WHAT IS MY CHILD LEARNING THIS MONTH?
This month, your child learned about how to make moral decisions informed by their faith. We first spoke about how there exists an objective truth—that is, a tangible and unchanging sense of right and wrong—and how that is important in making decisions. If we don’t have a foundation to base our decisions on, our standards will always be in flux and make making good decisions more difficult. We reviewed the 10 Commandments as rules put in place by God to help us have a healthy and loving relationship with Him and with one another. In addition, we discussed what it means to have true freedom—being able to choose the right thing—and how with greater freedom means greater responsibility to keep others and yourself safe. Greater responsibility also means you have greater accountability for the decisions you make.
Terms we went over:
Truth: the virtue which consists of showing oneself true in deeds and truthful in words, and guarding against duplicity, dissimulation, and hypocrisy (CCC §2505). To be true is to conform your intellect with what the thing perceived actually is. This would be objective, or unchanging, truth. If one’s perception of something does not conform to what it actually is, then one is in error—no matter how convinced one is and no matter how one feels about it. Those who have poor vision are not seeing clearly the things before them. To be true means to conform yourself to reality, “Let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no.” (Mt 5:37). It is much more than to not lie, but to recognize that our actions create habits which form our character and who we are. When we fail to live as we ought, we are forming our personalities and character towards that sinful nature. In other words, if someone saw how you were acting, what would they say about who you are?
10 Commandments: the “10 words” written “by the finger of God” that were passed onto Moses and the Israelites in the book of Exodus (see Ex 20:1-17, Deut 5:6-21). The 10 Commandments state what is required for love of God and love of neighbor; the first three deal with the love of God and the last seven deal with love of neighbor. We should not view this list as a mere list of things we “can or cannot” do, but rather a list of actions that liberate us from the slavery of sin.
Freedom: the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility. By free will one shapes one’s own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God. The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to "the slavery of sin.” (CCC §1731, 1733)
BRINGING THIS SESSION HOME
The most basic principle of the Christian moral life is the awareness that every person bears the dignity of being made in the image of God. He has given us an immortal soul and through the gifts of intelligence and reason enables us to understand the order of things established in his creation. God has also given us a free will to seek and love what is true, good, and beautiful. Sadly, because of the Fall, we also suffer the impact of Original Sin, which darkens our minds, weakens our wills, and inclines us to sin. Baptism delivers us from Original Sin but not from its effects—especially the inclination to sin, concupiscence. Within us, then, is both the powerful surge toward the good because we are made in the image of God, and the darker impulses toward evil because of the effects of Original Sin.
(Taken from: https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/morality)
Please watch this scenario from the show, “What Would You Do?” Oftentimes, our characters show most poignantly when no one else is looking.
ABC_What would you do_ The elderly harrassed by youth.mp4
After watching the video, discuss the following questions with your child:
- Do you think that by taking no action in a situation, you are actually taking an action?
- Do we each bear some responsibility to restore justice in an unjust situation?
PRAYING TOGETHER
The best way we can practice making good decisions is by 1.) learning more about our faith through reading scripture, praying, and visiting the sacraments and 2.) creating good habits that lead us to making good decisions. We can start by learning more about what the Church teaches about morality so that we can form our consciences better. Here are some resources for your family to start thinking about:
Bishop Barron on Conscience and Morality
What does the Catholic Church say about freedom and morality?
How Do We Know If Something Is Good or Evil?
Is There a Moral Good and Evil? Catholic Theologian Explains
