THEO 3 Module 2

NAME: Modules 3 & 4
THEOLOGY 3: Christian Morality Fr. Niño Perido, crs
New Life in Christ
If you have ever tried to make a positive change in your life, you probably discovered
how hard it can be to do. Whether it is a commitment to spend more time in prayer, to work
harder in school, or to get more physical exercise, the majority of people give up on such
commitments within a month! The effort required to change seems too much for us and we
give up.
Now think about God. After the Fall, he did not abandon humankind. Ever since Adam
and Eve’s sin, God has been working to get human beings to make a major change, to turn
away from sin and to turn toward him. He called Abraham to be the father of a Chosen People.
He formed a sacred covenant with his Chosen People and gave them Divine Law to teach them
how to live as a holy people. He gave them rituals and the priesthood so they could unite with
him and with one another in prayerful worship. When they fell away, he called judges, kings,
and prophets to lead them back to him. Sadly, when we study these biblical accounts, we find
that the human response to God’s initiatives was lacking throughout salvation history. At first
the people would get excited and committed, but within a generation or less they would go
back to their old ways of ignoring the covenant God had formed with them. If anyone has
reason to give up on us, surely it is God.
But God never gives up on humanity, both corporately and individually. You have
studied salvation history and the Paschal Mystery in other courses. You know how God the
Father sent his only begotten Son as his ultimate saving act. You know how Jesus Christ saves
us from sin and death through his suffering, death, Resurrection, and Ascension. You know that
those who believe in Christ have new life in the Holy Spirit. The battle against sin and death has
been won. In light of this reality, every person in the world faces a question only he or she can
answer: Will you answer Christ’s call to place your faith in him?
Called to Beatitude
In calling us to place our faith in him, Christ calls us to an entirely new vision of life. This
vision is expressed in the Beatitudes. You will find these in Matthew 5:3–12 and Luke 6:20–26.
If you haven’t read them in a while, look them up and read them again. They present a vision
of life that is radically different from the vision of life held by many people, both in Jesus’ time
and in our time. Just consider the meaning of the first beatitude in Matthew: “Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” Being poor in spirit is the opposite of being
self-centered or egotistical. It means putting other people’s needs before our own. It means
trusting in God for what we need and not just in ourselves. And living this way comes with a
promise, that we shall be citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, both in this life and for all eternity
with God in Heaven.
The other seven beatitudes are just as radical in their implications. They illustrate the
paradoxes of God’s wisdom. It is only in looking to other people’s needs that our deepest needs
will be met. It is only in letting ourselves feel grief that we shall know God’s comfort. It is only
in being persecuted for doing what is right that we shall be worthy of Heaven. As we begin to
understand the meaning of the individual Beatitudes we start to see the big picture that Christ
calls us to as his disciples. That big picture we might call a life of beatitude. The Beatitudes
teach us our vocation as Christians, the goal of our existence. We call this goal by different
names: coming into the Kingdom of God, the beatific vision, entering into the joy of the Lord,
being adoptive children of God (also called divine filiation), or entering into God’s rest. By living
the Beatitudes, we begin to experience on earth the happiness that God has wanted human
beings to know from the beginning of creation. A life of beatitude purifies our hearts and
prepares us for the eternal happiness and joy that will come when we enter into perfect
communion with the Holy Trinity in Heaven. Living the Beatitudes brings meaning to our moral
choices. For example, the Beatitudes promise that we will know happiness by embracing the
hardships of life, not by avoiding those hardships. They promise that we will know true joy by
pursuing righteousness (or justice) and peace, not by pursuing wealth, fame, or power. Finally,
the Beatitudes do not promise that we will fully know the joy God intends for us during our
earthly life, only that we shall know it partially now and completely in Heaven. So the moral
choices we make to live a life of beatitude purify our hearts and remove our vices in preparation
for the perfect joy and happiness we will know in Heaven.
The Holy Trinity, Our Compass and Our Strength Through our Baptism we are already
on our way to living a life of beatitude. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, Original Sin and all
personal sin are washed away, removing our separation from God. We die to sin and the false
promises of Satan, which lead only to unhappiness and eternal death. We are reborn to a new
life in Christ, which leads to true happiness and eternal life. As baptized people we trust God to
do for us what we cannot do by ourselves. God provides us with what we need to live the
Beatitudes. Through Scripture and Tradition, he provides the compass, showing us the way to
live as disciples. Through the graces given in Baptism, the Eucharist, and the other Sacraments,
we are provided with the strength we need. Called by God the Father, empowered by the Holy
Spirit, and guided by the teaching and example of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we constantly
grow closer to the Holy Trinity through our moral choices. God alone reveals to us that he is
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The mystery of the Holy Trinity is the central truth of the Christian
faith. Through grace, we move toward the goal of Christian life, which is union with the Holy
Trinity in Heaven. Living the Beatitudes isn’t the easiest way to live. Jesus himself acknowledges
this. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to
destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the
road that leads to life. And those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13–14). At times it will be
tempting to give up trying to live a moral life. We can come up with a thousand reasons to
justify a decision we know deep down is wrong. But even if we give in to temptation, God never
gives up on us. Since Adam and Eve’s sin, God has been at work, gently calling us to true
happiness and joy. Put your faith in Jesus Christ and never stop asking God to be your compass
and your strength. ✞
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NAME: Course:
Activity 2
Instructions: On the table provided write the Beatitudes according to Matthew and
Luke together with their respective Bible verses. Pass only the activity sheet 1 week
after receiving the module. God bless!
Beatitudes in Matthew Beatitudes in Luke
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NAME: Modules 3 & 4

THEOLOGY 3: Christian Morality Fr. Niño Perido, crs

New Life in Christ

Beatitudes in Matthew Beatitudes in Luke

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