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

What ―is‖ natural law—four (4) points:1. The natural law tradition does not say that we can ―read‖ the natural law asthough it were written on the design of the world, although some have seen it thisway.2. Natural law names a capacity for reflecting upon and reasoning about the world.It has its basis in our free and rational nature and is a process by which we makejudgments about human customs, laws, and conventions.3. It is an ongoing conversation about human history and culture with a view to seehow these historical ―embodiments‖ either enhance or undermine ourunderstanding of the human being as created for community with God. [e.g.-howdoes natural law evaluate the Internet?]4. Natural law is participation in eternal law in the manner by which we are able toreason about our humanity. We do so, not from beyond or from God‘s point ofview, but in our place and time with a view to understanding our deepest desires,that is, by understand the demands (the law) of our membership in the humanrace. (168, emphasis added)—hence, human rights root themselves in natural law.IV. Law, Sin and Freedompp. 168 – 172Law—external and intrinsicAll human acts originate in the will and intellect of the person—each person is theprinciple of her or his actions.We move toward fulfillment of human life by our own actions, passions andhabits. (168, 69)―Sin‖ and ―vice‖ undermine ―our progress to our goal.‖ It is counter to what isauthentically good for us and also counter to God‘s loving Wisdom in Law. (169)―Badness‖ of a human act, according to St. Thomas, is its failure to conform to itsproper measure—―for Thomas, human action has two such proper measures:human reason and God‘s eternal law.‖ (169)The closest measure ―at hand‖ is human reason—judges how this act promotes orundermines authentic human flourishing—fulfillment—shaped by God‘s Wisdomrecognized and embraced in the process of natural law reasoning.―Set within a frame of human fulfillment, sin against God can be seen also toviolate our own good.‖ (169)The external law is God‘s commandments—helping us through grace.Sin models our character—―vice‖ becomes who I amCommitting sin is ―acting contrary to reason and to our true end in God,‖ andsuch actions dispose us ―to similar acts, and forms ourselves into person of vicerather than of virtue.‖Vice [habitual evil receptivity] undermines our capacity for fulfillment—it―undermines our receptivity and responsiveness to God.‖ (169)Fundamental Moral Theology Page 42 of 54Class Notes – Father Michael Seger