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Morality: The Catholic View by Servais Pinckaers
In this slender and elegantly written volume, Pinckaers offers us the biblical and patristic conception of the moral life as this conception was developed by St. Thomas Aquinas. From this perspective, the moral life is a life of virtue rooted in the human person's natural desire for happiness. God's grace elevates and heals this natural desire so that through the infused virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the moral life becomes a "life in Christ" guided by the Spirit.Father Pinckaers sharply distinguishes this view of morality from modern "moralities of obligation," which regard the moral life primarily as obedience to rules that limit human freedom and curb human desires. Pinckaers sees moralities of obligation as the logical outcome of a new understanding of human freedom. Instead of regarding freedom as the capacity to engage in excellent acts of virtue (freedom for excellence), the modern view understands freedom as the radical ability to do good or evil indifferently (freedom of indifference). Pinckaers argues convincingly that this view of freedom and the morality of obligation that flows from it have impoverished the Catholic understanding of the moral life. What is needed is a return to the richer biblical and patristic perspective. With St. Thomas as his guide, Father Pinckaers offers the reader a compelling itinerary of moral development, rooted in the theology of St. Paul and the morality of the Gospels, especially the Sermon on the Mount.Pinckaers developed this argument at length in his earlier study, The Sources of Christian Ethics. In The Catholic View, he offers his insights in a manner accessible to a wider audience. The work isdivided into two parts. The first part sketches the history of Catholic moral theology, spanning from its Gospel sources to the Second Vatican Council and its aftermath. The second part presents Pinckaers's renewed understanding of the moral It is "life in Christ" guided by the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to live the Sermon on the Mount and to attain the happiness of the Beatitudes.
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First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 24, 2011
Just finished “Morality: The Catholic View” by Servais Pinckaers O.P.; I highly recommend it.
It is a short work, 113 pages, but very well done; a good challenge as an introductory text but well worth the effort. Fr. Pinckaers properly looks at moral theology and morality as the key to happiness as opposed to following a series of rules as though they are merely obligations. In the modern world we rarely discuss the virtues and the joy of growing within a virtuous outlook; we also rarely hear about persons who are truly happy. This book takes the position of discussing our human need to pursue virtue in order to fulfill our desire for true happiness. It basically looks back at the roots of the Catholic Church and rekindles the views of the early Church fathers.
While it is short in length, it is solid in content. Since I have read other books by Fr. Pinckaers, I approached this book slowly and with marker in hand. I believe this small book could keep a discussion group going for weeks.
It is a short work, 113 pages, but very well done; a good challenge as an introductory text but well worth the effort. Fr. Pinckaers properly looks at moral theology and morality as the key to happiness as opposed to following a series of rules as though they are merely obligations. In the modern world we rarely discuss the virtues and the joy of growing within a virtuous outlook; we also rarely hear about persons who are truly happy. This book takes the position of discussing our human need to pursue virtue in order to fulfill our desire for true happiness. It basically looks back at the roots of the Catholic Church and rekindles the views of the early Church fathers.
While it is short in length, it is solid in content. Since I have read other books by Fr. Pinckaers, I approached this book slowly and with marker in hand. I believe this small book could keep a discussion group going for weeks.
October 18, 2024
Morality: The Catholic View
3.5
Pros:
One of my favorite profs rec’d this book, so I had to give it a read!
It was a great thought catalyst. Ex. “The task of moral theologians is complex; their task is to respond continually, as a work of education, to the questions posed to them.” made me think about how, if someone desires to participate rightly in the churn of society, they must know the cannon (i.e. the Hebrews 4:12 “Word of God which is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, able to separate joint from marrow, soul from spirit, and discern the hearts and intentions of men”).
I also got a lot from Pinckaers’ discussion of conscience: “The role of conscience is essential because it enables one to move from the universality of law to the singularity of acts” because I’ve lately been thinking about how Christians of goodwill can disagree on everything except the fact Jesus is LORD and God raised Him from the dead. Beyond that, we can have different positions, but we are commanded to per Romans 14:13 “not to set stumbling blocks before one another OR to judge one another” in matters of conscience.
That said, Pinckaers also had a fair bit to say about the importance of embodied faith: “One cannot understand fully their moral teaching, unless one puts it into practice in a spirit of faith.” Very James 2:22: “Abraham’s faith was active together with his works, and by his works, faith was made complete.” It’s not ideal to sit around like an oyster stewing in belief when we’ve been tasked (per Eph 2:10) with doing good deeds for others’ good and God’s glory.
Loved. Loved. Loved this quote:
“There then arrives the age of maturity where virtue blossoms like a talent in the arts: It is a daring, intelligent and generous force, the capacity to bring to good completion works of long duration that bear fruit for many; it secures ease and joy in action.”
And I super loved this quote:
“[Christ] provides the people of the world the true answers to their questions. Answers rooted in the mystery of the cross, and the resurrection, and the gift of the Spirit lived in the communion of all believers.”
Cons:
I don’t buy all the “natural inclinations” Pinckaers identifies. I don’t think people are naturally inclined either to goodness (John 3:19 “This is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil”) or to truth (Romans 1:25 “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator”). My impression of Catholic teaching is that it struggles to offer an explanation for what the prof who rec’d this book to me calls “deep evil.” That is, evil committed not in confusion, ignorance, and/or error but with solid knowledge and determined will to seek what C.S. Lewis called “the tang in the flavor.”
Like, Sanctification is real, but The Fall is stubborn--more stubborn than I think the average Catholic would permit. Lewis again: “Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms.”
The language of “openness to the world” also gave me pause. I’m not sure what precisely was meant, but James 4:4 came instantly into my head: “Friendship with the world is enmity with God. Anyone who wants (merely WANTS) to be a friend to the world BECOMES an enemy of God.”
Favorite Quotes (in addition to those loved above):
“The response of faith is impossible for those who count only on their own strength.”
“The Spirit, therefore, can produce in us works that are sometimes quite surprising.”
“One sign that helps us distinguish true from false conscience is certainly that true conscience always presents a challenge, like the steep and narrow way of the Gospel that stands in stark contrast to the broad and easy way that leads to eternal sorrow.”
3.5
Pros:
One of my favorite profs rec’d this book, so I had to give it a read!
It was a great thought catalyst. Ex. “The task of moral theologians is complex; their task is to respond continually, as a work of education, to the questions posed to them.” made me think about how, if someone desires to participate rightly in the churn of society, they must know the cannon (i.e. the Hebrews 4:12 “Word of God which is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, able to separate joint from marrow, soul from spirit, and discern the hearts and intentions of men”).
I also got a lot from Pinckaers’ discussion of conscience: “The role of conscience is essential because it enables one to move from the universality of law to the singularity of acts” because I’ve lately been thinking about how Christians of goodwill can disagree on everything except the fact Jesus is LORD and God raised Him from the dead. Beyond that, we can have different positions, but we are commanded to per Romans 14:13 “not to set stumbling blocks before one another OR to judge one another” in matters of conscience.
That said, Pinckaers also had a fair bit to say about the importance of embodied faith: “One cannot understand fully their moral teaching, unless one puts it into practice in a spirit of faith.” Very James 2:22: “Abraham’s faith was active together with his works, and by his works, faith was made complete.” It’s not ideal to sit around like an oyster stewing in belief when we’ve been tasked (per Eph 2:10) with doing good deeds for others’ good and God’s glory.
Loved. Loved. Loved this quote:
“There then arrives the age of maturity where virtue blossoms like a talent in the arts: It is a daring, intelligent and generous force, the capacity to bring to good completion works of long duration that bear fruit for many; it secures ease and joy in action.”
And I super loved this quote:
“[Christ] provides the people of the world the true answers to their questions. Answers rooted in the mystery of the cross, and the resurrection, and the gift of the Spirit lived in the communion of all believers.”
Cons:
I don’t buy all the “natural inclinations” Pinckaers identifies. I don’t think people are naturally inclined either to goodness (John 3:19 “This is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil”) or to truth (Romans 1:25 “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator”). My impression of Catholic teaching is that it struggles to offer an explanation for what the prof who rec’d this book to me calls “deep evil.” That is, evil committed not in confusion, ignorance, and/or error but with solid knowledge and determined will to seek what C.S. Lewis called “the tang in the flavor.”
Like, Sanctification is real, but The Fall is stubborn--more stubborn than I think the average Catholic would permit. Lewis again: “Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms.”
The language of “openness to the world” also gave me pause. I’m not sure what precisely was meant, but James 4:4 came instantly into my head: “Friendship with the world is enmity with God. Anyone who wants (merely WANTS) to be a friend to the world BECOMES an enemy of God.”
Favorite Quotes (in addition to those loved above):
“The response of faith is impossible for those who count only on their own strength.”
“The Spirit, therefore, can produce in us works that are sometimes quite surprising.”
“One sign that helps us distinguish true from false conscience is certainly that true conscience always presents a challenge, like the steep and narrow way of the Gospel that stands in stark contrast to the broad and easy way that leads to eternal sorrow.”
February 25, 2013
A very brief, thumbnail sketch that provides a basic introduction to his masterful "The Sources of Christian Ethics." If you read Pinckaer's "Sources," you are not missing anything if you don't read this book.
August 26, 2011
A great intro book. It's more concise than 'Sources of Christian Ethics' and thus works well for the beginner, but even the veteran reader of Catholic moral theology will find good insights here.
July 17, 2012
lots of food for thought; not easy to read - brought me back to my college philosophy class days...
November 13, 2016
Very systematic and easy to read. Loved it :)
June 1, 2007
A well-written introduction to Catholic moral theology by one of the best in the field.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews