FCL REVIEWER

Human Life: A Struggle for Although invisible and not so

Human Freedom obvious, these inner circumstances
have an effect on our moral
From 1956-1968 Martin Luther
decisions and actions. These take
King, Jr., an American Baptist
the forms of memories, feelings,
minister and activist, led the
attitudes, cultural biases,
uprising of the African-American
philosophies, and ways of thinking.
people in United States, by
asserting their human dignity and
freedom in a nonviolent manner.
Irenaeus, a holy man from Lyons,
France, once said: “The glory of
God is the human being fully alive.”
Different Notions of Freedom

External Threats to Freedom

We must strive to set ourselves
These are conditions that limit and
free from all that limit us and
hinder the full exercise of one’s
hinder our personal freedom both
personal freedom on a physical
externally and intrinsically.
level. Hence, these threats are
more obvious and visible.
Imprisonment, sickness, war, and
Freedom as the Capacity to
unexpected pregnancy are familiar
Choose
examples.
Freedom is God’s gift to human
beings. It entails a responsibility. It
Internal Threats to Freedom is the ability to respond to the
situations appropriately.
These are conditions that limit and
hinder the full exercise of our
personal freedom from within.
Freedom as the Choice Itself
Our freedom to think and to choose Being MORAL is being HUMAN.
is in the context of free human acts
Freedom as the Person Formed
or choices. A free human act is
by One’s Choices
born out of one’s freedom. All free
human acts can either be morally Our free human acts are moral
good or morally evil. As such, because these form the kind of
human acts, therefore, are moral persons we can be. Through free
acts.’ human acts or moral acts, we
become either other-centered
persons or self-centered
individuals.

On the other hand, as we habitually

choose what is undesirable, we
“Human progress is neither
reject our nature and dignity as
automatic nor inevitable…Every
human persons. Constantly
step toward the goal of justice
choosing to stay in bed,
requires sacrifice, suffering, and
disregarding any concern for
struggle; the tireless exertions and
others, makes us lazy and self-
passionate concern of dedicated
absorbed individuals.
individuals.” – Martin Luther King,
Jr. A person who practices virtues
becomes a virtuous person; and a
person who develops vices
All free human acts, including our becomes vicious and morally
waking in the morning, are moral corrupt person.
acts. We call them moral acts
because they are choices, that
involve our mind, will, discernment,
and decision.
 The philosopher, Aristotle observed
the quality of conduct and the lives
Our fundamental option also
of people during his time.
influences our future choices and
acts. Somone who has often done Early in history, he recognized that
morally good acts, will find its easy the destinies of human persons are
to perform good deed or even a actually the result of the patterns
more heroic act. Likewise, someone formed by their individual habits.
who has often done morally evil
acts, would easily perform another
evil act, or even a graver sin. Stages of Moral Act

This is where the grace of God

comes in. It will always be difficult
to do the good out of a sinner’s
formed core decision. When one Stage 1:
humbly acknowledges his or her
Before making a specific moral
weakness and prays for God’s help
decision and performing a specific
to do the good, the Lord will listen
moral act, human persons possess
to the sinner’s prayer.
the capacity to make choices.

Each human person is gifted by

Analyzing a Moral Act: Relating to God with intellect and free will.
Freedom, Law, and Conscience Therefore, every person is
becoming a moral being because
“We are what repeatedly do.
each has intellect and a moral
Excellence then, is not an act, but a capacity known as conscience and
habit.” his /her capacity to choose knows
as free will.
-Aristotle
We develop our exercise of
conscience and freedom in
preparation for major moral Was I happy with my decisions? Is
decisions in the future. Even in the this what I really wanted to do? We
simple act of choosing what to eat review our past moral acts and
or drink, we are preparing seek to know it they were correct.
ourselves to face possible difficult Usually, after evaluating one's
options that we will soon encounter moral act, human persons make a
in our lives. resolve or a promise to do better
when they face a similar situation
in the future.
Stage 2
Being Morally Responsible
While making a specific moral
Being worthy of blame for moral
decision and performing a specific
actions is called "being morally
moral act, human person use their
culpable." Taking the blame for our
intellect and free will.
moral actions is being morally
Often, our actions are prompted by responsible.
our desires and intentions which we
An example of this is choosing to
process and deliberate through our
admit one's fault for being late and
conscience. Our intellect considers
expressing his/her realization on
our desires and intentions, vis-à-vis
the act's effect on people and
the specific related laws, the values
taking suggestions on how he or
we have learned and hold, the
she can improve.
relationship we keep, the possible
actions, and their corresponding Moral responsibility goes beyond
consequences. taking blame for one's morally
wrong actions. It also involves
being accountable or accepting
Stage 3: whatever penalties or
consequences one's act entails.
After making a specific moral
decision and performing a specific Often, this is avoided because it
moral act, human persons reflect requires some willingness to take
on what they have done.
painful consequences of not
obeying the law.

Before God, all three types of men -

the hungry, the thief, and the other
two persons stand alone in their
conscience for the commission of
their choices.

At the moment of our death and in

final judgment of all the living and
the dead, we will be held
accountable for all our moral acts.
God alone is the Final Arbiter and
the Last Judge of all our moral acts
as human persons.