3135 words, 16 min read (updated on 19 February 2020 to include Querida Amazonia) [A Spanish translation is now available here.]
When faced with a choice, how do I decide whether to do one thing or another? A lot of the time I might not even think about it and just pick one alternative at random or out of habit, or I might just go along with what others are choosing. Would you like tea or a fruit infusion? It doesn’t matter – I like both. But when the consequences of my decisions are obviously serious, how do I make sense of the alternatives and what are the criteria I take into account when making a choice? Do I go along with medical treatment offered to me, when I know that it involves harm to others? And what about choices that on the face of it appear trivial but that have life-changing consequences for others? Do I buy this shirt or that one? What if one is putting money in the pockets of the criminals behind modern-day slavery while the other comes from a supply chain with high ethical standards, providing a fair wage to local communities in developing countries?
The actions that result from decisions about each of the above questions, and questions about doing one thing or another in general, can be evaluated from a variety of perspectives, one of which is also whether they are moral, whether they are good or evil. In this context I would here like to look at what the teaching of the Catholic Church is today, as presented by Pope Francis.
Here, the Catechism of the Catholic Church presents morality as deriving from freedom, where “[h]uman acts, that is, acts that are freely chosen in consequence of a judgment of conscience, can be morally evaluated. They are either good or evil.”[1] The following will therefore be an attempt to summarise Pope Francis’ teaching on what constitutes good versus evil acts, how to distinguish one from the other, how to live in a way where the good becomes ever more present in one’s life and how to help others on their journey towards an increasingly moral life. The source of this summary will be Pope Francis’ encyclicals and apostolic exhortations: Evangelii Gaudium (EG), Laudatio Si’ (LS), Amoris Lætitia (AL), Gaudete et Exsultate (GE), Christus Vivit (CV) and Querida Amazonia (QA).[2]
The starting point for Pope Francis is the kerygma, the first announcement of the Gospel, that Jesus loves me, gave his life for me to save me and that he lives beside me every day.[3] Such love from God invites us to reciprocity, to discerning our own path towards him,[4] to recognising God in others and to striving for their and our common good,[5] which in turn leads to “good living”[6] and joy.[7] It is a love that God addresses to everyone and that we are called to share with everyone,[8] not excluding anyone. “[N]o one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord”.[9] It is a love that goes well beyond a body of teachings or a moral code and that culminates in the great message of salvation.[10]
God’s love gives intrinsic value and primacy[11] to the human person (who is sacred, inviolable and an end in themselves,[12] regardless of whether they be poor, unborn or disabled[13]) and places them, their relationship with God, and their call to loving their neighbours, at the heart of the Church’s moral teaching. “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, ‘you shall love your neighbour as yourself’” (Gal 5:14).[14]
The gratuity and initiative of God’s love frames us, and all of Creation too, as a gift,[15] which we are invited to accept and protect. I (with my life and abilities), and my neighbours are a gift, as is the whole world, which is our common home.[16] Everything I do and every decision I take (including every purchase I make[17]) impacts the world and is a moral act.[18] Directly opposed to this reality are individualism and relativism, which follow from a delusion of absolute, arbitrary power over myself, my body and all of creation,[19] which even challenge every person’s inalienable right to life[20] and which lead to exclusion, inequality, abuse and domination.[21] I mustn’t become desensitised to these evils of injustice. Instead, I am called to respond to them with outrage, as Jesus did,[22] and to overcome them. No matter how damaged, inconsequential, discarded or worthless someone’s life may appear, God is present there, waiting to be found there by me[23] and waiting for me to share in their suffering,[24] to work for their advancement and to bring justice to them.[25] I am called to dialogue with everyone, where differences are a source of mutual enrichment rather than walls or threats to my own identity; dialogue with those unlike myself strengthens and enriches my own identity rather than threatening it.[26] “We need “to acknowledge jubilantly that our life is essentially a gift, and recognise that our freedom is a grace.”[27]
Everything is interconnected and forms a single reality, where a care for our own lives, our relationships, nature, fraternity, justice, sexuality, the family, society, politics, culture are all one and indivisible.[28] Jesus’ teachings therefore cannot be reduced to rules and structures that follow a cold and harsh logic but that ultimately end up as means of domination[29] and whose transmission obscures the great experience of Christian life,[30] which rejects nothing of the goodness that already exists in any situation.[31] Such rules and structures would both hide a false belief that everything depends on our own powers and end up complicating the Gospel,[32]leaving little room for grace and turning our religion into servitude.[33]
Pope Francis gives the following example of the integral approach that is at the heart of his teaching:
“Our defence of the innocent unborn, for example, needs to be clear, firm and passionate, for at stake is the dignity of a human life, which is always sacred and demands love for each person, regardless of his or her stage of development. Equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia, the victims of human trafficking, new forms of slavery, and every form of rejection.”
(GE, 101)
Instead of rules and regulations, Jesus presents us with two faces: that of the Father and that of our brother, “or better yet, one alone: the face of God reflected in so many other faces.”[34] The Gospel, at the heart of which is life in community and engagement with others,[35]sums this up in the golden rule: “In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you” (Mt 7:12), which is to be applied in every case, especially when facing difficult moral judgments,[36]and which grounds every moral norm.[37] “Our Lord especially appreciates those who find joy in the happiness of others. If we fail to learn how to rejoice in the well-being of others, and focus primarily on our own needs, we condemn ourselves to a joyless existence, for, as Jesus said, “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).”[38]
Sexual morality in particular often leads to “incomprehension and alienation from the Church”[39] and while sex can be a basis of undue exaltation, self-obsession, submission, exploitation or violence,[40] it is first and foremost God’s “marvellous gift to his creatures”.[41] Rather than being a taboo, it is a gift, given with the purpose to love, to build conjugal friendship, to fulfil the other, who is a gift for me,[42] and to generate life.[43] “[E]very person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity and treated with consideration.”[44]
Work is another important good, since it gives meaning to life on this earth, is a path to growth, human development and fulfilment, a means for helping the poor while striving to giving them too access to work[45] and a way to cooperate with God in the work of creation.[46] It too is open to abuse in a great variety of ways, including “in clandestine warehouses, in rings of prostitution, in children used for begging, in exploiting undocumented labour.”[47]
The social dimension of our lives has strong moral implications, calling us to respect the good name of others[48]and to work towards the common good, social peace, stability and security, provided by an order that incorporates distributive justice and prevents violence.[49] “[P]articipation in political life is a moral obligation”[50] and maintaining credible institutions, with political representatives free from corruption, is a basic need.[51]
A key role in living a moral life is played by our consciences, which enable us to discern and act upon the invitation of the Gospel[52] and to realise that “what we consider objectively good is also good “for us” here and now.”[53]Conscience can recognise when a situation is incompatible with the Gospel and is therefore sinful,[54] what a person’s most generous response to God can be in that situation, given their limitations, and that this “is what God himself is asking amid the concrete complexity of one’s limits, while yet not fully the objective ideal.”[55]Conscience gives us an “awareness of both our gifts and our limitations.”[56]
Consciences need to be formed, which is the work of a lifetime “in which we learn to cultivate the very sentiments of Jesus Christ, adopting the criteria behind his choices and the intentions behind his actions (cf. Phil 2:5)”.[57]This mustn’t amount to replacing consciences,[58] since “[o]thers must be acknowledged and esteemed precisely as others, each with his or her own feelings, choices and ways of living and working.”[59]
Adhesion to the Church’s moral teaching is always incomplete, but what God expects of us is to do what we can, ask for what we cannot, to pray to him with humility[60] and to always remain open to new growth and to new choices that make us advance towards the ideal of perfection.[61] “[A]ll of us are a complex mixture of light and shadows. Love does not have to be perfect for us to value it.”[62] Also, caring for those who do not adhere to the Church’s moral teaching is an expression of charity rather than a dilution of faith.[63] We are called to make ourselves “weak with the weak… everything for everyone” (1 Cor 9:22)[64] and accept the other person “even when he or she acts differently than I would like”.[65]
Pope Francis gives the following example of such potential for growth:
“When a couple in an irregular union attains a noteworthy stability through a public bond – and is characterized by deep affection, responsibility towards the children and the ability to overcome trials – this can be seen as an opportunity, where possible, to lead them to celebrate the sacrament of Matrimony.” and contrasts it with cases of “cohabitation which totally exclude any intention to marry”.”
(AL, 78)
The key here is to grow from where one is towards a fuller life of the Gospel,[66] a growth that can “only occur if we respond to God’s grace through constant acts of love, acts of kindness that become ever more frequent, intense, generous, tender and cheerful.”[67] Each one of us advances gradually by combining both God’s gifts and demands[68] and we need to acknowledge our limitations, otherwise we inhibit the working of grace within us and “no room is left for bringing about the potential good that is part of a sincere and genuine journey of growth.”[69]
Pope Francis gives an example of this attitude:
“[A] woman goes shopping, she meets a neighbour and they begin to speak, and the gossip starts. But she says in her heart: “No, I will not speak badly of anyone”. This is a step forward in holiness. Later, at home, one of her children wants to talk to her about his hopes and dreams, and even though she is tired, she sits down and listens with patience and love. That is another sacrifice that brings holiness. […]”
(GE, 16)
We must avoid judgments that do not take the full complexity of a situation into account,[70] remembering that each person’s situation before God and their life in grace are mysteries[71] and that “[n]o one can be condemned for ever, because that is not the logic of the Gospel!”[72] “[… It] can no longer simply be said that all those in any “irregular” situation are living in a state of mortal sin and are deprived of sanctifying grace. More is involved here than mere ignorance of the rule. A subject may know full well the rule, yet have great difficulty in understanding “its inherent values”, or be in a concrete situation which does not allow him or her to act differently and decide otherwise without further sin.”[73]
Pope Francis gives an example here of
“a second union consolidated over time, with new children, proven fidelity, generous self giving, Christian commitment, a consciousness of its irregularity and of the great difficulty of going back without feeling in conscience that one would fall into new sins.” and contrasts it with “someone who has consistently failed in his obligations to the family.”
(AL, 298)
Discernment is key to identifying what possible ways we have for responding to God and growing in the midst of limits. “By thinking that everything is black and white, we sometimes close off the way of grace and of growth, and discourage paths of sanctification which give glory to God. Let us remember that “a small step, in the midst of great human limitations, can be more pleasing to God than a life which appears outwardly in order, but moves through the day without confronting great difficulties”.”[74]
Morality is not “a form of stoicism, or self-denial, or merely a practical philosophy or a catalogue of sins and faults”[75] and it is reductive to look only at “whether or not an individual’s actions correspond to a general law or rule, because that is not enough to discern and ensure full fidelity to God in the concrete life of a human being.”[76]Instead of a focus “on rooting out every threat and deviation, we should appear as joyful messengers of challenging proposals, guardians of the goodness and beauty which shine forth in a life of fidelity to the Gospel.”[77]
We are called to examine our lives in front of God, leaving nothing out. We can always grow in every aspect of our lives and offer something to God. All we need to do is ask the Holy Spirit to free us and give him access to all parts of our lives. “God asks everything of us, yet he also gives everything to us. He does not want to enter our lives to cripple or diminish them, but to bring them to fulfilment.”[78] “God loves the enjoyment felt by human beings.”[79] “The greatest danger would be to prevent [others] from encountering Christ by presenting him as an enemy of joy or as someone indifferent to human questions and difficulties.”[80]
In summary, I believe that Pope Francis’ teaching builds on three pillars: First, that God loves each one of us precisely as we are, without exception, and that he invites each one of us to ever greater closeness with Him and therefore with everyone else too. Second, that the choice of the good is open to each one of us in every moment, no matter what mistakes we may have made, and that God delights in every step we take in His direction. Third, that we are to help each other both with discerning what the right thing is to do and with then doing it – while the place where moral decisions are taken is in every person’s conscience, that conscience is to be formed and supported in a community that together travels on a journey towards God.
[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1749.
[2] I have not included the encyclical letter Lumen Fidei, since it is with Evangelii Gaudium that Pope Francis sets out the framework of his pontificate and subsequent encyclicals and exhortations proceed from there.
[3] Cf. EG, 164; QA 64.
[4] Cf. GE, 11.
[5] Cf. EG, 39.
[6] Cf. QA 71.
[7] Cf. GE, 110; QA 71, 80.
[8] Cf. EG, 15.
[9] Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete in Domino (9 May 1975), 22: AAS 67 (1975), 297; EG, 3; Cf. EG 47; CV, 234.
[10] Cf. QA, 63.
[11] Cf EG, 55.
[12] Cf. EG, 213; AL, 56; GE, 101.
[13] Cf. LS, 117.
[14] Cf. EG, 161; AL, 306.
[15] Cf. AL, 56; AL, 310-311.
[16] Cf. LS, 155; GE, 55.
[17] Cf. LS, 206.
[18] Cf. LS, 208.
[19] Cf. LS, 162; LS, 155; AL, 34; CV, 82.
[20] Cf. AL, 83.
[21] Cf. EG, 53; LS, 123; CV, 98; QA 14.
[22] Cf. QA 15.
[23] Cf. GE, 42.
[24] Cf. GE, 76.
[25] Cf. QA, 75.
[26] Cf. QA, 37.
[27] GE, 55.
[28] Cf. LS, 70; LS, 6, QA 22.
[29] Cf. GE, 39; EG, 34-35.
[30] Cf. CV, 212.
[31] Cf. QA, 66.
[32] Cf. EG, 43.
[33] Cf. GE, 59.
[34] GE, 61.
[35] Cf EG, 177; GE, 127-128.
[36] Cf. GE, 80.
[37] Cf. EG, 179.
[38] AL, 110; Cf. GE, 117.
[39] CV, 81.
[40] Cf. AL, 156; AL 147; AL, 154; CV 81; CV 90; GE, 108.
[41] CV. 261; Cf. AL, 152.
[42] Cf. AL, 81.
[43] Cf. CV, 261; AL, 156.
[44] AL, 250.
[45] Cf. CV, 269.
[46] Cf. LS, 117.
[47] EG, 211.
[48] Cf. AL, 112; GE, 115.
[49] Cf. LS, 157; LS 133-134; GE, 25.
[50] EG, 220.
[51] QA, 24.
[52] Cf. AL, 37.
[53] AL, 265.
[54] Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1849.
[55] AL, 303.
[56] CV, 281-282.
[57] CV, 281.
[58] Cf. AL, 37.
[59] QA, 27.
[60] Cf. GE, 49; GE, 118-119.
[61] Cf. AL, 303; AL, 291.
[62] AL, 113.
[63] Cf. AL 243; AL, 307.
[64] Cf. EG, 45.
[65] AL, 92.
[66] Cf. EG, 160-161.
[67] AL, 134.
[68] Cf. AL, 295.
[69] GE, 50.
[70] Cf. AL, 296.
[71] Cf. EG, 172.
[72] AL, 297.
[73] AL, 301.
[74] AL, 305.
[75] EG, 39.
[76] AL, 304; Cf. AL, 308.
[77] EG, 168.
[78] GE, 175.
[79] AL, 149.
[80] QA, 80.
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