Catholic morality is about life:

Catholic Morality:
Life in Christ

Catholic morality is about life: "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

Faith & baptism give us new life in Christ. That life involves far more than simply following a set of rules.

This article provides an overview of basic principles of Catholic morality.

It is essential to know these principles: they are the how-to manual for living fully your new life, for obtaining that abundant life Christ has promised you.

The Catholic Catechism starts its section on Catholic morality with St. Leo the Great's beautiful words:

Christian, recognize your dignity and, now that you share in God's own nature, do not return to your former base condition by sinning. Remember who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Never forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of the Kingdom of God. (Catechism, #1691)
Morality is a call to recognize our dignity as men and women who have received a free gift of new life in Christ. We must live accordingly.

The Law of Love
Our Lord Jesus himself clearly taught us the first principles of Catholic morality:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets." (Mt 22:37-40)
Love, or charity, is the great commandment of the Lord.

Love of God and love of neighbor are the source & summary of Catholic morality. "All the law and the prophets" flow from this starting point.

This means that what love requires is the essence of all moral rules, all of the Ten Commandments, and all aspects of morality spoken of by the prophets and even by Christ himself. The only things needed are those things which love makes necessary.

It is also important to say that love does, indeed, require many things!

In fact, it takes only a few simple steps of logic to deduce the Ten Commandments and most of the rest of Catholic morality from this starting point.

Those moral precepts describe the minimum that love requires.

"What do you mean, the minimum?"
Catholic morality's basic moral code describes the minimum necessary to live in union with Christ. If we fall below that level, then the life of Christ cannot live within us.

That's the meaning of mortal sin: an action which shows God that we refuse his offer to become "children of God" (John 1:12) and "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Pet 1:4).

So if that's the minimum, then what's the maximum that love requires? Again, Jesus provides the answer:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)
The maximum, then, is to completely give ourselves for others, even as Christ did for us.

To put it more simply: there is no maximum! We'll always find that we can give more.

Challenging? Yes!

So how do we ever live up to this demand?

Grace to the rescue!
The demand to love without limit is very demanding.

Christ's disciples thought so, too!

They couldn't believe that the demands of discipleship far exceeded human ability: "When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, 'Then who can be saved?'" (Mt 19:25)

Jesus's response to them reveals the key: "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Mt 19:26).

It is not you who will save yourself, it is God who saves you!

If you let him, God will give you the strength and ability to do more than you can believe is possible. And the more you give, the more help God will give you. We call this grace.

It is the Holy Spirit himself who gives us the gift of grace. He not only calls us to holiness, but he sanctifies us (makes us holy) and gives us the grace we need to respond to his own call.

Once you begin to accept grace, you'll find that it changes you in wonderful ways:

There are seven specific Gifts of the Holy Spirit. For the beginning Catholic, they are particularly important: they help us to make progress with greater ease and stronger love during the challenging early stages of Christian life.
The Holy Spirit will develop many excellent qualities in your life. These fruits are countless, but following St. Paul, the Church lists twelve specific Fruits of the Spirit.
Much of the spirit's work within us involves developing the virtues and helping us avoid the vices.
More than anything, though, the Holy Spirit gradually moves us toward the ultimate goal of virtue: to love and act with the heart of Christ himself. This state is described by The Beatitudes, which begin the beautiful "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew's Gospel, chapters 5-7.

They are not just a set of nice ideals: "The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus' preaching" (Catechism, #1716). They are a radical call to live according to a new set of standards.

The Beatitudes are a self-portrait of Christ. If you aspire to live in Christ, you will strive to make the Beatitudes your own.

Foundations of Catholic Morality
It's important to understand a few basics about Catholic morality before we look at the actual moral code itself. These basics used to be a part of our culture, but now they're under widespread attack by the culture.

There is a lot of confusion in the Church about these basics right now. You need to know them well yourself, or you're at risk for being steered off the right path. (See the importance of orthodoxy for more.)

These are basic concepts in Catholic moral theology:

Freedom

Truth

Natural law

Law

Conscience

There's a lot to say about these, but I'll keep it short. It boils down to this:

God creates us in the state of freedom. We are at liberty to choose, based on reason and will, whether to act or not in a specific situation. We are responsible for our choices. With these choices, we choose our own ultimate destiny: that of eternal life with God, or that of death.
We believe that moral truth is objective, and not relative to the subjective whims of culture or taste. It is valid at all times & everywhere. God is the ultimate source of all moral truth.
People have an innate sense of basic moral truth. Using human reason, we can deduce the principles of this natural law. But because sin clouds our vision of the truth, God has chosen to directly reveal the law to us.
We use our natural facility called conscience to apply the general principles of the law to specific situations, judging specific actions to be right or wrong in accordance with objective law. (Conscience is not the source of those moral principles!)
Understanding these basic principles of Catholic morality will help you avoid a lot of trouble. (Believe me, it's hard enough to avoid trouble even when you do understand these!)

"But what are the rules?"
Okay, so Catholic morality does have an actual moral code that you need to know!

But just remember: this moral code doesn't represent the summit of Catholic morality. It is a description of the most basic requirements of the command to love God and love neighbor.

Focus on the Beatitudes as your goal, but make sure that you don't fall below the minimum level of Christian living.

Here's the basic content of these "minimum requirements", the moral law:

The Catholic Ten Commandments describe "the conditions of a life freed from the slavery of sin" (Catechism, 2057).
Each Commandment is simply a summary of a whole category of actions. For example, "bearing false witness against your neighbor" covers any kind of falsehood: perjury, lying, slander, detraction, bragging, rash judgment, etc.
(I address some specific issues in the next section, below.)
The Commandments must be understood in relation to the "law of love." (That's why we discussed it at length above!)
The Precepts of the Catholic Church are a small number of things related to the Church that any good Catholic must do at an absolute minimum. They describe things like the necessity to worship at Mass at least each Sunday and on Catholic holy days of obligation, go to Confession at least once a year, etc.
(Also be sure to read the section on Catholic morality in your Catechism of the Catholic Church.)

Willing & knowing violation of one of the above items (the Ten Commandments and Precepts of the Church) is considered a mortal sin: it constitutes rejection of God's law, and of God himself.

Such rejection can be repaired only by true contrition, repentance, and seeking forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation as soon as possible. (A detailed Catholic examination of conscience is essential for preparing for Confession.)

Again, remember that this moral code is only a description of some of the minimum requirements of Catholic morality. True Christian life not only requires much more of us, but...

...it is also incredibly positive in the blessings that it brings!

As Jesus himself said, "theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." (Mt 5:3).

Specific issues
There are certain moral issues that people have a lot of questions about. I've addressed some of these special topics in Catholic morality in separate articles.

There's a special article about Christian sex that takes a detailed look at that important topic of Catholic morality! It describes the basic principles of Catholic sexual morality.

Also see Christian oral sex, Catholic teaching on masturbation, Catholic natural family planning, and contraception and religion for applications to those specific topics.

The article Catholic annulment discusses Catholic marriage and annulment in detail.

Onward... to life!
I hope you've found this tour of the basics of Catholic morality to be useful.

These principles are a description of how we live the life of Christ. It is essential for every Catholic to know them!

Remember above all else:

The law of love is primary.
The "law and the prophets" are summarized by the command to love God and neighbor.
The basic moral precepts of Catholic morality are a minimum level below which we must not go.
This is about life - "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).
In Christ, God is making you the most incredible offer. Will you accept it?

Technorati : Catholic, life:, morality

To be happy and successful in all stages of your life you need to plan

Your life manifesto
AGE DEFIANCE: MIND

When things in life get tough it can often help to take time to stop, reassess and clarify the situation. By adopting a positive and optimistic approach we can harness a strong sense of self-belief, which helps us to build the inner strength that we all need.

Anyone who lets the surprising nature of life work for them rather than against them is on to a winner. The capacity to make the most of life lies entirely in our attitude. If we are upbeat and expect the best, we are inclined to attract positive opportunities.

Different stages of life bring different challenges, possibilities and interests. Our preoccupations might change as we grow older but some of the underlying issues remain the same. We all need to watch that we don’t slip into negativity and cynicism when change comes along. Here, I hope to highlight both the perennial and specific life challenges that you might face each decade, and give some pointers as to how to deal with them. Fast Track to Happiness by Lynda Field, £8.99, Vermilion Age.
Age 16-25

Key issues This is an intense period of great transition. There is inevitable peer pressure to contend with, alongside the struggle to gain your independence and break away from the family (emotionally, physically and, eventually, financially). Many young people experience a crisis of body confidence as they undergo an onslaught of powerful hormones and may face greasy skin (most common in boys) and weight gain (commonly in girls), just at a time when they desire to be attractive to the opposite sex.

Challenges How to: Maintain your self-esteem and the confidence to act independently. Bounce back and not be floored by the many mistakes that you will make along the way.

What to do: Keep the lines of communication open with your parents. This will help you to establish a solid base to launch from. Take a part-time job while still in full-time education and familiarise yourself with the adult world. Try work experience in any area that interests you. Don’t compare yourself with others; this habit only leads to low self-esteem. Just remind yourself that you are a one-off with your own unique qualities. Play team games, this will maintain your endorphin (happiness) levels and help you to build body confidence and good relationships.

Age 26-35

Key issues This is a more stabilising time, with your focus on career development, relationships and possibly marriage. There may be dilemmas concerning who and what to commit to (mortgage, person, profession) and also of course the financial strains involved in settling down. There might also be a sense of loss of youth and personal freedom and this can affect your decision-making powers.

Challenges How to: Trust your own judgment. Make plans without losing your natural capacity for creativity.

What to do: Set down your goals on paper and if they don’t excite you then delete them. Break down long-term goals into smaller steps so that they are more manageable. Make good relationship choices. Be aware of what you are looking for in an intimate relationship and don’t sell yourself short. A good partnership depends upon shared goals. Have fun and keep things fresh by trying something new: snow-boarding, scuba diving, salsa . . .

Age 36-45

Key issues You are likely to be busy spinning the plates of home, work, children, partner, friends, relaxation time, etc. For women this issue might be even more significant with a growing feeling of “what about me?” The burdens of responsibility can add strains to the marriage and most women will become aware of the approach of the menopause. This period is stretching but also rewarding as you see the fruits of your labour emerge. Your family and friendships will bring increasing depth and meaning to your life.

Challenges How to: Manage children/career/community issues and still have time for leisure activities. Keep the spark in your relationship when so much of the time your home life can feel like hard work. Deal with the emotions that come with parenting – love/guilt/responsibility/anxiety.

What to do: Make time work for you by learning how to manage it well. Be utterly realistic about how long tasks will take, get your “to do” lists together and delegate. Schedule relaxation times into your “to do” lists. Give these top priority and build the rest of each day around them. Drop the guilt! This tip is specifically for women. Know that family life brings up a ragbag of emotions and accept this. Keep talking to your partner and share your feelings. Discuss domestic issues and come to joint decisions.


Age 46-55

Key issues A time of transition and change at every level – physically, emotionally and practically. This period requires you to let go of many things that have been important to you. The empty nest takes some getting used to and partners usually experience a change in their relationship when the last child leaves home. And then there’s a growing responsibility for elderly parents. Plus, of course, the menopause for women and a mid-life crisis for men! Relax, you have all the strength you will need to deal with everything.

Challenges How to: Let go of your children yet still be supportive. Deal with loss of family life in your home without feeling redundant. Be there for elderly parents without taking over control of their lives. Face the physical changes of the middle years and accept your age gracefully.

What to do: Adopt a regular fitness regime that you enjoy. It could mean going on regular walks, or you might take up yoga or golf or ballroom dancing. Accept that your changing relationship with your children and your parents will take time to assimilate. Do some voluntary work. When we give our time to others we feel happier and more fulfilled. Fight any feelings of increasing invisibility and lack of confidence by reinventing yourself. Overhaul your wardrobe, adopt a new hairstyle, take regular massages and keep your sex life alive.

Age 56-65
Key issues A phase of profound change, this stage seems to give and take in equal measure. On the one hand you will experience much more free time and on the other you might be grappling with concerns associated with giving up work. Issues such as loss of status and changing self-identity might need addressing. Certainly you will be living life at a new tempo and this could take some getting used to. You are now probably the oldest in the family clan and this brings new and different feelings of responsibility.

Health permitting, this can be a marvellous period to have fun with your grandchildren and to enjoy doing all of those things that you have never been able to find the time for.

Challenges How to: Make a smooth transition from career to retirement. Keep physically and mentally fit. Accept your changing role in society and choose to adopt a positive and enthusiastic approach to the future.

What to do: Prepare for the day you leave work. Try your hand at some new hobbies and you can look forward to developing them when you have more time – pottery, local history, tracing ancestors (you can even go on genealogy holidays) . . . There are so many exciting new projects for you to discover. Keep your mind buzzing and alert. Learn a new language or a musical instrument (great for engaging both sides of the brain), do challenging cross-words or try Su Doku. Treat yourself to a Nintendo DS (very up to the minute) and play the Brain Age game, a fabulous tool to keep you mentally young. Stay up to date with modern technology. This will keep you informed and able to help your grandchildren with their homework. You are both as young as you feel and as young as you act. Keep exercising.

Age 65+
Key issues This is the time to call on all the understanding and knowledge that you have gathered throughout the years. You have faced so much and have learnt how to overcome setbacks and cope with losses, but you also know how to celebrate the beauty of life.

Increasing age brings the ability to become more accepting of self and of others and to develop the wonderful capacity for forgiveness. Naturally you will be contemplating the fact of death and this can lead to an enlightening sense of the bigger picture and a maturing of spiritual awareness. As we look back on life it becomes possible to see how each separate stage leads inevitably to the next and how, in the end, we can only realise our unique and amazing potential by living with awareness and learning from every single one of our experiences.

Challenges How to: Face uncertainty with grace. Leave a positive legacy. Share your many gifts with others. Accept the ageing process.

What to do: Reflect on the changing nature of your thoughts, feelings and behav-iour. What attitudes and approach-es bring light and understanding to you and those around you? Use your wisdom and be glad for all that you can offer to others. If you haven’t joined the U3A (University of the Third Age) then check what your local group is doing. This great organisation can open so many new doors as well as introduce you to new friends. Alternatively, join a library, if you haven’t already done so. Learn to relax and enjoy the moment, there is so much to appreciate, as you know. Keep up with your friendships; these are as valuable as gold dust.


You Are Always Happy!
When you ask someone, ‘What is the purpose of life?’, most people, after much umming and ahhing, say something like, ‘to be happy’. We all have the desire to be happy. ‘Happy’ is some conglomeration of feeling good – light, free, strong, flowing – and not feeling bad – nothing to worry about, no fears and concerns. This is what drives us. If you observe yourself for a day you’ll see that in every situation we move away from situations where we don’t feel good and towards that which we think will have us feel good. Right?

But what if the place we are looking for happiness is the wrong place?

Our main thought, even if we are not aware of it, is that happiness is out there and over there. A misconception that things ‘out there’ MAKE us happy and so, GIVE us happiness. If I can just get the world to look the way I want, if this happens, if I have that, if I am doing this… then I will be happy… in the future. And if we get there, we’ll GET it. So, we plan and do things that will hopefully result in us being happy with our lot in life. And this is our continual struggle and why life can sometimes be very tiring! Come on happiness, where did you go? I know you are around here somewhere!

The thing is this, happiness is NOT a thing! A good job can’t GIVE it to us, our new clothes can’t GIVE it to us, and our favourite car can’t GIVE it to us. How many times have you had a car turn around to you and say, "There you go there’s a box of happiness, it’s for you!"

Several years ago I was sitting on a beach in Hawaii, where I was living, watching the sun set on the Pacific Ocean and I was NOT happy! I was thinking, if I could just have this, be there, do that, THEN I will be happy! Then the shock of the contrast hit me. Well this is paradise, if I’m not happy here, where?! So I thought back and remembered that a few months before I wasn’t happy thinking, if I could just get that job in Hawaii, live there, go to the beach, paradise, THEN I’ll be happy! And I went back, and back. Same pattern. What if it’s not that ‘out there’ that makes me happy? Maybe it’s what I am bringing to the party! Maybe it’s not a THING I can GET from out there?

So what is it if it’s not a thing that we can get? It’s a state of being. You are not having happy, you’re not doing happy, you’re BEING happy. Starts to sound pretty elusive at this point, right?! Yes and no. The good news is that happiness is our natural state. Why? Because we are happy when we are being ourselves. Happiness is like the sun behind the clouds. It is always there. It’s just that what we think and do has us being some thing other than happy, like anxious, stressed, worried, bored, and doubtful. You are always happy, you are just not aware of it because you are paying attention to something else!

So, how do we experience our happiness? This state of being our true selves. Well here are some pointers.

You can only be happy now!

If you notice yourself for one day you will see that in the majority of moments you want something else other than what is happening now – we are UNHAPPY WITH NOW! We think that, if it was like this, if he didn’t do that, if I had this, then it would be better. When we set goals or think about what we want in life it is always, I will be happy when I have this, do that, sort this situation out in the FUTURE. But tomorrow never comes. And the cycle continues. You can only be happy now!

The very thought that happiness is ‘over there’ means that it’s ‘not here’ and that becomes your experience. Your mind is like a Xerox machine, it simply copies your thoughts that generate your experience. So, what to do? Know that happiness is a NOW experience. You can only experience your being happy now. And if you keep waiting for it, it will wait. Accept your circumstance now and be happy.

Focus on what you want

Many times what stops us from being happy now is that we are being concerned, anxious, even fearful of the future – we are UNHAPPY WITH THE FUTURE! This can be the next 15 minutes, hour, day, or week. So what are we doing? Simple, we are focussing on what we don’t want to happen. Thinking about all the things, that could happen, that you don’t want and not being happy about them! Stop doing that to yourself! It doesn’t feel good!

So it’s simple. When you catch yourself worrying about the future, notice that you are thinking about what you don’t want, and THINK AGAIN! Best not hold on too tight though. I suggest you…

Let go & flow!

In our desire to reduce ‘bad situations’ and increase ‘good situations’, we continuously monitor and control with our minds. I have to do this, sort that out, make sure this happens, and on and on. This creates stress. We are still thinking that we can only be happy when xyz happens and worrying that if we don’t control it, it won't happen.

What to do? Realise that your being happy is nothing to do with what ‘happens’ and be happy NOW. Decide what you want then let it go. Trust in yourself, and let the results flow.


A technique to make all this possible

This technique is so simple that it may be dismissed. But try it for yourself and you will see. It’s simple, but it may not be easy… to begin with anyway, because it is the opposite of what you are doing now, but like anything it gets easier with practise and becomes habitual. AND it will change your life. Ready?

WATCH! That’s it. Watch, observe, listen... whatever you want to call it. Observe your thoughts, feelings, and things that are happening. No need to judge, analyse or get involved. Simply watch! You may have thoughts come up about what you are doing as you are doing this but just watch them go by aswell! It’s the passing parade. No need to get involved. They are merely ‘suggestions’ for you to consider, or not.

What happens? You begin to realise that everything is just a thought, and you can choose to take it on and get involved, or not. You begin to connect to more of your experience, rather than being distracted. You feel free, calm, centred, stronger, with peace of mind… sounds like being happy!

The secret
So what do you discover? There are no ‘bad situations’ or ‘good situations’! Only that which you think they are. The meaning you put on them. Like ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’. You create your own good and bad by your thoughts about things. So, you have the power to let that go… And BE HAPPY NOW!


tips for today:Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

We all need a little dose of sunshine

Skin cancer scientist: sunbathing is good for you

We all need a little dose of sunshine, says scientist who sounded alert on skin cancer.Enjoying a little sunshine may not be as bad for you as people think. Research from the scientist who alerted the world to its role in skin cancer has suggested that its health benefits may outweigh the risks.

The hazards of moderate sunbathing have probably been exaggerated, according to a study that shows how sunlight’s effect of boosting vitamin D production may actually protect the body against cancer.

While ultraviolet (UV) light from the Sun is the chief cause of malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, the new work from the US shows that synthesis of vitamin D can compensate in other ways.

The vitamin appears to protect against tumours of the breast, lung, colon and prostate, the study found. The overall effect of sunshine on cancer risk may therefore be positive.

The findings come from a team headed by Richard Setlow, of the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, who played a leading role in establishing that UV radiation can damage DNA and cause melanoma.

Though Dr Setlow still considers sunlight a serious health risk, and advises people to protect themselves against excessive UV exposure, his new data show that it can also have health benefits because of vitamin D.

The work could lead to new formulations for sunscreen, so that it filters out harmful UVA radiation that can trigger melanoma, while allowing through more of the UVB radiation that stimulates vitamin D production. It does not suggest that sunbeds are safe, as these rely on UVA radiation.

Though many people regard a tan as healthy, medical opinion changed in the 1950s and 1960s when sunlight’s role in skin cancer was discovered. Dr Setlow led much of the key research.

Public health campaigns have since encouraged people to cover up or wear sunscreen when exposed to direct sunlight. In Britain, 8,900 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed annually and it causes 1,800 deaths.

However, some scientists have begun to question whether safety advice is too extreme. While the link to melanoma is not disputed, sunlight is also the principal source of vitamin D, which research suggests improves prognosis in many cancers. It may even help the body to fight melanoma.

In his latest study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr Setlow calculated vitamin D synthesis at different latitudes. People living near the equator in Australia produce 3.4 times more vitamin“ D in response to sunlight than UK residents. Incidence of all skin cancers also increases towards the equator.

The scientists also found that incidence rates for other cancers, such as breast, lung and prostate, increased from north to equator too. When they examined survival rates, however, they found that people exposed to more sunlight had a better prognosis.

Dr Setlow said: “In previous work, we have shown that survival rates for these cancers improve when the diagnosis coincides with the season of maximum sun exposure.”

Joanna Owens, senior science information officer for Cancer Research UK, said: “A little bit of sun goes a long way. The amount of exposure you need to top up your vitamin D is always less than the amount needed to tan or burn, which increases the risk of skin cancer.”