|
|
Message from the
Manager
The
Christmas Season has passed and we sincerely hope and pray that the
Christ Child showered all Cardinal Newman Faith Resources supporters
and readers, their families and friends with rich blessings, as rich
and peaceful as that first ‘Silent Night’.
The next three of Father’s Handouts concerning the submission to the
Plenary Council are with this first edition for 2019, so we invite
you to relax and take time to read his wise words.
The Daily Mass Readings over the past week give us food for thought
as we welcome in the New Year. From loving our neighbour in thought,
word and deed to being vigilant concerning the deceit of the devil,
we have to keep our hearts and minds on Christ and lead holy lives,
being ever mindful of the fact that though we live in the world we
must not be of the world. Each of us is given daily sufferings and
trials. If we choose to accept them wisely they will bring us closer
to Our Lord and His Holy Mother, but we must also take care that our
own words and actions do not make others suffer.
This month’s edition will be brief as we are busy stocktaking. We
would like to take the opportunity to remind everyone that our
once-in-a-decade 10-70% off RRP Sale takes place
between 16th and 25th January. Only our Vision Books
and Holy Heroes products which are heavily discounted all year are
exempt. The heavily discounted items including Nativity Sets and
Christmas stock have been tagged. 2019 Calendars and Diaries are
20-40% off. Books, CDs and most Piety goods that have no sticker or
tag are 20% RRP off. DVDs and imported piety goods will be 10-15%
off. It is highly recommended that you visit us in St Marys to take
full advantage of the bargains we are offering. If you are unable to
come due to illness or distance we invite you to ring between
7:45am-8:45am and 5:15-6:00pm so we can give you our full attention.
If we do not answer please leave a message with your name and phone
number and we will return your call as soon as possible.
In addition our extensive range of secondhand
books and educational resources will be available for
you to peruse. There are resources available for general education,
especially homeschooling, religious education as well as books on
many aspects of the Catholic Faith. Come prepared to spend some time
checking out what is available.
Thank you for your prayers, generosity and patience in 2018 and we
wish everyone a peaceful and safe New Year, as we ask God through Our
Blessed Mother and the intercession of the saints, to protect and
bless all of us with abundant graces during 2019.
Gai Smith
Manager
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2019 Columban Art Calendar (RRP $9.00) has been reduced to $7.00
Divine Mercy Wall Calendar (RRP $10.00) now
$7.50
There is a limited supply of Tan Calendars (RRP
$24.95) for $15.00 and the beautiful
Saints Calendar and 16-Month Planner (RRP
$29.95) is $18.00.
Also 365 Days with the Lord 2019 (RRP $23.95) has
been reduced to $16.75
|
|
|
|
The One-Minute Aquinas: The Doctor’s Quick Answers to
Fundamental Questions by Kevin
Vost PsyD
If you don't have a year to study the more than 3,000 pages which St
Thomas Aquinas wrote then this is the book for you. Originally $39.95 it
is on special at $24.95
|
|
|
|
|
There is
a wide range of Christmas ornaments and Nativity sets reduced by 20-70%.
Our little clear resin “Church” hanging light-up ornament was $15.95. It
was on special for $9.95 before Christmas and there are still a couple
left. We would like to clear these so we have taken a further 25% off
making them $7.50 (Some Hartwood Creek Jim Shore Hanging ornaments will
be reduced by 20-30%)
We still have some Nativity sets left. They range in price from $49.95 -
$465.00 and will be reduced 20-40% from 16-25th January.
|
|
|
|
|
During
The Year of Mercy we had some very informative books published by the Pontifical
Council for Promotion of the New Evangelisation. The information in the
books is as relevant today as it was in 2015 and comes highly
recommended. We have several books left including:
Mercy and the Fathers of the Church
Mercy and the Teachings of the Popes
The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy
|
|
|
|
Celebrating Mercy
Confession: The Sacrament of Mercy
The Parables of Mercy
The Psalms of Mercy
The Saints in Mercy
The books were $19.90 RRP each and have been reduced by over 70% to $5.00
each.
There is a full set of the 8 books available for $29.95
|
|
|
|
|
In the
Question Time series of books Fr John Flader BA, DCL draws on more than
40 years of experience in handing on the Faith to answer questions on
doctrine, the sacraments, moral life , prayer and devotions. They were
originally published in Sydney's The Catholic Weekly.
Question Time 1, 2, 3 and 4 as well as The
Creed by Father John Flader each normally $29.95 RRP are
only $19.95 each during the Sale.
|
|
|
|
Also Fr
Flader’s DVD and Book Set Journey into Truth which
includes the full set of DVDs and the book (RRP $129.90) will be
available for $95.00 from 16th-25th January 2019.
|
|
|
|
|
Communion Photo Box or Baby Photo Box normally $19.95 are now $14.95
These boxes are silver plated and are ideal for storing rosaries,
necklaces, medals and scapulars in addition to photos and can be placed
on a dressing table or chest of drawers.
|
|
|
|
A Life of Our Lord for Children, The First Christians: The
Acts of the Apostles for Children, St Patrick's Summer: A Children's
Adventure Catechism and A Book of Angels by Marigold Hunt (RRP $23.95) will be $16.00 each, a
saving of $7.95 a book. These books are wonderfully written and packed
with pertinent information that gives children (6-15) a truly Catholic
understanding of the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Angels and the
fundamentals of our wonderful Faith. They are highly recommended.
|
|
|
|
|
My Ideal Jesus Son of Mary (RRP $13.95). We have some slightly older copies which we
have reduced to $9.75
Sister Germana’s Cucina: When Angels Cook: Traditional Italian
Cooking for Body and Soul. We reduced this from $34.95 to
$24.95 for Christmas and we still have a few copies left. We have reduced
these to $19.95 for the duration of the sale.
|
|
|
|
Rosinella’s Journey by Rosa
Melino (RRP $19.95) reduced to $6.00. This is the story of a young
Italian girl who immigrated to Australia in 1954. The story of leaving
their country of birth to make a better life in Australia is a common one
but the author’s simple style gives readers an understanding of what life
was like for those who came here, kept their faith and came to love
Australia. It can be used as a reader for 6-10 year olds. Highly
recommended.
Many Catechists love to teach their classes from the St
Joseph’s picture book range, 25% off during the sale.
|
|
|
Cardinal Newman
Catechist Consultants — 22nd August, 2018
HANDOUTS n. 171
“Clear, brief and
easily assimilated by all”
What’s to be done? The answer is Family Catechetics to make practising Catholics!
Download as a  PDF
Education in the faith by the parents should begin in
the child’s earliest years. This already happens when family members
help one another to grow in faith by the witness of a Christian life in
keeping with the Gospel. Family
catechesis precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith.
Parents have the mission of teaching
their children to pray and
to discover their vocation as children of God. The parish is the
Eucharistic community and the heart of the liturgical life of Christian
families; it is a privileged place for the catechesis of children and
parents. CCC n. 2226
Long ago, on 11th August, 1939, just two years after our last Plenary
Council in 1937, Sydney’s Archbishop Michael Kelly mandated the Old Green Catechism, saying:-
...the supreme obligation of each Pastor, and of
every parent, to have the catechism lessons taught to their respective
children in the FAMILY, in the CHURCH and in the SCHOOL.
That family catechetics comes first, before parish instruction and Catholic Schools, is
now in Canon Law:-
Before all
others, parents are bound to form their children, by word and example,
in faith and in Christian living. The same obligation binds godparents
and those who take the place of parents (CCL c. 774 §2).
Family
Catechetics is not optional. It’s essential. Also note the priest’s
role:-
By virtue of his office, the parish priest is bound
to ensure the catechetical formation of adults, young people and
children.... The parish priest is also to promote and to foster the
role of parents in the family
catechesis mentioned in
can. 774 §2.
(CCL c. 776)
Conduct pilot projects: Invite parents, priests and
others teachers to volunteer
to try out the Catholic Family Catechism in
homes, parishes and schools
— a mission for volunteers, not conscripts. CATECHISMS of Q&A
fulfill St John Paul II’s
prescription: “a suitable
catechism for families”, “clear, brief and easily assimilated by all”. The Christian Family in the Modern World (Familiaris
Consortio) §39.
Family Prayers are essential, plus parental guidance for bedside
private prayers as well. SYSTEMATIC and/or INFORMAL teaching all suit Family Catechetics, but keep in
mind:-
- Opt for “both
systematic and informal” rather than “either/or”.
- Planned home-lessons are sometimes needed,
though casual instruction is much better than none at all.
- Tutor one-to-one or in groups, as seems
best; older siblings can share in this catechetical work.
- Sacred
ceremonies/objects used
in church or home suit explanation/discussion.
- Sermons are often a foundation
for discussion with older children.
- Sing doctrinal hymns in
lounge, kitchen, car etc; learn
a hymn each week, or
at least, one verse.
- Learn/recite/chant an
OT/NT Bible text weekly; check
Creeds/Sacraments/Commandments/Prayers.
- Write — hand and eye
reinforce the ear; use dictation,
copying, creative
composing, etc.
- Pictures, specially for
youngsters, at home, in church; also draw your own pictures, also diagrams.
- Church history, beginning with Bible
History; lives of
saints and biographies of the faithful.
- Home library (and suggest to the
priest a parish have a library of DVDs, CDs, books, articles).
- Gather monthly with other families to
get ideas, inspiration, encouragement, what to avoid.
- Invite a priest to talk to parents while
others give a catechetics class to children in age groups.
Invite homeschoolers, catechists and Catholic school
teachers to get children memorizing
Questions & Answers. Try it out! And back it up by urging parents to have family prayers, at least before meals, and to come to Mass, for which children can be apostles to
their parents.
Persuade the lapsed to pray so God can prompt them to long to come closer to Him
at Mass.
We can declare the Apostles’ Creed (pp. 39-40) our Vision Statement. It summarizes the whole Bible, it presents
the principal mysteries of the Unity and Trinity of God, the
Incarnation, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the
sending of the Holy Spirit, the mission of the Church, and it relates
these to the ultimate end of man for all eternity. Our Mission Statement is Christ’s clarion call to “Repent and
Believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15), issued to each of us and to all mankind.
We need to cultivate those Seven Senses (p. 2) for
spiritual sensitivity to hear and heed God, and to empathize with His
people:-
A sense
of faith
and a sense of the sacred,
a sense of compassion
and a sense of humour,
a sense of history
and a sense of wonder,
a sense of the urgency of the
apostolate.
Catholic Homeschooling — an alternative
to “Schooling in Schools”
Catholic HOMESCHOOLING
is often adopted
after Family Catechetics has proved a success. Even call it Home TUTORING, to emphasize the one-to-one teaching of tutor to
pupil, parent to child. In Victoria, HOME-EDUCATING
is a preferred
name for homeschooling, to indicate its totality.
By any name, it really produces Catholic lay apostles
for our pagan society.
It is a complete education for a good and Godly
upbringing in Christian discipling and lay apostolate, and to be more
genuinely human, in that it cultivates
the 7 ’Rs, not just the 3 ’Rs:-
1.
Religion
brings us to God
and God to us, and so fulfils our created dignity, duty & destiny;
2.
Respect for self & others,
i.e. manners and self-control, helps us live with ourselves and to be
easy to live with;
3.
Reason, memory and
understanding, are from the image of God in us;
4.
Responsibility for our thoughts,
words and deeds: discernment to choose the good and reject evil;
5.
Reading, especially “living
books”, helps us share in the knowledge and goodwill of suitable
authors;
6.
’Riting, by which thought is
expressed most succinctly, and preserved, shared and disseminated;
7.
’Rithmetic, with fluency in
figuring, add, subtract, multiply, divide; also mentally for small
numbers.
N.B. nn. 5,6,7 are
life-skills of mind and body. Yet the absence of nn. 1,2,3,4 reduces
the efficacy of classroom teaching of the 3 ‘R’s to an endless, painful
and wasteful struggle in “crowd control”.
IS IT LEGAL? YES.
ARE PARENTS QUALIFIED? YES, mostly:-
·
Their own schooling/post-schooling.
·
Completion of three or four years of High
School plus life experience is enough to teach Primary.
·
Ongoing reading/study of
curriculum/content/method, and later on, taking courses/degrees:
·
cumulative experiences builds up
specialized skills in tutoring ages 2-20 years;
·
successfully married & bringing up
children for years;
·
unique interest in welfare of their own
children in body & soul;
·
God’s grace of state in the Sacrament of
Matrimony;
·
proven success: pupils get employment and
university entry at age 16 or 17 through “open university”.
·
Professionals teachers for classes of
25-30 try to cope with disparate ability, effort, interest. However,
diverse ability, interest, effort can be tutored more creatively
one-to-one. Moreover, home-techniques can induce pupils to work on their own with texts, “living books” and internet,
a better preparation for tertiary study.
HOME-TUTORING
ensures (1) the practice of the Faith and (2) better socialization.
Centering on the family, that under-valued yet most vital resource of our
civilization, home-tutoring is a richer and a different life-style of
schooling. It’s benefits are:-
- Socialization
(across
ages 0 to 90+) is better without the peer dependence from age-grading in schools.
- Peer friendships of
home-tutored children need not weaken parental and sibling
relationships.
- It forms children for inner security in an increasingly insecure world.
- No money is wasted on
school fees or transport; and no time is wasted in travelling.
- Employability is proven in the
outcomes: they pay taxes and don’t go on the dole.
- Family manners and
discipline predispose children for home-tutoring; their absence is
a nightmare
- Each learns at his own
pace —
not achieved by a school’s higher pupil-teacher ratio and more
distractions.
- The home-tutored are
free to work ahead of schedule and their academic success is
proven.
- School-style Homework is unnecessary:
afternoons and evenings are freer for jobs, hobbies and reading.
MORE ON SOCIALIZATION
Socialization means getting on well with parents, siblings, cousins, neighbours and
strangers both young and old. Big families hold out welcoming hands to
smaller. Indeed, some parents have given socialization as their first reason for home-schooling. USA
sociological studies show
home-tutored pupils are mostly better socialized, more courteous,
secure and ‘open’ than pupils at ordinary schools. Others again have
been moved to homeschool to impart the faith and life of the Catholic
Church when the official Catholic Schools failed to do so, or even
worked against it with false teaching.
Champion of
Christian homeschooling in the USA, psychologist Raymond Moore, found
that schools do not
socialize children, rather they make them ‘peer dependent’, i.e. subservient, enslaved. Peers at
school can reduce, usurp, even negate parental influence: victims
relate less well to their older and younger siblings at home.
Yes, children do
need peer friendships outside
their family: cousins,
neighbours, i.e. peers
without schools.
At a school, pupils easily lapse into ‘human
respect’, i.e. thinking or speaking (even acting out) false or ignoble
ideas lest they lose esteem in the eyes of peers — like a crowd
lowering one’s moral sensitivities. Peer pressure easily becomes psychological
bullying.
Also some parent groups set up Charter-style really
Catholic Schools — make enquiries, dialogue and visit.
Father James Tierney
© The Rev. B.J.H.
Tierney. Handouts are free and may be copied for any
non-profit teaching purpose. However, donations to defray costs are
welcome and should be made to the publisher and distributor, the
Cardinal Newman Faith Resources Inc. PO Box 359, St Marys NSW 1790;
phone 02 9673 2235; fax 02 9623 3181 email <fr@eardinalnewman.com.au>
|
|
|
|
Cardinal Newman
Catechist Consultants — 24th August, 2018
HANDOUTS n. 172
“Clear, brief and
easily assimilated by all”
Download
as a PDF
Part 3. Confession
SACRAMENTAL
CONFESSION is for the healing we can’t give ourselves
This sacrament of
Penance is necessary for salvation for those who have fallen after
Baptism, just as Baptism is necessary for salvation for those who have
not yet been reborn.
(ccc n. 980)
Priests have
received from God a power that he has given neither to angels nor to
archangels...
God above
confirms what priests do here below. (ccc
n. 983)
NAMES OF THE
SACRAMENT: Is it Penance, Reconciliation or Confession?
Penance is
penitence (Mark
1-.15) i.e. conversion (ccc nn. 1423, 1424). Many think of “penance” as “doing their penance”, the
Act of Satisfaction, because their penance is sacramentalized in this Sacrament of Forgiveness.
Pope St John Paul II popularized the name “Sacrament
of Reconciliation”, and the CCC uses it extensively, though by no means
exclusively. However, he also insisted that:
All seven
sacraments are reconciliation...
The old name,
Sacrament of Confession, still stands. (Reconciliatio et Penitentia §27 of 1984).
Canon Law, too, uses the expression “hearing
confessions” 22 times (in CCL nn. 961 §1
*1 to 986 *2; also in 566 *1, 630 *4), so better to say, “This is my First Confession”,
because First Reconciliation was Baptism.
CALL TO HOLINESS — continuous
conversion: “Repent and
believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15)
All the faithful are called to holiness (Lumen Gentium chapter 5; “Be holy for I am holy (1 Peter 1:16; cf.
Matthew 5:48)) and therefore go
to Confession regularly. The Introduction to the Rite of Penance says:
The members of
the Church are exposed to temptation and unfortunately often fall into
sin (Rite of Penance n. 3).
Frequent
confession of venial sins is like washing hands before meals, a
mid-course correction:
In the sacrament
of penance the faithful obtain from the mercy of God pardon for their
sins against Him; at the same time they are reconciled with the Church
... which works for their conversion by charity, example and prayer
(ibid n. 4).
The healing which
penance provides is varied. Those in grave sin ... are called back ...
to the life they have lost. Those with venial sins ... gain the full
freedom of the children of God (ibid n. 7).
The faithful must
confess to a priest each and every grave sin which they remember upon
examination of their conscience. Moreover, frequent and careful
celebration of this sacrament is also very useful as a remedy for venial sins. This is not a mere ritual repetition or
psychological exercise, but a serious striving to perfect the grace of
baptism ... to conform more
closely to Christ and to
follow the voice of the
Spirit more attentively (ibid n. 7).
Mortal sin is a ticket to Hell. The Sacrament of
Penance is “a second plank [of salvation] after the shipwreck which is
the loss of grace” (CCC n. 1446) and CCC n. 1447 gives its historical development. It
implies God (1) is merciful; (2) justice has moral absolutes, “Maker’s
instructions”, Ten Commandments.
If morality is taught in black and white, our conduct
will rise at least to various shades of grey. However, if morality is taught as shades of grey,
the conduct will be very black indeed.
GENERAL ABSOLUTION
The Third Rite of the Sacrament of Penance is for
emergencies, never normative,
and not for a large group of penitents who have
left it too late for normal confession (the First Rite) before a big
feast day. (ccc nn. 1483-1484; ccl nn. 961-963). The lure of an
easy option kills any zeal for holiness.
We need a challenge, not a soft option: the
easy is cheap and not valued. Think of the Syrian leper, Namaan, angry
at the casualness of Elisha the Prophet, who wouldn’t even come to the
door, but sent a servant to tell him to wash seven times in the Jordan.
Namaan was insulted and turned away in a towering rage. He was being
taught humility, and repented after his own servants chided him:
If the prophet had
commanded you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? (2 Kings 5:8-14)
Bringing out the
best in a man requires him
to do something especially difficult:
Tom had discovered
a great law of human action, without knowing it, namely, that, in order
to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make it
difficult.
Mark Twain: The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer, on
whitewashing the fence.
Significantly, this is quoted in The Book of Virtues, as also is Sir Ernest Shackleton
(1874-1922), who was flooded
with applicants after his
advertisement for volunteers for an antarctic expedition:-
MEN WANTED
FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of
complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and
recognition in case of success.
Making-it-more-noble
is even more
important than “making-it-difficult”: a motto for the Christian life
must be “Excelsior”, “Friend, go up higher” (Luke
14:10), “Be perfect”, “be
holy” (Matthew 5:48; 1 Peter 1:15,16).
WHAT’S TO BE DONE? and urgently, since the Church exists to turn sinners into saints
Reminders are
needed: sacramental Confession is required (except for newly baptized)
for:
- those
in mortal sin (CCL
n. 916; “Let a man examine himself,” 1 Corinthians 11:28);
- receiving first Holy
Communion ( "Let
the children come to Me, Matthew 19:14; and CCL c. 914);
- receiving Confirmation
when separated from Baptism (ccc n. 1310; cf. n. 1319).
The sequence of these sacraments need not be exactly the same for
children baptized in infancy as for adult catechumens and converts (see Handouts n. 11, The 3 C’s, Confession, Communion,
Confirmation: What order?):-
In a special way,
the parish priest is to ensure... children are properly prepared
for First confession and first communion, and
for the sacrament of
confirmation, [note
the
order!] by means of catechetical formation over an
appropriate period of time... (ccl c. ill 2°).
Counselling is a secondary aspect of the Sacrament of Penance.
Yet when The Rite of Penance was
renewed in 1976, other changes were slipped in as if they were parts of the new rite.
These involved
extensive and expensive reconstruction of confessionals as
“confessional rooms”, with a chair for the penitent to sit face to face
with the priest and without
the grill between them.
With a penitent no longer kneeling, but simply
sitting, it seemed more like a therapy session and, in some places, the
penitent was persuaded to forgive himself, psycho-style... Further,
some priests insisted on ‘face to face’ — that or nothing. It
was very insensitive
towards those confessing embarrassing sins. And CCL of 1983 in c. 964 was somewhat
imprecise in a more-or-less insistence on a fixed grill between priest
and penitent. But sitting is the
wrong body language. The
previous supernatural symbolism of kneeling was gone. Besides, in the
Bible, kneeling is for humility and adoration and an appeal for
forgiveness (Matthew 18:29; Luke 5:8). Make it the default option.
Restoration of a
three hour fast for Holy
Communion would reduce embarrassment for those in need of Confession to
avoid unworthy reception
out of human respect. The
present canon law is:
Whoever is to
receive the Blessed Eucharist is to abstain for at least one hour before Holy Communion from all food and
drink with the sole exception of water and medicine. (CCL c. 919 §1)
After suitable
intense preaching, it could be changed from “At least one hour” to
“three hours”, and dispensable by confessors in the internal forums of
Confession or confidential counselling.
Indiscriminate
Holy Communion at school Masses,
weddings and funerals must cease, and the ignorance of non-Catholics
and even practising Catholics, can be cured by kindly instruction.
School Masses for
lapsed Catholics and non-believers might better be replaced by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The Real Presence and the Sense of Sacredness
needs to be preached (see p. 6). It would help lax ‘pray-ers’ to adore God, and
also children preparing for First Communion.
“Confession” of the
Faith, the faith which
is the truth about God
This is the usage
in a majority of Bible texts on “confession”; confession of sins is in
fewer texts.
Our chief
pastoral need, as always, is to Proclaim the Good News. The Good News
is:-
...that I may know
Him and the power of His resurrection,
and may share His
sufferings, becoming like Him in His death... (Philippians 3:10)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son,
that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at
hand;
repent and believe
in the gospel. (Mark 1:15)
Thus the Good
News is to rejoice in Christ’s Resurrection and to take up His Cross.
WHAT’S TO BE DONE
to love and serve the Lord?
Face the facts:
some falsehoods abound:-
- Christianity without
the Cross; capitulation to worldliness; “politically correct”
alien paradigms.
- Morals without reality
or revelation or any sound reasoning, left only with
self-contradictory relativism.
- Miracles in Scripture
demythologized by an absurd hermeneutics of their ‘scientific’
impossibility.
- Doctrine without
Scripture, Tradition or Magisterium to suit “cafeteria
pick-&-choose Christians”.
- Catechetics without
content and Catholic schools without Catholicism in many cases.
- Three generations
without prayer, faith, piety, Sunday Mass, Friday Penance, or any
Confession.
- Liturgy without The
Sense of the Sacred and over-emphasis on intelligibility often
reduced to banality.
- Holy Communion without
sacramental Confession of grave sins (or any sin) — abolition of a
sacrament!
- Ignorant insensitive
priests making public their generalizations about confessions they
have heard.
- Ignorant judges,
lawyers and politicians who think the seal of Confession is
dispensable.
- Character without the
courage to renounce the Devil’s modern temptations: it’s a
devolution into vice.
- The addiction of
churchmen to ‘experts’, gurus, fashions and “to hear something
new” (Acts
17:21).
Father
James Tierney
© The Rev. B.J.H.
Tierney. Handouts are free and may be copied for any
non-profit teaching purpose. However, donations to defray costs are
welcome and should be made to the publisher and distributor, the
Cardinal Newman Faith Resources Inc. PO Box 359, St Marys NSW 1790;
phone 02 9673 2235; fax 02 9623 3181 email <fr@eardinalnewman.com.au>
|
|
|
|
Cardinal Newman
Catechist Consultants — 24th August, 2018
HANDOUTS n. 173
“Clear, brief and
easily assimilated by all”
Natural
Morality (Natural Moral Law)
Download as a PDF
PERSONAL MORALITY: The
Ten COMMANDMENTS
Australian laws and our Federal Constitution still
contain a deal of the Bible — Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21, as
revealed by God to Moses, 13th century B.C. (or
14th or 12th ?) — thus:-
1.
God Almighty: pre-amble to Constitution and use of the
Lord’s Prayer in Parliament.
2.
His Name not taken in vain: hence swearing into office and oaths in
court in God’s Name.
3.
Keep holy the Lord’s (Sabbath) day: workers’ right to a weekly day-off for
rest and worship.
4.
Honour father and mother: upholding of marriage and family life — until recently!
5.
Duty to defend human life from murder — now weakened by abortion and euthanasia.
6.
Duty to defend
marriage from adultery — now
abandoned, or even approved
as “P.C.”!
7.
Duty to defend property from theft — more or less upheld.
8.
Prohibition on false witness — more or less upheld.
9.
Duty to avoid lustful thoughts — now little protection from pornography.
10.
Duty to avoid covetous thoughts — never
could be law, but socially desirable.
The Code of Hammurabi from Babylon, 18th century B.C., has six of the Ten Commandments. It is
a pagan testimony to natural morality (natural moral law), though in a
motley mix with civil edicts and laced with penalties so draconian as
to make Leviticus read like a toddler’s tale at a Sunday School picnic.
SOCIAL MORALITY: SUBSIDIARITY and SOLIDARITY
Each these principles as simple truths of good
philosophy rather than as “Catholic Social Teaching”
1. How is social philosophy based on
natural morality?
Social philosophy
is based on natural morality:
1.
Man is created by God, in His image;
2.
with the dignity of being a person;
3.
that is, with an intellect and freedom;
4.
called to an eternal destiny with God;
5.
with God-given rights and duties;
6.
blessed by God to live in society;
7.
which has authority to uphold rights.
2. Why is social philosophy complicated?
Social philosophy
is complicated because the exercise of personal rights may have to be
limited by society to ensure the rights of others in that the purpose
of society is to uphold the common good.*
* A “good” is a
perfection or purpose, e.g. “A struggle to make good.”
The Common
Good
3. What is the common good?
The common good
is the social benefit in which every person shares and which society
has a duty to uphold to ensure the natural human rights of everyone. It
is not the greatest good of the greatest number, nor is it decided by
majority vote. The common good is not the same as the public good; the
public good is the means by which the political society supports the
common good.
Subsidiarity, a
social Right: “All for one”
4. What is the principle of subsidiarity?
The principle of
subsidiarity* is that
society exists for the sake of persons and not persons for the sake of
society, so society must
help persons and smaller societies to function, and not usurp them, so
that they enjoy freedom and rights and share in the common good.
* Subsidiarity is
being supportive; subsidiary means subordinate.
SOLIDARITY, a
social Duty - “One for all”
5. What is the principle of solidarity?
The principle of
solidarity* is that every person and smaller society has a duty to make
society workable by accepting its authority and so to contribute to the
common good.
* Solidarity implies that some subordination is
necessary.
“All for one, One for all”*
6. What ensures both personal freedom and social
order within society?
Personal freedom
and social order are ensured by a proper balance between subsidiarity
and solidarity so that the common good is upheld. The common good is
supportive of the person and the person is subordinate to the common
good.
* More or less, “all for one” is subsidiarity, and
“one for all” is solidarity.
Social Evils
7. What happens if subsidiarity or solidarity is
ignored?
If subsidiarity
is ignored, an excessive
emphasis on solidarity leads to socialism and totalitarianism, whether
fascism or communism; if solidarity is ignored, an excessive emphasis
on subsidiarity leads to capitalism and individualism.*
*To disregard these
dangers is to rush headlong into the quick-sands of Modernism in the
moral, juridical and social order, said Pius XI, 1931, in Quadragesimo Anno §46.
Society, Family and Person
8. When is socialization justifiable?
Socialization is
justifiable only as a last resort.
“The function of
the State’s authority is twofold: to protect and foster families and
individuals, but neither to absorb them nor substitute itself for
them.”*
* Pope Pius XI,
1929, Divini illius magistri §19 Catholic
Family Catechism Apostles’ Edition
nn. 458-471
“Confession of the Christian Faith” also
means upholding Natural Morality
Morality for Politicians
Christians
politicians need to uphold natural law morality in union with all men
of goodwill:-
Political
structuring and organization of social life... task of the lay
faithful... on their own initiative... with the common good in view...
conforming with the Gospel and the teaching of the Church... (CCC n.
2442)
NO ONE CAN NEGATE IN-BUILT MORALS — not even
politicians and professors
Thus declared Cicero, a pagan Roman lawyer, 106-43 B.C.
If it were not grounded in
nature there would be no justice, and all virtues would cease to exist.
How otherwise can
magnanimity, love of one’s country, pietas, meriting the good opinion of others and
honouring obligations, exist? For these arise from the fact that we are
by nature inclined to love our fellow men. This is
the foundation of justice. Were this not so, then respect for our
fellow men, and for the ceremonies and religions of the gods would
cease — things that must be preserved, not out of fear but because of
the link that exists between man and god [in coniunctione quae est homini cum deo]. If what is just is decided by
the will of the people, or by decrees of princes or sentences of
judges, then thievery could be lawful as could adultery and perjury — if such
were determined by the votes or opinions of the mob. Were such power to
arise from the opinions and commands of unwise people, then by their
will the very nature of things would be turned on its head. What is to
stop such people declaring evil and pernicious things to be good and
sound? If such ‘law’ [based on opinion] can make unjust things just,
what’s to stop it making evil things, good? Nature is the norm that
enables us to distinguish a good law from a bad one. And it’s not only
justice and injustice that are judged by their nature, but also, of
course, what is honourable and what is dishonourable. For, as common
sense makes clear to us, and instills in our minds from our very
beginnings, honour is derived from virtue, and dishonour from vice. It
would be madness to think that their reality is determined by people’s
opinion rather than by their very essence.
Cicero, De
Legibus, Liber Primus §§ 43-45
; transl. by Father Paul Stenhouse MSC, Annals Australasia
2/2017
Cicero speaks of it again in another passage:-
There is in fact a true
law, namely right reason, which is in accordance with nature, applies
to all men, and is unchangeable and eternal. By its commands this law
summons men to the performance of their duties; by its prohibitions it
restrains them from doing wrong. Its commands and prohibitions always
influence good men, but are without effect upon the bad.
To invalidate
this law by human legislation is never morally right, nor is it
permissible ever to restrict its operation and to annul it wholly is
impossible. Neither the Senate [of ancient republican Rome] nor the
people can absolve us from our obligation to obey this law, and it requires
no Sextus Aelius [a famous politician] to expound and interpret it. It
will not lay down one rule at Rome and another at Athens, nor will it
be one rule today and another tomorrow. But there will be one law,
eternal and unchangeable, binding at all times and upon all peoples;
and there will be, as it were, one common master and ruler of men,
namely God, who is the author of this law, its interpreter and its
sponsor.
Cicero, Republic III, 22 (trans. by Brother Christian Moe
FSC)
St Paul also proclaimed objective moral goodness as a law “written in our hearts” (Romans
2:15).
CIVIL LAW
Parliaments make
civil law about justice; civil law is not about love or feelings.
God makes Divine
Law about justice and love and feelings.
Laws are an
alternative to dictatorial government by decree and not by law.
Civil laws harmonize relationships in society and so
must deal with new situations, imposing obligations for behaviour, but
always in accord with natural morality. They can change the details but
not the underlying morality. They can confer various civil rights, but
not abolish natural human rights.
Parliaments need to debate the limits of their
authority, that they can’t do anything they like. .“We get the
politicians we deserve,” and many now reject God, Conscience and
Commandments, so they are quickly exhausting their inherited dwindling
little stocks of moral capital into a moral bankruptcy.
ECONOMIC DETERMINISM
“Political
Correctness” from today’s social engineers reverses true priorities. A
State-organized economy exists for the people, a means to end, not
people sacrificed to the economy.
Forcing mothers
into paid work is bad for children. See Dr Peter Cook’s Mothering Matters.
Indeed, great economies would be achieved if society upheld God, His Laws, human Conscience. Conscience is “a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12KJV). Taxation could be
reduced if the Ten Commandments were government policy and taught in
state schools as standards for our society. It is in family life that
we learn “no murder, adultery, theft or lies”. But first we must honour
God and not insult Him.
Father James Tierney
© The Rev. B.J.H.
Tierney. Handouts are free and may be copied for any
non-profit teaching purpose. However, donations to defray costs are
welcome and should be made to the publisher and distributor, the
Cardinal Newman Faith Resources Inc. PO Box 359, St Marys NSW 1790;
phone 02 9673 2235; fax 02 9623 3181 email <fr@eardinalnewman.com.au>
|
|
|
|
THIS APOSTOLATE NEEDS YOUR
HELP
All donations large or small are
gratefully received from benefactors to assist in our valuable
apostolate. Please be assured that you are remembered in our prayers. To
help you, we have purchase an extensive new range of stock and are
upgrading our on-line services. You can assist by:
- Being a Volunteer on a
roster for a few hours a week; a regular 2 hours or more would be
great
- Making a donation, either
by direct deposit or by using the form below
- Buying books and
religious goods from us
- Direct Deposit - ANZ
Bank: BSB 012408 Account: 227329572 Please cite your
name as our reference. For notification of the direct deposit
remittance: fr@cardinalnewman.com.au
or fax: (02) 9623 3181
- credit card, cheque,
money order - please return the form below to: Cardinal Newman Faith
Resources Inc PO BOX 359 ST MARYS 1790
|
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment