In the Footsteps of Christ

Our Call to Love

Jesus and the Commands to Love
Love for God and neighbor
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, with all your mind and with all your
strength. You must love your neighbor as yourself.
(Mk 12:29-31; Mt 22:37-40)

The Love we received from God
I give you a new commandment: love one another;
just as I have loved you, you must love one another.
By this love you have for one another, everyone will
know that you are my disciples (Jn 13:34-35)

Our Call to Love
The norm for
loving shifts
from self-love
to Gods love
for us as
revealed in and
by Christ.
Christian moral challenge

To be formed in the spirit
of Christs love.

To integrate our confession of
faith with actual living.
Jesus Our Model
The uniqueness of Jesus Christ:
Fully Divine and really human.

Christs divinity assures the validity
of his understanding and teaching
regarding the meaning of humanity,
and his humanity guarantees the
possibility of our living in accordance
with his teachings.
Gods Plan of Salvation
The very essence of salvation is the plan of
God to rescue humankind from eternal
punishment and be with him forever. (I.
Maningas, p.51)
Gods plan is actualized through Christs
death and resurrection and continues to
unfold through the grace of His Spirit working
in us to help us conquer sin in the world and
in us.
Two aspects:
Our need for salvation emerges from the
presence of evil in our daily struggle.
Salvation demands that we be open to the
invitation of God in overcoming evil in the
world.
Characteristics of Christian
Morality
Aurelio Fernandez-James Socias
1) Affects first the person and then the
action.
2) Transforms both the inside and the
outside.
3) Considers the profound attitudes of
the person.
4) Stresses more what ought to be
done than what is to be avoided.
5) Requires not only just actions but
also holiness.
Characteristics of Christian
Morality
6) Is not a rigid morality marked by a
multiplicity of precepts.
7) Includes both rewards and
punishment.
8) Is a morality for freedom.
9) Is fulfilled on earth, but it pertains to
the next life.
10)Finds its beginning and end in love.
The Beatitudes
Blessed are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who
mourn, for they shall be
comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for
they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who
hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they
shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful
for they shall obtain
mercy.
Blessed are the pure in
heart for they shall see
God.
Blessed are the
peacemakers for they shall
be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are
persecuted for the sake of
for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
Blessed are you when men
revile you and persecute
you and and utter all kinds
of evil against you falsely
on my account, rejoice and
be glad, for your reward is
great in heaven.
Beatitudes
The heart of Christian morality
Addresses more the being than the
action.
Challenges the Christian to aspire to a
life of heroic virtue that transcends an
external observance of the letter of the
law.
Actively seeks the good of others and
does not merely strive to avoid harming
them.
CHRISTIAN
MORALITY
IS CORRELATED
TO
HUMAN
DESTINY
ETERNAL LIFE

Master,
what must I do
to possess eternal life?
TO REAFFIRM
THE VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE
To defend the worlds poor
Those threatened and despised
Those whose human rights are
violated
TO APPEAL TO EACH AND EVERY
PERSON
TO RESPECT, PROTECT, LOVE AND
SERVE

L I F E
TO COMMIT TO SUPPORT THE FAMILY

Even amidst so many difficulties and serious threats
The family will always remain in
accordance with Gods will
the sanctuary of life
TO APPEAL TO EACH AND EVERY
PERSON
THAT TOGETHER WE MAY OFFER
THE WORLD
NEW SIGNS OF HOPE
TO WORK SO AS TO ENSURE
THAT JUSTICE AND
SOLIDARITY
WILL INCREASE
TO AFFIRM A NEW CULTURE OF LIFE
For the building of an authentic
civilization of truth and love
Because the kingdom of God is present
in this civilization
References:

Vincent J. Genovesi, In Pursuit of Love:
Catholic Morality and Human Sexuality, 2nd
ed. Jesuit Communications Foundation, Inc.,
2003.

Aurelio Fernandez and James Socias, Our Moral
Life in Christ: A Basic Course on Moral
Theology, Scepter Publishers, Inc., Princeton,
New Jersey, 1997.

Ismael Ireneo Maningas, Ed.D., Filipino
Christian Morality. St. Pauls Philippines, Makati
City. 1998.