The circumstances, including the consequences, are secondary elements of a moral act. They contribute to increaSing or diminishing the moral goodness or Evil of human acts (for example, the amount of a theft). They can also diminish or increase the agent's responsibility (such as acting out of a fear of death). Circumstances of themselves cannot change the moral quality of acts themselves; they can make neither good nor right an action that is in itself evil.

If - on the Contrary - the ignorance is invincible, or the moral Subject is not responsible for his erroneous Judgment, the Evil Committed by the perSon cannot be imputed to him. It remains no less an evil, a privation, a disorder. One must therefore work to correct the errors of moral Conscience.

Prudence is the virtue that disposes practical reaSon to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it; "the prudent man looks where he is going." 65 "Keep sane and sober for your prayers." 66 Prudence is "right reason in action," writes St. Thomas Aquinas, following Aristotle. 67 It is not to be confused with timidity or fear, nor with duplicity or dissimulation. It is called auriga virtutum (the charioteer of the virtues); it guides the other virtues by setting rule and measure. It is prudence that immediately guides the Judgment of Conscience. the prudent man determines and directs his conduct in accordance with this judgment. With the help of this virtue we apply moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts about the good to achieve and the Evil to avoid.

It is not easy for man, wounded by Sin, to maintain moral balance. Christ's gift of Salvation offers us the Grace necessary to persevere in the pursuit of the virtues. Everyone should always ask for this grace of light and strength, frequent the sacraments, cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and follow his calls to Love what is good and shun Evil.

Sin is an offense against God: "Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is Evil in your sight." 122 Sin sets itself against God's Love for us and turns our Hearts Away from it. Like the first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against God through the will to become "like gods," 123 knowing and determining good and evil. Sin is thus "love of oneself even to contempt of God." 124 In this proud self-exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the obedience of Jesus, which achieves our Salvation. 125

Sins can be distinguished according to their objects, as can every human act; or according to the virtues they oppose, by excess or defect; or according to the commandments they violate. They can also be classed according to whether they concern God, Neighbor, or oneself; they can be divided into spiritual and carnal Sins, or again as sins in thought, word, deed, or omission. the root of sin is in the Heart of man, in his free will, according to the teaching of the Lord: "For out of the heart come Evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a man." 128 But in the heart also resides charity, the source of the good and pure works, which sin wounds.

Unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense. But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the Conscience of every man. the promptings of feelings and passions can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders. Sin Committed through malice, by deliberate choice of Evil, is the gravest.

Sin creates a proclivity to sin; it engenders vice by repetition of the same acts. This results in perverse inclinations which cloud Conscience and corrupt the concrete Judgment of good and Evil. Thus sin tends to reproduce itself and reinforce itself, but it cannot destroy the moral sense at its root.

Sin is a perSonal act. Moreover, we have a responsibility for the Sins Committed by others when we cooperate in them: - by participating directly and voluntarily in them; - by ordering, advising, praising, or approving them; - by not disclosing or not hindering them when we have an obligation to do so; - by protecting Evil-doers.

Thus Sin makes men accomplices of one another and causes concupiscence, violence, and injustice to reign among them. Sins give rise to social situations and institutions that are Contrary to the divine goodness. "Structures of sin" are the expression and effect of perSonal sins. They Lead their victims to do Evil in their turn. In an analogous sense, they constitute a "social sin." 144

Without the help of Grace, men would not know how "to discern the often narrow path between the cowardice which gives in to Evil, and the violence which under the illusion of fighting evil only makes it worse." 13 This is the path of charity, that is, of the Love of God and of Neighbor. Charity is the greatest social commandment. It respects others and their rights. It requires the practice of justice, and it alone makes us capable of it. Charity inspires a life of self-giving: "Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it." 14

This same duty extends to those who think or act differently from us. the teaching of Christ goes so far as to require the forgiveness of offenses. He extends the commandment of Love, which is that of the New Law, to all enemies. 39 Liberation in the spirit of the Gospel is incompatible with hatred of one's enemy as a perSon, but not with hatred of the Evil that he does as an enemy.

The moral law is the work of divine Wisdom. Its biblical meaning can be defined as Fatherly instruction, God's pedagogy. It prescribes for man the ways, the rules of conduct that Lead to the promised beatitude; it proscribes the ways of Evil which turn him Away from God and his Love. It is at once firm in its precepts and, in its promises, worthy of love.

The Old Law is the first stage of revealed Law. Its moral prescriptions are summed up in the Ten Commandments. the precepts of the Decalogue lay the foundations for the vocation of man fashioned in the image of God; they prohibit what is Contrary to the Love of God and Neighbor and prescribe what is essential to it. the Decalogue is a light offered to the Conscience of every man to make God's call and ways known to him and to protect him against Evil:

This ignorance can often be imputed to perSonal responsibility. This is the case when a man "takes little trouble to find out what is true and good, or when Conscience is by degrees almost blinded through the habit of committing Sin." 59 In such cases, the person is culpable for the Evil he commits.

Some rules apply in every case: - One may never do Evil so that good may result from it; - the Golden Rule: "Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them." 56 - charity always proceeds by way of respect for one's Neighbor and his Conscience: "Thus Sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience . . . you sin against Christ." 57 Therefore "it is right not to . . . do anything that makes your brother stumble." 58

A morally good act requires the goodness of the object, of the end, and of the circumstances together. An Evil end corrupts the action, even if the object is good in itself (such as praying and fasting "in order to be seen by men"). The object of the choice can by itself vitiate an act in its entirety. There are some concrete acts - such as fornication - that it is always wrong to choose, because chooSing them entails a disorder of the will, that is, a moral evil.

It is therefore an error to judge the morality of human acts by considering only the intention that inspires them or the circumstances (environment, social pressure, duress or emergency, etc.) which supply their context. There are acts which, in and of themselves, independently of circumstances and intentions, are always gravely illicit by reaSon of their object; such as blasphemy and perjury, murder and adultery. One may not do Evil so that good may result from it.

The term "passions" belongs to the Christian patrimony. Feelings or passions are emotions or movements of the sensitive appetite that incline us to act or not to act in regard to something felt or imagined to be good or Evil.

There are many passions. the most fundamental passion is Love, aroused by the attraction of the good. Love causes a desire for the absent good and the hope of obtaining it; this movement finds completion in the pleasure and joy of the good possessed. the apprehension of Evil causes hatred, aversion, and fear of the impending evil; this movement ends in sadness at some present evil, or in the anger that resists it.

"To Love is to will the good of another." 41 All other affections have their source in this first movement of the human Heart toward the good. Only the good can be loved. 42 Passions "are Evil if love is evil and good if it is good." 43

In themselves passions are neither good nor Evil. They are morally qualified only to the extent that they effectively engage reaSon and will. Passions are said to be voluntary, "either because they are commanded by the will or because the will does not place obstacles in their way." 44 It belongs to the perfection of the moral or human good that the passions be governed by reason. 45

Strong feelings are not decisive for the morality or the holiness of perSons; they are simply the inexhaustible reservoir of images and affections in which the moral life is expressed. Passions are morally good when they contribute to a good action, Evil in the opposite case. the upright will orders the movements of the senses it appropriates to the good and to beatitude; an evil will succumbs to disordered passions and exacerbates them. Emotions and feelings can be taken up into the virtues or perverted by the vices.

"Deep within his Conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to Love and to do what is good and to avoid Evil, sounds in his Heart at the right moment.... For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God.... His conscience is man's most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths." 47

Moral Conscience, 48 present at the Heart of the perSon, enjoins him at the appropriate moment to do good and to avoid Evil. It also judges particular choices, approving those that are good and denouncing those that are evil. 49 It bears witness to the authority of truth in reference to the supreme Good to which the human person is drawn, and it welcomes the commandments. When he listens to his conscience, the prudent man can hear God speaking.

Conscience enables one to assume responsibility for the acts performed. If man commits Evil, the just Judgment of conscience can remain within him as the witness to the universal truth of the good, at the same time as the evil of his particular choice. the verdict of the judgment of conscience remains a pledge of hope and mercy. In attesting to the fault Committed, it calls to mind the forgiveness that must be asked, the good that must still be practiced, and the virtue that must be constantly cultivated with the Grace of God:

"The first commandment embraces Faith, hope, and charity. When we say 'God' we confess a constant, unchangeable being, always the same, faithful and just, without any Evil. It follows that we must necessarily accept his words and have complete faith in him and acknowledge his authority. He is almighty, merciful, and infinitely beneficent. Who could not place all hope in him? Who could not Love him when contemplating the treasures of goodness and love he has poured out on us? Hence the formula God employs in the Scripture at the beginning and end of his commandments: 'I am the Lord.'" 8

All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely Contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the Faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of Evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity.

A perSon commits perjury when he makes a promise under oath with no intention of keeping it, or when after promiSing on oath he does not keep it. Perjury is a grave lack of respect for the Lord of all speech. Pledging oneself by oath to commit an Evil deed is Contrary to the holiness of the divine name.

The Heart is the seat of moral perSonality: "Out of the heart come Evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication...." 304 The struggle against carnal covetousness entails purifying the heart and practicing temperance:

"The Good News of Christ continually renews the life and culture of fallen man; it combats and removes the error and Evil which flow from the ever-present attraction of Sin. It never ceases to purify and elevate the morality of peoples. It takes the spiritual qualities and endowments of every age and nation, and with supernatural riches it causes them to blossom, as it were, from within; it fortifies, completes, and restores them in Christ." 315

The tenth commandment requires that envy be banished from the human Heart. When the prophet Nathan wanted to spur King David to repentance, he told him the story about the poor man who had only one ewe lamb that he treated like his own daughter and the rich man who, despite the great number of his flocks, envied the poor man and ended by stealing his lamb. 322 Envy can Lead to the worst crimes. 323 "Through the dEvil's envy death entered the world": 324

Adoration is the first attitude of man acknowledging that he is a creature before his Creator. It exalts the greatness of the Lord who made us 99 and the almighty power of the Savior who sets us free from Evil. Adoration is homage of the spirit to the "King of Glory," 100 respectful silence in the presence of the "ever greater" God. 101 Adoration of the thrice-holy and sovereign God of Love blends with humility and gives assurance to our supplications.

By entering into the holy name of the Lord Jesus we can accept, from within, the prayer he teaches us: "Our Father!" His priestly prayer fulfills, from within, the great petitions of the Lord's Prayer: concern for the Father's name; 47 passionate zeal for his Kingdom (Glory); 48 The accomplishment of the will of the Father, of his plan of Salvation; 49 and deliverance from Evil. 50

In Christ, and through his human will, the will of the Father has been perfectly fulfilled once for all. Jesus said on entering into this world: "Lo, I have come to do your will, O God." 99 Only Jesus can say: "I always do what is pleaSing to him." 100 In the prayer of his agony, he consents totally to this will: "not my will, but yours be done." 101 For this reaSon Jesus "gave himself for our Sins to deliver us from the present Evil age, according to the will of our God and Father." 102 "and by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." 103

"Give us": the trust of children who look to their Father for everything is beautiful. "He makes his sun rise on the Evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." 113 He gives to all the living "their food in due seaSon." 114 Jesus teaches us this petition, because it glorifies our Father by acknowledging how good he is, beyond all goodness.

This petition goes to the root of the preceding one, for our Sins result from our consenting to temptation; we therefore ask our Father not to "Lead" us into temptation. It is difficult to translate the Greek verb used by a Single English word: the Greek means both "do not allow us to enter into temptation" and "do not let us yield to temptation." 150 "God cannot be tempted by Evil and he himself tempts no one"; 151 on the Contrary, he wants to set us free from evil. We ask him not to allow us to take the way that leads to sin. We are engaged in the battle "between flesh and spirit"; this petition implores the Spirit of discernment and strength.

The Holy Spirit makes us discern between trials, which are necessary for the growth of the inner man, 152 and temptation, which Leads to Sin and death. 153 We must also discern between being tempted and consenting to temptation. Finally, discernment unmasks the lie of temptation, whose object appears to be good, a "delight to the eyes" and desirable, 154 when in reality its fruit is death. God does not want to impose the good, but wants free beings.... There is a certain usefulness to temptation. No one but God knows what our soul has received from him, not even we ourselves. But temptation reveals it in order to teach us to know ourselves, and in this way we discover our Evil inclinations and are obliged to give thanks for the goods that temptation has revealed to us. 155

The Last petition to our Father is also included in Jesus' prayer: "I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the Evil one." 163 It touches each of us perSonally, but it is always "we" who pray, in communion with the whole Church, for the deliverance of the whole human family. the Lord's Prayer continually opens us to the range of God's economy of Salvation. Our interdependence in the drama of Sin and death is turned into solidarity in the Body of Christ, the "communion of saints." 164

In this petition, Evil is not an abstraction, but refers to a perSon, Satan, the Evil One, the angel who opposes God. the devil (dia-bolos) is the one who "throws himself across" God's plan and his work of Salvation accomplished in Christ.

"A murderer from the beginning, . . . a liar and the Father of lies," Satan is "the deceiver of the whole world." 165 Through him Sin and death entered the world and by his Definitive defeat all creation will be "freed from the corruption of sin and death." 166 Now "we know that anyone born of God does not sin, but He who was born of God keeps him, and the Evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one." 167

Victory over the "prince of this world" 169 was won once for all at the Hour when Jesus freely gave himself up to death to give us his life. This is the Judgment of this world, and the prince of this world is "cast out." 170 "He pursued the woman" 171 but had no hold on her: the new Eve, "full of Grace" of the Holy Spirit, is preserved from Sin and the corruption of death (the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God, Mary, ever virgin). "Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring." 172 Therefore the Spirit and the Church pray: "Come, Lord Jesus," 173 since his coming will deliver us from the Evil One.

When we ask to be delivered from the Evil One, we pray as well to be freed from all evils, present, past, and future, of which he is the author or instigator. In this final petition, the Church brings before the Father all the distress of the world. Along with deliverance from the evils that overwhelm humanity, she implores the precious gift of peace and the Grace of perseverance in expectation of Christ's return By praying in this way, she anticipates in humility of Faith the gathering together of everyone and everything in him who has "the keys of Death and Hades," who "is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." 174

Since it violates the virtue of truthfulness, a lie does real violence to another. It affects his ability to know, which is a condition of every Judgment and decision. It contains the seed of discord and all consequent Evils. Lying is destructive of society; it undermines trust among men and tears apart the fabric of social relationships.

"A lie consists in speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving." 280 The Lord denounces lying as the work of the dEvil: "You are of your Father the devil, . . . there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." 281

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explained the second commandment: "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' But I say to you, Do not swear at all.... Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from the Evil one." 82 Jesus teaches that every oath involves a reference to God and that God's presence and his truth must be honored in all speech. Discretion in calling upon God is allied with a respectful awareness of his presence, which all our assertions either witness to or mock.

Those Subject to authority should regard those in authority as representatives of God, who has made them stewards of his gifts: 43 "Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution.... Live as free men, yet without uSing your Freedom as a pretext for Evil; but live as servants of God." 44 Their loyal collaboration includes the right, and at times the duty, to voice their just criticisms of that which seems harmful to the dignity of perSons and to the good of the community.

Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral Evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely Contrary to the moral law:

Scandal is an attitude or behavior which Leads another to do Evil. the perSon who gives scandal becomes his Neighbor's tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense.

Anyone who uses the power at his disposal in such a way that it Leads others to do wrong becomes guilty of scandal and responsible for the Evil that he has directly or indirectly encouraged. "Temptations to Sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come!" 89

The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense. Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in Evil, Since they encourage people to practices gravely Contrary to the moral law.

By recalling the commandment, "You shall not kill," 93 our Lord asked for peace of Heart and denounced murderous anger and hatred as immoral. Anger is a desire for revenge. "To desire vengeance in order to do Evil to someone who should be punished is illicit," but it is praiseworthy to impose restitution "to correct vices and maintain justice." 94 If anger reaches the point of a deliberate desire to kill or seriously wound a Neighbor, it is gravely against charity; it is a mortal Sin. the Lord says, "Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to Judgment." 95

Deliberate hatred is Contrary to charity. Hatred of the Neighbor is a Sin when one deliberately wishes him Evil. Hatred of the neighbor is a grave sin when one deliberately desires him grave harm. "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be Sons of your Father who is in heaven." 96

The fifth commandment forbids the intentional destruction of human life. Because of the Evils and injustices that accompany all war, the Church insistently urges everyone to prayer and to action so that the divine Goodness may free us from the ancient bondage of war. 104

The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration. the gravity of such a decision makes it Subject to rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy. At one and the same time: - the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be Lasting, grave, and certain; - all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective; - there must be serious prospects of success; - the use of arms must not produce Evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. the power of modem means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.

Rape is the forcible violation of the sexual intimacy of another perSon. It does injury to justice and charity. Rape deeply wounds the respect, Freedom, and physical and moral integrity to which every person has a right. It causes grave damage that can mark the victim for life. It is always an intrinsically Evil act. Graver still is the rape of children Committed by parents (incest) or those responsible for the education of the children entrusted to them.

Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality. 157 These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic Freedom. In contrast, "every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" is intrinsically Evil: 158

The Gospel shows that physical sterility is not an absolute Evil. Spouses who still suffer from infertility after exhausting legitimate medical procedures should unite themselves with the Lord's Cross, the source of all spiritual fecundity. They can give expression to their generosity by adopting abandoned children or performing demanding services for others.

Every word or attitude is forbidden which by flattery, adulation, or complaisance encourages and confirms another in malicious acts and perverse conduct. Adulation is a grave fault if it makes one an accomplice in another's vices or grave Sins. Neither the desire to be of service nor friendship justifies duplicitous speech. Adulation is a venial Sin when it only seeks to be agreeable, to avoid Evil, to meet a need, or to obtain legitimate advantages.

A good intention (for example, that of helping one's Neighbor) does not make behavior that is intrinsically disordered, such as lying and calumny, good or just. the end does not justify the means. Thus the condemnation of an innocent perSon cannot be justified as a legitimate means of saving the nation. On the other hand, an added bad intention (such as vainGlory) makes an act Evil that, in and of itself, can be good (such as almsgiving). 39

But this "intimate and vital bond of man to God" (GS 19 # 1) can be forgotten, overlooked, or even explicitly rejected by man. 3 Such attitudes can have different causes: revolt against Evil in the world; religious ignorance or indifference; the cares and riches of this world; the scandal of bad example on the part of believers; currents of thought hostile to religion; finally, that attitude of Sinful man which makes him hide from God out of fear and flee his call. 4

Man, tempted by the dEvil, let his trust in his Creator die in his Heart and, abuSing his Freedom, disobeyed God's command. This is what man's first sin consisted of. 278 All subsequent sin would be disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness.

In that Sin man preferred himself to God and by that very act scorned him. He chose himself over and against God, against the requirements of his creaturely status and therefore against his own good. Created in a state of holiness, man was destined to be fully "divinized" by God in Glory. Seduced by the dEvil, he wanted to "be like God", but "without God, before God, and not in accordance with God". 279

Following St. Paul, the Church has always taught that the overwhelming misery which oppresses men and their inclination towards Evil and death cannot be understood apart from their connection with Adam's Sin and the fact that he has transmitted to us a sin with which we are all born afflicted, a sin which is the "death of the soul". 291 Because of this certainty of Faith, the Church baptizes for the remission of Sins even tiny infants who have not Committed perSonal sin. 292

Although it is proper to each individual, 295 original Sin does not have the character of a perSonal fault in any of Adam's descendants. It is a deprivation of original holiness and justice, but human nature has not been totally corrupted: it is wounded in the natural powers proper to it, Subject to ignorance, suffering and the dominion of death, and inclined to sin - an inclination to Evil that is called concupiscence". Baptism, by imparting the life of Christ's Grace, erases original sin and turns a man back towards God, but the consequences for nature, weakened and inclined to evil, persist in man and summon him to spiritual battle.

The Church's teaching on the transmission of original Sin was articulated more precisely in the fifth century, especially under the impulse of St. Augustine's reflections against Pelagianism, and in the sixteenth century, in opposition to the Protestant Reformation. Pelagius held that man could, by the natural power of free will and without the necessary help of God's Grace, Lead a morally good life; he thus reduced the influence of Adam's fault to bad example. the first Protestant reformers, on the Contrary, taught that original sin has radically perverted man and destroyed his Freedom; they identified the sin inherited by each man with the tendency to Evil (concupiscentia), which would be insurmountable. the Church pronounced on the meaning of the data of Revelation on original sin especially at the second Council of Orange (529) 296 and at the Council of Trent (1546). 297

The doctrine of original Sin, closely connected with that of redemption by Christ, provides lucid discernment of man's situation and activity in the world. By our first parents' sin, the dEvil has acquired a certain domination over man, even though man remains free. Original sin entails "captivity under the power of him who thenceforth had the power of death, that is, the devil". 298 Ignorance of the fact that man has a wounded nature inclined to evil gives rise to serious errors in the areas of education, politics, social action 299 and morals.

This dramatic situation of "the whole world [which] is in the power of the Evil one" 302 makes man's life a battle:

After his fall, man was not abandoned by God. On the Contrary, God calls him and in a mysterious way heralds the coming victory over Evil and his restoration from his fall. 304 This passage in Genesis is called the Protoevangelium ("first Gospel"): the first announcement of the Messiah and Redeemer, of a battle between the serpent and the Woman, and of the final victory of a descendant of hers.

But why did God not prevent the first man from Sinning? St. Leo the Great responds, "Christ's inexpressible Grace gave us blessings better than those the demon's envy had taken Away." 307 and St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, "There is nothing to prevent human nature's being raised up to something greater, even after sin; God permits Evil in order to draw forth some greater good. Thus St. Paul says, 'Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more'; and the Exsultet sings, 'O happy fault,. . . which gained for us so great a Redeemer!'" 308

Jesus' Resurrection glorifies the name of the Saviour God, for from that time on it is the name of Jesus that fully manifests the supreme power of the "name which is above every name". 27 The Evil spirits fear his name; in his name his disciples perform miracles, for the Father grants all they ask in this name. 28

Throughout the Old Covenant the mission of many holy women prepared for that of Mary. At the very beginning there was Eve; despite her disobedience, she receives the promise of a posterity that will be victorious over the Evil one, as well as the promise that she will be the mother of all the living. 128 By virtue of this promise, Sarah conceives a Son in spite of her old age. 129 Against all human expectation God chooses those who were considered powerless and weak to show forth his Faithfulness to his promises: Hannah, the mother of Samuel; Deborah; Ruth; Judith and Esther; and many other women. 130 Mary "stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord, who confidently hope for and receive Salvation from him. After a long period of waiting the times are fulfilled in her, the exalted Daughter of Sion, and the new plan of salvation is established." 131

God created man in his image and established him in his friendship. A spiritual creature, man can live this friendship only in free submission to God. the prohibition against eating "of the tree of the knowledge of good and Evil" spells this out: "for in the day that you eat of it, you shall die." 276 The "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" 277 symbolically evokes the insurmountable limits that man, being a creature, must freely recognize and respect with trust. Man is dependent on his Creator, and Subject to the laws of creation and to the moral norms that govern the use of Freedom.

Scripture witnesses to the disastrous influence of the one Jesus calls "a murderer from the beginning", who would even try to divert Jesus from the mission received from his Father. 273 "The reaSon the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the dEvil." 274 In its consequences the gravest of these works was the mendacious seduction that led man to disobey God.

Now, however, "we walk by Faith, not by sight"; 49 we perceive God as "in a mirror, dimly" and only "in part". 50 Even though enlightened by him in whom it believes, faith is often lived in darkness and can be put to the test. the world we live in often seems very far from the one promised us by faith. Our experiences of Evil and suffering, injustice and death, seem to contradict the Good News; they can shake our faith and become a temptation against it.

St. Gregory of Nazianzus, also called "the Theologian", entrusts this summary of Trinitarian Faith to the catechumens of Constantinople: Above all guard for me this great deposit of faith for which I live and fight, which I want to take with me as a companion, and which makes me bear all Evils and despise all pleasures: I mean the profession of faith in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. I entrust it to you today. By it I am soon going to plunge you into water and raise you up from it. I give it to you as the companion and patron of your whole life. I give you but one divinity and power, existing one in three, and containing the three in a distinct way. Divinity without disparity of substance or nature, without superior degree that raises up or inferior degree that casts down. . . the infinite co-naturality of three infinites. Each person considered in himself is entirely God. . . the three considered together. . . I have not even begun to think of unity when the Trinity bathes me in its splendour. I have not even begun to think of the Trinity when unity grasps me. . 92

Faith in God the Father Almighty can be put to the test by the experience of Evil and suffering. God can sometimes seem to be absent and incapable of stopping evil. But in the most mysterious way God the Father has revealed his almighty power in the voluntary humiliation and Resurrection of his Son, by which he conquered evil. Christ crucified is thus "the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." 111 It is in Christ's Resurrection and exaltation that the Father has shown forth "the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe". 112

The great interest accorded to these studies is strongly stimulated by a question of another order, which goes beyond the proper domain of the natural sciences. It is not only a question of knowing when and how the universe arose physically, or when man appeared, but rather of discovering the meaning of such an origin: is the universe governed by chance, blind fate, anonymous necessity, or by a transcendent, intelligent and good Being called "God"? and if the world does come from God's wisdom and goodness, why is there Evil? Where does it come from? Who is responsible for it? Is there any liberation from it?

Since the beginning the Christian Faith has been challenged by Responses to the question of origins that differ from its own. Ancient religions and cultures produced many myths concerning origins. Some philosophers have said that everything is God, that the world is God, or that the development of the world is the development of God (Pantheism). Others have said that the world is a necessary emanation arising from God and returning to him. Still others have affirmed the existence of two eternal principles, Good and Evil, Light and Darkness, locked, in permanent conflict (Dualism, Manichaeism). According to some of these conceptions, the world (at least the physical world) is evil, the product of a fall, and is thus to be rejected or left behind (Gnosticism). Some admit that the world was made by God, but as by a watch-maker who, once he has made a watch, abandons it to itself (Deism). Finally, others reject any transcendent origin for the world, but see it as merely the interplay of matter that has always existed (Materialism). All these attempts bear witness to the permanence and universality of the question of origins. This inquiry is distinctively human.

If God the Father almighty, the Creator of the ordered and good world, cares for all his creatures, why does Evil exist? To this question, as presSing as it is unavoidable and as painful as it is mysterious, no quick answer will suffice. Only Christian Faith as a whole constitutes the answer to this question: the goodness of creation, the drama of sin and the patient Love of God who comes to meet man by his covenants, the redemptive Incarnation of his Son, his gift of the Spirit, his gathering of the Church, the power of the sacraments and his call to a blessed life to which free creatures are invited to consent in advance, but from which, by a terrible mystery, they can also turn Away in advance. There is not a single aspect of the Christian message that is not in part an answer to the question of evil.

But why did God not create a world so perfect that no Evil could exist in it? With infinite power God could always create something better. 174 But with infinite wisdom and goodness God freely willed to create a world "in a state of journeying" towards its ultimate perfection. In God's plan this process of becoming involves the appearance of certain beings and the disappearance of others, the existence of the more perfect alongside the less perfect, both constructive and destructive forces of nature. With physical good there exists also physical evil as long as creation has not reached perfection. 175

Angels and men, as intelligent and free creatures, have to journey toward their ultimate destinies by their free choice and preferential Love. They can therefore go astray. Indeed, they have Sinned. Thus has moral Evil, incommensurably more harmful than physical evil, entered the world. God is in no way, directly or indirectly, the cause of moral evil. 176 He permits it, however, because he respects the Freedom of his creatures and, mysteriously, knows how to derive good from it:

In time we can discover that God in his almighty providence can bring a good from the consequences of an Evil, even a moral evil, caused by his creatures: "It was not you", said Joseph to his brothers, "who sent me here, but God. . . You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive." 178 From the greatest moral evil ever Committed - the rejection and murder of God's only Son, caused by the Sins of all men - God, by his Grace that "abounded all the more", 179 brought the greatest of goods: the glorification of Christ and our redemption. But for all that, evil never becomes a good.

We firmly believe that God is master of the world and of its history. But the ways of his providence are often unknown to us. Only at the end, when our partial knowledge ceases, when we see God "face to face", 184 will we fully know the ways by which - even through the dramas of Evil and Sin - God has guided his creation to that Definitive sabbath rest 185 for which he created heaven and earth.

God is infinitely good and all his works are good. Yet no one can escape the experience of suffering or the Evils in nature which seem to be linked to the limitations proper to creatures: and above all to the question of moral evil. Where does evil come from? "I sought whence evil comes and there was no solution", said St. Augustine, 257 and his own painful quest would only be resolved by his conversion to the living God. For "the mystery of lawlessness" is clarified only in the light of the "mystery of our religion". 258 The revelation of divine Love in Christ manifested at the same time the extent of evil and the superabundance of Grace. 259 We must therefore approach the question of the origin of evil by fixing the eyes of our Faith on him who alone is its conqueror. 260

Sin is present in human history; any attempt to ignore it or to give this dark reality other names would be futile. To try to understand what sin is, one must first recognize the profound relation of man to God, for only in this relationship is the Evil of sin unmasked in its true identity as humanity's rejection of God and opposition to him, even as it continues to weigh heavy on human life and history.

Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out of envy. 266 Scripture and the Church's Tradition see in this being a fallen angel, called "Satan" or the "dEvil". 267 The Church teaches that Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: "The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing." 268

Scripture speaks of a Sin of these angels. 269 This "fall" consists in the free choice of these created spirits, who radically and irrevocably rejected God and his reign. We find a reflection of that rebellion in the tempter's words to our first parents: "You will be like God." 270 The dEvil "has sinned from the beginning"; he is "a liar and the Father of lies". 271

The Gospels speak of a time of solitude for Jesus in the desert immediately after his baptism by John. Driven by the Spirit into the desert, Jesus remains there for forty days without eating; he lives among wild beasts, and angels minister to him. 241 At the end of this time Satan tempts him three times, seeking to compromise his filial attitude toward God. Jesus rebuffs these attacks, which recapitulate the temptations of Adam in Paradise and of Israel in the desert, and the dEvil leaves him "until an opportune time". 242

The evangelists indicate the salvific meaning of this mysterious event: Jesus is the new Adam who remained Faithful just where the first Adam had given in to temptation. Jesus fulfils Israel's vocation perfectly: in contrast to those who had once provoked God during forty years in the desert, Christ reveals himself as God's Servant, totally obedient to the divine will. In this, Jesus is the dEvil's conqueror: he "binds the strong man" to take back his plunder. 243 Jesus' victory over the tempter in the desert anticipates victory at the Passion, the supreme act of obedience of his filial Love for the Father.

By freeing some individuals from the earthly Evils of hunger, injustice, illness and death, 274 Jesus performed messianic signs. Nevertheless he did not come to abolish all evils here below, 275 but to free men from the gravest slavery, Sin, which thwarts them in their vocation as God's Sons and causes all forms of human bondage. 276

Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our Heart, an end of Sin, a turning Away from Evil, with repugnance toward the evil actions we have Committed. At the same time it entails the desire and resolution to change one's life, with hope in God's mercy and trust in the help of his Grace. This conversion of heart is accompanied by a salutary pain and sadness which the Fathers called animi cruciatus (affliction of spirit) and compunctio cordis (repentance of heart). 24

Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial Sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church. 59 Indeed the regular confession of our venial Sins helps us form our Conscience, fight against Evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving more frequently through this sacrament the gift of the Father's mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful: 60

The man of the Old Testament lives his sickness in the presence of God. It is before God that he laments his illness, and it is of God, Master of life and death, that he implores healing. 98 Illness becomes a way to conversion; God's forgiveness initiates the healing. 99 It is the experience of Israel that illness is mysteriously linked to Sin and Evil, and that Faithfulness to God according to his law restores life: "For I am the Lord, your healer." 100 The prophet intuits that suffering can also have a redemptive meaning for the Sins of others. 101 Finally Isaiah announces that God will usher in a time for Zion when he will pardon every offense and heal every illness. 102

Moved by so much suffering Christ not only allows himself to be touched by the sick, but he makes their miseries his own: "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases." 111 But he did not heal all the sick. His healings were signs of the coming of the Kingdom of God. They announced a more radical healing: the victory over Sin and death through his Passover. On the cross Christ took upon himself the whole weight of Evil and took Away the "sin of the world," 112 of which illness is only a consequence. By his passion and death on the cross Christ has given a new meaning to suffering: it can henceforth configure us to him and unite us with his redemptive Passion.

A particular gift of the Holy Spirit. the first Grace of this sacrament is one of strengthening, peace and courage to overcome the difficulties that go with the condition of serious illness or the frailty of old age. This grace is a gift of the Holy Spirit, who renews trust and Faith in God and strengthens against the temptations of the Evil one, the temptation to discouragement and anguish in the face of death. 134 This assistance from the Lord by the power of his Spirit is meant to Lead the sick perSon to healing of the soul, but also of the body if such is God's will. 135 Furthermore, "if he has Committed Sins, he will be forgiven." 136

Every man experiences Evil around him and within himself. This experience makes itself felt in the relationships between man and woman. Their union has always been threatened by discord, a spirit of domination, infidelity, jealousy, and conflicts that can escalate into hatred and separation. This disorder can manifest itself more or less acutely, and can be more or less overcome according to the circumstances of cultures, eras, and individuals, but it does seem to have a universal character.

When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a perSon or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism. Jesus performed exorcisms and from him the Church has received the power and office of exorcizing. 176 In a simple form, exorcism is performed at the celebration of Baptism. the solemn exorcism, called "a major exorcism," can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop. the priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church. Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church. Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness. 177

By his reaSon, man recognizes the voice of God which urges him "to do what is good and avoid what is Evil." 9 Everyone is obliged to follow this law, which makes itself heard in Conscience and is fulfilled in the Love of God and of Neighbor. Living a moral life bears witness to the dignity of the person.

"Man, enticed by the Evil One, abused his Freedom at the very beginning of history." 10 He succumbed to temptation and did what was evil. He still desires the good, but his nature bears the wound of original Sin. He is now inclined to evil and Subject to error: Man is divided in himself. As a result, the whole life of men, both individual and social, shows itself to be a struggle, and a dramatic one, between good and evil, between light and darkness. 11

As long as Freedom has not bound itself Definitively to its ultimate good which is God, there is the possibility of chooSing between good and Evil, and thus of growing in perfection or of failing and sinning. This freedom characterizes properly human acts. It is the basis of praise or blame, merit or reproach.

The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true Freedom except in the service of what is good and just. the choice to disobey and do Evil is an abuse of freedom and Leads to "the slavery of Sin." 28

Freedom makes man a moral Subject. When he acts deliberately, man is, so to speak, the Father of his acts. Human acts, that is, acts that are freely chosen in consequence of a Judgment of Conscience, can be morally evaluated. They are either good or Evil.

Jesus calls to conversion. This call is an essential part of the proclamation of the Kingdom: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the Gospel." 16 In the Church's preaching this call is addressed first to those who do not yet know Christ and his Gospel. Also, Baptism is the principal place for the first and fundamental conversion. It is by Faith in the Gospel and by Baptism 17 that one renounces Evil and gains Salvation, that is, the forgiveness of all Sins and the gift of new life.

Since Baptism signifies liberation from sin and from its instigator the dEvil, one or more exorcisms are pronounced over the candidate. the celebrant then anoints him with the oil of catechumens, or lays his hands on him, and he explicitly renounces Satan. Thus prepared, he is able to confess the Faith of the Church, to which he will be "entrusted" by Baptism. 39

Going even further, Jesus perfects the dietary law, so important in Jewish daily life, by revealing its pedagogical meaning through a divine interpretation: "Whatever goes into a man from outside cannot defile him. . . (Thus he declared all foods clean.). . . What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the Heart of man, come Evil thoughts. . ." 346 In presenting with divine authority the Definitive interpretation of the Law, Jesus found himself confronted by certain teachers of the Law who did not accept his interpretation of the Law, guaranteed though it was by the divine signs that accompanied it. 347 This was the case especially with the sabbath laws, for he recalls, often with rabbinical arguments, that the sabbath rest is not violated by serving God and neighbour, 348 which his own healings did.

Scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, "hell" - Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek - because those who are there are deprived of the vision of God. 479 Such is the case for all the dead, whether Evil or righteous, while they await the Redeemer: which does not mean that their lot is identical, as Jesus shows through the parable of the poor man Lazarus who was received into "Abraham's bosom": 480 "It is precisely these holy souls, who awaited their Saviour in Abraham's bosom, whom Christ the Lord delivered when he descended into hell." 481 Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him. 482

Christ went down into the depths of death so that "the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." 484 Jesus, "the Author of life", by dying destroyed "him who has the power of death, that is, the dEvil, and [delivered] all those who through fear of death were Subject to lifelong bondage." 485 Henceforth the risen Christ holds "the keys of Death and Hades", so that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth." 486

Though already present in his Church, Christ's reign is nevertheless yet to be fulfilled "with power and great Glory" by the King's return to earth. 556 This reign is still under attack by the Evil powers, even though they have been defeated Definitively by Christ's Passover. 557 Until everything is Subject to him, "until there be realized new heavens and a new earth in which justice dwells, the pilgrim Church, in her sacraments and institutions, which belong to this present age, carries the mark of this world which will pass, and she herself takes her place among the creatures which groan and travail yet and await the revelation of the Sons of God." 558 That is why Christians pray, above all in the Eucharist, to hasten Christ's return by saying to him: 559 Maranatha! "Our Lord, come!" 560

Before his Ascension Christ affirmed that the hour had not yet come for the glorious establishment of the messianic Kingdom awaited by Israel 561 which, according to the prophets, was to bring all men the Definitive order of justice, Love and peace. 562 According to the Lord, the present time is the time of the Spirit and of witness, but also a time still marked by "distress" and the trial of Evil which does not spare the Church 563 and ushers in the struggles of the Last days. It is a time of waiting and watching. 564

The Church will enter the Glory of the Kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection. 578 The kingdom will be fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendancy, but only by God's victory over the final unleashing of Evil, which will cause his Bride to come down from heaven. 579 God's triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgement after the final cosmic upheaval of this pasSing world. 580

The missionary task implies a respectful dialogue with those who do not yet accept the Gospel. 359 Believers can profit from this dialogue by learning to appreciate better "those elements of truth and Grace which are found among peoples, and which are, as it were, a secret presence of God." 360 They proclaim the Good News to those who do not know it, in order to consolidate, complete, and raise up the truth and the goodness that God has distributed among men and nations, and to purify them from error and Evil "for the Glory of God, the confusion of the demon, and the happiness of man." 361

"When we made our first profession of Faith while receiving the holy Baptism that cleansed us, the forgiveness we received then was so full and complete that there remained in us absolutely nothing left to efface, neither original Sin nor offenses Committed by our own will, nor was there left any penalty to suffer in order to expiate them.... Yet the Grace of Baptism delivers no one from all the weakness of nature. On the Contrary, we must still combat the movements of concupiscence that never cease Leading us into Evil " 521

In this battle against our inclination towards Evil, who could be brave and watchful enough to escape every wound of Sin? "If the Church has the power to forgive Sins, then Baptism cannot be her only means of using the keys of the Kingdom of heaven received from Jesus Christ. the Church must be able to forgive all penitents their offenses, even if they should sin until the Last moment of their lives." 522

Who will rise? All the dead will rise, "those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done Evil, to the resurrection of Judgment." 550

Jesus often speaks of "Gehenna" of "the unquenchable fire" reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted, where both soul and body can be lost. 612 Jesus solemnly proclaims that he "will send his angels, and they will gather . . . all Evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire," 613 and that he will pronounce the condemnation: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!" 614

The resurrection of all the dead, "of both the just and the unjust," 621 will precede the Last Judgment. This will be "the hour when all who are in the tombs will hear [the Son of man's] voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done Evil, to the resurrection of judgment." 622 Then Christ will come "in his Glory, and all the angels with him .... Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left.... and they will go Away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." 623

The object chosen is a good toward which the will deliberately directs itself. It is the matter of a human act. the object chosen morally specifies the act of the will, insofar as reaSon recognizes and judges it to be or not to be in conformity with the true good. Objective norms of morality express the rational order of good and Evil, attested to by Conscience.