CHAPTER EIGHT Respect for Life

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. Who Deserves Our Love

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

Healthy Self-Love Growing in Self-Esteem How? Pray for the gift of faith to know and believe that God loves you unconditionally. 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.

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

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

The Fifth Commandment Special Examples of Killing Capital Punishment: 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 Special Examples of Killing Capital Punishment: 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 Special Examples of Killing The Catholic Church is against war, always promoting a peaceful settlement of disputes. War: 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 and Other Violations Against the Fifth Commandment abortion 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.

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 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.

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

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

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 Cardinal Virtues – Hinge virtues that Support moral living Prudence – right reason in action Justice – Giving God and Each person His or her due By right Fortitude – Courage to persist In living a Christian life Temperance – Moderation in Controlling our Desires for physical pleasures

Respecting Personal Health Temperance Abstinence – tempers our desire for food and other pleasure-producing substances Sobriety – moderates our desire for alcoholic drinks Chastity – helps us control our sex drive in a way compatible with our state in life

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