Chapter 1: The Gift of Being Human

Being True to Yourself This above all: to thine own self be true And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man. - Polonius, Hamlet 1.3 Why does being true to yourself help you to be honest with others?

Being True to Ourselves 8 Steps to Integrity: Everyone doesn’t have to like us. It’s ok to make mistakes. Other people are ok; so are you. You don’t have to control everything. We are responsible for how we feel and what we do. It’s important to try. We are capable and can change. So can others. We can be flexible.

Keeping God in Mind History has shown time and time again that when humans forget about God, or make themselves into gods, they bring on trouble and wreak havoc on the rest of creation. (28) What does it mean for humans to ‘make themselves into gods’? When in American or world history have people forgotten God or tried to assume that role themselves?

Male and Female: Complementary Creatures Read Genesis passage on p. 28 Divine Image: God Gives us “godlike qualities” – the ability to think, choose, love, and relate to others Interdependence: whereas independence means that I can handle things on my own, interdependence means that I need help from others and they need help from me Complementary: “making up for what is lacking in the other”

Creation: Made in God’s Image Characteristics: Intellect, Free Will, Ability to Love, Ability to be Responsible, Ability to Grow Free Will is foremost among these gifts, because all the others depend on it. How? Free Will: “The power, rooted in reason and will that enables a person to perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility.” Free Will is the ability to do three things: Make decisions Act on those decisions Be held responsible for those decisions.

Creation is Good: Human Dignity Creation is good because: God made things the way that he wanted them to be God made human beings in his own image Human Dignity: The quality of being worthy of esteem or respect. Dignity is inherent, inviolable, and inalienable. God has given us this dignity by creating us out of love. Every human person has worth and value because each person is made in God’s image. Respect for human dignity is the cornerstone of morality and Christian ethics.

Free Will: A Caveat* Read the discussion of “freedom” on pp. 35-6. Points of emphasis: Freedom is indeed a great gift from God. But as with all gifts, we must know what it is and how to use it responsibly. True freedom is not license, that is, “unbridled” freedom to do what we want to do whenever we want to do it, regardless of the consequences. The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes… The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to ‘the slavery of sin.’ (CCC 1733) *caveat (n) – a modifying or cautionary detail to be considered when evaluating, interpreting, or doing something.

Creation: Responsibilities Stewardship: An act of caretaking which requires that we value creation as good in itself, not simply because it is useful to us. The principle of stewardship allows humans to navigate the responsibilities of our dual roles as: Creatures Created by God out of love God is the Creator; we are not. Caretakers Summit of Creation Dominion – the responsibility to care for all of creation

Principle of Subsidiarity Critical Terms: Subsidiarity: The principle of Catholic social teaching that holds that a higher unit of society should not do what a lower unit can do as well or better. Common Good: “Sum total of social conditions that allow people, either as groups or individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.” Solidarity: The Christian Virtue of social charity or friendship.

Principle of Subsidiarity Important Ideas: The human person is and should be “the principle, subject, and object” of every society. All people have the right and duty to participate in the life of the various societies to which they belong Political authority must be used morally and guarantee the conditions that promote true human freedom. Societies should promote virtue and challenge individuals to turn from sin, serve others justly, and contribute their gifts and talents to the common good.

Sin: In the Bible, Sin is defined as: Original Sin… Failure to love others Failure to be human Original Sin… Not just eating an apple Mankind’s desire to be god From the (old) Textbook: Sin is 'inherited' as a part of the human condition: we experience ourselves as estranged from others and from who we really are through feelings of powerlessness, brokenness, and insecurity, and through suffering and pain. (p. 66) From St. Paul... What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate.... For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. (Romans 7:15, 19)

Original Sin: The consequences of the sin of our first parents; the hereditary stain with which human beings are born because of our origins or descent from Adam and Eve. Description of the Original Sin from CCC 397: Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God’s command. This is what man’s first sin consisted of. All subsequent sin would be disobedience toward God and a lack of trust in his goodness.