Several of my recent posts have addressed making choices; that is, having the freedom to choose what we ought, how those choices can define us and become the measure of us as a person.
So how best do we go about making correct choices, particularly in situations where there appears to be no clear “right” or “wrong” answer? Reflecting on this took me back to my Fuller Seminary days and the study of Christian Ethics.
For me, a working definition of “Ethics” would be those principles that help us distinguish between right and wrong moral judgements and guide our actions accordingly. In everyday language, Ethics is about “doing the right thing.” It is also about figuring out what to do when it is not clear what that “right thing” might be; notably when caring for others, especially if they are marginalized and/or not able to care for themselves. Think about the Good Samaritan parable, as a good example (Luke 10:29–37).
Adding the “Christian” to Christian Ethics, we can ask, “What would Jesus do?” as our ethical guide. This insight becomes clear in the Gospel of Matthew 25:31-46, the parable about the sheep and the goats, where Jesus spells out the Corporal Works of Mercy: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of my brethren, you did for me.”
A link to that specific USCCB teaching is here:
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
– John 13:35
Turning to the situations requiring medical decisions/ choices involving Advance Healthcare Directives described in the previous posts, “We Need To Talk,” dated March 1 & 8, 2024, we saw that there is often no “right” answer that works for everyone. One person may say, “I’m a fighter; I want everything possible done, right to the end.” Another may say, “Not me, when it’s my time, that’s it, pull the plug.” Who are we to say who is right or wrong in that situation; it is a very personal decision where our Christian Ethics can offer guidance.
Ideally, those Christian Ethics will:
1.) Impart clear moral principles that govern our behavior based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.
2.) Allow for differences in personal convictions that are consistent with #1.
3.) Rest on the principle of individual conscience as lived out in full view of the reality that we will all answer to God for the life we have lived in light of the choices we have made in our lifetime.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
– Philippians 4:6
Looking deeper into Scripture for divine guidance, we learn from the Gospels that discipleship is participation in Jesus’ teachings. Specifically, the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes provide the “how” to participate in God’s reign that Jesus inaugurated in His earthly ministry. Jesus does not teach lofty ideals, but rather, offers concrete ways for us to participate with God’s grace so we might answer the call to follow Him in keeping with those Christian Ethics.
Guided Scripture Study:
Interpreting the Gospels in the light of Jesus’ call to discipleship through participative grace, let’s now look to His student and disciple, St. Paul, for direction regarding these principles of Christian Ethics.
Specifically, we will look at St. Paul’s letter to the Romans 14:1-12 as the basis for a guided study to help us when we are faced with making important decisions/choices in life:
Romans 14:1-4: “Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on the servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.”
Contemplation: How do we recognize the “weak in faith” without passing judgement? What matters or differences in opinion do you think are important in the Kingdom and what are not? Why/Why not? Is passing judgment ever okay?
Reflection: We are not to judge one another pertaining to beliefs/practices that are not important in advancing the Kingdom. We should not assign our standards to those who may be struggling in faith, but accept them as the Lord has accepted them, as He only is their judge, and before Him only must they stand.
Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of my brethren, you did for me.
– Matthew 25:40
Romans 14:5-9: “Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also, those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord, and give thanks to God. We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.”
Contemplation: How do we maintain an attitude of gratitude toward God in our various observances? Where/What is truth within our different practices or observances? What does this say about our relationships, especially with others whose practices may be different from ours? In what ways do we live to ourselves and not to the Lord?
Reflection: When our true intent is to place God first, to honor Him and give Him thanks in whatever our practices, we will find peace, freedom, and joy, in living and even in death. For Christ alone, through His death and resurrection, has purchased for us that freedom, and it is His right alone to sit in judgment.
Romans 14:10-12 : “Why do you pass judgment on your sibling? Or you, why do you despise your sibling? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.’ So then, each of us will be accountable to God.”
Contemplation: How are we to live in fellowship despite having differences in opinion? Does passing judgment ever get in the way of fellowship? If so, how? Rereading the last verse above (verse 12), about accountability to God; how does this guide your thinking about how others chose to live out their faith?
Reflection: Judging others, especially in matters concerning their intent or relationship with God, dishonors God. It loses sight of the fact that we are all accountable only to Him and one day we will each stand in judgment before Him having to answer for all that is in our heart.
Walking Scripture Out Into the World:
Let’s now come back to the previous discussion about medical decisions/choices when considering Advance Healthcare Directives. Too often I have witnessed costly procrastination when a “right” answer seemed evasive. My hope is that this exercise can provide some guidance when considering those decisions and having those conversations.
In a world that seems rife with judgement and disagreement, let’s find unity in Jesus’ ministry of love, starting with kindness, compassion, and empathy for one another, especially those closest to us.
Let Scripture be your guiding light when facing important choices/decisions and when answering the call to discipleship through His participative grace.
“In love You created us, in justice You condemned us, but in mercy You redeemed us, through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
– Prayer from Preface of Catholic Mass
Reflection questions:
- Consider the call to “participative grace” and contrast it with what Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously called “cheap grace,” which says, that since Christ died for us and is risen, all is well, with nothing but faith needed on our part in response to God’s grace. Can cooperation with grace be active, passive, both, it depends? How are you answering God’s call?
- There is a much contained in Romans 14:1-12 about passing judgement. Yet, as reasoning humans, we make judgements all the time. What are your safeguards to keep from judging wrongly? Bishop Robert Barron touches on divine judgment in the recent daily Gospel reflection found here: https://www.wordonfire.org/reflections/lent/b-lent-wk4-wednesday/
- Here is an interesting article titled “Is Judging Others a Sin;” it also provides additional Scripture references on this topic: https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/is-judging-others-a-sin.html#:~:text=The%20word%20judge%20means%20to,to%20putting%20another%20person%20down.
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Scripture References
Luke 10:29–37 Matthew 25:31-46 John 13:35 Philippians 4:6 Romans 14:1-12
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