LESSON 1 WE ARE CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE AND LIKENESS

Path 2 Christian Morality

CONTEXT

We Filipinos are fond of religious activities, such as religious processions,

novenas and numerous devotions to Christ, to Mary and even to the Saints. We also
observe an overcrowding during Sunday Mass and during church festivities. Yet, we
observe that this attendance and attention to ritual often does not affect our daily moral
actions.

1. What are some reasons why there is a gap between our worship life and our daily
activities?
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2. How can this dichotomy between our worship life and our daily life be reduced?
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3. How can you live a moral life integrated with your spiritual life of prayer and
worship?
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 EXPOSITION

In this story of “The Rich Young Man,” Jesus proposes how to live a moral life.
Read the story.

SACRED SCRIPTURE: Matthew 19:16-22 (The Rich Young Man)

… “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”… Jesus said to
him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell what you have and give it to [the]
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then, come, follow Me”.

When we speak of eternal life, this is synonymous to saying “entering into the
next life” and “salvation.” It also corresponds to entering heaven or the “full kingdom of
God.” Jesus explains in the story of “The Rich Young Man,” how to live a moral life and
how to enter the Kingdom of God. The question which the rich young man addressed to
Jesus comes from the depths of his heart, and is “an essential and unavoidable question
for the life of every man,” for it is about the ultimate good and moral norm for everything
we think, say and do. The young man recognizes that there is a relationship between
moral good and the fulfillment of his own destiny. He is a devout Israelite, raised as it
were in the shadow of the Law of the Lord. He asks Jesus this question, not because he is
ignorant of its answer, but it is more likely that the attractiveness of the person of Jesus
had prompted within him new questions about moral good.

Jesus answers the young man by repeating the commandments which safeguard
the basic good of the person. They define the basic condition for love of God and
neighbor; at the same time they are the proof of love. They are the necessary condition
for the journey towards freedom. Saint Augustine writes, "The beginning of freedom is to
be free from crimes... such as murder, adultery, fornication, theft, fraud, sacrilege and so
forth. When one avoids these crimes (and every person is morally obliged to avoid them),
one can begin to lift up one's head towards freedom. But this is only the beginning of
freedom, not perfect freedom..."

The answer he receives about the commandments does not satisfy the young man,
who asks Jesus a further question. "I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” (Mt
19:20). It is not easy to say with a clear conscience "I have kept all these", if one has an
understanding of the real meaning of the demands contained in God's Law. Even if he is

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able to make this reply, even if he has followed the moral ideal seriously and generously
from childhood, the rich young man knows that he is still far from the goal before the
person of Jesus. He realizes that he is still lacking in something. He is aware of his
insufficiency as Jesus addresses his final answer. Conscious of the young man's yearning
for something greater, which would transcend a legalistic interpretation of the
commandments, the Good Teacher invites him to enter the path of perfection (Veritatis
Splendor). Jesus further tells the young man “to sell what you have and give it to [the]
poor,” then you will have treasure in heaven. Then Jesus says; “Come, follow Me” (Mt
19:21). The way, and at the same time, the content of this perfection consist in the
following of Jesus, sequela Christi, which concludes Jesus' response to the rich young
man. Jesus then explains to His disciples the danger of riches (Mt 19:23-26).

Christian moral life deepens the following of the commandments. It means

following Jesus Christ faithfully in our
daily life, without any string attached. It is
…if you wish to be perfect, using our own wealth and our talents to
help others. The question of the rich man in
go sell what you have and the beginning of the story means that
give it to [the] poor, and through following the commandments, he
you will have treasure in can attain happiness. Jesus tells him what to
do, but the rich young man went away sad
heaven. Then, come, because it was difficult for him to give up
follow Me. his possessions. He misses Jesus’ offer of a
“perfect” life because he chooses to hang on
to his possessions. The rich young man is a
person who did not follow Jesus’ advice
because he was too attached to his riches.

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 WALKING WITH JESUS

Select a person you know or have read about who is/was

generous of himself or of his possessions. Write the
person’s name inside the circle. Then answer the question
below. Share your answer with your seatmate.

How does this person show his generosity?

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 CHURCH TEACHING: Catechism for Filipino Catholics 675
Christian moral life, then, is about the Gospel. It is about growing in love and
holiness. It is the process of becoming authentically human (cf. RH 14).The Christian
moral person is one who experiences the liberating and transforming presence of
Christ, through the grace of His Spirit.

For Christians, moral life is simply and freely "following Jesus Christ." Yet following Christ
is not easy. Our life is full of challenges that affect us very much. There is such a tension between the
religious and worldly things that the attraction to what the world offers is so strong. It is apparent in the
story of the “Rich Young Man” that following Jesus Christ is not easy, because of its
demands: “Follow the commandments, go sell what you have and give it to the poor and
follow Jesus.” Left to ourselves, we cannot make this following of Christ a reality. The Holy Spirit is
needed to enlighten and inspire us so that our following of Christ may become possible, fruitful and
meaningful. Christianity is not a “bed of rose,” it is facing the cross. It is not an empty cross, but Jesus on
the cross. The way of Christ truly is not easy, but the Good News ultimately leads to fuller
life.

Furthermore, our national catechism speaks of "moral life” as the following of

Christ:
• in all our daily free actions, values and attitudes,
• empowered by Christ's liberating and transforming presence,
• through the grace of His Spirit,
• within the Christian community.

Following Jesus is responding to the Gospel call to become loving persons in the
fullness of life-with-others-in-community before God, in imitation of Jesus Christ.

Christian moral life, then, is living out the faith. It is a “living out” grounded in
Christ’s Truth, as instructed by the Church and professed in the Creed. It is a “living out”
made possible only by the grace of the Holy Spirit through which we share in Christ’s
life, especially in prayer and sacramental celebration which unite us to the Risen Christ in
His Church. Christian moral life is not a series of do’s and don’ts. Rather, it centers on
our daily following of Jesus Christ as His disciples, in the face of all difficulties and
challenges of moral life today. God, through His Spirit, empowers us, individually and as
members of the Christian community, to follow Christ.

Following Jesus is a journey. When we are on a journey weighed down by a

baggage, we will surely experience difficulties in carrying our load. But if we travel light,
the journey is a lot easier. We can go farther and faster because there is not much to
worry about. As we follow Jesus, let us travel light. This following of Jesus is oriented
towards others. Christ asks us to find ourselves for example in forgiving and helping
others. The Good News is that as we serve others, we serve Christ!

Proper motivation is all we need to make this following of Jesus Christ a reality.
The Spirit inspires us to do good. Let us allow Him to work in us. One way we can

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 follow Christ is by sharing with others what we have like our time, talents, treasure, etc.
We can save an amount to support a charity program, do an act of charity for the Church
by supporting the “Alay Kapwa, Pondo Ng Pinoy,” etc. PCP II tells us that “no one is so
poor that he has nothing to give and no one is so rich that he has nothing to receive.”
Furthermore, this following of Christ is also exemplified in forgiving others. A
concrete example is Bishop Prudencio Andaya, D.D., bishop of Tabuk in the Cordillera
Autonomous Region. On his way to Manila for a trip to the United States, a teenage boy
threw a stone at his car. The windshield of his car was broken and he was hit on the
shoulder. Immediately, the incident was reported to the nearest police station. After his
visit to the States, he went back to the place where he was hit and sought for the boy who
had stoned him. He was brought to the house of the boy, but he was not there when the
bishop visited him. The relatives of the boy became worried because they had nothing to
replace what had been damaged by the boy. But the bishop said, he is forgiven and all he
wanted from the boy is for him to change, to be converted. Christ taught that true
happiness and self-fulfillment come from forgiving others and helping the poor and the
needy which was exemplified by Bishop Andaya.

THE MAN
OF TRUTH
WELCOMES
THE LIGHT.

What does the statement above tell you?

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 INTEGRATION Morals:

Christian moral life is the moral following of Jesus Christ, who is the way to
the good life.
Following Jesus Christ must be a commitment. To make our commitment
more meaningful, let us sing and reflect on this song: “I Have Decided to
Follow Jesus.”

I have decided to follow Jesus (3x).

No turning back (2x).
Though no one joins me, still I would follow (3X).
No turning back (2x).

GO ROUND THE CLOCK!

In the space around

the clock, list down
all you can do to
follow Jesus during
the day. Share what
you have written
with your
classmates.

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 Worship:
Doctrine:
Jesus’ words, teachings and grace offer us the basic truth We worship God when we follow
for the good life, life in Christ Jesus Christ.

Recall and reflect on Jesus’ words in the gospel about Compose a song to the
being perfect. We all want to be happy, but our tune of “I Will Follow
unwillingness to give up something hinders us from such Him,” asking God to
happiness. empower you to follow
His Son, Jesus Christ.
What is your greatest possession; material, or
attitude that you cannot give up? Why?

SUMMARY

Summarize the story of the Rich Young Man following this pattern. The start of the
sentence is given and all you have to do is to continue the sentence. Begin. . .

First . . .
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Then . . .
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Next. . .
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So. . . .
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Finally. . . .
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 SUMMARY VOCABULARY
Holiness – A state of living for God and
The Christian moral person is one who living in obedience to Him. Holiness is the
experiences the liberating and transforming reality of wholeness - being fully human.
presence of Christ through the grace of His Spirit Moral goodness is intrinsic goal for every
(cf. 2 Cor 3:17; Jn 8:32). From this experience, human being. Only with such goodness can
Christians commit themselves, in their moral we truly serve God.
attitudes, decisions, and acts, to the ongoing process
Dichotomy – separation, split, gap
of liberating and transforming men and women,
becoming dedicated disciples of Christ. For Christ
is he "from whom we go forth, through whom we
live, and toward whom our journey leads us" (LG
3).

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