THE MORAL LAW - Introduction
Eight addresse delivered by Father Gillis in the fall of 1930 on the Catholic Radio Hour, sponsored by the National Council of Catholic Men with the co-operation of the National Broadcasting Company and its associated stations.
1949-51 Called to life with the Holy Trinity but wounded by sin, man stands in need of salvation from God. Divine help comes to him in Christ through the law that guides him and the grace that sustains him:
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Phil 2:12-13)
The moral law is the work of divine wisdom. Its biblical meaning can be defined as fatherly instruction, and God's guidance. It prescribes for man the ways, the rules of conduct that lead to the promised life with the Holy Trinity; it proscribes the ways of evil which turn him away from God and his love. It is at once firm in its laws and, in its promises, worthy of love.
Law is a rule of conduct enacted by competent authority for the sake of the common good. The moral law presupposes the rational order, established among creatures for their good and to serve their final end, by the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Creator. All law finds its first and ultimate truth in the eternal law. Law is declared and established by reason as a participation in the providence of the living God, Creator and Redeemer of all.