Notes from Gathered for the Journey Six (6) essays David McCarthy

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Love directs the talents and their development outward—to the glory of God andthe well-being of others in charity.(5) NOTE: Miller rephrases the problem of The Natural-―he does not love doing what heis created to do.‖ (194)One cannot be narrow and self-serving—what is the effect on others, the world?To learn to ―love the game‖ opens the way to developing one‘s natural talents—beyond oneself—to the good of the other—seeing the acts of the ―game‖—life—as beautiful in themselves rather than as self-directed means to my ends. (love ofvirtue—the good—for itself)The Impact of Sin—moving beyond the Analogy (195, bottom)We do not earn giftsGifts vary from person to personAll gifts are capacities to help—―to contribute to our human community and sharethe good of human life.‖ (195)Selfishness and Sin, however, limit our ―own freedom and fulfillment.‖KEY—―We are liable to narrow what we are able to see as freedom and thehuman good Such sin as narrow vision leads us to harm and do evil to others inthe name of our good.‖ (195)Garden of Eden—the narrowing of Adam and Eve‘s vision—the making their ―own‖what is a gift—grace—from Almighty God. Putting aside God‘s will for their authentichappiness in union with Him, they settle for turning inward—self-centered, the center ofthe moral universe (modern blind autonomy). [―…you will be like God..‖—theprimordial lie]CONCLUSIONMiller recaps the theological virtues and their definition—or descriptionMiller repeats his point that the theological virtues are not external (―on top‖), buta transformation of our very nature, our inner capacity of freedom. Miller opensthe door to the next essay by Mattison on specific virtues—a habitus shaping ourfreedom.Miller closes refuting the ―straw man‖ argument against religion as robbing oneof freedom and inciting murderous actions by rightly observing: ―I have shownthat God‘s power is the source of our freedom to act toward and be fulfilled inwhat is good for us. Insofar, as faith is used to oppress other and to underminehuman dignity, it is disordered faith—not ordered by the grace that make fulfilledand free.‖ (emphasis added,197)Fundamental Moral Theology Page 34 of 54Class Notes – Father Michael Seger
Dana Dillon and David McCarthy – ―Natural Law, Law, and Freedom‖pp. 153 - 176IntroductionLaw, Freedom and Natural LawA crucial point of analysis in fundamental moral theology is the relationshipbetween ―law‖ and ―freedom‖.To be a moral agent, after all, one must be free—but what boundaries shape thisfreedom?Dillon and McCarthy offer an analogy to studying music—mastering the piano,for instance: ―Musical performance offers an interesting example of the interplayof an established order and freedom, natural capacities and discipline, and rotelearning and creativity.‖ (153)Note: the ―interplay of an established order and freedom‖—this interplay is the moral lifewhere one freely responds to the established order (natural law) in a creative way. Recallour speaking of the need for improvisation—―reading the signs of the times‖—of theGospel message.―Who are we as Human Beings?‖Our authors address the fundamental anthropology questions: ―who are we ashuman beings? What is human nature‖ What are human beings for?‖ (153)Human fulfillment (Cloutier) builds itself on the realistic assessment of Who weare.Natural Law—two interwoven dimensions1. The natural human impulse to ask questions about the order and purposeof the world (153)(1) The questions we ask are innate to being a human person.(2) We have the capacity of both intellect and free will—andcreativity—which spark the question in the first place2. The parameters and obligations—and creative ―jump start‖ in our basichuman inclinations –how to realize them to achieve human fulfillment incommunity before God?(1) Exploring and creatively engaging these human inclinations fallsto our more basic capacities of reason—intellect and free willquestioning ―the order and purpose of the world.‖Fundamental Moral Theology Page 35 of 54Class Notes – Father Michael Seger
Page 1 and 2: Notes from Gathered for the Journey
Page 3 and 4: Note: the emphasis is on the Inspir
Page 5 and 6: --a ―gift from God for the purifi
Page 7 and 8: Well, two historical reasons:1. Fir
Page 9 and 10: considered the real intentions of t
Page 11 and 12: David Cloutier: ―Human Fulfillmen
Page 13 and 14: Tragic Mistake—we instrumentalize
Page 15 and 16: V. Who Loves Me and Whom Do I Love?
Page 17 and 18: Like the person finding the pearl b
Page 19 and 20: Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt --
Page 21 and 22: to Aryanism, a powerful, divisive h
Page 23 and 24: liberal. In other words, it runs th
Page 25 and 26: c. ―Reading‖ may mean tracing t
Page 27 and 28: God’s gift of theological virtues
Page 29 and 30: How God operates in CreationThe iss
Page 31 and 32: Miller draws his conclusions using
Page 33: Grace in Developing Natural GiftsGr
Page 37 and 38: Rational Insight into Human Inclina
Page 39 and 40: 6.of social life.‖ (i.e. military
Page 41 and 42: The ―Texture‖ of Human Reason
Page 43 and 44: Kant again—he ―attempted to gro
Page 45 and 46: Truth and Virtue: shaping our consc
Page 47 and 48: William C. Mattison, III ―Moral V
Page 49 and 50: II. Naming and Defining the Four Ca
Page 51 and 52: Mattison keeps the discussion philo
Page 53 and 54: V. The Significance of Infused Virt

Notes from Gathered for the Journey Six (6) essays David McCarthy

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