Morality - Catholic View

Description

Fr. Servais Pinckaers's work is well on its way to being accepted as the work on Catholic moral thinking for the coming generation of laymen and students. Pinckaers sharply distinguishes this view of morality from modern “moralities of obligation,” which regard the moral life primarily as obedience to rules that limit human freedom and curb human desires. Pinckaers sees moralities of obligation as the logical outcome of a new understanding of human freedom. Instead of regarding freedom as the capacity to engage in excellent acts of virtue (freedom for excellence), the modern view understands freedom as the radical ability to do good or evil indifferently (freedom of indifference). Pinckaers argues convincingly that this view of freedom and the morality of obligation that flows from it have impoverished the Catholic understanding of the moral life. This work offers the reader a compelling itinerary of moral development, rooted in the theology of St. Paul and the morality of the Gospels. Now, for a new generation of students, the book is made available in an ebook version. In addition, under the direction of Fr. Michael Sherwin, a teacher's edition of the work is to be published, which will greatly aid the teacher in high school or home school to help his or her students to gain the most from this seminal work. “As Alasdair MacIntyre notes in the preface, the work of Pinckaers attracted strong and fully justified notice in this country with the publication in English of his The Sources of Christian Ethics. As Pinckaers himself notes in the text, excellently translated by Michael Sherwin, the interest should in no way be limited to Roman Catholics. Morality recasts the earlier book in an argument that is both lower and upper case ‘catholic,'and is accessible to readers and teachers outside the limited circle of moral theologians and academic ethicists. Pinckaers contends that Christian morality is not first of all about obligations but about happiness, understanding that the happiness of union with God is our natural destiny made possible by grace. The Sermon on the Mount is at the center of an approach to morality that turns on the distinction between ‘freedom for excellence'and ‘freedom of indifference,'the former understood as human flourishing and the latter as a ‘neutral'capacity to choose between controversies. The proposal of Morality is thoroughly Christ-centered, humanistic, and faithful to the magisterial teaching of the Church. Warmly recommended.” - First Things “If you want to have the experience of reflecting on Catholic morality as though you were reading about it for the first time, treat yourself to Father Servais Pinckaers'Morality: The Catholic View. He has recovered the classical view of the moral life as the quest for happiness and has presented it with disarming simplicity. Bringing us back to the Sermon on the Mount and Romans 12–15, the writings of Augustine and Aquinas, and the theme of natural law, he has freed those texts from the layers of legalism which has hidden their liberating, spiritual powers for moral living. By distinguishing freedom of indifference from freedom for excellence, he has restored a wise vision of freedom. No one has shown better the role of virtues as building blocks for morality. Catechists need to read this book.” Rev. Alfred McBride, O.Praem., Professor of Homilectics and Catechetics at Blessed Pope John XXIII Seminary, Weston, Massachusetts “Father Pinckaers has given us a masterful exposition of Christian living. The clarity and brevity of his presentation – captured well by the translator – make this book ideal for classroom and parish use. “Readers will find the historical and systematic observations very informative.” Romanus Cessario, St. John's Seminary, Brighton, Massachusetts As Alasdair MacIntyre notes in the preface, the work of Pinckaers attracted strong and fully justified notice in this country with the publication in English of his The Sources of Christian Ethics . As Pinckaers himself notes in the text, excellently translated by Michael Sherwin, the interest should in no way be limited to Roman Catholics. Morality recasts the earlier book in an argument that is both lower and upper case catholic, and is accessible to readers and teachers outside the limited circle of moral theologians and academic ethicists. Pinckaers contends that Christian morality is not first of all about obligations but about happiness, understanding that the happiness of union with God is our natural destiny made possible by grace. The Sermon on the Mount is at the center of an approach to morality that turns on the distinction between freedom for excellence and freedom of indifference, the former understood as human flourishing and the latter as a neutral capacity to choose between controversies. The proposal of Morality is thoroughly Christ-centered, humanistic, and faithful to the magisterial teaching of the Church. Warmly recommended. First Things If you want to have the experience of reflecting on Catholic morality as though you were reading about it for the first time, treat yourself to Father Servais Pinckaers The Catholic View . He has recovered the classical view of the moral life as the quest for happiness and has presented it with disarming simplicity. Bringing us back to the Sermon on the Mount and Romans 1215, the writings of Augustine and Aquinas, and the theme of natural law, he has freed those texts from the layers of legalism which has hidden their liberating, spiritual powers for moral living. By distinguishing freedom of indifference from freedom for excellence, he has restored a wise vision of freedom. No one has shown better the role of virtues as building blocks for morality. Catechists need to read this book. Rev. Alfred McBride, O.Praem., Professor of Homilectics and Catechetics at Blessed Pope John XXIII Seminary, Weston, Massachusetts Father Pinckaers has given us a masterful exposition of Christian living. The clarity and brevity of his presentation captured well by the translator make this book ideal for classroom and parish use. Readers will find the historical and systematic observations very informative. Romanus Cessario, St. Johns Seminary, Brighton, Massachusetts In this slender and elegantly written volume, Pinckaers offers us the biblical and patristic conception of the moral life as this conception was developed by St. Thomas Aquinas. From this perspective, the moral life is a life of virtue rooted in the human person's natural desire for happiness. God's grace elevates and heals this natural desire so that through the infused virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the moral life becomes a "life in Christ" guided by the Spirit. Father Pinckaers sharply distinguishes this view of morality from modern "moralities of obligation," which regard the moral life primarily as obedience to rules that limit human freedom and curb human desires. Pinckaers sees moralities of obligation as the logical outcome of a new understanding of human freedom. Instead of regarding freedom as the capacity to engage in excellent acts of virtue (freedom for excellence), the modern view understands freedom as the radical ability to do good or evil indifferently (freedom of indifference). Pinckaers argues convincingly that this view of freedom and the morality of obligation that flows from it have impoverished the Catholic understanding of the moral life. What is needed is a return to the richer biblical and patristic perspective. With St. Thomas as his guide, Father Pinckaers offers the reader a compelling itinerary of moral development, rooted in the theology of St. Paul and the morality of the Gospels, especially the Sermon on the Mount. Pinckaers developed this argument at length in his earlier study, The Sources of Christian Ethics. In Morality: The Catholic View, he offers his insights in a manner accessible to a wider audience. The work isdivided into two parts. The first part sketches the history of Catholic moral theology, spanning from its Gospel sources to the Second Vatican Council and its aftermath. The second part presents Pinckaers's renewed understanding of the moral life; It is "life in Christ" guided by the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to live the Sermon on the Mount and to attain the happiness of the Beatitudes. PART I: A RICHER HISTORY THAN ONE MIGHT THINK The Gospel sources The moral teaching of the fathers of the church The classic period of Western theology The modern period : the manuals of moral theology The question of Christian ethics after the council PART II: A MORE DIFFICULT REFLECTION THAN ONE MIGHT THINK Freedom and happiness The Holy Spirit and the new law Natural law and freedom CONCLUSION LEXICON SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEXES