Yes to Justice and Truth

1. LESSON 4:
YES TO
JUSTICE
AND TRUTH
UNIT III

2. •Review the lessons discussed
•Explain how the Seventh, Eighth, and
Tenth Commandments promote justice
•Reflect on and pray the prayer for justice

3. HOW DO THE SEVENTH,
EIGHTH, AND TENTH
COMMANDMENTS FOSTER
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND TRUTH
TOWARDS TRUE FREEDOM IN
THE COMMUNITY?

5. “You shall not covet your
neighbor’s goods”
Or
“You shall not covet your
neighbor’s house….nor his male
or female slave, nor his ox or ass,
nor anything that belongs to
him”

6. WHAT DOES THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT FORBID?
The seventh commandment forbids stealing and
robbery, unjust acquisition of goods and reckless
destruction of what belongs to others.
Stealing becomes a mortal sin if the thing stolen is of
great value (otherwise it is a venial sin).
Stealing something small value becomes a mortal sin
if the owner is poor, and thus suffers great injury.

7. WHAT DOES THE TENTH
COMMANDMENT FORBID?
The tenth commandment
forbids even the desire to
take or keep our neighbor’s
goods.

8. Are we bound to return stolen goods?
We are bound to return stolen goods or their equivalent
value to the owner or if the owner is dead to his heir.
If neither the owner nor the heir cannot be discovered the
goods or their value are to be given to the poor or to charitable
causes.

9. What are some more subtle forms of stealing?
1. Cheating the consumer as to the exact use
of a machine or object being sold
2. Hiding a defect in that object
3. Doing poor work and repairs (through
negligence)
4. Charging a price that deserves a better job
5. In politics, acquiring money or positions by
dishonest means, etc.

10. Does man have a right to private ownership?
YES, man has a right to private ownership.
This right bestowed on him by the Creator
provides man with the means for his livelihood,
for his growth and progress.

11. Can this principle of private ownership justify the
over abundance of some and the extreme poverty of
others?
No one is justified in keeping for his exclusive
use what he does not need, when others lack
necessities.

12. Is one oblige to make up for damage done?
One is obliged to make up for damage
unjustly done to the property of others, as far
as one is able.

13. What is gambling?
Gambling is the taking of money or
valuables on a future event or on a game of
chance, the result of which is unknown to the
participants.

14. Is it wrong to gamble?
Gambling in itself can be an
amusement, and it is not against
Catholic moral standards if played
with moderation.
However, gambling can become a
sin, even a mortal sin, if it leads one to
excesses such as dishonesty, and great
loss of money, risking the needs of the
family and even of society.

16. What duty is imposed on us
by the eighth commandment?
By this commandment
we are obliged to be truthful
and to interpret in the best
possible way the actions of
others.

17. The eighth commandment forbids
misrepresenting the truth in our relations
with others. (CCC 2464)
TRUTH – is more than our
speech conforming with our
mind. It is when what enters the
human mind is in agreement with
the mind of God, as we can know
it through the teaching of the
Church.

18. OFFENSES AGAINST TRUTH:
Most direct offense against the truth (CCC 2483-84, CFC 1261-
62)
1. Lying- profanation of speech, whereas the purpose of
the speech is to communicate known truth to others.
Lie – is something said for the purpose of deceiving
others, which we know or suspect to be untrue

19. Will a good reason for telling a lie excuse it?
No reason, however good, will excuse the telling of a lie,
because a lie is always bad in itself. It is never allowed, even for a
good intention, to do a thing that is bad in itself.
JOCOSE LIE- a story made up for the purpose of amusing or
instructing others. It becomes sinful if the person telling it does not
make it clear that it must not be taken literally.

20. AGAINST REPUTATION OF
PERSONS
1. Rash Judgment – is believing, without sufficient reason,
something harmful to another’s character
WHY SHOULD MAKING RASH JUDGMENTS BE
AVOIDED?
Every person has the right to be respected by other
persons. When a rash judgment is made, it causes one to think
less good of another person and this is opposed to charity.

21. AGAINST REPUTATION OF
PERSONS
2. Detraction- is making known, without good reason, the hidden
faults of others.
IS IT EVER ALLOWED TO TELL THE FAULTS OF
ANOTHER?
It is allowed to tell the faults of another when it is
necessary to make them known to his parents or superiors, that
the faults may be corrected and the wrongdoer prevented from

22. AGAINST REPUTATION OF
PERSONS
3. Calumny or Slander – disclosure of
another’s faults and failings without
objectively valid reason to persons who
did not know him/her.

23. AGAINST TRUTHFULNESS
OF SPEECH
1. Flattery/ Adulation - is the act of giving
excessive compliments, generally for the purpose of
ingratiating oneself with the subject
- excessive or slavish admiration
2. Complaisance - The inclination to comply willingly
with the wishes of others; amiability or affability

24. False witness and
perjury (CCC
2476)
When it is made publicly, a statement contrary to the
truth takes on a particular gravity.
In court it becomes false witness.
When it is under oath, it is perjury.
Created evils of giving false witness or perjury
a. condemnation of the innocent
b. exoneration of the guilty
c. increased punishment of the accused.
Boasting (CCC
2481)
the act of making an ostentatious speech
- to glorify oneself in speech
- to talk in a self-admiring way
- to speak of with excessive pride.
Irony (CCC
2481)
sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the
simple and evident intention of words or actions.
O T H E R O F F E N S E S

25. OTHER OFFENSES
• BRIBE- is an offering of money or
other valuable objects for the
purpose of convincing a person to go
against what he/she knows is right,
to the advantage of the person
offering the bribe.
• TALEBEARING – the act of telling
persons what others have said about
them, especially if the things said
are evil.

26. WHEN ARE WE OBLIGED TO KEEP A SECRET?
- when we have
promised to do so,
when our office
requires it, or when the
good of others demands
it

27. NATURAL SECRET- is one which right reason tells us
should be kept
PROMISED SECRET – is one which the information is
made known and then the promise to conceal it is secured
ENTRUSTED SECRET – is one in which the promise is
made first and then the information is disclosed

28. SEAL OF CONFESSION
The seal of confession
is duty to keep secret what
has been said in confession
and it obliges not only the
priest, but anyone who may
accidentally overhear or
come to know matters dealt
with in the confession of
another person.

29. • Society needs information in order to
make rights decisions, and well-
informed citizens contribute to their
personal progress as well as the
common good.
• The right to privacy for individuals,
families and societies must be
insured, as well as the right of
secrecy, binding in conscience, for
necessary or professional reasons.

30. An offense committed against the truth requires reparation (CCC 2487, 2509)
Duty of reparation
a. When it is impossible publicly to make reparation for a wrong, it must be made
secretly.
b. If someone who has suffered harm cannot be directly compensated, he must be given
moral satisfaction in the name of charity
c. This duty of reparation also concerns offenses against another's reputation.
d. This reparation, moral and sometimes material, must be evaluated in terms of the
extent
of the damage inflicted.

31. The golden rule
helps one discern, in
concrete situations,
whether or not it would
be appropriate to reveal
the truth to someone who
asks for it. (CCC 2510)

32. Before proclaiming any “truth” we should ask three questions:
- “Is it true?”
- “Is it necessary?”
- “Is it kind?”