The education of the conscience is a lifelong task. From the earliest years, it awakens the child to the knowledge and practice of the interior law recognized by conscience. Prudent education teaches virtue; it prevents or cures fear, selfishness and pride, resentment ariSing from guilt, and feelings of complacency, born of human weakness and faults. the education of the conscience guarantees Freedom and engenders peace of Heart.

Justification establishes cooperation between God's Grace and man's Freedom. On man's part it is expressed by the assent of faith to the Word of God, which invites him to conversion, and in the cooperation of Charity with the prompting of the Holy Spirit who precedes and preserves his assent:

God's free initiative demands man's free response, for God has created man in his image by conferring on him, along with Freedom, the power to know him and Love him. the soul only enters freely into the communion of love. God immediately touches and directly moves the Heart of man. He has placed in man a longing for Truth and goodness that only he can satisfy. the promises of "eternal life" respond, beyond all hope, to this desire:

"If because of the circumstances of a particular people special civil recognition is given to one religious community in the constitutional organization of a state, the right of all citizens and religious communities to religious Freedom must be recognized and Respected as well." 36

The family is the original cell of social life. It is the natural Society in which husband and wife are called to give themselves in Love and in the gift of life. Authority, stability, and a life of relationships within the family constitute the foundations for Freedom, security, and fraternity within society. the family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom. Family life is an initiation into life in society.

The political community has a duty to honor the family, to assist it, and to ensure especially: - the Freedom to establish a family, have children, and bring them up in keeping with the family's own moral and religious convictions; - the protection of the stability of the marriage bond and the institution of the family; - the freedom to profess one's faith, to hand it on, and raise one's children in it, with the necessary means and institutions; - the right to private property, to free enterprise, to obtain work and houSing, and the right to emigrate; - in keeping with the country's institutions, the right to medical care, assistance for the aged, and family benefits; - the protection of security and health, especially with Respect to dangers like drugs, pornography, alcoholism, etc.; - the freedom to form associations with other families and so to have representation before civil Authority. 15

Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children. They bear witness to this responsibility first by creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, Respect, fidelity, and diSinterested service are the rule. the home is well suited for education in the virtues. This requires an apprenticeship in self-denial, sound judgment, and self-mastery - the preconditions of all true Freedom. Parents should teach their children to subordinate the "material and instinctual dimensions to interior and spiritual ones." 31 Parents have a grave responsibility to give good example to their children. By knowing how to acknowledge their own failings to their children, parents will be better able to guide and correct them:

Parents' Respect and affection are expressed by the care and attention they devote to bringing up their young children and providing for their physical and spiritual needs. As the children grow up, the same respect and devotion lead parents to educate them in the right use of their reaSon and Freedom.

The New Law is called a 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 and, finally, lets us pass from the condition of a servant who "does not know what his master is doing" to that of a friend of Christ - "For all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you" - or even to the status of Son and heir. 31

The practice of the moral life animated by Charity gives to the Christian the spiritual Freedom of the children of God. He no longer stands before God as a slave, in servile fear, or as a mercenary looking for wages, but as a Son responding to the Love of him who "first loved us": 106

Mortal Sin is a radical possibility of human Freedom, as is Love itself. It results in the loss of Charity and the privation of sanctifying Grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ's kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of perSons to the justice and mercy of God.

Socialization also presents dangers. Excessive intervention by the state can threaten perSonal Freedom and initiative. the teaching of the Church has elaborated the principle of subsidiarity, according to which "a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to co-ordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of Society, always with a view to the common good." 7

God has not willed to reserve to himself all Exercise of power. He entrusts to every creature the functions it is capable of performing, according to the capacities of its own nature. This mode of governance ought to be followed in social life. the way God Acts in governing the world, which bears witness to such great regard for human Freedom, should inspire the wisdom of those who govern human communities. They should behave as ministers of divine providence.

Authority does not derive its moral legitimacy from itself. It must not behave in a despotic manner, but must act for the common good as a "moral force based on Freedom and a sense of responsibility": 21

First, the common good presupposes Respect for the perSon as such. In the name of the common good, public authorities are bound to respect the fundamental and inalienable rights of the human person. Society should permit each of its members to fulfill his vocation. In particular, the common good resides in the conditions for the Exercise of the natural Freedoms indispensable for the development of the human vocation, such as "the right to act according to a sound norm of conscience and to safeguard . . . privacy, and rightful freedom also in matters of religion." 27

As far as possible citizens should take an active part in public life. the manner of this participation may vary from one country or culture to another. "One must pay tribute to those nations whose systems permit the largest possible number of the citizens to take part in public life in a climate of genuine Freedom." 32

The Exercise of Authority is meant to give outward expression to a just hierarchy of values in order to facilitate the exercise of Freedom and responsibility by all. Those in authority should practice distributive justice wisely, taking account of the needs and contribution of each, with a view to harmony and peace. They should take care that the regulations and measures they adopt are not a source of temptation by setting perSonal interest against that of the community. 42

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.

It is the duty of citizens to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of Society in a spirit of Truth, justice, solidarity, and Freedom. the Love and service of one's country follow from the duty of gratitude and belong to the order of Charity. Submission to legitimate authorities and service of the common good require citizens to fulfill their roles in the life of the political community.

An increased sense of God and increased self-awareness are fundamental to any full development of human Society. This development multiplies material goods and puts them at the service of the perSon and his Freedom. It reduces dire poverty and economic exploitation. It makes for growth in Respect for cultural identities and openness to the transcendent. 229

Everyone should observe an appropriate reserve concerning perSons' private lives. Those in charge of communications should maintain a fair balance between the requirements of the common good and Respect for individual rights. Interference by the media in the private lives of persons engaged in political or public activity is to be condemned to the extent that it infringes upon their privacy and Freedom.

The information provided by the media is at the service of the common good. 284 Society has a right to information based on Truth, Freedom, justice, and solidarity:

"Civil authorities have particular responsibilities in this field because of the common good.... It is for the civil Authority ... to defend and safeguard a true and just Freedom of information." 287 By promulgating laws and overseeing their application, public authorities should ensure that "public morality and social progress are not gravely endangered" through misuse of the media. 288 Civil authorities should punish any violation of the rights of individuals to their reputation and privacy. They should give timely and reliable reports concerning the general good or respond to the well-founded concerns of the people. Nothing can justify recourse to diSinformation for manipulating public opinion through the media. Interventions by public authority should avoid injuring the freedom of individuals or groups.

Christian purity requires a purification of the social climate. It requires of the communications media that their presentations show concern for Respect and restraint. Purity of Heart brings Freedom from widespread eroticism and avoids entertainment inclined to voyeurism and illusion.

So called Moral Permissiveness rests on an erroneous conception of human Freedom; the necessary precondition for the development of true freedom is to let oneself be educated in the moral law. Those in charge of education can reaSonably be expected to give young people instruction Respectful of the Truth, the qualities of the Heart, and the moral and spiritual Dignity of man.

Are we convinced that "we do not know how to pray as we ought"? 23 Are we asking God for "what is good for us"? Our Father knows what we need before we ask him, 24 but he awaits our petition because the Dignity of his children lies in their Freedom. We must pray, then, with his Spirit of freedom, to be able truly to know what he wants. 25

The responsibility of the state. "Economic activity, especially the activity of a market economy, cannot be conducted in an institutional, juridical, or political vacuum. On the contrary, it presupposes sure guarantees of individual Freedom and private property, as well as a stable currency and efficient public services. Hence the principal task of the state is to guarantee this security, so that those who work and produce can enjoy the fruits of their labors and thus feel encouraged to work efficiently and honestly.... Another task of the state is that of overseeing and directing the Exercise of human rights in the economic sector. However, primary responsibility in this area belongs not to the state but to individuals and to the various groups and associations which make up Society." 216

In the beginning God entrusted the earth and its resources to the common stewardship of mankind to take care of them, master them by labor, and enjoy their fruits. 186 The goods of creation are destined for the whole human race. However, the earth is divided up among men to assure the security of their lives, endangered by poverty and threatened by violence. the appropriation of property is legitimate for guaranteeing the Freedom and Dignity of perSons and for helping each of them to meet his basic needs and the needs of those in his charge. It should allow for a natural solidarity to develop between men.

The Church, because of her commission and competence, is not to be confused in any way with the political community. She is both the sign and the safeguard of the transcendent character of the human perSon. "The Church Respects and encourages the political Freedom and responsibility of the citizen." 52

Public authorities, in this case, have the right and duty to impose on citizens the obligations necessary for national defense. Those who are sworn to serve their country in the armed forces are servants of the security and Freedom of nations. If they carry out their duty honorably, they truly contribute to the common good of the nation and the maintenance of peace. 106

Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human Freedom. the alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy. 125 "Man's Dignity therefore requires him to act out of conscious and free choice, as moved and drawn in a perSonal way from within, and not by blind impulses in himself or by mere external constraint. Man gains such dignity when, ridding himself of all slavery to the passions, he presses forward to his goal by freely chooSing what is good and, by his diligence and skill, effectively secures for himself the means suited to this end." 126

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.

Homosexual perSons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner Freedom, at times by the support of diSinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental Grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

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

Jesus fulfilled the work of the Father completely; his prayer, like his sacrifice, extends until the end of time. the prayer of this hour fills the end-times and carries them toward their consummation. Jesus, the Son to whom the Father has given all things, has given himself wholly back to the Father, yet expresses himself with a sovereign Freedom 46 by virtue of the power the Father has given him over all flesh. the Son, who made himself Servant, is Lord, the Pantocrator. Our high priest who prays for us is also the one who prays in us and the God who hears our prayer.

The human perSon: with his openness to Truth and beauty, his sense of moral goodness, his Freedom and the voice of his conscience, with his longings for the infinite and for happiness, man questions himself about God's existence. In all this he discerns signs of his spiritual soul. the soul, the "seed of eternity we bear in ourselves, irreducible to the merely material", 9 can have its origin only in God.

This sacrifice of Christ is unique; it completes and surpasses all other sacrifices. 441 First, it is a gift from God the Father himself, for the Father handed his Son over to Sinners in order to reconcile us with himself. At the same time it is the offering of the Son of God made man, who in Freedom and Love offered his life to his Father through the Holy Spirit in reparation for our disobedience. 442

By means of touch and the sharing of a meal, the risen Jesus establishes direct contact with his disciples. He invites them in this way to recognize that he is not a ghost and above all to verify that the risen body in which he appears to them is the same body that had been tortured and crucified, for it still bears the traces of his Passion. 508 Yet at the same time this authentic, real body possesses the new properties of a glorious body: not limited by space and time but able to be present how and when he wills; for Christ's humanity can no longer be confined to earth, and belongs henceforth only to the Father's divine realm. 509 For this reaSon too the risen Jesus enjoys the sovereign Freedom of appearing as he wishes: in the guise of a gardener or in other forms familiar to his disciples, precisely to awaken their faith. 510

The People of God is marked by characteristics that clearly distinguish it from all other religious, ethnic, political, or cultural groups found in history: - It is the People of God: God is not the property of any one people. But he acquired a people for himself from those who previously were not a people: "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation." 202 - One becomes a member of this people not by a physical birth, but by being "born anew," a birth "of water and the Spirit," 203 that is, by faith in Christ, and Baptism. - This People has for its Head Jesus the Christ (the anointed, the Messiah). Because the same anointing, the Holy Spirit, flows from the head into the body, this is "the messianic people." - "The status of this people is that of the Dignity and Freedom of the Sons of God, in whose Hearts the Holy Spirit dwells as in a temple." - "Its law is the new commandment to Love as Christ loved us." 204 This is the "new" law of the Holy Spirit. 205 - Its mission is to be salt of the earth and light of the world. 206 This people is "a most sure seed of unity, hope, and salvation for the whole human race." -Its destiny, finally, "is the Kingdom of God which has been begun by God himself on earth and which must be further extended until it has been brought to perfection by him at the end of time." 207

By his obedience unto death, 444 Christ communicated to his disciples the gift of royal Freedom, so that they might "by the self-abnegation of a holy life, overcome the reign of Sin in themselves": 445

From apostolic times Christian virgins, called by the Lord to cling only to him with greater Freedom of Heart, body, and spirit, have decided with the Church's approval to live in a state of virginity "for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven." 461

The affirmations of Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church on the subject of hell are a call to the responsibility incumbent upon man to make use of his Freedom in view of his eternal destiny. They are at the same time an urgent call to conversion: "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few." 616

Born with a fallen human nature and tainted by original Sin, children also have need of the new birth in Baptism to be freed from the power of darkness and brought into the realm of the Freedom of the children of God, to which all men are called. 50 The sheer gratuitousness of the Grace of salvation is particularly manifest in infant Baptism. the Church and the parents would deny a child the priceless grace of becoming a child of God were they not to confer Baptism shortly after birth. 51

By embracing in his human Heart the Father's Love for men, Jesus "loved them to the end", for "greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." 425 In suffering and death his humanity became the free and perfect instrument of his divine love which desires the salvation of men. 426 Indeed, out of love for his Father and for men, whom the Father wants to save, Jesus freely accepted his Passion and death: "No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord." 427 Hence the sovereign Freedom of God's Son as he went out to his death. 428

From the beginning of Christian history, the assertion of Christ's lordship over the world and over history has implicitly recognized that man should not submit his perSonal Freedom in an absolute manner to any earthly power, but only to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Caesar is not "the Lord". 67 "The Church. . . believes that the key, the centre and the purpose of the whole of man's history is to be found in its Lord and Master." 68

Believing is possible only by Grace and the interior helps of the Holy Spirit. But it is no less true that believing is an authentically human act. Trusting in God and cleaving to the Truths he has revealed is contrary neither to human Freedom nor to human reaSon. Even in human relations it is not contrary to our Dignity to believe what other persons tell us about themselves and their intentions, or to trust their promises (for example, when a man and a woman marry) to share a communion of life with one another. If this is so, still less is it contrary to our dignity to "yield by faith the full submission of... intellect and will to God who reveals", 26 and to share in an interior communion with him.

With creation, God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act and brings them to their final end. Recognizing this utter dependence with Respect to the Creator is a source of wisdom and Freedom, of joy and confidence:

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:

Only the light of divine Revelation clarifies the reality of Sin and particularly of the sin committed at mankind's origins. Without the knowledge Revelation gives of God we cannot recognize sin clearly and are tempted to explain it as merely a developmental flaw, a psychological weakness, a mistake, or the necessary consequence of an inadequate social structure, etc. Only in the knowledge of God's plan for man can we grasp that sin is an abuse of the Freedom that God gives to created perSons so that they are capable of loving him and loving one another.

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.

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.

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 process of conversion and repentance was described by Jesus in the parable of the prodigal Son, the center of which is the merciful Father: 37 The fascination of illusory Freedom, the abandonment of the father's house; the extreme misery in which the son finds himself after squandering his fortune; his deep humiliation at finding himself obliged to feed swine, and still worse, at wanting to feed on the husks the pigs ate; his reflection on all he has lost; his repentance and decision to declare himself guilty before his father; the journey back; the father's generous welcome; the father's joy - all these are characteristic of the process of conversion. the beautiful robe, the ring, and the festive banquet are symbols of that new life - pure worthy, and joyful - of anyone who returns to God and to the bosom of his family, which is the Church. Only the Heart of Christ Who knows the depths of his Father's Love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way.

"One is constituted a member of the episcopal body in virtue of the sacramental consecration and by the hierarchical communion with the head and members of the college." 39 The character and collegial nature of the episcopal order are evidenced among other ways by the Church's ancient practice which calls for several bishops to participate in the consecration of a new bishop. 40 In our day, the lawful ordination of a bishop requires a special intervention of the Bishop of Rome, because he is the supreme visible bond of the communion of the particular Churches in the one Church and the guarantor of their Freedom.

The consent must be an act of the will of each of the contracting parties, free of coercion or grave external fear. 128 No human power can substitute for this consent. 129 If this Freedom is lacking the marriage is invalid.

Threats to Freedom. the Exercise of freedom does not imply a right to say or do everything. It is false to maintain that man, "the subject of this freedom," is "an individual who is fully self-sufficient and whose finality is the satisfaction of his own interests in the enjoyment of earthly goods." 33 Moreover, the economic, social, political, and cultural conditions that are needed for a just exercise of freedom are too often disregarded or violated. Such situations of blindness and injustice injure the moral life and involve the strong as well as the weak in the temptation to Sin against Charity. By deviating from the moral law man violates his own freedom, becomes impriSoned within himself, disrupts neighborly fellowship, and rebels against divine Truth.

Liberation and salvation. By his glorious Cross Christ has won salvation for all men. He redeemed them from the Sin that held them in bondage. "For Freedom Christ has set us free." 34 In him we have communion with the "Truth that makes us free." 35 The Holy Spirit has been given to us and, as the Apostle teaches, "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 36 Already we glory in the "liberty of the children of God." 37

Freedom and Grace. the grace of Christ is not in the slightest way a rival of our freedom when this freedom accords with the sense of the true and the good that God has put in the human Heart. On the contrary, as Christian experience attests especially in prayer, the more docile we are to the promptings of grace, the more we grow in inner freedom and confidence during trials, such as those we face in the pressures and constraints of the outer world. By the working of grace the Holy Spirit educates us in spiritual freedom in order to make us free collaborators in his work in the Church and in the world:

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.

Freedom and Sin. Man's freedom is limited and fallible. In fact, man failed. He freely sinned. By refusing God's plan of Love, he deceived himself and became a slave to sin. This first alienation engendered a multitude of others. From its outset, human history attests the wretchedness and oppression born of the human Heart in consequence of the abuse of freedom.

Freedom is Exercised in relationships between human beings. Every human perSon, created in the image of God, has the natural right to be recognized as a free and responsible being. All owe to each other this duty of Respect. the right to the exercise of freedom, especially in moral and religious matters, is an inalienable requirement of the Dignity of the Human Person. This right must be recognized and protected by civil Authority within the limits of the common good and public order. 32

By virtue of his soul and his spiritual powers of intellect and will, man is endowed with Freedom, an "outstanding manifestation of the divine image." 8

"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

Freedom is the power, rooted in reaSon and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility. By free will one shapes one's own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in Truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our Beatitude.

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 responsible for his Acts to the extent that they are voluntary. Progress in virtue, knowledge of the good, and ascesis enhance the mastery of the will over its acts.

Man has the right to act in conscience and in Freedom so as perSonally to make moral decisions. "He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters." 53