human meaning"
one might claim to attribute, even in "exceptional" conditions,
to an act morally evil in itself. Indeed, it even more clearly
unmasks the true face of such an act: it is a violation of
man's "humanity," in the one perpetrating it even before the
one enduring it.[144] Hence martyrdom is also the exaltation of
a person's perfect "humanity" and of true "life", as is attested
by Saint Ignatius of Antioch, addressing the Christians of Rome,
the place of his own martyrdom: "Have mercy on me, brethren: do
not hold me back from living; do not wish that I die... Let me
arrive at the pure light; once there I will be truly a man.
Let me imitate the passion of my God."[145]
93.
Finally, martyrdom is an outstanding sign of the holiness of
the Church. Fidelity to God's holy law, witnessed to by
death, is a solemn proclamation and missionary commitment
usque ad sanguinem, so that the splendour of moral truth may
be undimmed in the behaviour and thinking of individuals and
society. This witness makes an extraordinarily valuable
contribution to warding off, in civil society and within the
ecclesial communities themselves, a headlong plunge into the
most dangerous crisis which can afflict man: the confusion
between good and evil, which makes it impossible to build up
and to preserve the moral order of individuals and communities.
By their eloquent and attractive example of a life completely
transfigured by the splendour of moral truth, the martyrs and,
in general, all the Church's Saints, light up every period of
history by reawakening its moral sense. By witnessing fully to
the good, they are a living reproof to those who transgress the
law (cf. Wis 2:12), and they make the words of the Prophet echo
ever afresh: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who
put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter
for sweet and sweet for bitter!" (Is 5:20).
Although martyrdom represents the high point of the witness to
moral truth, and one to which relatively few people are called,
there is nonetheless a consistent witness which all Christians
must daily be ready to make, even at the cost of suffering and
grave sacrifice. Indeed, faced with the many difficulties which
fidelity to the moral order can demand, even in the most
ordinary circumstances, the Christian is called, with the grace
of God invoked in prayer, to a sometimes heroic commitment. In
this he or she is sustained by the virtue of fortitude,
whereby--as Gregory the Great teaches--one can actually "love
the difficulties of this world for the sake of eternal
rewards".[146]
94.
In this witness to the absoluteness of the moral good
Christians are not alone: they are supported by the moral
sense present in peoples and by the great religious and
sapiential traditions of East and West, from which the interior
and mysterious workings of God's Spirit are not absent. The
words of the Latin poet Juvenal apply to all: "Consider it the
greatest of crimes to prefer survival to honour and, out of love
of physical life, to lose the very reason for living".[147] The
voice of conscience has always clearly recalled that there are
truths and moral values for which one must be prepared to give
up one's life. In an individual's words and above all in the
sacrifice of his life for a moral value, the Church sees a
single testimony to that truth which, already present in
creation, shines forth in its fullness on the face of Christ. As
Saint Justin put it, "the Stoics, at least in their teachings on
ethics, demonstrated wisdom, thanks to the seed of the Word
present in all peoples, and we know that those who followed
their doctrines met with hatred and were killed".[148]
Universal and unchanging moral norms at the service of the
person and of society
95.
The Church's teaching, and in particular her firmness in
defending the universal and permanent validity of the precepts
prohibiting intrinsically evil acts, is not infrequently seen as
the sign of an intolerable intransigence, particularly with
regard to the enormously complex and conflict-filled situations
present in the moral life of individuals and of society today;
this intransigence is said to be in contrast with the Church's
motherhood. The Church, one hears, is lacking in understanding
and compassion. But the Church's motherhood can never in fact be
separated from her teaching mission, which she must always carry
out as the faithful Bride of Christ, who is the Truth in person.
"As Teacher, she never tires of proclaiming the moral norm...
The Church is in no way the author or the arbiter of this norm.
In obedience to the truth which is Christ, whose image is
reflected in the nature and dignity of the human person, the
Church interprets the moral norm and proposes it to all people
of good will, without concealing its demands of radicalness and
perfection".[149]
In
fact, genuine understanding and compassion must mean love for
the person, for his true good, for his authentic freedom. And
this does not result, certainly, from concealing or weakening
moral truth, but rather from proposing it in its most profound
meaning as an outpouring of God's eternal Wisdom, which we have
received in Christ, and as a service to man, to the growth of
his freedom and to the attainment of his happiness.[150]
Still, a clear and forceful presentation of moral truth can
never be separated from a profound and heartfelt respect, born
of that patient and trusting love which man always needs along
his moral journey, a journey frequently wearisome on account of
difficulties, weakness and painful situations. The Church can
never renounce "the principle of truth and consistency, whereby
she does not agree to call good evil and evil good";[151] she
must always be careful not to break the bruised reed or to
quench the dimly burning wick (cf. Is 42:3). As Paul VI wrote:
"While it is an outstanding manifestation of charity towards
souls to omit nothing from the saving doctrine of Christ, this
must always be joined with tolerance and charity, as Christ
himself showed by his conversations and dealings with men.
Having come not to judge the world but to save it, he was
uncompromisingly stern towards sin, but patient and rich in
mercy towards sinners",[152]
96.
The Church's firmness in defending the universal and unchanging
moral norms is not demeaning at all. Its only purpose is to
serve man's true freedom. Because there can be no freedom apart
from or in opposition to the truth, the categorical--unyielding
and uncompromising--defence of the absolutely essential demands
of man's personal dignity must be considered the way and the
condition for the very existence of freedom.
This
service is directed to every man, considered in the
uniqueness and singularity of his being and existence: only by
obedience to universal moral norms does man find full
confirmation of his personal uniqueness and the possibility of
authentic moral growth. For this very reason, this service is
also directed to all mankind: it is not only for
individuals but also for the community, for society as such.
These norms in fact represent the unshakable foundation and
solid guarantee of a just and peaceful human coexistence, and
hence of genuine democracy, which can come into being and
develop only on the basis of the equality of all its members,
who possess common rights and duties. When it is a matter of
the moral norms prohibiting intrinsic evil, there are no
privileges or exceptions for anyone. It makes no difference
whether one is the master of the world or the "poorest of the
poor" on the face of the earth. Before the demands of morality
we are all absolutely equal.
97.
In this way, moral norms, and primarily the negative ones, those
prohibiting evil, manifest their meaning and force, both
personal and social. By protecting the inviolable personal
dignity of every human being they help to preserve the human
social fabric and its proper and fruitful development. The
commandments of the second table of the Decalogue in
particular--those which Jesus quoted to the young man of the
Gospel (cf. Mt 19:19)--constitute the indispensable rules of all
social life.
These commandments are formulated in general terms. But the very
fact that "the origin, the subject and the purpose of all social
institutions is and should be the human person"[153] allows for
them to be specified and made more explicit in a detailed code
of behaviour. The fundamental moral rules of social life thus
entail specific demands to which both public authorities
and citizens are required to pay heed. Even though intentions
may sometimes be good, and circumstances frequently difficult,
civil authorities and particular individuals never have
authority to violate the fundamental and inalienable rights of
the human person. In the end, only a morality which acknowledges
certain norms as valid always and for everyone, with no
exception, can guarantee the ethical foundation of social
coexistence, both on the national and international levels.
Morality and the renewal of social and political life
98.
In the face of serious forms of social and economic injustice
and political corruption affecting entire peoples and nations,
there is a growing reaction of indignation on the part of very
many people whose fundamental human rights have been trampled
upon and held in contempt, as well as an ever more widespread
and acute sense of the need for a radical personal and
social renewal capable of ensuring justice, solidarity,
honesty and openness.
Certainly there is a long and difficult road ahead; bringing
about such a renewal will require enormous effort, especially on
account of the number and the gravity of the causes giving rise
to and aggravating the situations of injustice present in the
world today. But, as history and personal experience show, it is
not difficult to discover at the bottom of these situations
causes which are properly "cultural", linked to particular ways
of looking at man, society and the world. Indeed, at the heart
of the issue of culture we find the moral sense, which is
in turn rooted and fulfilled in the religious sense.[154]
99.
Only God, the Supreme Good, constitutes the unshakable
foundation and essential condition of morality, and thus of the
commandments, particularly those negative commandments which
always and in every case prohibit behaviour and actions
incompatible with the personal dignity of every man. The Supreme
Good and the moral good meet in truth: the truth of God,
the Creator and Redeemer, and the truth of man, created and
redeemed by him. Only upon this truth is it possible to
construct a renewed society and to solve the complex and weighty
problems affecting it, above all the problem of overcoming the
various forms of totalitarianism, so as to make way for the
authentic freedom of the person. "Totalitarianism arises
out of a denial of truth in the objective sense. If there is no
transcendent truth, in obedience to which man achieves his full
identity, then there is no sure principle for guaranteeing just
relations between people. Their self-interest as a class, group
or nation would inevitably set them in opposition to one
another. If one does not acknowledge transcendent truth, then
the force of power takes over, and each person tends to make
full use of the means at his disposal in order to impose his own
interests or his own opinion, with no regard for the rights of
others... Thus, the root of modern totalitarianism is to be
found in the denial of the transcendent dignity of the human
person who, as the visible image of the invisible God, is
therefore by his very nature the subject of rights which no one
may violate no individual, group, class, nation or State. Not
even the majority of a social body may violate these rights, by
going against the minority, by isolating, oppressing, or
exploiting it, or by attempting to annihilate it".[155]
Consequently, the inseparable connection between truth and
freedom--which expresses the essential bond between God's wisdom
and will--is extremely significant for the life of persons in
the socio-economic and socio-political sphere. This is clearly
seen in the Church's social teaching--which "belongs to the
field... of theology and particularly of moral
theology"[156]--and from her presentation of commandments
governing social, economic and political life, not only with
regard to general attitudes but also to precise and specific
kinds of behaviour and concrete acts.
100.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms that "in
economic matters, respect for human dignity requires the
practice of the virtue of temperance, to moderate our
attachment to the goods of this world; of the virtue of
justice, to preserve our neighbour's rights and to render
what is his or her due; and of solidarity, following the
Golden Rule and in keeping with the generosity of the Lord, who
'though he was rich, yet for your sake... became poor, so that
by his poverty you might become rich' (2 Cor 8:9)".[157] The
Catechism goes on to present a series of kinds of behaviour and
actions contrary to human dignity: theft, deliberate retention
of goods lent or objects lost, business fraud (cf. Dt 25:13-16),
unjust wages (cf. Dt 24:14-15), forcing up prices by trading on
the ignorance or hardship of another (cf. Am 8:4-6), the
misappropriation and private use of the corporate property of an
enterprise, work badly done, tax fraud, forgery of cheques and
invoices, excessive expenses, waste, etc.[158] It continues:
"The seventh commandment prohibits actions or enterprises which
for any reason--selfish or ideological, commercial or
totalitarian--lead to the enslavement of human beings,
disregard for their personal dignity, buying or selling or
exchanging them like merchandise. Reducing persons by violence
to use-value or a source of profit is a sin against their
dignity as persons and their fundamental rights. Saint Paul set
a Christian master right about treating his Christian slave 'no
longer as a slave but... as a brother... in the Lord' (Philem
16)".[159]
101.
In the political sphere, it must be noted that truthfulness in
the relations between those governing and those governed,
openness in public administration, impartiality in the service
of the body politic, respect for the rights of political
adversaries, safeguarding the rights of the accused against
summary trials and convictions, the just and honest use of
public funds, the rejection of equivocal or illicit means in
order to gain, preserve or increase power at any cost--all these
are principles which are primarily rooted in, and in fact derive
their singular urgency from, the transcendent value of the
person and the objective moral demands of the functioning of
States.[160] When these principles are not observed, the very
basis of political coexistence is weakened and the life of
society itself is gradually jeopardized, threatened and doomed
to decay (cf. Ps 14:3-4; Rev 18:2-3, 9-24). Today, when many
countries have seen the fall of ideologies which bound politics
to a totalitarian conception of the world--Marxism being the
foremost of these--there is no less grave a danger that the
fundamental rights of the human person will be denied and that
the religious yearnings which arise in the heart of every human
being will be absorbed once again into politics. This is the
risk of an alliance between democracy and ethical relativism,
which would remove any sure moral reference point from political
and social life, and on a deeper level make the acknowledgment
of truth impossible. Indeed, "if there is no ultimate truth to
guide and direct political activity, then ideas and convictions
can easily be manipulated for reasons of power. As history
demonstrates, a democracy without values easily turns into open
or thinly disguised totalitarianism".[161]
Thus, in every sphere of personal, family, social and political
life, morality--founded upon truth and open in truth to
authentic freedom--renders a primordial, indispensable and
immensely valuable service not only for the individual person
and his growth in the good, but also for society and its genuine
development.
Grace and obedience to God's law
102.
Even in the most difficult situations man must respect the norm
of morality so that he can be obedient to God's holy commandment
and consistent with his own dignity as a person. Certainly,
maintaining a harmony between freedom and truth occasionally
demands uncommon sacrifices, and must be won at a high price: it
can even involve martyrdom. But, as universal and daily
experience demonstrates, man is tempted to break that harmony:
"I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate... I do
not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want" (Rom
7:15,19).
What
is the ultimate source of this inner division of man? His
history of sin begins when he no longer acknowledges the Lord as
his Creator and himself wishes to be the one who determines,
with complete independence, what is good and what is evil. "You
will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Gen 3:5): this was the
first temptation, and it is echoed in all the other temptations
to which man is more easily inclined to yield as a result of the
original Fall.
But
temptations can be overcome, sins can be avoided, because
together with the commandments the Lord gives us the possibility
of keeping them: "His eyes are on those who fear him, and he
knows every deed of man. He has not commanded any one to be
ungodly, and he has not given any one permission to sin" (Sir
15:19-20). Keeping God's law in particular situations can be
difficult, extremely difficult, but it is never impossible. This
is the constant teaching of the Church's tradition, and was
expressed by the Council of Trent: "But no one, however much
justified, ought to consider himself exempt from the observance
of the commandments, nor should he employ that rash statement,
forbidden by the Fathers under anathema, that the commandments
of God are impossible of observance by one who is justified. For
God does not command the impossible, but in commanding he
admonishes you to do what you can and to pray for what you
cannot, and he gives his aid to enable you. His commandments are
not burdensome (cf. 1 Jn 5:3); his yoke is easy and his burden
light (cf. Mt 11:30)".[162]
103.
Man always has before him the spiritual horizon of hope, thanks
to the help of divine grace and with the cooperation of human
freedom.
It
is in the saving Cross of Jesus, in the gift of the Holy Spirit,
in the Sacraments which flow forth from the pierced side of the
Redeemer (cf. Jn 19:34), that believers find the grace and the
strength always to keep God's holy law, even amid the gravest of
hardships. As Saint Andrew of Crete observes, the law itself
"was enlivened by grace and made to serve it in a harmonious and
fruitful combination. Each element preserved its characteristics
without change or confusion. In a divine manner, he turned what
could be burdensome and tyrannical into what is easy to bear and
a source of freedom".[163]
Only
in the mystery of Christ's Redemption do we discover the
'concrete' possibilities of man.
"It would be a very serious error to conclude... that the
Church's teaching is essentially only an 'ideal' which must then
be adapted, proportioned, graduated to the so-called concrete
possibilities of man, according to a 'balancing of the goods in
question'. But what are the 'concrete possibilities of man'? And
of which man are we speaking? Of man dominated by
lust or of man redeemed by Christ? This is what is at
stake: the reality of Christ's redemption. Christ has
redeemed us! This means that he has given us the possibility
of realizing the entire truth of our being; he has set
our freedom free from the domination of concupiscence.
And if redeemed man still sins, this is not due to an
imperfection of Christ's redemptive act, but to man's will not
to avail himself of the grace which flows from that act. God's
command is of course proportioned to man's capabilities; but to
the capabilities of the man to whom the Holy Spirit has been
given; of the man who, though he has fallen into sin, can always
obtain pardon and enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit".[164]
104.
In this context, appropriate allowance is made both for God's
mercy towards the sin of the man who experiences conversion
and for the understanding of human weakness. Such
understanding never means compromising and falsifying the
standard of good and evil in order to adapt it to particular
circumstances. It is quite human for the sinner to acknowledge
his weakness and to ask mercy for his failings; what is
unacceptable is the attitude of one who makes his own weakness
the criterion of the truth about the good, so that he can feel
self-justified, without even the need to have recourse to God
and his mercy. An attitude of this sort corrupts the morality of
society as a whole, since it encourages doubt about the
objectivity of the moral law in general and a rejection of the
absoluteness of moral prohibitions regarding specific human
acts, and it ends up by confusing all judgments about values.
Instead, we should take to heart the message of the Gospel
parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (cf. Lk
18:9-14). The tax collector might possibly have had some
justification for the sins he committed, such as to diminish his
responsibility. But his prayer does not dwell on such
justifications, but rather on his own unworthiness before God's
infinite holiness: "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" (Lk
18:13). The Pharisee, on the other hand, is self-justified,
finding some excuse for each of his failings. Here we encounter
two different attitudes of the moral conscience of man in every
age. The tax collector represents a "repentant" conscience,
fully aware of the frailty of its own nature and seeing in its
own failings, whatever their subjective justifications, a
confirmation of its need for redemption. The Pharisee represents
a "self-satisfied" conscience, under the illusion that it is
able to observe the law without the help of grace and convinced
that it does not need mercy.
105.
All people must take great care not to allow themselves to be
tainted by the attitude of the Pharisee, which would seek to
eliminate awareness of one's own limits and of one's own sin. In
our own day this attitude is expressed particularly in the
attempt to adapt the moral norm to one's own capacities and
personal interests, and even in the rejection of the very idea
of a norm. Accepting, on the other hand, the "disproportion"
between the law and human ability (that is, the capacity of the
moral forces of man left to himself) kindles the desire for
grace and prepares one to receive it. "Who will deliver me from
this body of death?" asks the Apostle Paul. And in an outburst
of joy and gratitude he replies: "Thanks be to God through Jesus
Christ our Lord!" (Rom 7:24-25).
We
find the same awareness in the following prayer of Saint Ambrose
of Milan: "What then is man, if you do not visit him? Remember,
Lord, that you have made me as one who is weak, that you formed
me from dust. How can I stand, if you do not constantly look
upon me, to strengthen this clay, so that my strength may
proceed from your face? When you hide your face, all grows
weak (Ps 104:29): if you turn to look at me, woe is me! You
have nothing to see in me but the stain of my crimes; there is
no gain either in being abandoned or in being seen, because when
we are seen, we offend you. Still, we can imagine that God does
not reject those he sees, because he purifies those upon whom he
gazes. Before him burns a fire capable of consuming our guilt
(cf. Joel 2:3)".[165]
Morality and new evangelization
106.
Evangelization is the most powerful and stirring challenge which
the Church has been called to face from her very beginning.
Indeed, this challenge is posed not so much by the social and
cultural milieux which she encounters in the course of history,
as by the mandate of the Risen Christ, who defines the very
reason for the Church's existence: "Go into all the world and
preach the Gospel to the whole creation" (Mk 16:15).
At
least for many peoples, however, the present time is instead
marked by a formidable challenge to undertake a "new
evangelization", a proclamation of the Gospel which is always
new and always the bearer of new things, an evangelization which
must be "new in its ardour, methods and expression".[166]
Dechristianization, which weighs heavily upon entire peoples and
communities once rich in faith and Christian life, involves not
only the loss of faith or in any event its becoming irrelevant
for everyday life, but also, and of necessity, a decline or
obscuring of the moral sense. This comes about both as a
result of a loss of awareness of the originality of Gospel
morality and as a result of an eclipse of fundamental principles
and ethical values themselves. Today's widespread tendencies
towards subjectivism, utilitarianism and relativism appear not
merely as pragmatic attitudes or patterns of behaviour, but
rather as approaches having a basis in theory and claiming full
cultural and social legitimacy.
107.
Evangelization--and therefore the "new evangelization"--also
involves the proclamation and presentation of morality.
Jesus himself, even as he preached the Kingdom of God and its
saving love, called people to faith and conversion (cf. Mk
1:15). And when Peter, with the other Apostles, proclaimed the
Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth from the dead, he held out a
new life to be lived, a "way" to be followed, for those who
would be disciples of the Risen One (cf. Acts 2:37-41; 3:
17-20).
Just
as it does in proclaiming the truths of faith, and even more so
in presenting the foundations and content of Christian morality,
the new evangelization will show its authenticity and unleash
all its missionary force when it is carried out through the gift
not only of the word proclaimed but also of the word lived. In
particular, the life of holiness which is resplendent in
so many members of the People of God, humble and often unseen,
constitutes the simplest and most attractive way to perceive at
once the beauty of truth, the liberating force of God's love,
and the value of unconditional fidelity to all the demands of
the Lord's law, even in the most difficult situations. For this
reason, the Church, as a wise teacher of morality, has always
invited believers to seek and to find in the Saints, and above
all in the Virgin Mother of God "full of grace" and "all-holy",
the model, the strength and the joy needed to live a life in
accordance with God's commandments and the Beatitudes of the
Gospel.
The
lives of the saints, as a reflection of the goodness of God--the
One who "alone is good"--constitute not only a genuine
profession of faith and an incentive for sharing it with others,
but also a glorification of God and his infinite holiness. The
life of holiness thus brings to full expression and
effectiveness the threefold and unitary munus propheticum,
sacerdotale et regale which every Christian receives as a
gift by being born again "of water and the Spirit" (Jn 3:5) in
Baptism. His moral life has the value of a "spiritual worship"
(Rom 12:1; cf. Phil 3:3), flowing from and nourished by that
inexhaustible source of holiness and glorification of God which
is found in the Sacraments, especially in the Eucharist: by
sharing in the sacrifice of the Cross, the Christian partakes of
Christ's self-giving love and is equipped and committed to live
this same charity in all his thoughts and deeds. In the moral
life the Christian's royal service is also made evident and
effective: with the help of grace, the more one obeys the new
law of the Holy Spirit, the more one grows in the freedom to
which he or she is called by the service of truth, charity and
justice.
108.
At the heart of the new evangelization and of the new moral life
which it proposes and awakens by its fruits of holiness and
missionary zeal, there is the Spirit of Christ, the
principle and strength of the fruitfulness of Holy Mother
Church. As Pope Paul VI reminded us: "Evangelization will never
be possible without the action of the Holy Spirit".[167] The
Spirit of Jesus, received by the humble and docile heart of the
believer, brings about the flourishing of Christian moral life
and the witness of holiness amid the great variety of vocations,
gifts, responsibilities, conditions and life situations. As
Novatian once pointed out, here expressing the authentic faith
of the Church, it is the Holy Spirit "who confirmed the hearts
and minds of the disciples, who revealed the mysteries of the
Gospel, who shed upon them the light of things divine.
Strengthened by his gift, they did not fear either prisons or
chains for the name of the Lord; indeed they even trampled upon
the powers and torments of the world, armed and strengthened by
him, having in themselves the gifts which this same Spirit
bestows and directs like jewels to the Church, the Bride of
Christ. It is in fact he who raises up prophets in the Church,
instructs teachers, guides tongues, works wonders and healings,
accomplishes miracles, grants the discernment of spirits,
assigns governance, inspires counsels, distributes and
harmonizes every other charismatic gift. In this way he
completes and perfects the Lord's Church everywhere and in all
things".[168]
In
the living context of this new evangelization, aimed at
generating and nourishing "the faith which works through love"
(cf. Gal 5:6), and in relation to the work of the Holy Spirit,
we can now understand the proper place which continuing
theological reflection about the moral life holds in the
Church, the community of believers. We can likewise speak of the
mission and the responsibility proper to moral theologians.
The
service of moral theologians
109.
The whole Church is called to evangelization and to the witness
of a life of faith, by the fact that she has been made a sharer
in the munus propheticum of the Lord Jesus through the
gift of his Spirit. Thanks to the permanent presence of the
Spirit of truth in the Church (cf. Jn 14:16-17), "the universal
body of the faithful who have received the anointing of the holy
one (cf. 1 Jn 2:20,27) cannot be mistaken in belief. It displays
this particular quality through a supernatural sense of the
faith in the whole people when, 'from the Bishops to the last of
the lay faithful', it expresses the consensus of all in matters
of faith and morals".[169]
In
order to carry out her prophetic mission, the Church must
constantly reawaken or "rekindle" her own life of faith (cf. 2
Tim 1:6), particularly through an ever deeper reflection, under
the guidance of the Holy Spirit, upon the content of faith
itself. The "vocation" of the theologian in the Church is
specifically at the service of this "believing effort to
understand the faith". As the Instruction Donum Veritatis
teaches: "Among the vocations awakened by the Spirit in the
Church is that of the theologian. His role is to pursue in a
particular way an ever deeper understanding of the word of God
found in the inspired Scriptures and handed on by the living
Tradition of the Church. He does this in communion with the
Magisterium, which has been charged with the responsibility of
preserving the deposit of faith. By its nature, faith appeals to
reason because it reveals to man the truth of his destiny and
the way to attain it. Revealed truth, to be sure, surpasses our
telling. All our concepts fall short of its ultimately
unfathomable grandeur (cf. Eph 3: 19). Nonetheless, revealed
truth beckons reason--God's gift fashioned for the assimilation
of truth--to enter into its light and thereby come to understand
in a certain measure what it has believed. Theological science
responds to the invitation of truth as it seeks to understand
the faith. It thereby aids the People of God in fulfilling the
Apostle's command (cf. 1 Pet 3:15) to give an accounting for
their hope to those who ask it".[170]
It
is fundamental for defining the very identity of theology, and
consequently for theology to carry out its proper mission, to
recognize its profound and vital connection with the Church,
her mystery, her life and her mission: "Theology is an
ecclesial science because it grows in the Church and works on
the Church... It is a service to the Church and therefore ought
to feel itself actively involved in the mission of the Church,
particularly in its prophetic mission".[171] By its very nature
and procedures, authentic theology can flourish and develop only
through a committed and responsible participation in and
"belonging" to the Church as a "community of faith". In turn,
the fruits of theological research and deeper insight become a
source of enrichment for the Church and her life of faith.
110.
All that has been said about theology in general can and must
also be said for moral theology, seen in its specific
nature as a scientific reflection on the Gospel as the gift
and commandment of new life, a reflection on the life which
"professes the truth in love" (cf. Eph 4:15) and on the Church's
life of holiness, in which there shines forth the truth about
the good brought to its perfection. The Church's Magisterium
intervenes not only in the sphere of faith, but also, and
inseparably so, in the sphere of morals. It has the task of
"discerning, by means of judgments normative for the consciences
of believers, those acts which in themselves conform to the
demands of faith and foster their expression in life and those
which, on the contrary, because intrinsically evil, are
incompatible with such demands".[172] In proclaiming the
commandments of God and the charity of Christ, the Church's
Magisterium also teaches the faithful specific particular
precepts and requires that they consider them in conscience as
morally binding. In addition, the Magisterium carries out an
important work of vigilance, warning the faithful of the
presence of possible errors, even merely implicit ones, when
their consciences fail to acknowledge the correctness and the
truth of the moral norms which the Magisterium teaches.
This
is the point at which to consider the specific task of all those
who by mandate of their legitimate Pastors teach moral theology
in Seminaries and Faculties of Theology. They have the grave
duty to instruct the faithful--especially future Pastors--about
all those commandments and practical norms authoritatively
declared by the Church.[173] While recognizing the possible
limitations of the human arguments employed by the Magisterium,
moral theologians are called to develop a deeper understanding
of the reasons underlying its teachings and to expound the
validity and obligatory nature of the precepts it proposes,
demonstrating their connection with one another and their
relation with man's ultimate end.[174] Moral theologians are to
set forth the Church's teaching and to give, in the exercise of
their ministry, the example of a loyal assent, both internal and
external, to the Magisterium's teaching in the areas of both
dogma and morality.[175] Working together in cooperation with
the hierarchical Magisterium, theologians will be deeply
concerned to clarify ever more fully the biblical foundations,
the ethical significance and the anthropological concerns which
underlie the moral doctrine and the vision of man set forth by
the Church.
111.
The service which moral theologians are called to provide at the
present time is of the utmost importance, not only for the
Church's life and mission, but also for human society and
culture. Moral theologians have the task, in close and vital
connection with biblical and dogmatic theology, to highlight
through their scientific reflection "that dynamic aspect which
will elicit the response that man must give to the divine call
which comes in the process of his growth in love, within a
community of salvation. In this way, moral theology will acquire
an inner spiritual dimension in response to the need to develop
fully the imago Dei present in man, and in response to
the laws of spiritual development described by Christian
ascetical and mystical theology".[176]
Certainly moral theology and its teaching are meeting with
particular difficulty today. Because the Church's morality
necessarily involves a normative dimension, moral
theology cannot be reduced to a body of knowledge worked out
purely in the context of the so-called behavioural sciences.
The latter are concerned with the phenomenon of morality as a
historical and social fact; moral theology, however, while
needing to make use of the behavioural and natural sciences,
does not rely on the results of formal empirical observation or
phenomenological understanding alone. Indeed, the relevance of
the behavioural sciences for moral theology must always be
measured against the primordial question: What is good or
evil? What must be done to have eternal life?
112.
The moral theologian must therefore exercise careful discernment
in the context of today's prevalently scientific and technical
culture, exposed as it is to the dangers of relativism,
pragmatism and positivism. From the theological viewpoint, moral
principles are not dependent upon the historical moment in which
they are discovered. Moreover, the fact that some believers act
without following the teachings of the Magisterium, or
erroneously consider as morally correct a kind of behaviour
declared by their Pastors as contrary to the law of God, cannot
be a valid argument for rejecting the truth of the moral norms
taught by the Church. The affirmation of moral principles is not
within the competence of formal empirical methods. While not
denying the validity of such methods, but at the same time not
restricting its viewpoint to them, moral theology, faithful to
the supernatural sense of the faith, takes into account first
and foremost the spiritual dimension of the human heart and
its vocation to divine love.
In
fact, while the behavioural sciences, like all experimental
sciences, develop an empirical and statistical concept of
"normality", faith teaches that this normality itself bears the
traces of a fall from man's original situation--in other words,
it is affected by sin. Only Christian faith points out to man
the way to return to "the beginning" (cf. Mt 19:8), a way which
is often quite different from that of empirical normality. Hence
the behavioural sciences, despite the great value of the
information which they provide, cannot be considered decisive
indications of moral norms. It is the Gospel which reveals the
full truth about man and his moral journey, and thus enlightens
and admonishes sinners; it proclaims to them God's mercy, which
is constantly at work to preserve them both from despair at
their inability fully to know and keep God's law and from the
presumption that they can be saved without merit. God also
reminds sinners of the joy of forgiveness, which alone grants
the strength to see in the moral law a liberating truth, a
grace-filled source of hope, a path of life.
113.
Teaching moral doctrine involves the conscious acceptance of
these intellectual, spiritual and pastoral responsibilities.
Moral theologians, who have accepted the charge of teaching the
Church's doctrine, thus have a grave duty to train the faithful
to make this moral discernment, to be committed to the true good
and to have confident recourse to God's grace.
While exchanges and conflicts of opinion may constitute normal
expressions of public life in a representative democracy, moral
teaching certainly cannot depend simply upon respect for a
process: indeed, it is in no way established by following the
rules and deliberative procedures typical of a democracy.
Dissent, in the form of carefully orchestrated protests and
polemics carried on in the media, is opposed to ecclesial
communion and to a correct understanding of the hierarchical
constitution of the People of God. Opposition to the
teaching of the Church's Pastors cannot be seen as a legitimate
expression either of Christian freedom or of the diversity of
the Spirit's gifts. When this happens, the Church's Pastors have
the duty to act in conformity with their apostolic mission,
insisting that the right of the faithful to receive
Catholic doctrine in its purity and integrity must always be
respected. "Never forgetting that he too is a member of the
People of God, the theologian must be respectful of them, and be
committed to offering them a teaching which in no way does harm
to the doctrine of the faith".[177]
Our
own responsibilities as Pastors
114.
As the Second Vatican Council reminds us, responsibility for the
faith and the life of faith of the People of God is particularly
incumbent upon the Church's Pastors: "Among the principal tasks
of Bishops the preaching of the Gospel is pre-eminent. For the
Bishops are the heralds of the faith who bring new disciples to
Christ. They are authentic teachers, that is, teachers endowed
with the authority of Christ, who preach to the people entrusted
to them the faith to be believed and put into practice; they
illustrate this faith in the light of the Holy Spirit, drawing
out of the treasury of Revelation things old and new (cf. Mt
13:52); they make it bear fruit and they vigilantly ward off
errors that are threatening their flock (cf. 2 Tim 4:1-4)".[178]
It
is our common duty, and even before that our common grace, as
Pastors and Bishops of the Church, to teach the faithful the
things which lead them to God, just as the Lord Jesus did with
the young man in the Gospel. Replying to the question: "What
good must I do to have eternal life?", Jesus referred the young
man to God, the Lord of creation and of the Covenant. He
reminded him of the moral commandments already revealed in the
Old Testament and he indicated their spirit and deepest meaning
by inviting the young man to follow him in poverty, humility and
love: "Come, follow me!". The truth of this teaching was sealed
on the Cross in the Blood of Christ: in the Holy Spirit, it has
become the new law of the Church and of every Christian.
This
"answer" to the question about morality has been entrusted by
Jesus Christ in a particular way to us, the Pastors of the
Church; we have been called to make it the object of our
preaching, in the fulfilment of our munus propheticum. At
the same time, our responsibility as Pastors with regard to
Christian moral teaching must also be exercised as part of the
munus sacerdotale: this happens when we dispense to the
faithful the gifts of grace and sanctification as an effective
means for obeying God's holy law, and when with our constant and
confident prayers we support believers in their efforts to be
faithful to the demands of the faith and to live in accordance
with the Gospel (cf. Col 1:9-12). Especially today, Christian
moral teaching must be one of the chief areas in which we
exercise our pastoral vigilance, in carrying out our munus
regale.
115.
This is the first time, in fact, that the Magisterium of the
Church has set forth in detail the fundamental elements of this
teaching, and presented the principles for the pastoral
discernment necessary in practical and cultural situations which
are complex and even crucial.
In
the light of Revelation and of the Church's constant teaching,
especially that of the Second Vatican Council, I have briefly
recalled the essential characteristics of freedom, as well as
the fundamental values connected with the dignity of the person
and the truth of his acts, so as to be able to discern in
obedience to the moral law a grace and a sign of our adoption in
the one Son (cf. Eph 1:4-6). Specifically, this Encyclical has
evaluated certain trends in moral theology today. I now pass
this evaluation on to you, in obedience to the word of the Lord
who entrusted to Peter the task of strengthening his brethren
(cf. Lk 22:32), in order to clarify and aid our common
discernment.
Each
of us knows how important is the teaching which represents the
central theme of this Encyclical and which is today being
restated with the authority of the Successor of Peter. Each of
us can see the seriousness of what is involved, not only for
individuals but also for the whole of society, with the
reaffirmation of the universality and immutability of the moral
commandments, particularly those which prohibit always and
without exception intrinsically evil acts.
In
acknowledging these commandments, Christian hearts and our
pastoral charity listen to the call of the One who "first loved
us" (1 Jn 4:19). God asks us to be holy as he is holy (cf. Lev
19:2), to be--in Christ—perfect as he is perfect (cf. Mt 5:48).
The unwavering demands of that commandment are based upon God's
infinitely merciful love (cf. Lk 6:36), and the purpose of that
commandment is to lead us, by the grace of Christ, on the path
of that fullness of life proper to the children of God.
116.
We have the duty, as Bishops, to be vigilant that the word of
God is faithfully taught. My Brothers in the Episcopate, it
is part of our pastoral ministry to see to it that this moral
teaching is faithfully handed down and to have recourse to
appropriate measures to ensure that the faithful are guarded
from every doctrine and theory contrary to it. In carrying out
this task we are all assisted by theologians; even so,
theological opinions constitute neither the rule nor the norm of
our teaching. Its authority is derived, by the assistance of the
Holy Spirit and in communion cum Petro et sub Petro, from
our fidelity to the Catholic faith which comes from the
Apostles. As Bishops, we have the grave obligation to be
personally vigilant that the "sound doctrine" (1 Tim 1:10)
of faith and morals is taught in our Dioceses.
A
particular responsibility is incumbent upon Bishops with regard
to Catholic institutions. Whether these are agencies for
the pastoral care of the family or for social work, or
institutions dedicated to teaching or health care, Bishops can
canonically erect and recognize these structures and delegate
certain responsibilities to them. Nevertheless, Bishops are
never relieved of their own personal obligations. It falls to
them, in communion with the Holy See, both to grant the title
"Catholic" to Church-related schools,[179] universities,[180]
health-care facilities and counseling services, and, in cases of
a serious failure to live up to that title, to take it away.
117.
In the heart of every Christian, in the inmost depths of each
person, there is always an echo of the question which the young
man in the Gospel once asked Jesus: "Teacher, what good must I
do to have eternal life?" (Mt 19:16). Everyone, however, needs
to address this question to the "Good Teacher", since he is the
only one who can answer in the fullness of truth, in all
situations, in the most varied of circumstances. And when
Christians ask him the question which rises from their
conscience, the Lord replies in the words of the New Covenant
which have been entrusted to his Church. As the Apostle Paul
said of himself, we have been sent "to preach the Gospel, and
not with eloquent wisdom, lest the Cross of Christ be emptied of
its power" (1 Cor 1: 17). The Church's answer to man's question
contains the wisdom and power of Christ Crucified, the Truth
which gives of itself.
When
people ask the Church the questions raised by their consciences,
when the faithful in the Church turn to their Bishops and
Pastors, the Church's reply contains the voice of Jesus
Christ, the voice of the truth about good and evil. In the
words spoken by the Church there resounds, in people's inmost
being, the voice of God who "alone is good" (cf. Mt 19:17), who
alone "is love" (1 Jn 4:8,16).
Through the anointing of the Spirit this gentle but
challenging word becomes light and life for man. Again the
Apostle Paul invites us to have confidence, because "our
competence is from God, who has made us competent to be
ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code but in the
Spirit... The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces,
reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his
likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes
from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Cor 3:5-6,17-18).
INDEX
Conclusion
Mary, Mother of Mercy
118.
At the end of these considerations, let us entrust ourselves,
the sufferings and the joys of our life, the moral life of
believers and people of good will, and the research of
moralists, to Mary, Mother of God and Mother of Mercy.
Mary
is Mother of Mercy because her Son, Jesus Christ, was sent by
the Father as the revelation of God's mercy (cf. Jn 3:16-18).
Christ came not to condemn but to forgive, to show mercy (cf. Mt
9:13). And the greatest mercy of all is found in his being in
our midst and calling us to meet him and to confess, with Peter,
that he is "the Son of the living God" (Mt 16:16). No human sin
can erase the mercy of God, or prevent him from unleashing all
his triumphant power, if we only call upon him. Indeed, sin
itself makes even more radiant the love of the Father who, in
order to ransom a slave, sacrificed his Son:[181] his mercy
towards us is Redemption. This mercy reaches its fullness in the
gift of the Spirit who bestows new life and demands that it be
lived. No matter how many and great the obstacles put in his way
by human frailty and sin, the Spirit, who renews the face of the
earth (cf. Ps 104:30), makes possible the miracle of the perfect
accomplishment of the good. This renewal, which gives the
ability to do what is good, noble, beautiful, pleasing to God
and in conformity with his will, is in some way the flowering of
the gift of mercy, which offers liberation from the slavery of
evil and gives the strength to sin no more. Through the gift of
new life, Jesus makes us sharers in his love and leads us to the
Father in the Spirit.
119.
Such is the consoling certainty of Christian faith, the source
of its profound humanity and extraordinary simplicity. At
times, in the discussions about new and complex moral problems,
it can seem that Christian morality is in itself too demanding,
difficult to understand and almost impossible to practise. This
is untrue, since Christian morality consists, in the simplicity
of the Gospel, in following Jesus Christ, in abandoning
oneself to him, in letting oneself be transformed by his grace
and renewed by his mercy, gifts which come to us in the living
communion of his Church. Saint Augustine reminds us that "he who
would live has a place to live, and has everything needed to
live. Let him draw near, let him believe, let him become part of
the body, that he may have life. Let him not shrink from the
unity of the members".[182] By the light of the Holy Spirit, the
living essence of Christian morality can be understood by
everyone, even the least learned, but particularly those who are
able to preserve an "undivided heart" (Ps 86:11). On the other
hand, this evangelical simplicity does not exempt one from
facing reality in its complexity; rather it can lead to a more
genuine understanding of reality, inasmuch as following Christ
will gradually bring out the distinctive character of authentic
Christian morality, while providing the vital energy needed to
carry it out. It is the task of the Church's Magisterium to see
that the dynamic process of following Christ develops in an
organic manner, without the falsification or obscuring of its
moral demands, with all their consequences. The one who loves
Christ keeps his commandments (cf. Jn 14:15).
120.
Mary is also Mother of Mercy because it is to her that Jesus
entrusts his Church and all humanity. At the foot of the Cross,
when she accepts John as her son, when she asks, together with
Christ, forgiveness from the Father for those who do not know
what they do (cf. Lk 23:34), Mary experiences, in perfect
docility to the Spirit, the richness and the universality of
God's love, which opens her heart and enables it to embrace the
entire human race. Thus Mary becomes Mother of each and every
one of us, the Mother who obtains for us divine mercy.
Mary
is the radiant sign and inviting model of the moral life. As
Saint Ambrose put it, "The life of this one person can serve as
a model for everyone",[183] and while speaking specifically to
virgins but within a context open to all, he affirmed: "The
first stimulus to learning is the nobility of the teacher. Who
can be more noble than the Mother of God? Who can be more
glorious than the one chosen by Glory Itself?".[184] Mary lived
and exercised her freedom precisely by giving herself to God and
accepting God's gift within herself. Until the time of his
birth, she sheltered in her womb the Son of God who became man;
she raised him and enabled him to grow, and she accompanied him
in that supreme act of freedom which is the complete sacrifice
of his own life. By the gift of herself, Mary entered fully into
the plan of God who gives himself to the world. By accepting and
pondering in her heart events which she did not always
understand (cf. Lk 2:19), she became the model of all those who
hear the word of God and keep it (cf. Lk 11:28), and merited the
title of "Seat of Wisdom". This Wisdom is Jesus Christ himself,
the Eternal Word of God, who perfectly reveals and accomplishes
the will of the Father (cf. Heb 10:5-10). Mary invites everyone
to accept this Wisdom. To us too she addresses the command she
gave to the servants at Cana in Galilee during the marriage
feast: "Do whatever he tells you" (Jn 2:5).
Mary
shares our human condition, but in complete openness to the
grace of God. Not having known sin, she is able to have
compassion on every kind of weakness. She understands sinful man
and loves him with a Mother's love. Precisely for this reason
she is on the side of truth and shares the Church's burden in
recalling always and to everyone the demands of morality. Nor
does she permit sinful man to be deceived by those who claim to
love him by justifying his sin, for she knows that the sacrifice
of Christ her Son would thus be emptied of its power. No
absolution offered by beguiling doctrines, even in the areas of
philosophy and theology, can make man truly happy: only the
Cross and the glory of the Risen Christ can grant peace to his
conscience and salvation to his life.
O
Mary, Mother of Mercy, watch over all people, that the Cross of
Christ may not be emptied of its power, that man may not stray
from the path of the good or become blind to sin, but may put
his hope ever more fully in God who is "rich in mercy" (Eph
2:4). May he carry out the good works prepared by God beforehand
(cf. Eph 2:10) and so live completely "for the praise of his
glory" (Eph 1:12).
Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's, on 6 August, Feast of the
Transfiguration of the Lord, in the year 1993, the fifteenth of
my Pontificate.
Joannes Paulus II
Notes
1.
Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et Spes, 22.
2.
Cf. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 1.
3.
Cf. ibid., 9.
4.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on the
Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 4.
5.
Paul VI, Address to the General Assembly of the United
Nations (4 October 1965), 1: AAS 57 (1965), 878; cf.
Encyclical Letter "Populorum Progressio" (26 March 1967),
13: AAS 59 (1967), 263-264.
6.
Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 16.
7.
Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 16.
8.
Pius XII had already pointed out this doctrinal development: cf.
"Radio Message" for the Fiftieth Anniversary of the
Encyclical Letter "Rerum Novarum" of Leo XIII (1 June
1941): AAS 33 (1941), 195-205. Also John XXIII,
Encyclical Letter "Mater et Magistra" (15 May 1961):
AAS 53 (1961), 410-413.
9.
Apostolic Letter "Spiritus Domini" (1 August 1987):
AAS 79(1987), 1374.
10.
"Catechism of the Catholic Church," No. 1692.
11.
Apostolic Constitution "Fidei Depositum" (11 October
1992), 4.
12.
Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on
Divine Revelation "Dei Verbum," 10.
13.
Cf. Apostolic Epistle "Parati Semper" to the Young People
of the World on the occasion of the International Year of Youth
(31 March 1985), 2-8: AAS 77 (1985), 581-600.
14.
Cf. Decree on Priestly Formation "Optatam Totius," 16.
15.
Encyclical Letter "Redemptor Hominis" (4 March 1979), 13:
AAS 71 (1979), 282.
16.
Ibid 10; loc. cit., 274.
17.
"Exaneron," Dies VI, Sermo IX, 8, 50: CSEL 32,
241.
18.
Saint Leo the Great, "Sermo XCII," Chap. III PL 54
454.
19.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, "In Duo Praecepta Caritatis et in Decem
Legis Praecepta. Prologus: Opuscula Theologica," II, No.
1129, Ed. Taurinen. (1954), 245; cf. "Summa Theologia,"
I-II, q. 91, a. 2; "Catechism of the Catholic Church,"
No. 1955.
20.
Cf. Saint Maximus the Confessor, "Quaestiones ad Thalassium,"
Q. 64: PG 90, 723-728.
21.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on the
Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 24.
22.
"Catechism of the Catholic Church," No. 2070.
23.
"In Johannis Evangelium Tractatus," 41, 10: CCL
36, 363.
24.
Cf. Saint Augustine, "De Sermone Domini in Monte," I, 1,
1: CCL 35, 1-2.
25.
"In Psalmum CXVIII Expositio", Sermo 18 37 PL 15,
1541; cf. Saint Chromatius of Aquileia, "Tractatus in
Matthaeum," XX, I, 1-4: CCL 9/A, 291-292.
26.
Cf. "Catechism of the Catholic Church," No. 1717.
27.
"In Johannis Evangelium Tractatus," 41, 10: CCL
36, 363.
28.
Ibid, 21, 8 CCL 36 216.
29.
Ibid., 82, 3: CCL 36, 533.
30.
"De Spiritu et Littera," 19, 34: CSEL 60 187.
31.
"Confessiones," X, 29 40 CCL 27, 176; cf "De
Gratia el Libero Arbitrio," XV: PL 44 899.
32.
Cf. "De Spiritu et Littera," 21, 36; 26, 46: CSEL
60, 189-190 200-201.
33.
Cf. "Summa Theologia," I-II, q. 106, a. 1 conclusion and
ad 2um.
34.
"In Matthaeum," Hom. I, 1: PG 57, 15.
35.
Cf. Saint Irenaeus, "Adversus Haereses," IV, 26, 2-5:
SCh 100/2, 718-729.
36.
Cf. Saint Justin, "Apologia," I, 66: PG 6,
427-430.
37.
Cf. 1 Pt 2: 12 ff.; Cf. "Didache," II, 2: "Patres
Apostolici;" ed. F. X. Funk, I, 6-9; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA,
"Paelagogus," I, 10; II, 10: PG 8, 355-364;
497-536; Tertullian, "Apologeticum," IX, 8: CSEL,
69, 24.
38.
Cf. Saint Ignatius of Antioch, "Ad Magnesios," VI, 1-2: "Patres
Apostolici," ed. F. X. Funk, I, 234-235; Saint Irenaeus, "Adversus
Haereses," IV, 33: 1, 6, 7: SCh 100/2, 802-805;
814-815; 816-819.
39.
Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation "Dei Verbum,"
8.
40.
Cf. ibid.
41.
Ibid, 10.
42.
Code of Canon Law, Canon 747, 2.
43.
Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation "Dei Verbum,"
7.
44.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on the
Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 22.
45.
Decree on Priestly Formation "Optatam Totius." 16.
46.
Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et Spes, 62.
47.
Ibid.
48.
Cf Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on
Divine Revelation "Dei Verbum," 10.
49.
Cf First Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic
Constitution on the Catholic Faith "Dei Filius, Chap 4:
DS, 3018.
50.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Declaration on the
Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions "Nostra
Aetate," 1.
51.
Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 43-44.
52.
Declaration on Religious Freedom "Dignitalis Humanae," 1,
referring to John XXIII, Encyclical Letter "Pacem in Terris"
(11 April 1963): AAS 55 (1963), 279; ibid, 265,
and to Pius XII, "Radio Message" (24 December 1944):
AAS 37 (1945), 14.
53.
Declaration on Religious Freedom "Dignitatis Humanae," 1.
54.
Cf. Encyclical Letter "Redemptor Hominis" (4 March 1979),
17: AAS 71 (1979), 295-300; Address To those
taking part in the Fifth International Colloquium of Juridical
Studies (10 March 1984), 4: "Insegnamenti," VII 1 (1984),
656; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
Instruction on Christian Freedom and Liberation "Libertatis
Conscientia" (22 March 1986), 19: AAS 79 (1987), 561.
55.
Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 11.
56.
Ibid, 17.
57.
Ibid.
58.
Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Declaration on Religious
Freedom "Dignitatis Humanae," 2; cf also GREGORY XVI,
Encyclical Epistle "Mirari Vos Arbitramur" (15 August
1832): "Acta Gregorii Papae XVI," I, 169-174; Pius IX,
Encyclical Epistle "Quanta Cura" (8 December 1864):
Pii IX PM. "Acta," I, 3, 687-700; LEO XIII, Encyclical
Letter "Libertas Praestantissimum" (20 June 1888): "Leonis
XIII PM. Acta, VIII", Romae 1889, 212-246.
59.
"A Letter Addressed to His Grace the Duke of Norfolk: Certain
Difficulties Felt by Anglicans in Catholic Teaching"
(Uniform Edition: Longman, Green and Company, London,
1868-1881), vol. 2, p 250.
60.
Cf. Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et Spes, 40 and 43.
61.
Cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, "Summa Theologia," I-II, q. 71,
a. 6, see also ad 5um.
62.
Cf. Pius XII, Encyclical Letter "Humani Generis" (12
August 1950): AAS 42 (1950), 561-562.
63.
Cf. Ecumenical Council of Trent, Sess. VI, Decree on
Justification "Cum Hoc Tempore," Canons 19-21: DS,
1569-1571.
64.
Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et Spes, 17.
65.
"De Hominis Opificio" Chap. 4: PG 44, 135-136.
66.
Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et Spes, 36.
67.
Ibid.
68.
Ibid.
69.
Cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, "Summa Theologia," I-II, q. 93
a. 3, ad 2um, cited by John XXIII, Encyclical Letter "Pacem
in Terris" (11 April 1963): AAS 55 (1963), 271.
70.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on the
Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 41.
71.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, "In Duo Praecepta Caritatis et in Decem
Legis Praecepta. Prologus: Opuscula Theologica," II, No.
1129, Ed. Taurinen. (1954), 245.
72.
Cf. Address to a Group of Bishops from the United States
on the occasion of their "ad Limina" Visit (15 October 1988), 6:
"Insegnamenti," XI, 3 (1988), 1228.
73.
Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 47.
74.
Cf. Saint Augustine, "Enarratio in Psalmum LXII," 16:
CCL 39, 804.
75.
Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et Spes, 17.
76.
"Summa Theologia," I-II, q. 91, a. 2.
77.
Cf. "Catechism of the Catholic Church," No. 1955.
78.
Declaration on Religious Freedom "Dignitatis Humanae," 3.
79.
"Contra Faustum," Bk 22, Chap. 27: PL 42, 418.
80.
"Summa Theologia I-II, q. 93, a. 1.
81.
Cf. ibid, I-II, q. 90, a. 4, ad 1um.
82.
Ibid, I-II, q. 91, a. 2.
83.
Encyclical Letter "Libertas Praestantissimum" (20 June
1888): "Leonis XIII P. M. Acta," VIII, Romae 1889, 219.
84.
"In Epistulam ad Romanos," c. VIII, lect. 1.
85.
Cf. Sess. IV, Decree on Justification "Cum Hoc Tempore,"
Chap. 1: DS, 1521.
86.
Cf. Ecumenical Council of Vienne, Constitution "Fidei
Catholicae:" DS, 902; Fifth Lateran Ecumenical
Council, Bull "Apostolici Regiminis:" DS, 1440.
87.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council Pastoral Constitution on the
Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 14.
88.
Cf. Sess. VI, Decree on Justification "Cum Hoc Tempore,"
Chap. 15: DS, 1544. The Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation on Reconciliation and Penance in the Mission of the
Church Today cites other texts of the Old and New Testaments
which condemn as mortal sins certain modes of conduct involving
the body: cf. "Reconciliatio et Paenitentia" (2 December
1984), 17: AAS 77 (1985), 218-223.
89.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on the
Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 51.
90.
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction
on Respect for Human Life in its Origin and on the Dignity of
Procreation "Donum Vitae" (22 February 1987),
Introduction, 3: AAS 80 (1988), 74; cf. Paul VI,
Encyclical Letter Humanae Vitae (25 July 1968), 10:
AAS 60 (1968), 487- 488.
91.
Apostolic Exhortation "Familiaris Consortio" (22 November
1981) 11 AAS 74 (1982), 92.
92.
"De Trinitate," XIV, 15, 21: CCL 50/A, 451.
93.
Cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, "Summa Theologia," I-II, q. 94,
a. 2.
94.
Cf. SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL. COUNCIL, Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 10;
SACRED Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
Declaration on Certain Questions concerning Sexual Ethics "Persona
Humana" (29 December 1975), 4: AAS 68 (1976), 80:
"But in fact, divine Revelation and, in its own proper order,
philosophical wisdom, emphasize the authentic exigencies of
human nature. They thereby necessarily manifest the existence of
immutable laws inscribed in the constitutive elements of human
nature and which are revealed to be identical in all beings
endowed with reason".
95.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on the
Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 29.
96.
Cf. ibid, 16.
97.
Ibid, 10.
98.
Cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, "Summa Theologia" I-II, q. 108,
a. 1. St. Thomas bases the fact that moral norms, even in the
context of the New Law, are not merely formal in character but
have a determined content, upon the assumption of human nature
by the Word.
99.
Saint Vincent of Lerins, "Commonitorium Primum," c. 23:
PL 50, 668.
100.
The development of the Church's moral doctrine is similar to
that of the doctrine of the faith (cf. First Vatican Ecumenical
Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith "Dei
Filius," Chap. 4: DS, 3020, and Canon 4: DS,
3024). The words spoken by John XXIII at the opening of the
Second Vatican Council can also be applied to moral doctrine:
"This certain and unchanging teaching (i. e., Christian doctrine
in its completeness), to which the faithful owe obedience, needs
to be more deeply understood and set forth in a way adapted to
the needs of our time. Indeed, this deposit of the faith, the
truths contained in our time-honoured teaching, is one thing;
the manner in which these truths are set forth (with their
meaning preserved intact) is something else": AAS 54
(1962), 792; cf. "L'Osservatore Romano," 12 October 1962,
p. 2.
101.
Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et Spes, 16.
102.
Ibid.
103.
"In II Librum Sentent", dist. 39, a. 1, q. 3, conclusion:
Ed. Ad Claras Aquas, II, 907b.
104.
Address (General Audience, 17 August 1983), 2: "Insegnamenti,"
VI, 2 (1983), 256.
105.
Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office, Instruction on
"Situation Ethics" "Contra Doctrinam" (2 February 1956)
AAS 48 (1956), 144.
106.
Encyclical Letter "Dominum et Vivificantem" (18 May
1986), 43: AAS 78 (1986), 859; Cf. Second Vatican
Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the
Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 16; Declaration on
Religious Freedom "Dignitatis Humanae," 3.
107.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council., Pastoral Constitution on the
Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 16.
108.
Cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, "De Veritate," q 17, a. 4.
109.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council., Pastoral Constitution on the
Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 16.
110.
Cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, "Summa Theologia," II-II, q.
45, a. 2.
111.
Declaration on Religious Freedom "Dignitatis Humanae,"
14.
112.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on
Divine Revelation, "Dei Verbum," 5; cf. First Vatican
Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic
Faith "Dei Filius," Chap. 3: DS, 3008.
113.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on
Divine Revelation "Dei Verbum," 5. Cf. Sacred
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration on
Certain Questions regarding Sexual Ethics "Persona Humana"
(29 December 1975), 10: AAS 68 (1976), 88-90.
114.
Cf . Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Reconciliatio et
Paenitentia" (2 December 1984), 17: AAS 77 (1985),
218-223.
115.
Sess. VI, Decree on Justification "Cum Hoc Tempore,"
Chap. 15: DS, 1544; Canon 19: DS, 1569.
116.
Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Reconciliatio et
Paenitentia" (2 December 1984), 17: AAS 77 (1985),
221.
117.
Ibid: loc. cit., 223.
118.
Ibid.: loc. cit., 222.
119.
Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 17.
120.
Cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, "Summa Theologia," I-II, q. 1,
a. 3: "Idem sunt actus morales et actus humani".
121.
"De Vita Moysis," II, 2-3: PG 44, 327-328.
122.
Cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, "Summa Theologia," II-II, q.
148, a. 3.
123.
The Second Vatican Council, in the Pastoral Constitution on the
Church in the Modern World, makes this clear: "This applies not
only to Christians but to all men of good will in whose hearts
grace is secretly at work since Christ died for all and since
man's ultimate calling comes from God and is therefore a
universal one, we are obliged to hold that the Holy Spirit
offers to all the possibility of sharing in this paschal mystery
in a manner known to God": Gaudium et Spes, 22.
124.
"Tractatus ad Tiberium Diaconum sociosque, II. Responsiones
ad Tiberium Diaconum sociosque:" SaintCyril of Alexandria, "In
Divi Johannis Evangelium," vol. III, ed. Philip Edward Pusey,
Brussels, Culture et Civilisation (1965), 590.
125.
Cf. Ecumenical Council of Trent, Session VI, Decree on
Justification "Cum Hoc Tempore," Canon 19: DS,
1569. See also: CLEMENT XI, Constitution "Unigenitus
Dei Filius" (8 September 1713) against the Errors of
Paschasius Quesnel, Nos. 53-56: DS, 2453-2456.
126.
Cf. Summa Theologia," I-II, q. 18, a 6.
127.
"Catechism of the Catholic Church," No. 1761.
128.
"In Duo Praecepta Caritatis et in Decem Legis Praecepta. De
Dilectione Dei: Opuscula Theologica," II, No. 1168, Ed.
Taurinen. (1954) 250.
129.
Saint Alphonsus Maria De Liguori, "Pratica di amar Gesu
Cristo," VII, 3.
130.
Cf. "Summa Theologia," I-II, q. 100, a. 1.
131.
Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation "Reconciliatio et
Paenitentia" (2 December 1984), 17 AAS 77 (1985),
221; cf. Paul VI, Address to Members of the Congregation
of the Most Holy Redeemer, (September 1967): AAS 59
(1967), 962: "Far be it from Christians to be led to embrace
another opinion, as if the Council taught that nowadays some
things are permitted which the Church had previously declared
intrinsically evil. Who does not see in this the rise of a
depraved "moral relativism," one that clearly endangers the
Church's entire doctrinal heritage?"
132.
Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
Gaudium et Spes, 27.
133.
Encyclical Letter Humanae Vitae (25 July 1968), 14:
AAS 60 (1968), 490-491.
134.
"Contra Mendacium, VII, 18: PL 40, 528, cf. Saint
Thomas Aquinas, "Quaestiones Quodlibetales," IX, q. 7, a.
2; "Catechism of the Catholic Church," Nos. 1753-1755.
135.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Declaration on Religious
Freedom "Dignitatis Humanae," 7.
136.
Address to those taking part in the International Congress of
Moral Theology (10 April 1986), 1: "Insegnamenti" IX, 1
(1986), 970.
137.
Ibid., 2: loc. cit., 970-971.
138.
Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 24.
139.
Cf. Encyclical Letter "Redemptor Hominis" (4 March 1979),
12: AAS 71 (1979), 280-281.
140.
"Enarratio in Psalmum" XCIX, 7: CCL 39, 1397.
141.
Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on
the Church Lumen Gentium, 36; cf. Encyclical Letter "Redemptor
Hominis" (4 March 1979), 21: AAS 71 (1979), 316-317.
142.
Roman Missal, Prayer for the Memorial of the Beheading of
John the Baptist, Martyr, August 29.
143.
Saint Bede the Venerable, "Homeliarum Evangelii Libri,"
II, 23: CCL 122, 556-557.
144.
Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on
the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 27.
145.
"Ad Romanos," VI, 2-3: "Patres Apostolici," ed. F. X.
FUNK, I, 260-261.
146.
"Moralia in Job," VII, 21, 24: PL 75, 778: "huius
mundi aspera pro aeternis praemiis amare".
147.
"Summum crede nefas animam praeferre pudori et propter vitam
vivendi perdere causas": Satirae, VIII, 83-84.
148.
Apologia II, 8: PG 6, 457-458.
149.
Apostolic Exhortation "Familiaris Consortio" (22 November
1981) 33: AAS 74 (1982), 120.
150.
Cf. ibid, 34: loc. cit., 123-125
151.
Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et
Paenitentia" (2 December 1984), 34: AAS 77 (1985),
272.
152.
Encyclical Letter Humanae Vitae (25 July 1968), 29:
AAS 60 (1968), 501.
153.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution on the
Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 25.
154.
Cf. Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus (1 May 1991), 24:
AAS 83 (1991), 821-822.
155
Ibid., 44: loc. cit., 848-849; cf. LEO XIII,
Encyclical Letter "Libertas Praestantissimum" (20 June
1888): "Leonis XIII P.M. Acta," VIII, Romae 1889,
224-226.
156.
Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (30 December
1987), 41: AAS 80 (1988), 571.
157.
"Catechism of the Catholic Church," No. 2407.
158.
Cf. ibid., Nos. 2408-2413
159.
Ibid., No 2414.
160.
Cf. Encyclical Letter Christifideles Laici (30 December
1988), 42: AAS 81 (1989), 472-476.
161.
Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus (1 May 1991), 46:
AAS 83), 850.
162.
Sess. VI, Decree on Justification "Cum Hoc Tempore,"
Chap. 11: DS, 1536; cf. Canon 18: DS, 1568. The
celebrated text from Saint Augustine, which the Council cites,
is found in "De Natura et Gratia," 43, 40 (CSEL
60, 270).
163.
Oratio I: PG 97, 805-806.
164.
Address to those taking part in a course on "responsible
parenthood" (1 March 1984), 4: "Insegnamenti" VII, I
(1984), 583.
165.
"De Interpellatione David," IV, 6, 22: CSEL 32/2,
283-284.
166.
Address to the Bishops of CELAM (9 March 1983), III: "Insegnamenti,
VI, 1 (1983), 698.
167.
Apostolic Exhortation "Evangelii Nuntiandi" (8 December
1975) 75: AAS 68 (1976), 64.
168.
"De Trinitate," XXIX, 9-10: CCL 4, 70.
169.
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the
Church Lumen Gentium, 12.
170.
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on the
Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian "Donum Veritatis" (24 May
1990), 6: AAS 82 (1990), 1552.
171.
Address to the Professors and Students of the Pontifical
Gregorian University (15 December 1979), 6: "Insegnamenti"
II, 2 (1979), 1424.
172.
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on
the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian "Donum Veritatis"
(24 May 1990), 16: AAS 82 (1990), 1557.
173.
Cf. Code of Canon Law, Canons 252, 1; 659, 3.
174.
Cf. First Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on
the Catholic Faith "Dei Filius," Chap. 4: DS,
3016.
175.
Cf. Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Humanae Vitae (25 July
1968), 28: AAS 60 (1968), 501.
176.
Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, "The Theological
Formation of Future Priests" (22 February 1976), No. 100.
See Nos. 95-101, which present the prospects and conditions for
a fruitful renewal of moral theology: loc. cit., 39-41.
177.
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on the
Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian "Donum Veritatis"
(24 May 1990), 11: AAS 82 (1990), 1554; cf. in particular
Nos. 32-39, devoted to the problem of dissent: ibid.,
loc. cit., 1562-1568.
178.
Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 25.
179.
Cf. Code of Canon Law, Canon 803, 3.
180.
Cf. Code of Canon Law, Canon 808
181.
"O inaestimabilis dilectio caritatis: ut servum redimeres,
Filium tradidisti!": "Missale Romanum, In Resurrectione Domini,
Praeconium Paschale."
182.
"In Johannis Evangelium Tractatus," 26, 13: CCL,
36, 266.
183.
"De Virginibus," Bk. II, Chap. II, 15: PL 16, 222.
184.
Ibid., Bk. II, Chap. II, 7: PL 16, 220.
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