The document discusses different types of laws including eternal law, natural law, moral law, and human law. Eternal law refers to God's plan for governing the universe. Natural law involves moral insights knowable through human reason. Moral law governs human conduct and is revealed through scripture. Human law contains regulations created by legitimate authorities to direct society towards the common good. The document provides details on the characteristics and purposes of these different kinds of laws.

1. III. Norms and Guideline
A. The Objective
Norm

2. LAW
The Objective Norm
of Morality

3. ACTIVITY
PROBLEM:
You are the only people (total no. of students in your
class) who have survived a plane crash in a small
island. All radio and other communication equipments
were destroyed. It appears that your group may have to
wait some period of time before search planes can
locate and rescue the stranded survivors.

4. GUIDE QUESTIONS:
1. Do you think there is a need for any laws
in this situation? Why or why not?
2. Think of 5 laws (e.g. food, distribution of
goods, duties etc.) that will help your
group regulate the conduct of the people to
survive in the island.
3. Now that you have drafted 5 laws. How
will your group enforce these laws?

8. LAW is …
an ordinance of reason
promulgated
by competent authority
for the sake of the
common good
St. Thomas Aquinas

9. St. Thomas Aquinas:
1. A decree or ordinance of reason
2. Directed towards the common
good.
3. Promulgated by competent
authority, i.e. one who has the
care of the community.

10. ORDINANCE/DEGREE of
REASON
Obligatory force & not merely as
recommendation or suggestion.
It must be based on the insights of
reason into what is truly good.

11. COMMON GOOD
Laws can only be enacted for
the common good & not for
the private good of a few
citizens.

12. PROMULGATION:
The official publication of a LAW so that
it can come to the knowledge of the
subjects.
Necessary in order that a law becomes
obligatory.
Laws can only be enacted by those in
charge of the community as a legitimate
authority.

13. Relevance or Importance of
Moral Norms / LAWS: (CFC)

14. 1. Provide the objective
criteria for our own
conscience to judge
what is morally good
or evil.
By explicitating the moral memory and
value-experience of the community-
by providing a broader basis for
judging than our limited

15. 2. Help our moral
development, especially
in the formation of our
conscience.

16. 3. Offer the needed moral
stability in our lives.
(by acting as point of
reference)

17. 4. Challenge us to stretch for an ideal
beyond our limited experience, &
correct our moral
misconceptions in the process.

19. KINDS (or classes) of LAW:
ETERNAL/DIVINE LAW
NATURAL LAW
MORAL LAW/REVEALED LAW
Old Law
New Law or Law of the Gospel
HUMAN LAW
Civil law
Ecclesiastical law

21. 1. ETERNAL LAW
God is the author of the laws governing the universe. He
designed all the laws of the universe in His own infinite
mind.
Eternal law is the plan of God in creating
the universe & in assigning to each creature
their specific nature.
It is the universal law whereby God directs
and governs the universe and the ways of
human community according to his plan of
wisdom & love.

22. “Eternal lawEternal law is the plan flowing
from God’s wisdom which directs all
actions and movements.”
St. Thomas Aquinas
“Eternal lawEternal law is the divine reason and/or
the will of God Himself commanding
the preservation of natural law and
forbidding its disturbance.”
St. Augustine

23. ETERNAL LAW
A type of DIVINE WISDOM
The Creator, therefore, has in Himself the
“type” of what creatures are to do to
attain their END & PURPOSE.
Each being tends towards a particular
end that reveals the will of God which
contains the divine blue prints that
bring order into the universe by directing
all of creation, living or nonliving, to their
respective end-goals

24. They are laws based on or learned from the state of
things in nature as well as human nature.
People discover these laws in
- physical lawsphysical laws, which rule both nonrational and
rational creatures
- biological lawsbiological laws, which govern the development of
living things
- mathematical lawsmathematical laws, which govern abstract quality
- natural lawnatural law which is the participation of the eternal
law in rational creature
All laws that govern the universe are
independent of humanity.

25. Why learn these?
By learning these laws we gain freedom
But freedom is always tied up with obedience
to the law of God, and there is no such thing
as “freedom from these laws.” Instead there is
freedom within these laws.
Each new law learned increases our freedomEach new law learned increases our freedom.
Ex. the laws of gravity
the laws of our body

26. 2. NATURAL LAW
It is the law written and engraved in the soul of
each and every man because it is human
reason ordaining him to do good and
forbidding him to sin (CCC 1954)
Pertains to the moral insights people
are capable of knowing by means of
their reason, and independently of the
verbal revelation of God
The medium of cognition is reason alone
2. NATURAL LAW

27. Natural law is a participation in God’s
wisdom and goodness by man formed in
the image of his Creator (CCC, 1978)
The basic precept:
“DO GOOD, AVOID EVIL.”

28. Natural Law (moral law of nature, natural
moral law, natural ethics and natural morality)
Three essential characteristics
1. Natural law is universal (Universality).
- for all individuals (reason)
2. Natural law is one and the same for all
(Unity and Invariability).
- All classes of people possess equal dignity
-hence possess equal RIGHTS
3. Natural law is immutable (Immutability)
-cannot be changed

29. Man knows naturally, by the
light of his understanding, that
there are some things evil in
themselves, & some things
which are necessarily good.

30. The inclinations of human nature
& the Natural Law:
1. The inclination to the good
2. The inclination to self-preservation
3. The inclination to sexual union & rearing
of offspring
4. The inclination to knowledge of the truth
5. The inclination to live in society

31. 3. MORAL LAW
Governs man’s/woman’s behavior.
Contains truths and ethical principles
which guide people’s conduct on
matters of right or wrong.
It tells one how to act in relation to God
and other individuals.
Specifies what a person ought or not to do
in order to lead one to the highest good
and absolute end – God.

32. The Old Law is the first
stage of revealed law. Its
moral prescriptions are summed
in the Ten Commandments. (CCC 1980)
The Old Law is a preparation
for the Gospel. (CCC, 1981)
It is overflowing with
wisdom
3. MORAL LAW as REVEALED3. MORAL LAW as REVEALED
LAW of the Old Testament and the NewLAW of the Old Testament and the New
TestamentTestament

33. The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, givingThe decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving
wisdom to the simple.wisdom to the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing theThe precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the
heart.heart.
The command of the Lord is clear, enlighteningThe command of the Lord is clear, enlightening
the eyes. .the eyes. .
The ordinances of the Lord are true, and all ofThe ordinances of the Lord are true, and all of
them just.them just.
(Ps 19;8-10)(Ps 19;8-10)

34. 1. I am the Lord, your God. You shall
have no strange gods before me.
2. You shall not use the name of the of the Lord in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day.
4. Honor your father and mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbors.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10.You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

35. The New Law is the grace of the Holy
Spirit received by faith in Christ, operating
through charity. It finds expression above all
in the Lord's Sermon on the Mount. (CCC, 1983)
The Law of the Gospel fulfills and surpasses
the Old Law and brings it to perfection: its
promises, through the Beatitudes of the
Kingdom of heaven; its commandments, by
reforming the heart, the root of human acts.
(CCC, 1984)
Revealed Law of the Old Testament
and the New Testament

36. The Greatest Commandments
“You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, with all your soul, and
with all your mind. This is the greatest
and the first commandment. The
second is like it: You shall love your
neighbors as yourself. The whole of
the prophets depend on these two
commandments.” Mt 22:37

37. New Law or the Law of the Gospel
The New Law is a law of love, a law of
grace, a law of freedom (CCC, 1985)
law of love because it makes us act out of the love
infused by the Holy Spirit, rather than from fear
a law of grace, because it confers the strength of
grace to act, by means of faith and the sacraments
a law of freedom because it sets us free from the
ritual and juridical observances of the Old Law,
inclines us to act spontaneously by the prompting of
charity (CCC, 1972)

38. 4. HUMAN LAW
Contains regulations promulgated
by legitimate human authority.
Intended to preserve peace & harmony
Directing each members of the society to
work towards the common good.
2 Divisions:
STATE -- Civil LawsCivil Laws – the application of
natural law in given societies
 CHURCH – Ecclesiastical LawsEcclesiastical Laws – the
application of divine law to the Christian
Community

39. Properties of Human Law
It is enforceable
– coercion is necessary
It is concerned with external conduct
only
- social order
- external compliance of the law
It is limited to particular groups
- limited only to the community

40. Properties of Human Law
It is historically conditioned
- inevitably change
It has presumptive obligatory force
- subjects has no right to disobey the law
even have doubts about utility or justice
It is fallible

41. Human Laws must:
Conform with Divine Laws
Promote the common good
Just & not discriminatory
Dynamic
Practicable

42. Reference:
Salibay, Esteban T. Jr. Christian Morality in
the Contemporary Society. C&E
Publishing, Inc. 2008.