Natural Law
What is law according to Catholic teaching?
Law is an ordinance of reason for the common good.
What is the Doctrine of Double Effect?
A principle used to evaluate actions that have both good and bad effects.
What are the three parts of the moral act?
Object, intention, and circumstances.
What does the word “sin” (hamartia) mean?
It means “missing the mark.”
Who ultimately forgives sins in Catholic theology?
Christ.
What is the natural law?
The natural law is the rational creature’s participation in the eternal law.
What is the first condition for the Doctrine of Double Effect?
The action itself must not be intrinsically evil.
What is an intrinsically evil act?
An act that is always wrong regardless of intentions or circumstances.
What is concupiscence?
An inclination to sin inherited through original sin.
What sacrament ordinarily forgives mortal sin?
The sacrament of confession (reconciliation/penance).
Why is conscience not always reliable in applying natural law?
Because fallen human nature and disordered socio-cultural influences can distort our moral judgment.
Why can the bad effect not be the means to the good effect?
Because Catholic moral theology teaches that evil cannot be used as a means to achieve good.
Why can’t good intentions make an evil action moral?
Because “the ends cannot justify the means.”
What distinguishes mortal sin from venial sin?
Mortal sin involves grave matter, full knowledge, and full consent.
What is perfect contrition?
Repentance motivated by pure love for God.
Why do human beings need divine law in addition to natural law?
Because divine law gives certainty about moral matters and elevates morality beyond the natural order toward the Beatific Vision.
Give an example of an action that has both good and bad effects.
Defending your family from an intruder results in a good effect (protection) and a bad effect (harm to the intruder).
How can circumstances affect the morality of an action?
Circumstances can increase or decrease responsibility, but cannot turn an evil act into a good one.
What happens when someone dies in a state of mortal sin?
They lose sanctifying grace and are headed for damnation.
How are venial sins forgiven during Mass?
Through the penitential act and by receiving the Eucharist.
How does the natural law help evaluate whether an action is good or evil?
It allows humans to use reason to measure actions against the moral order established by God; actions aligned with human flourishing are good, and actions contrary to this order are evil.
Why is the trolley problem used in discussing Double Effect?
Because it shows how a single action may save lives (good effect) while also causing death (bad effect), requiring application of all DDE criteria to determine morality.
How does Double Effect relate to the evaluation of a moral act?
It allows a morally good act with an unintended bad side effect to be permissible if all four criteria are met, showing a nuance beyond intention alone.
Why does venial sin still matter if it does not destroy charity?
Because it damages the soul, requires purification, and predisposes the person to future mortal sin.
What is an indulgence and how does it relate to purgatory?
An indulgence removes the temporal punishment for sin, reducing the purification needed in purgatory before entering heaven.