Episode Transcript  

One

Story of Superman

Did you ever see the superman movie, Man of Steel? I don’t recommend it. But the worst part of the movie is the way Superman’s adoptive father dies. The whole family is in the car, in Kansas, because, of course, Superman is from Kansas, like all true superheroes. The whole family’s in the car, in traffic, and suddenly a tornado, because, remember, they’re in Kansas, comes and threatens everybody. Superman’s whole family gets out of the car, they make it to safety, and then suddenly they realize they left the dog in the car. So the dad, not Superman, by the way, but the regular human dad, runs back into the tornado to save the dog.  And he saves the dog, and dies in the attempt.

The movie makes it seem like that was some kind of heroic move, but it wasn’t. It was sinful. On the surface, the act and intention seem good; he wants to save the dog. But when you look closer, the circumstances change what he is actually choosing. Because he made the choice to risk his life, the life of a husband and father, for the sake of an animal. And that’s not rightly ordered. Human life is greater than animal life.

So this is not truly a good act; it’s a disordered choice disguised as heroism. Which shows that, in moral decision-making, it’s not enough to just examine what we’re doing, or even why we’re doing it. We have to look at all the factors in the situation, because they affect what we are really choosing. And the technical term for that is the circumstances.

Two

Personal Example

I wanted to help a family that was struggling financially. They asked me to help pay the tuition for their children’s Catholic school. I gave them the money. Giving to the poor is a good action, and my intention was good; I truly wanted to help. But later, I discovered the tuition had never been paid. The money had been spent on alcohol and other unnecessary things. That’s when I realized: what I thought was helping had actually contributed to harm.

The act, in general, of giving money is good. My intention was good. But I failed to consider the concrete circumstances, how this money would actually be used. Because I ignored those circumstances, I did not see my action in its full reality. I wasn’t really helping the children; I was enabling something else. And that is the danger: If we don’t consider the circumstances, we can think we are doing good when, in reality, we are not.

So I changed what I did. Instead of giving money to the family, I paid the tuition to the school. The intention stayed the same. The good I wanted stayed the same. But now, taking the circumstances into account, the action actually accomplished the good. A bad circumstance does not change a good action into an intrinsically evil act. But it can make it the wrong choice in this situation.

Three

Why Circumstances Matter

When we consider any decision, we have to look at three things. What we’re choosing to do: which is called the object. Why we’re doing it, what’s motivating us: which is called the intention. And any other morally relevant factors at play in a given situation. That’s called the circumstances.

So, it’s not enough just to look at the action we are choosing or our motives, because our decisions happen in the concrete, complicated world. And we want those actions to make the world a better place, not a worse place.

So we have to examine not just the action or intention, but the situation we find ourselves in, and we have to ask, “Is this likely to do more harm than good? Am I risking or neglecting a greater good for the sake of a lesser one? Am I pursuing a good that it’s not my job to pursue, and failing to fulfill the responsibilities God has given me?”

If so, then we have to abandon that course of action. Because there’s something we need to focus on more, some way we have been called to make the world a better place.

Four

Examples of good actions and good motives, but bad decisions

There are many times when we want to do something good, and our motives are good, but we still should not do it, or make a different choice, because the circumstances are not right. You feel moved to help others, saying yes to every need. The act: generosity is good. The intention: charity is good. But the circumstance: your primary responsibilities begin to suffer. Your spouse feels neglected, your children are not getting your time, or your work and other duties suffer.

In that case, your generosity becomes disordered, not because generosity is bad, but because you are neglecting the duties God has already entrusted to you. The better choice is to fulfill your primary duties first, and then give from what is rightly yours to give. Or take voting. You may support a candidate because you want to reform immigration policy or address poverty. Those are good concerns, and your intention may be good. But if that same candidate is also firmly committed to protecting abortion and undermining marriage and the family, then the full circumstances must be taken into account.

The direct attack on innocent life and the destruction of the family are more fundamental evils and cause far greater harm. Therefore, even if your motive is good, the circumstances are not right to support that candidate. So again, it is not enough that what you are doing is not evil in itself, or that you do not detect any bad motive in your heart. You must also consider the circumstances carefully, so that your decision truly serves the good rather than causing more harm. 

Five

Circumstances and Prayer

Human beings are fundamentally good. We generally want to do good things, and we want to do them for good reasons. But we get in a hurry or lazy. We don’t think it through. And we don’t end up making a good decision because we don’t consider the circumstances. Nowhere is this temptation more common than in the temptation to neglect prayer. 

Why do we neglect prayer? Is it because we’re doing evil things? With wicked motives? No. It’s because we get so focused on so many good things, with so many good motives, and we forget the “one thing necessary,” a deep friendship with Jesus in prayer. 

So when you start to examine your actions, and you consider the circumstances, remember this, any good thing that makes you neglect daily prayer is probably a sinful temptation. What you’re doing may be good.  Why you’re doing it may be good. But if it’s causing you to neglect prayer, then the circumstances are wrong. You should let that good go, and spend a little time with the Lord. 

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