CHAPTER EIGHT Respect for Life

Who Deserves Our Love We must love each person as a unique individual, a person with dignity and worth because that is how God loves us. We need to love ourselves in order to love God and others.

Healthy Self-Love self-esteem A sense of happiness and contentment about who you are as a human being.

Healthy Self-Love How? Growing in the Virtue of Self-Esteem Pray for the gift of faith to know and believe that God loves you unconditionally. Look to the crucifix. Imagine Jesus whispering, “I love you.” Repeat these words from the Gospel of John: “As the Father loves me, so also I love you. Remain in my love.” List all of the people who accept you as you are. Ask God to forgive your sins. Learn from mistakes and let them go. Laugh at yourself. Practice humility. Praise and thank God.

Prejudice against old people The Fourth Commandment Honor your father and mother. ageism Prejudice against old people Any “action or omission which of itself and by intention causes death, with the purpose of eliminating suffering “ (Gospel of Life, 65). euthanasia

The Fourth Commandment Honor This commandment helps regulate relationships within our social groups where authority is exercised. Honor involves respect, admiration, and recognition of one’s dignity. Honor flows from the virtue of justice.

The Fourth Commandment Honor This commandment promotes family values. The family is the domestic Church which mirrors the love and community of the Triune God. Every human being is worthy of honor, especially parents. Children should honor their parents by observing their wishes. Parents should honor their children as precious images of God, and respect their vocation and career choices.

The Fifth Commandment Human life comes from and returns to God. You shall not kill. Human life comes from and returns to God. This commandment teaches respect for human life and condemns as gravely sinful any direct, intentional killing.

The Fifth Commandment Capital Punishment: Special Examples of Killing Criminals do merit punishment for their crimes. Purpose of punishment: To set right the disorder caused by criminal offenses To preserve public order and personal safety To correct the offender Revenge can never be the motive for our actions.

The Fifth Commandment Capital Punishment: Special Examples of Killing Reasons U.S. Bishops oppose capital punishment in A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death: The sanction of death, when it is not necessary to protect society, violates respect for human life and dignity. State-sanctioned killing in our names diminishes all of us. Its application is deeply flawed and can be irreversibly wrong. We have other ways to punish criminals and protect society.

The Fifth Commandment War: Special Examples of Killing The Catholic Church is against war, always promoting a peaceful settlement of disputes. The Catholic Church recognizes that governments have the right and responsibility to pass laws to enlist citizens to help defend the nation.

The Fifth Commandment Special Examples of Killing Conditions to fight in a “just” war: There must be a real, lasting, grave and certain danger. War must be a last resort. The rights and values in the conflict must be important enough to justify killing. War has to be waged for the noblest reasons and with a commitment for postwar reconciliation with the enemy.

The Fifth Commandment Special Examples of Killing Conditions to fight in a “just” war: Only proper representation of the people have the right to declare a war of defense. The chance of success must be calculated against the human cost of war. Armed conflict must not create even worse evil than that to be eliminated.

The Fifth Commandment Special Examples of Killing The moral law hold in times of warfare. There must be no attacks on innocent noncombatants; genocide; terrorism; or use of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons – all of which indiscriminately destroy persons and property.

The Fifth Commandment abortion Abortion and Other Violations Against the Fifth Commandment The deliberate killing of unborn human life by means of medical or surgical procedures. Direct abortion is seriously wrong because it is an unjustified attack on human life. abortion

The Fifth Commandment Abortion and Other Violations Against the Fifth Commandment The fifth commandment forbids scandal; kidnapping; hostage-taking; torture of prisoners; terrorist acts; and bodily mutations, amputations, and sterilizations performed for non-medical purposes.

The Fifth Commandment Respect all life. Don’t judge others. Pray. What Can we do About Abortion? Respect all life. Don’t judge others. Pray. Get involved. Be informed.

The Fifth Commandment Corporal Works of Mercy The Church holds that one is not guilty of the sin of euthanasia when a decision is made with the patient’s approval to withhold “aggressive medical treatment.” Extraordinary means (like a heroic and costly operation on a dying patient) can be refused Ordinary means (food, oxygen) should always be used to care for the sick. A person may take painkillers to lessen suffering.

Suicide The Fifth Commandment Corporal Works of Mercy Taking of one’s own life Suicide We should not judge. We should pray. Suffering of grave psychological problems

The Fifth Commandment Assisted Suicide Corporal Works of Mercy The intentional assistance of any dying or suffering person in taking his or her own life.

Respecting Personal Health The Fifth Commandment requires us to exercise the virtue of prudence to take care of our health, one of God’s precious gifts to us. However, we should not make our bodies our god.

Respecting Personal Health

Respecting Personal Health

Vocabulary Self-esteem Euthanasia Abortion Suicide Assisted suicide Cardinal virtues Prudence Justice Fortitude Temperance Abstinence Sobriety Chastity