Slide 1 This is a slide for the first movement

How are you being true to yourself? Our challenge as Christians is to love God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To love others and to love ourselves, as Jesus did. When we do so we act in the best interest of our ‘true self’ and in the best interest of others.

How are you being true to yourself? Three aspects of what it means to be human: We are... Rational beings: with the ability to reason and think Social beings: created to live in relationship with others Free beings: with the ability to make choices

Jesus proclaimed that he ‘came into the world to testify to the truth’ (John 18:37) Throughout history, millions of Christians have given their lives in witness to the truth, who is Jesus Christ. Martyrdom is the ultimate commitment to living a truthful life in the Lord. The Eighth Commandment states, ‘You shall not bare false witness against your neighbor’. Living truthful lives

Lying is a direct offense against the truth. Lying includes speaking or acting against the truth or deceiving others from knowing the truth. Lying hurts people by weakening the trust in a relationship. Living truthful lives

Forms of lying: Perjury is lying under oath Duplicity is saying or doing one thing and acting the opposite Dissimulation is concealing the truth with the intention to deceive Hypocrisy is claiming to have moral standards but living otherwise

Living truthful lives Silence or discreet language may be the appropriate choice to uphold respect or safety, or for the common good of another. Keeping secrets and confidences is not the same as lying. Professional confidences are kept between Doctor and patient Lawyer and client Priest and confessor If someone learns about another’s plan to do harm to his or herself, or to another, they have the obligation out of love to seek help.

Living truthful lives Gossip is the unnecessary sharing of personal information about another which can cause harm. Gossip does violence to another person. Because of today’s media, gossip can spread very quickly. We are obliged to not join in on gossip. It is our obligation to stop the spread of gossip.

Choose life so that you may live By our very nature we are called by God to be life-givers and not life-takers. Pope John Paul II taught that a violation of this principle leads to ‘a culture of death’. The Church models an attitude of reverence for the sacredness of every human life.

Acts which are contrary to the Fifth Commandment: Abortion: the act of taking the life of the unborn child The Church offers care, support and financial aid to women who need help in nurturing their unborn child. We can work against laws that allow ‘legal’ abortion and encourage adoption for an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy. Choose life so that you may live

Stem Cell Research: Producing or using stem cells from embryos is against moral law. The embryo is the baby’s earliest stage of development and must be protected. Research conducted on adult stem cells does not infringe on the dignity of the human person and therefor is not against moral law.

Choose life so that you may live Euthanasia: The intentional ending of a human life in order to end the suffering of a person. Voluntary euthanasia (assisted suicide): A terminally ill person seeks the assistance of a medical professional to end their life. Suicide: The intentional taking of one’s own life.

Love and respect for all human life— even those who call themselves your enemy The Catholic Church favors non-violent resolution of differences. Under very strict conditions, war may be justified. The key condition for going to war is that it must be the last resort a society has in its self-defense.

Love and respect for all human life— even those who call themselves your enemy The just war tradition states that the following criteria must be satisfied to override the strong presumption against lethal force. Just cause Comparative Justice Legitimate Justice Legitimate Authority Right Intention Probability of Success Proportionality Last Resort

Love and respect for all human life— even those who call themselves your enemy The just war tradition imposes the following moral standards for the conduct of armed conflict. Noncombatant Immunity: Civilians may not be the object of direct attack Proportionality: Avoid disproportionate collateral damage to civilian life and property Right Intention: The aim of political and military leaders must be peace with justice

Love and respect for all human life— even those who call themselves your enemy The Catholic Church upholds the State’s rights to protect its citizens from those who will remain a threat to society. This purpose can be achieved by sentencing a criminal to life in prison. The Catholic Church teaches that the State should practice restorative justice which aims at the rehabilitation of the offender.

Sr. Helen Prejean Sr. Helen Prejean was born in 1939 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She joined the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille (now known as the Congregation of St. Joseph) in She began her ministry with the imprisoned in Sr. Helen became spiritual advisor to Patrick Sonnier, a convicted killer of two teenagers. This experience opened Sr. Helen’s eyes to the inhumane practice of capital punishment.

Sr. Helen Prejean Sr. Helen is an advocate for the elimination of the death penalty. Her book Dead Man Walking is an eye-witness account of the death penalty in the U.S. and its contribution to a culture of death. As the founder of ‘Survive’, a victim’s advocacy group, she counsels inmates on death row and families of murder victims.