Sin and the Mercy of God

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Sin and the Mercy of God

• Ch4 Part Two
• Michael H. Cheney

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Learning Outcomes

• Students will
• Distinguish between kinds of sin
• Original Sin
• Mortal Sin
• Venial Sin
• Social Sin
• Identify the both the vertical and horizontal
  effects of sin

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Original Sin and the Story of Salvation

• Genesis 3-11
• 3. Fall of Adam and Eve
• 4. Cain and Abel
• 5. Generations Adam to Noah
• 6-9. Noah and the Flood
• 10. List of Nations
• 11. Tower of Babel

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Sin causes human sinfulness
One sin leads to other sins
Our freedom is limited There is one tree
you shall not eat from
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Original Sin

• We are NOT born WITH original sin
• We are born INTO it.
• The whole history of sin and sinfulness that
  precedes our birth causes us to have an
  inclination to sin and not be readily disposed
  to Gods grace
• We inherit
• Distorted attitudes (E.g., prejudice, racism
  other isms)
• Disordered priorities (E.g., Im first,
  materialism, policy before people)
• Misdirected wills (people seen as competition,
  rivals, stumbling blocks)
• Neurotic fears of death vulnerability (affects
  our decisions, relationships, commitments)

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To Live in Christ Jesus, 10

• sins effects are visible everywhere
• Exploitative relationships
• Loveless families
• Unjust social structures policies
• Crimes by against others creation
• Suffering and destruction caused by egoism
• Lack of community
• Oppression of the weak
• Manipulation of the vulnerable
• National tensions
• Ideological, racial, and religious groups
• Wars and ceaseless preparation for war

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Baptism and Original Sin

• What happens at Baptism?
• We are taken out of a situation of sin and
  sinfulness (original sin) and
• Are initiated into a community of believers that
• mediates the grace of God and
• offers us support and encouragement to overcome
  the effects of sin and sinfulness.
• Baptism does not literally wipe away original sin

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Fundamental Option

• Each person gradually develops in a basic
  orientation of his or her life, either for or
  against God and others
• This fundamental direction is said to be for God
  if ones life is fundamentally devoted to the
  love and service of others, and against God if
  ones life is essentially devoted to
  self-centeredness and self-service.

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Fundamental Option the basic orientation of
ones life toward or away from others and God
Self-centered
Other-centered/ God-centered
Death
heaven
hell
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Our Ultimate Destiny

• Heaven Full union of the human person with God
  and others.
• Hell the state or condition of total isolation
  and non-being.
• Seen better as continuations of our fundamental
  option
• Not a reward for being good or punishment for
  being bad.

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Kinds of Sins

• Mortal Sin
• Three criteria
• Grave matter
• Full knowledge
• Deliberate
• Matter of self-definition of ones fundamental
  option

• Venial Sin
• Small acts which weaken our relationship with God
• (on our part not Gods)
• Acts that are contrary to ones fundamental option

Sins of Omission
Sins of Commission
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In Sum

• We need to examine our overall life-patterns
• Ascertain the fundamental direction of our lives
• Determine whether we are hading in the direction
  God wants for us
• Our actions make a statement about what where we
  are going.

Reflection Write about how you view the overall
direction of you life. How does morality fit
in?
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The Seven Deadly Sins
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Activity (p. 92)

• Catholic teaching identifies 7 vices that can
  lead to sinful actions.
• Pride
• Avarice
• Envy
• Wrath/Anger
• Lust
• Gluttony
• Sloth
• Define each word and give one concrete example of
  how it can be manifest in sin.

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PRIDE

• Not legitimate self respect, but an exaggerated
  self-esteem based on competition, status, or
  snobbery

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LUST

• Not sexual desire per se (which is a gift from
  God), but a disordered appetite, such that we end
  up using other people as objects in our quest for
  pleasure

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GLUTTONY

• The pursuit of fulfillment through excessive
  sensual gratification
• Becomes an end in itself

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AVARICE(a.k.a. Greed)

• Basing your dignity or self-esteem on wealth or
  possessions being owned by, rather than owning
  things

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ENVY

• Being Jealous of, or opposed to the good of
  others sometimes we are bothered not by what
  people have, but by what they are

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SLOTH

• Settling into familiar ruts of sin or stale
  routine an unwillingness to grow or change

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WRATH / ANGER

• A desire to wipe out anyone or anything that
  threatens our favorite role as center of the
  universe.
• Everyday irritation and conflict are not
  necessarily sinful, but enjoying our resentment
  or refusing to respect other viewpoints is.

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Ignatius Spiritual Exercise, 244

• Ignatius recommends 3 Ways of Prayer
• Ten Commandments
• Seven Capital Sins
• Three Powers of the soul, and the five senses

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2nd Method of Prayerthe Seven Capital Sins

• Recollect self, either sitting or walking
• Consider where you are going, and for what
  purpose
• Make a preparatory prayer
• I ask for a clear understanding of which sins to
  be avoided, also the grace and help to amend for
  the future.
• Consider and reflect upon sins or patterns of
  behavior, asking yourself, how I have failed?
• Colloquy have a friendly conversation with Jesus
  and ask for forgiveness and the grace to grow in
  and observe the seven virtues that are contrary
  to the seven deadly sins.
• End with an Our Father after each capital sin.

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Agere contra Ignatius Loyola

• Pride
• Avarice/Greed
• Envy
• Wrath/Anger
• Lust
• Gluttony
• Sloth

• Humility
• Generosity
• Love
• Kindness
• Self-control
• Faith Temperance
• Zeal

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Jacques Fesch Model of Morality

• Do you agree or disagree that Fesch should be
  considered for canonization?

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The Mercy of God

• God forgives and offers us the grace to begin
  anew.
• Its not how many times you fall, but how many
  times you get up that count.