Name__________________________________ Your Life in Christ

Chapter 3 Directed Reading Worksheet

Date___________________________________ Law as a Guide to Freedom

Directions: Read through the chapter and fill in the missing information. All the questions run sequential to the chapter. If a
true/false statement is false, correct it.

Introduction: The Need for Boundaries to Freedom (pages 81–83)

1. True or False? Sometimes moral laws violate the human conscience.

the
False Sometimes civil laws violate mansciense
2. ____________________ is the heart of Christian morality. Each of us is gifted with the ________________ to respond in faith
responsibility vice
tgge
and love to God’s ________________.
race We give our affirmation by accepting Jesus’ ________________ over sin and death and
loving
by ________________ others as brothers and sisters. Likewise, the ability to respond is a free ____________ from God and it
relies on our ________________________ with God’s grace.
cooperation
3. True or False? God’s gift of law helps to balance the tension between freedom and responsibility.

civil
4. Good ____________ law is grounded in ________________ law and can keep us on the right ____________ to our eternal
boundarett
reward. Good civil law can help ____________ us in moral living, pointing out the ________________________ to freedom.
gugg.ee
Good laws have their roots in ____________________law which is expressed most fully in the life and teachings of
Jesus
________________.

Section 1: God’s Free Gifts of Justification, Grace, and Merit (pages 84–88)
5. In what ways does the human capacity to think and choose separate us from all other creatures?

allows us to and make moral

reflect
decisions
6. True or False? The more we cooperate with God’s grace the more we lose freedom.

false
we gain more
freedom
righteousness
7. Justification gives us God’s own ____________________________, unities us to the Lord’s saving _________________,
passies
wearts The grace of justification begins with God’s ________________.
forgives sins and brings renewal of our ________________.
cleanses
Justification refers to the gift of the Holy Spirit’s grace that ____________________ us from our sins through conversion,
________________ in Jesus Christ, and Baptism. (p. 85)
faith
8. True or False? We can only grow in holiness by cooperating with the gifts the Holy Spirit has given to us at Baptism.

Watchettiit baptism
9. The ____________________ infuses grace into the soul at ________________, and all people are created with the
________________ to respond to God’s grace. This grace is not something we ________________, it is not something we can
earn
lose transform
____________, and it does not automatically ____________________ the baptized person. We must ________________
respond to the graces God gives to us as he never ________________his love or his gifts on us. (p. 85) freely
forces
10. Why does God create us with a hunger for goodness and truth?

who
fulfill
can
cause He is theonly one
our
deepest desires and wants
 11. True or False? Habitual grace – also known as actual grace – is a supernatural disposition that perfects the soul to enable it to
live with God.
also known
false as
12. True or False? Every sacrament brings particular graces proper to the sacrament.
sanctifying grace
True
13. Explain the purpose of charisms and provide a few examples.

pecial graces that are meant to be

good forthe Church charity
14. List four benefits of responding to God’s free gift of grace.

3 Unites usto Jesus

Withheld Him father
4 AllowsHoly Spirit to
live in you
Wtproves
15. What did St. Thomas Aquinas teach about the charism of speaking in tongues?

that Christ came to save the whole

world regardless of language
Tejistification
16. The concept of ____________ always begins with God’s _______________. He made the first move in extending his
9rad
forgiveness and ________________________ to us at Baptism. But strictly speaking, God does not ________
However, in choosing to ____________ offer his grace, God made the merit of an eternal Blessed
owe us anything.
____________ of union with the
healthy
Blessed Trinity in ____________________ is possible, provided we cooperate with these graces.

17. True or False? The source of all merit is the work of the Holy Spirit, whose sacrifice has won redemption for humankind.

false source
18. Explain what living a holy life requires.
is Jesus love
strength from God's grace
Self denial
Prayer
Section 2: More about Freedom (pages 89–93)
19. True or False? Ultimately, no one can take away our freedom completely.

True
20. How does the CCC define freedom? What are the benefits of freedom?
to actor
Yower no t to act
take
We can make our own decisions and
Wresponsibility humans psychologists
21. Some people believe that ____________________________ are not truly free and some ________________________ and
sociologists say that people lack freedom because their ____________________________ are fixed by their environment,
personalities action
________________ , and education. Those who believe in determinism hold that every event, ______________, and decision
upbringing
2
 independent stars
inevitably results from something ________________________ of human will such as fate, the ____________, or a spiritual
choices
force controlling human __________________.

22. What evidence does the author give for the existence of genuine human freedom?

The evidence is the pride and guilt that you feel after certain actions.

23. Briefly explain two types of freedom and give examples of each.
External Freedom - Freedom that is determined by the world around you

Internal freedom - Your ability to make decisions, could be making a hard but
moral decision

24. Give two specific examples of the limits of human freedom.

Some examples could be addiction or the actions of unjust governments

e m
25. True ____________________ excess
is not “license.” License is ____________________, undisciplined freedom that
solute
________________ true freedom. But in truth, human freedom is not ________________ or unlimited. ____________ results
disregarding
economic
EHights
when people do whatever they want while ________________________ God’s law, their own good, or the ________________
of others. Ironically, unrestrained freedom destroys the ____________________, social, political, and cultural conditions that

requires
true freedom ____________________.

26. True or False? Moral relativism holds that there are absolute moral truths.
False, it holds that there are no absolute moral truths

27. True or False? License promotes absolute reliance on God, other people, or the environment, without responsibility to self.
False, there is a responsibility
28. True or False? The abuse of freedom always results in sin.

True
29. True or False? True freedom is based in absolute truth and absolute truth is a position – showing respect for all God’s creation.
True
False Absolute truth is Jesus
30. What does Pope Benedict XVI suggest in regards to sharing the absolute truth of Jesus?
People should propose the truth of Jesus to people with love and respect

31. What argument has been repeatedly used by Catholic politicians regarding the Church’s teaching on the inalienable right to life
of the unborn? What is another way of phrasing this position?
Many politicians will say that they are personally opposed to abortion, but do not want
to impose their beliefs on others. Another way to say this is that they are privately
against abortion, but they publicly hold a neutral view.

3
 Section 3: Responsibly (pages 94–97)
32. True of False? Responsibility comes with the gift of free will.
True
33. True or False? To the degree that our choices are voluntary, we are responsible for our choices.
True

choices
34. Responsibility and ________________ go hand in hand because your free ________________ and actions have

eeedm
________________________. Our actions belong to us, we ____________ them, they affect us and everyone around, and they
becommage
help ____________ the kind of person we are ____________________. This is true both when we do something ___________
and also when we make ____________________. right
mistakes
35. What can we say about mature and honest people?

They take responsibility for their shortcomings

36. Catholic moral teaching identifies several major impediments to the exercise of true freedom. Identify which one is being
described below.
Duress
 When someone forces us to do something
I through fear: ______________________________________________

 Habit
The repetition of actions: ______________________________________________

 Inordinate attachments
Examples include money or possessions: ______________________________________________
Ignorance

jaygf
 Not knowing the proper way to act: ______________________________________________

 inadvertence
An accident: ______________________________________________

37. ____________________ to freedom can limit us, but they do not have to ________________ us. Though there may be

aa.gg p
_____________________ we have to deal with, we still have a ________________________ for handling it properly. We can
cooperate with God’s ____________ – which supports and enriches our freedom – made manifest in our friendship with
Jesus Holy Spirit
________________ as well as the many gifts of the ____________________.

Section 4: Law and Morality (pages 98–105)

38. What characteristics of “good law” are listed by the author?

Good law is reasonable, for the common good, made by a competent authority, and announced.

39. Briefly explain the three important elements of St. Thomas Aquinas’ definition of law.

1. Law is reasonable - It is possible to follow

2. Law is for the common good - It helps everyone in society
3. Law is made by the proper authority and is known - It is fair and everyone knows
about it
4
 do avoid understanding
40. Natural law teaches us what to ________ and what to ____________. It is the light of ________________________ God
places in humans and is written into the ____________. It expresses the “____________________________”
sense that enables us
partitiffferal
to ________________ between good and evil. It is a person’s ____________________________ in the divine law because our

Yse
moral ________________ of right and wrong is a sharing in God’s wisdom and ________________________.
goodness
Rules
41. Natural law is the foundation of both civil ____________ and moral ________________. It expresses human dignity and is the
human rightshows human
basis of all ________________________. Natural law corresponds to three basic ____________ needs and drives: to
____________________ life, to develop as individuals and ____________________________, and to share ____________
preserve communitesversal life
with others. Natural law applies to all people in all places, for all time because it is ____________________, permanent, and
________________________ throughout history.
unchanging
42. True or False? Although the norms of natural law can be discovered though human reason by all people, our intellects are
weakened and clouded by actual sin.

False Clouded by original sin

conversion and faith in Jesus Christ.
43. The Old Law ____________________ both Jewish and Christian people for ____________________
prepares
________________________ because although it denouncesto
It is the first ____________ of God’s revealed law and it is ____________, good, and spiritual. However, it is
sin, it cannot ________________ sin. Yet, because the Old Law
imperfection
is the
remfferer
____________________________, it provides a teaching that will remain ____________________.

44. True or False? The New Law is the perfection of divine law, both natural law and civil law.

False perfects divine law

45. True or False? The New Law helps us to understand the core attitudes that come before our actions, it does not add new
precepts for us to follow.

True
46. What are the two Gospel teachings summarized by the New Law?
1. Love God with all of your heart, soul, and mind
2. Love your neighbor as you love yourself

47. Explain what it means to say that the New Law is a law of grace.
It gives us the grace to act through faith and the sacraments, making us children of God

48. True or False? The New Law also includes the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
True
49. True or False? Civil law applies natural law to society.
True
50. When civil laws ________________ natural law, they no longer retain the ____________________ of law and are considered

ae naggage
yy
________________ laws because civil law is morally good only insofar as it ____________________ to God’s eternal law.
Because all _________________________ authority comes from God, no one is required to ____________ unjust civil laws
and everyone must work to ________________ such laws.
change
51. True or False? Catholics are called to respect the society they live in and are obliged in conscience to follow the directives of
civil authorities even when they are contrary to the demands of moral order.

False not the civil law contradicts

if 5

mord law
52. List the five precepts of the Church.

1. Attend Mass on Sundays and holy days

2. Confess sins at least once a year
3. Receive Eucharist during easter season
4. Observe days of fasting and abstinence
5. Help provide for the needs of the Church