Primer on Fundamental Moral Theology

By Fr. Brian Mullady, O.P.

Here is the book that shows you the road to happiness through the wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle. It proves the relationship between the science of faith and human reason and how the truth will set you free in the hereafter and now.

This book is invaluable for anyone who wants a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental principles of Catholic moral teaching. In these powerful pages, Fr. Mullady unpacks how the Church is called to help form the culture and not vice versa. He explains a spectrum of truths, from man’s ultimate end, to the role of the will, to conscience and responsibility, to types of sins, virtues, and laws, and ultimately, to grace.

Fr. Mullady soundly refutes relativism and explains the consistency in Church teachings using examples, such as Her teachings on birth control and capital punishment. He explains the connection between the intellect, the will, and the passions. He shows how moral teaching and theology must include a healthy respect for the law while encouraging interior formation in love, which the truth of the law seeks to foster.

You will come to understand how authentic Catholic teaching applies to writings ranging from Karl Rahner’s works to Pope Francis’ Amoris Laetitia in light of the Catechismof the Catholic Church and St. John Paul II’s Veritatis Splendor. From the sentimental morality in Hume’s philosophy to the dutiful morality in Kant’s, you will see how these philosophies led to errors in thinking from hedonism to voluntarism to rationalism.

Moreover, you will learn about the correct understanding of the formation of passions and freedom and discover:

• The “feet” of the soul (and how to use them!)
• Two passions that aid in the attainment of a desired good
• Four qualities of actions subject to moral responsibility
• Aquinas’s six arguments about what satisfies our intellect
• The key truth denied in modern psychology that leads to immorality
• Four reasons why human destiny cannot exist in exterior goods