our catholic faith living what we believe

OurOur Catholic Catholic FaithFaith Living What We BelieveLiving What We Believe

CHAPTER 9CHAPTER 9Christian Moral Life:Christian Moral Life:

The Beatitudes and Ten CommandmentsThe Beatitudes and Ten Commandments

GuidanceGuidance Called to HappinessCalled to Happiness

Love God: The First Three CommandmentsLove God: The First Three Commandments

Love Your Neighbor: The Fourth through Love Your Neighbor: The Fourth through Tenth Commandments Tenth Commandments

Good laws, rules, and regulations are formed in Good laws, rules, and regulations are formed in part to help keep us safepart to help keep us safe

We violate the Ten Commandments at our We violate the Ten Commandments at our own riskown risk

In the Beatitudes, Jesus offered a deep In the Beatitudes, Jesus offered a deep examination of the Christian life of love examination of the Christian life of love and service to othersand service to others

Good laws, rules, and regulations are formed in Good laws, rules, and regulations are formed in part to help keep us safepart to help keep us safe

We violate the Ten Commandments at our We violate the Ten Commandments at our own riskown risk

In the Beatitudes, Jesus offered a deep In the Beatitudes, Jesus offered a deep examination of the Christian life of love examination of the Christian life of love and service to othersand service to others

Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Christian Moral Life: Christian Moral Life: The Beatitudes and Ten CommandmentsThe Beatitudes and Ten Commandments

GuidanceGuidance

Does God really want us to be happy? Does God really want us to be happy? Yes, God wants us to be happyYes, God wants us to be happy Only God’s goodness and love can satisfy our hunger for Only God’s goodness and love can satisfy our hunger for

true happinesstrue happiness From the beginning of creation, God desired humans to From the beginning of creation, God desired humans to

share in his divine natureshare in his divine nature Jesus left us a “blue-print” Jesus left us a “blue-print”

for happiness: we are to keep for happiness: we are to keep his commandments and live his commandments and live the Beatitudesthe Beatitudes

Does God really want us to be happy? Does God really want us to be happy? Yes, God wants us to be happyYes, God wants us to be happy Only God’s goodness and love can satisfy our hunger for Only God’s goodness and love can satisfy our hunger for

true happinesstrue happiness From the beginning of creation, God desired humans to From the beginning of creation, God desired humans to

share in his divine natureshare in his divine nature Jesus left us a “blue-print” Jesus left us a “blue-print”

for happiness: we are to keep for happiness: we are to keep his commandments and live his commandments and live the Beatitudesthe Beatitudes


Called to HappinessCalled to Happiness

The Beatitudes The Beatitudes The Beatitudes complete the The Beatitudes complete the

promises that God made to promises that God made to Abraham Abraham

They show us how to fulfill our They show us how to fulfill our desire for happiness desire for happiness

They teach us how we should live They teach us how we should live in order to reach our eternal in order to reach our eternal destiny of union with himdestiny of union with him

The Beatitudes The Beatitudes The Beatitudes complete the The Beatitudes complete the

promises that God made to promises that God made to Abraham Abraham

They show us how to fulfill our They show us how to fulfill our desire for happiness desire for happiness

They teach us how we should live They teach us how we should live in order to reach our eternal in order to reach our eternal destiny of union with himdestiny of union with him



The Beatitudes The Beatitudes The Beatitudes The Beatitudes



Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus wants us to recognize our spiritual poverty – everything we are and everything we have are

gifts from God.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Jesus blesses those who

mourn over injusticesand evils committed against

God’s people in need.Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the land. Jesus treated others with

gentleness and compassion – we too should be patient with

the weaknesses of others.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they shall be satisfied. Jesus blesses those who know that only God’s righteousness

can fulfill us.

The Beatitudes The Beatitudes The Beatitudes The Beatitudes



Blessed are the merciful, they will be shown mercy.Our forgiveness of others,

especially our enemies, is a sign to the world of a merciful

God who loves everyone.

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. A person with a clean heart

has a single-minded commitment to God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Christians are, and must

be, peacemakers.

Blessed they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Suffering for faith in Jesus is a great sign of love for him and if we remain faithful to him, he will reward us with

eternal happiness in Heaven.

First CommandmentFirst Commandment: : I, the Lord, am your God. I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me.You shall not have other gods besides me.

First CommandmentFirst Commandment: : I, the Lord, am your God. I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me.You shall not have other gods besides me.



• Make God the top priority in our lives by practicing the theological virtues

• Worship God and share our faith with others

• Practice the virtue of religion

• Prayer

Violations

• Heresy

• Apostasy

• Schism

• Presumption

• Despair

• Ingratitude

• Spiritual laziness

• Superstition

• Idolatry

• Divination

• Sorcery

• Irreligion

• Sacrilege

• Simony

• Atheism

Second CommandmentSecond Commandment: : You shall not take the You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.name of the Lord, your God, in vain.

Second CommandmentSecond Commandment: : You shall not take the You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.name of the Lord, your God, in vain.



• Honor God’s name through praise, reverence, and adoration

• Our names are also holy

• Forbids the wrong use of God’s name or the names of Jesus, Mary, or any saint

• Keep promises and vows and always be true to our word

Violations

• Perjury

• Blasphemy

• Swearing an oath with an intention to break it

• Use of swearing, cursing, vulgar language

Third CommandmentThird Commandment: : Remember to keep holy Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day. the Sabbath day.

Third CommandmentThird Commandment: : Remember to keep holy Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day. the Sabbath day.



• The purpose is to praise God for his works of creation and to thank him

• God gives this commandment to all people for them to have a day of rest and recreation

• We acknowledge the one we are totally dependent on

• Jesus brought new meaning to the Sabbath observance – we worship, praise, and thank God for the gift of the Son

• Catholics are obliged to go to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation

Violation

• Willfully missing Mass

Forth CommandmentForth Commandment: : Honor your father and Honor your father and your mother. your mother.

Forth CommandmentForth Commandment: : Honor your father and Honor your father and your mother. your mother.


Love Your Neighbor: 4Love Your Neighbor: 4thth – 10 – 10thth Commandments Commandments

• Family is the domestic Church

• Parents should: respect children, educate them in the Catholic faith, loving home, unconditional love

• Behaviors from children: thankfulness, respecting, obey, meeting the physical and spiritual needs of aged parents, treat siblings with respect and love

• Respect and obedience is due all proper Church and other authority figures

Violation

• Societal laws that conflict with God’s will or God’s law

Fifth CommandmentFifth Commandment: : You shall not kill. You shall not kill. Fifth CommandmentFifth Commandment: : You shall not kill. You shall not kill.



• Human life is sacred from the first moment of conception until natural death

• We show respect for God’s gift of life by eating healthy, getting proper exercise and rest, avoiding harmful substances, etc.

• Any direct and intentional killing of a human being is a violation

• Killing in self-defense is morally permissible as a last resort

Violations

• Direct abortion

• Intentional euthanasia

• Suicide

• Scandal

• Immoral medical procedures

Sixth and Ninth CommandmentsSixth and Ninth Commandments: : You shall not commit You shall not commit adultery. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. adultery. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.




• God gave us the gift of sexuality so that married couples can share their love and cooperate with God in bringing forth new life

• Exercise the virtues of chastity, purity, and modesty

• Married couples should be faithful to each other

• Chastity requires lifelong self-control

Violations

• Lust

• Masturbation

• Fornication

• Pornography

• Prostitution

• Rape

• Homosexual activity

• Adultery





Both commandments supportBoth commandments support the institution of marriage the institution of marriage Sexual intercourse in marriageSexual intercourse in marriage has two purposes: unitive and has two purposes: unitive and procreative procreative Children are a gift of marriage Children are a gift of marriage

Further Violations

• Adultery

• Divorce

• Polygamy

Seventh and Tenth CommandmentsSeventh and Tenth Commandments: : You shall not steal. You shall not steal. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.neighbor.




• God created the goods of creation for everyone

• Do not become too attached to belongings

• Justice calls us to respect the property of others and to share our things

•Jesus teaches that poverty of spirit is the way to combat sinful attitudes

• Keep promises and do not break contracts

Violations

• Greed

• Avarice

• Envy





Types of justiceTypes of justice

Commutative justiceregulates relations between

individuals

Legal justiceconcerns our duties as citizens

and what we owe the government

Distributive justice deals with the obligations the community has to its citizens

Social justice applies the teachings of Christ

and the Church to political, economic, and social orders

Eighth CommandmentEighth Commandment: : You shall not bear false witness against your You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. neighbor.

Eighth CommandmentEighth Commandment: : You shall not bear false witness against your You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. neighbor.



Violations

• Lying

• False witness

• Perjury

• Rash judgment

• Detraction

• Calumny

• Teaches that truth-telling is a matter of justice

• We respect other people, their reputations, their right to privacy

• Governments and entertainment industries are to use the media responsibly and not for propaganda or to promote immoral behavior

HeresyHeresy (239) (239) ApostasyApostasy (239) (239) SchismSchism (239) (239) PresumptionPresumption (239) (239) DespairDespair (239) (239) SuperstitionSuperstition (239) (239) IdolatryIdolatry (239) (239) DivinationDivination (240) (240) SorcerySorcery (240) (240) IrreligionIrreligion (240) (240) SacrilegeSacrilege (240) (240)

AbortionAbortion (246) (246) EuthanasiaEuthanasia (246) (246) ChastityChastity (247) (247) ModestyModesty (247) (247) LustLust (247) (247) PerjuryPerjury (254) (254) Rash judgmentRash judgment

(254)(254) DetractionDetraction (254) (254) CalumnyCalumny (254) (254)


VOCABULARY VOCABULARY SimonySimony (240) (240) AtheismAtheism (240) (240) HumanistsHumanists (240) (240) CommunistsCommunists

(240)(240) AgnosticAgnostic (240) (240) OathOath (241) (241) PerjuryPerjury (241) (241) BlasphemyBlasphemy (241) (241) CursingCursing (241) (241) MurderMurder (245) (245)

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the

nations nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them will be assembled before him. And he will separate them

one one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was

thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.‘ Then the cared for me, in prison and you visited me.‘ Then the

righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in

prison, and visit you?‘ And the king will say to them in prison, and visit you?‘ And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of

these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’”these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’”

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