(review before prayer)
Lord,
Grant me peace and wisdom as I start reviewing for my clve exam. May you ease my anxious and sad soul as I
dedicate my time to reading all my notes, and offer me the knowledge and love I need. Thank you for the
blessings you gave me throughout my life, I’ll do my best in answering all my exams, especially my clve exam.
Amen.
Sin
The meaning of sin
- Against the laws of God
- We are all sinners *sense of sin*
Sense of sin
- Culture & relativism
As a violation of conscience
- It rejects the good/value that the person is obliged to
- Sin of omission
- Sin of commission
Sin
- The greatest obstacle to freedom.
Dimensions of sin
1. As a habitat - a pathological habit of vice that acts like a virus.
2. As a sickness - contagious…affecting the whole network of relationships.
3. As addiction - a process over which we become powerless as it becomes
progressively and obsessive.
Additional info:
Iedipus - father & daughter
Electra - mother & son
3 kinds of sins
1. Venial sin
- excusable sins which do not involve the person’s fundamental freedom
- does not lead to spiritual death but this harms our relationship with God and others
by undermining the fervor of our life of charity. (gossiping, lying, pride, neglecting to
pray, cursing, impatience).
2. Grave sin
- Hurts our relationship with God in a serious way. (blasphemy)
- Must be confessed
- Serious faults which does not destroy the whole life.
Additional info:
Be curious instead of furious.
3. Mortal sin
- leads to a spiritual death
- may lead to the loss of true or eternal life
- excluded from the kingdom of God
- it kills the overall pattern of our relationship with God
- a person freely rejects God - the covenant of love that God offers. (murder ex.
Fracticide - killing one’s sibling)
To consider if it is mortal :
1. Gravity of the matter
- Moral good is violated/destroyed.
2. Full knowledge
- Evaluative knowledge, a personal grasp of the value individual.
3. Full consent
- Free engagement and involvement of the person in the act.
Additional info: You can educate your heart.
We are judging the act according to :
A. Nature of the act - what was done? Did it involve a grave moral matter?
B. The intention of the act - why did the person commit the act?
C. Circumstances of the act - how the person commits the act?
Intention matters. Tinatanong bakit ginagawa iyon sa puso.
How you express your love matters.
How you do your actions matters.
Think carefully before you do/express.
Sin is addiction and contagious affecting the networks of our relationships. It is the sickness
that needs healing and forgiveness. But even if we sin, God in his love gives us the graces we
need to realize your sinfulness and be sorry for them.
Stories about sin
1. The fall of man 2. Cain and Abel
3. Tower of Babel 4. Noah and the flood
Social sins are a result of the accumulation and concentration of many personal sins.
Ultimately dependent on laziness, fear of the conspiracy, etc.
The Ten Commandments
•Hearing and Listening is the First Command of Jesus:
•“HEAR, O ISRAEL”
•But the Command is not just directed to the people of ISRAEL but to all of us who
follows the way of the LORD.
• Love is the summary and fullness of the commandments.
• It was summed up into 2 Great Commandments.
• They are handed on to us in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy.
Love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Decalogue
•Exodus 20:2-17
•Deuteronomy 5:6-21
• It must first be understood in the context of the Exodus, God's great liberating event
at the center of the Old Covenant.
•Whether formulated as negative commandments, prohibitions, or as positive precepts
such as: "Honor your father and mother," the "ten words" point out the conditions of a
life freed from the slavery of sin. The Decalogue is a path of life.
•The Ten Commandments state what is required in the love of God and love of
neighbor. The first three concern love of God, and the other seven love of
neighbor.
•The Decalogue brings man's religious and social life into unity.
1st Commandment
‘’You shall have no other gods besides me’’ Exodus 20:3, Deuteronomy 3:7
- It holds profound significance the history of monotheistic faiths.
- It originates where polytheism were prevalent
Biblical Stories :
1. The Golden Calf (Exodus 32)
2. Noah's Ark and the Flood (Genesis 6-9)
3. Elijah and the Prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18)
Monotheism - worship of one god.
Polytheism - worship of two or multiple gods.
Offenses and violations:
- Idolatry
- Worship of false gods
- Prioritization of worldly pursuits over devotion to God
Values :
- Monotheism
- Faithfulness
- Spiritual devotion
2nd commandment
“You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain. For the Lord will
not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.” - Exodus 20:7,
Deuteronomy 5:11
Historical Background :
The Israelites were told that sacrificing their children to idols and then going to worship God
led God's name to be treated lightly. At the burning bush, Moses asked God for his name.
God responded, "I am who I am." This is what you will tell the Israelites: "I am has sent me
to you" (Ex 3:14). Following that, the Israelites began to treat God's name with respect and
faith. The Second Commandment invites us to the virtue of reverence for God, which teaches
us to recognize and maintain the distinction between the Creator and the creature. Respecting
God's name prevents us from reducing him to a mere fact, or even something we can manage
or influence.
Biblical Stories :
In this story, Jesus is offered a bitter wine that will numb him, but he declines it and is
crucified. Soldiers gamble on His clothing. A somewhat ironic placard above Him proclaims
Him to be "the King of the Jews." A number of observers make fun of Jesus for being unable
to save Himself. Jesus is insulted even by the criminals who are being executed on either side
of Him. - Matthew 27: 39 - 43
The Jews' standard response to Jesus challenging their ideas and preconceptions throughout
John 8 was to call him labels, such as "possessed by a demon." When Jesus questions the
Jewish people's beliefs about him, they become just as willing to lie and kill as the devil does.
When Jesus revealed to them his eternal beginnings and stated, "Before Abraham was I am,"
they became so enraged that they took up rocks and stoned him to death. - John 8: 48 - 59
Offenses and violations :
- Cursing [Calling down evil on someone]
- Wicked swearing [Foul and vulgar talk; four-letter words]
- Blasphemy - an expression of insulting God or other religions.
- Breaking an oath or lying under oath. [A mortal sin, called perjury.]
{Oath- The calling upon God to witness the truth of what we say}
Perjury- From the Latin word “perjurare”, meaning “swear falsely”
Values :
- Respect for God
- Community Harmony
3rd Commandment
‘’Remember the Sabbath day, by keeping it holy’’. - Exodus 20:8-11
Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord
your God. On it, you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your
male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six
days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested
on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
- The Sabbath day is a day for rest and a day for celebration of the things we have
received as a result of God’s love for his creations.
- The Decalogue opposes - to rest as an escape from reality - rest as a blessing of
reality”.
- It is a day where we can escape from the stress and suffering the world brings
us, it is a day to appreciate our surroundings and accept the beauty of our life.
- Catechism 2174 “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad
in it. Jesus rose from the dead “on the first day of the week”. Because it is the “first
day,” the day of Christ’s Resurrection recalls the first creation.
- Catechism 2175 - “Those who lived according to the old order of things have come
to a new hope, no longer keeping the Sabbath, but the Lord’s Day, in which our life is
blessed by him and by his death.”
Historical Background :
- Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh
day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested
from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it
he rested from all the work of creating he had done. - Genesis 2:1-3
How do we obey the 3rd Commandment?
- Participating in the Holy Eucharist every Sunday
- Pope Francis (September 5, 2018) Catechism 2176
Violations and offenses :
- Inability/refusal to attend the Holy Eucharist every Sunday.
Catechism 2181
- Performing or making others perform servile work.
[ Servile work - A mortal sin when done extensively without necessity. Exodus 31: 14-17]
- Performing hobbies that lead to over-fatiguing, or are sinful in nature.
4th Commandment
Honor your father and mother - Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16, Matthew 15:4, Matthew
19:19, Mark 7:10, Luke 18:20, Ephesians 6:1-3
Historical Commandment
God gave the Ten Commandments to His people through Moses as they camped around
Mount Sinai in the desert after He freed them from slavery in Egypt. Thunder, lighting,
billowing smoke, and trumpet blasts announced the presence of the Lord atop the mountain
as He called Moses up (Exodus 19:16-20).
These commands were never meant to be legalistic, but to draw us closer to God.
For Old Testament believers, living and flourishing in the promised land was contingent upon
obeying God's commandments (Lev. 26:3-13). Children were included in God's covenant
with Israel thus they too were called to obey God in order to live in the promised land.
Values :
- Respect
- Gratitude
- Honor
- Affection
- Sets a positive example
- Enhances emotional well-being
- Fosters family cohesion
Violations :
- Arguing/answering disrespectfully
- Contempt or disobedience
- Anger & hatred against parents
- Insulting them
- Stubbornness
Biblical Stories :
1. The Prodigal Son (Luke 15: 11-32)
- Lessons from the Prodigal Son, such as respecting authority, forgiveness, humility,
empathy, and recognizing parental love and sacrifice, can help individuals honor their
mother and father through their actions and attitudes.
2. The Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-12)
- The Wedding at Cana teaches us to honor our parents by showing obedience to their
guidance, appreciating their sacrificial love and care, celebrating joyous occasions
with them, offering acts of generosity and service, and recognizing their wisdom and
intercessory role in our lives.
3. The agony of our garden
- The Agony in the Garden teaches us to honor our fathers and mothers by showing
obedience, sacrificial love, support, acceptance, and recognition of their authority.
Jesus said: “If you want to enter life, keep the commandments… Honor your father and mother and
love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 19:17,19). The way we respect our father and mother says a
lot about how we show respect to God.
5th commandment
‘’Thou shalt not kill’’ - Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17
In its commandment, our Lord Himself points out two important factors: one is prohibitory
and forbids us to kill; the other is mandatory and commands us to cherish sentiments of
charity, concord, and friendship towards our enemies, to have peace with all men, and finally,
to endure with patience every inconvenience.
“ Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it
remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is
the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for
himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being" - Catechism 2258
Biblical Story :
Cain gave part of his harvest to the LORD, and Abel also gave an offering to the LORD, He
killed the first-born lamb from one of his sheep and gave the LORD the best parts of it. The
LORD was pleased with Abel and his offering, but not with Cain and his offering. In jealous
rage, Cain murdered Abel. Cain then became a fugitive because his brother’s innocent blood
put a curse on him. - Genesis 4:1-16
Historical Background
So the prohibition is not against any killing at all, but against unjust killing. A rudimentary
knowledge of Scripture will reveal that God does not forbid all killing of human beings;
indeed, in many instances, He has positively commanded it. Israel was not chided by God for
killing the Canaanite peoples in their occupation of the Promised Land, but for not being
thorough enough in their killing (1 Samuel 13). As early as Genesis chapter 9 God imposed
the death penalty for murder. On the one hand, this shows the value God places on human
life, but on the other, it renders any claims to a universal prohibition against killing:
"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed" - Genesis 9:6
Exceptions :
1. the killing of animals
2. execution of criminals
3. killing in just war
4. killing by accident
5. killing in self-defense
Offenses and violations :
● Intentional Homicide
● Abortion
● Euthanasia
● Suicide
● Genocide
Homicide
- is a gravely immoral act resulting from an intentional decision and directed at
an innocent person. So self-defense and the death penalty are not included.
Abortion
- “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of
conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be
recognized as having the rights of a person" (Catechism 2270).
Suicide
- To choose to die to save the life of someone else is not suicide; on the contrary,
it can be an act of the utmost charity.
Euthanasia
- is the practice of ending the life of a patient to limit the patient's suffering. The
patient would typically be ill or experiencing great pain.
Genocide
- Deliberately exterminating or targeting a specific ethnic, racial, religious, or
cultural group with the intent to destroy them in whole or in part.
Values :
● Peace and Harmony: By forbidding murder, the commandment contributes to
the promotion of peace and harmony within societies, as violence and
bloodshed are minimized.
● Respect for Human Dignity: The commandment underscores the importance
of treating every individual with dignity and respect, regardless of
circumstances or differences.
● Respect for Human life: The prohibition of hurting oneself or another.
6th commandment (1 John 4:7-21, Exodus 20:14, Deuteronomy 5:18)
You shall not commit adultery
An additional factor is that humans want to love and to be loved. Emotional and sexual
fidelity are essential to the commitment made in the marriage covenant.
The Bible uses three terms that define love
1. Eros - a term from ‘’erotica’’ romance
2. Philia - implies friendship
3. Agape - unconditional love
How do we follow the 6th commandment?4
We should avoid sexual immorality and have cleanliness, holiness, and loyalty.
Do not involve yourself with sexual intercourse or practices with a married man or woman.
Since ‘’adultery’’ is only a sin if it involves a married person.
Bible stories
1. The woman caught in adultery (John 7:53-8:11) - the scribes and Pharisees fail to trap
Jesus by requesting a hasty judgment against a woman caught in the act of adultery.
2. 2 Samuel 1 - David’s Adultery and Murder.
Through Saul’s fate, God reveals that He will allow you to reap what you sow. Third,
although Saul had ruined 20 years of David’s life, David forgave Saul and mourned
His death. From David’s examplle, God reveals that He wants you to forgive and
mourn for even your enemies.
Violations and offenses
1. Lust
2. Masturbation
3. Fornication (sexual intercourse between unmarried people)
4. Pornography
5. Prostitution
6. Rape
Values protected :
- Trust
- Flee from sexual immorality and pursue purity
7th commandment
You shall not steal (Exodus 20:15, Deuteronomy 5:19)
Christ’s warning on the danger of riches. Anyone who desires to be rich, that is, to have more
material possessions than he needs will find it hard to respect the property of others.
Historical Background :
This commandment is of great reference to the slavery that the Israelites experienced in the
book of Exodus. Slavery in the book of Exodus: The Israelites lived in Egypt for 210 years,
serving for many of those years as slaves. Beyond the physical labor thrusted to them by the
Egyptians, they also received moral degradation.
In Exodus 6: 6 - 9, God told Moses to say to His people: “Therefore, say to the Israelites: I
am the LORD, I will free you from the forced labor of the Egyptians and will deliver you
from their slavery. I will rescue you by my outstretched arm and with mighty acts of
judgement.”
Biblical stories :
Genesis 27 - Jacob’s Deception
Overhearing Isaac’s words, Rebekah instructs Jacob to trick Isaac and steal Esau’s blessing.
Despite his initial hesitation, Jacob succumbs to his mother’s insistence. Rebekah prepares
the Neal and disguises Jacob as Esau to deceive Isaac. Disguised as Esau, Jacob deceives his
father and receives Isaac’s blessing. Esau returns to discover Jacob’s deceit. He is filled with
despair and pleads for his own blessing, but Isaac says he has nothing left to give. Esau plans
to kill Jacob once Isaac dies. Rebekah, learning of this, plans to send Jacob away to her
brother Laban in Hadan until Esau’s anger subsides. Rebekah expresses her dissatisfaction
with the Hittite wives of Esau to Isaac.
Offenses :
● Stealing property
● Kidnapping
● Stealing another’s person reputation, etc. Stealing a person’s good name –whether
through libel, slander or gossip - is a particularly destructive form of theft.
● The act of stealing a person’s dignity is known as humiliation.
● Deceit - stealing a person’s trust
- A person’s intellectual property- this form of theft includes anything from copying
software or films, to downloading music and movies without paying for them, to
stealing a person’s words (plagiarism).
- Cheating ( in all its forms)
- Usury - charging excessive interest on monetary loans
Cooperating on sins of dishonesty is sinful in itself. Desiring or planning to commit
dishonesty, fraud, and other injustices against the person and property of others.
Values :
● The 7th Commandment safeguards everyone’s right to legitimately acquire and own
property. God wants that right honored and protected.
● Regarding private property, the Church teaches that every man has the right to own a
sufficient amount of the earth’s good for himself and his family.
● “All created things would be shared fairly by all mankind under the guidance of
justice tempered by charity.”
● “In his use of things man should regard the external good he legitimately owns not
merely as exclusive to himself but common to others also, in the sense that they can
benefit others as well as himself.”
● ‘’When a person is in extreme necessity, he has the right to supply himself with what
he needs out of the riches of others.”
● human work is the ordinary way of acquiring property, serving others, and taking part
in perfecting God’s perfection.
8th commandment
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor - Exodus 20:16, Deuteronomy 5:20
Historical Background :
Where did it all come from?
● Jesus identifies Satan the devil as “the father” of lies.
○ Dishonesty is in opposition to the character and identity of God.
● "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor"
○ Bear means "to spread, carry, render, or give."
● Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 5:20
○ Protects our relationship with God because by seeking and bearing true witness to the truth,
we can have a clear and strong relationship with God.
○ The immediate concern of the eighth commandment is legal testimony.
○ False testimony was a powerful motivation for a witness to be honest during legal
proceedings.
Biblical stories :
● The Judgement of King Solomon
○ 1 Kings 3:16-28
○ Two mothers came to King Solomon for a decision on who would be in custody of the
baby. Both claimed that the child was their own, yet the decision would still be based on
the say of the king.
● Stephen
○ Acts 6-7
○ Stephen is one of the seven deacons. The Sanhedrin seized Stephen,produced false
witnesses, and testified against him that Stephen never stopped speaking about this holy
place and against the law. Later, they stoned him to death.
Offenses :
Lying
● To say or write something that is not true in order to deceive someone.
Perjury
● From the latin word ‘’perjurare’’, meaning to ‘’swear falsely’’.
Rash Judgement
● To assume about something or someone on the basis of insufficient evidence.
Detraction
● the unjust damaging of another's good name by revealing of some fault or crime of
which that other is really guilty or at any rate is seriously believed to be guilty by the
defamer.
Calumny
● an untrue statement made about someone in order to reduce other people's respect and
admiration for them.
Adulation
● Excessive admiration or praise.
Values :
Emphasizes the value of honesty, integrity, and respect for others' reputation and dignity.
○ Truthfulness
○ Integrity
○ Justice
○ Trust
○ Respect
○ Accountability
○ Peace
NUMBERS 23:19
- God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his
mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
HEBREWS 6:18
- So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable
because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge
can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.
9th Commandment
‘’You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife’’ (Exodus 20:17, Deuteronomy 5:21)
Historical Background:
- This commandment is equally relevant to women and married men, even though it is
specifically directed at men regarding another person's married lady. With a different
focus, one could consider this commandment to be an extension of the sixth
commandment.
- The sixth Commandment places more focus on physical acts, while the ninth
Commandment emphasizes purposeful and conscious intention, cognition, and sight.
- This is similar to the Sixth Commandment which emphasizes physical act, but the
Ninth Commandment makes an emphasis on the deliberate and conscious intention,
thought and sight.
To covet - to feel inordinate desire for what belongs to another.
Biblical stories :
2 Samuel 11
The Ninth Commandment commands us not to covet our neighbor's wife. Very often you
wish to go gaze, then the seduction, and finally when the agreement. How did King David
with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. "One evening David got up from bed, walked on the
terrace of the palace, from the terrace when he saw a woman washing their hands. She looked
very nice. David sent for information on the woman and was told: it is Bathsheba, daughter of
Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. David sent messengers to get her. She went to him and he
slept with her, who had just cleansed from his uncleanness; and then went back to his house.
The woman conceived and sent to inform David: I'm pregnant".
Matthew 5:28
Jesus says, "Everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with
her in his heart," in the Gospel according to St. Matthew.
Violations :
- Entertaining impure thoughts about the woman or man married to someone else
- Wanting something that isn’t ours
- Coveting can lead to Murder, Adultery, theft, and lying.
Values :
- Modesty ( It protects the intimate center of a person.)
- Chastity ( Sexual purity. Not having sexual relations before marriage.)
- Self-control ( It encourages us to resist the temptation to lie or deceive others in order
to achieve personal gain or avoid negative consequences).S
