In Part 4 of That They May Have Life, we continue our morality series by moving through the Fourth Commandment’s reach into civil society and then turning to the Fifth Commandment: “You shall not kill.”

We begin with Jesus’ teaching from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), where the Lord deepens the commandment beyond the external act of murder to the interior roots of anger, contempt, and vengeance. From there we explore why every human life is sacred, what the Church teaches about abortion, euthanasia, suicide, and scandal, and how Catholics are called to protect life with both truth and mercy.

We also address legitimate defense, the responsibilities of civil authority, the Christian duty toward the common good, and the Church’s role in making moral judgments when fundamental human rights or the salvation of souls is at stake. The session concludes by previewing the next series on the sacraments.

Key Scripture

• Matthew 5:21–48 (anger, purity of heart, truthfulness, mercy, love of enemies)
• Luke 10:27 (love of God and neighbor)
• Matthew 22:37–40 (the greatest commandments)
• Mark 1:15 (repent and believe in the Gospel)
• Matthew 10:37 (loving Christ above family ties)
• Matthew 22:21 (render to Caesar…)
• Acts 5:29 (we must obey God rather than men)

Topics Covered

• Recap: beatitude, repentance, law and grace, the Decalogue
• The Fourth Commandment and the “domestic church”
• Civil society, authority, and conscientious objection
• Witness of Blessed Franz Jägerstätter and A Hidden Life
• The Fifth Commandment: why human life is sacred
• Abortion: truth, mercy, and the Church’s positive duty to support mothers and families
• Euthanasia vs. allowing natural death (ordinary vs. extraordinary means)
• Suicide: the objective evil of the act, diminished culpability, and Christian hope
• Scandal, gossip/slander, bodily integrity, organ donation, and peace
• Legitimate defense, punishment, just war principles, and the death penalty as a prudential judgment

Practical Takeaways

• Ask: Where do anger, contempt, or vengeance take root in my heart?
• Protect life with both conviction and compassion—especially by helping people in crisis
• Pray for leaders and seek the common good without losing charity
• Remember: the Lord’s call is not perfectionism, but conversion toward love

Next Episode

Next week we begin a new series on the sacraments, starting with Baptism and Confirmation.

Why is it so difficult to be good?

In Part 3 of That They May Have Life, we move deeper into the heart of Christian morality. Because of original sin, our intellect is darkened, our will is weakened, and our passions are disordered. Yet Christ does not leave us there. He gives us grace.

This session explores how virtue forms us from within, how conscience guides our moral decisions, and how law and grace work together to transform us into the image of Christ.

Christian morality is not about “white-knuckling” holiness. It is about becoming the kind of person who can choose what is good quickly, joyfully, and with ease.

Topics Covered

• Original sin and concupiscence
• How conscience works (and how it can be malformed)
• The definition of virtue as a firm, habitual disposition
• The cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance
• The theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity
• The role of the passions (love, joy, hope, anger, sorrow)
• Vice, virtue, continence, and moral struggle
• Natural law, the Old Law, and the New Law
• Sanctifying grace vs. actual grace

Key Takeaways

• Virtue perfects freedom.
• Law trains us toward the good.
• Grace transforms us from within.
• Holiness requires cooperation with God.

The talk introduces the Catholic understanding of sin as an offense against love—often described in Scripture as “missing the mark”—and explains how original sin wounds human nature without destroying it. Fr. Will then clarifies the Church’s distinctions between mortal sin, venial sin, and moral imperfections or dispositions, emphasizing that sin is fundamentally a matter of the will and that healing and freedom come through Christ and the sacraments, especially reconciliation.

The session concludes by laying the groundwork for moral decision-making through the three fonts of morality (object, intention, circumstances), showing how acts are judged as good or evil and why some acts are intrinsically evil—wrong always and everywhere—regardless of intention. Throughout, the teaching is presented with a pastoral clarity that distinguishes judging actions from judging persons, encouraging both truth and mercy as Christians seek holiness and real freedom in Christ.