HUMAN PERSON: CHOSEN PEOPLE OF GOD (2.

2)

Word of God

TRUE FREEDOM COMES FROM KNOWING CHRIST THROUGH GENUINE

FAITH AND ABIDING IN HIS WORD.
Jesus gives these arrogant Jews both a warning and an invitation. After stating that they
are slaves to sin (8:34), He gives the warning (8:35), “The slave does not remain in the
house forever; the son does remain forever.” He means, “As descendants of Abraham,
you’re in God’s household, but because of sin, you’re in His household as slaves, not as
true sons. Slaves don’t enjoy the full privileges of sons. Slaves can be expelled from the
household at any time, especially if they’re not faithful. You’re currently enjoying the
privileges of being in God’s household, but you could lose this status if you continue in
your sinful ways.”
Since they had mentioned Abraham, the story of Ishmael, the son of Hagar the slave, is
behind verse 35. When Ishmael taunted Isaac, Abraham was forced to expel him from
his household. The Jews who were threatening to kill Jesus (8:37, 40) were in danger of
losing the privileges of being in God’s household (Rom. 9:4-5). But Jesus didn’t leave
them with a warning only. He gave them an invitation (8:36), “So if the Son makes you

free, you will be free indeed.” He’s saying, “Come to Me; I will give you true
freedom.
DISCERN
Christian Moral Life
Simply the call to become loving persons, in the fullness of life-with-others-in-community before God, in
imitation of Jesus Christ.
Human Person
 a conscious, historical, unique, relational embodied spirit with innate dignity – created, redeemed,
graced now for eternal life.
 considered in the light of both reason and faith.
“The inviolable dignity of every human person…is the most precious possession of an individual,
[whose] value comes not from what a person ‘has’ as much as from what a person ‘is’ .” (CL 37)
Person in Christ
• In Christ and through Christ, we have acquired full awareness of our dignity
• The heights to which we are raised
• The surpassing worth of our own humanity
• The meaning of our existence
• All persons are created by God in His Image and Likeness (CF. Gen 1:26)
• All persons are called to be children of God.

Persons in Experience
1. Persons are open and relational by nature:
created by God as a social beings.
redeemed by Christ as a people.
the Holy Spirit works not only within but among us as the people of God, journeying toward our
common destiny in God

2. Persons are conscious beings:

• Aware of themselves in their outgoing acts.
Human Freedom
• Possess this self-awareness through our knowing and free will.

3. Persons are embodied spirits:

• This stresses the unity between our “body and soul”.
• St. Paul admonishes us: “You must know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is within-
the Spirit you have received from God…So, glorify God in your body”. (1 Cor. 6:19-20)

4. Persons are historical realities:

• who gradually through time, become our full selves.
• Decide and form ourselves; in this sense we are our own cause.

5. Persons are unique, yet fundamentally equal:

• “All men are endowed with a rational soul and are created in God’s image; they have the same
nature and origin and, being redeemed by Christ they enjoy the same divine calling and destiny;
there is here a basic equality between all men” (GS 29).
  Authentic Freedom - is not “the right to say and do anything,” but to “do the good” (cf.
CCC1740).
 But the greatest single obstacle to authentic freedom is SIN.
Authentic Human Freedom
 is a shared capacity with others in the community for choosing not anything at all but what is good, in
order to become our true selves.
 TWO OBSTACLES IN AUTHENTIC FREEDOM:
 Freedom from (interior threats) – come from within us.
 Freedom for (exterior threats) –arise from our environment.
Freedom of the Children of God
• The goal of this process and task of personal freedom is “to be set free from slavery to corruption
and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Rom 8:21)
• The freedom “to attain the good” simply means to “act as Jesus did”.
Exercise of Responsible Freedom
 To know what is moral good in the light of the Gospel and human experience.
 Throws a new light on everything and manifests God’s design for our total vocation, and thus directs
the mind to solutions that are fully human.
Conscience
o It is understood as a kind of inner voice (tinig ng budhi) which guides us in our moral life.

o It is most secret core and sanctuary of a man, where he is alone with God, whose echoes in his
depths.
o It is the proximate norm of personal morality, our ultimate subjective norm for discerning moral good
and evil, with the feeling of being bound to follow its directive.
Moral Conscience
• It is the expression of the divine law, defining what is good and what is evil.
• To obey conscience is “our very dignity; according to it we will be judged” (GS 16; cf Rom 21:15f)
Christian Conscience
Formed by directing one’s freedom to the person and message of Jesus Christ, the center of the
Christians self-becoming and identity.
Two types of Formative Factors:
• Heart Factors – include reading and prayerful reflection on Jesus’ teaching and actions, and our
own prayer and sacramental life.
 • Mind Factors – refer to a deepening in understanding of Sacred Scripture and Church teaching,
especially Catholic moral principles, and sound moral guidance.
Types of Conscience
1. Correct Conscience – corresponds to objective moral values and precepts;
2. Erroneous Conscience - one which mistakenly judges something as morally good which is
objectively evil.
Three Dimensions of every Moral Act:
o Nature – the object of the acts.
o Intention - the agent or doers of the acts.
o Circumstances - affects the morality of the action.