Episode Transcript  

One

Three Parts to a Good Action 

Yesterday I share with you the true story of the young Polish nurse who smuggled Jews to safety under Nazi occupation. But one day, a Nazi officer discovered what she was doing. He made her a sickening offer, “Become my mistress, sleep with me,” he said, “and I’ll stay silent. Refuse, and I’ll report everything.”

Irene was horrified, but she felt trapped. To save the people she was protecting, she gave in. She surrendered her body to a man she despised, hoping her sacrifice would buy their lives.

At first glance, her choice looks courageous. But Christ and the Church teach something deeper. The first principle of morality is to do good and avoid evil. The second is this: we may never choose evil as a means to achieve a good. In other words, we may never do evil, hoping that good may come of it. (CCC 1789)

The young woman’s intention and the hoped-for outcome were noble. Her desire to save the innocent was real. But the action she chose, fornication, is always morally wrong. And according to the Church, every moral act must pass three tests (CCC 1750): The object, what you choose to do, must be good. The intention, why you are doing it, must be good. The circumstances, the conditions surrounding an action, such as who is involved, how much, how often, and the consequences, affect how serious it is and how responsible you are for it, must also be good. 

If even one of these is bad, the act is not morally good. 

Two

What you are doing

As we just said, a good act requires the goodness of the object (what you choose to do), intention (why you are doing it), and circumstances. In moral theology, the nature or essence of a human act is called the “object” of an act. So the object of an act is the “what?” of an action. To put it really simply, the object of an act is what you are trying to do. 

The first question we have to ask ourselves when we’re trying to analyze whether an action is good or evil is, “What, exactly, am I trying to do here? What is the essence of the act I’m thinking about carrying out?”

The moral object is what the person chooses to do. Have you decided to buy your secretary flowers? Have you chosen to donate to a political campaign? Have you decided to lie under oath? The first two actions are fine in themselves, but lying is always wrong. Other moral systems jump ahead to other questions, like, “What’s my intention in all this?” or “What are the good outcomes I hope come from this action?”

Those are important questions, but actually, they’re not the most fundamental questions. The most fundamental question is about the nature of the act. “What am I choosing to do?”

Three

An Act Is More Than What You Can See

Human beings are both body and soul, visible and invisible, material and spiritual. Because of that, our actions also have both an external part (what you can see) and an internal part (what is chosen by the will). So you can’t judge the kind of act it is by appearances alone. What matters most is not just what happens physically, but what is being chosen.

The moral object, the kind of act you are doing, is defined by what you choose, not simply by what it looks like on the outside. This is why actions that look the same externally can be completely different morally: adultery vs. marital intercourse. The physical act may look the same, but one is a faithful gift of self, the other is a violation of that bond. Murder vs. self-defense, both involve killing, but one is the intentional taking of innocent life, the other is protecting life against unjust aggression. Taking the pill for medical treatment vs. contraception, the same medication may be used, but one is chosen to treat a disorder. The other is chosen to render fertility temporarily sterile.

These are different kinds of acts, not the same act with different intentions. So you cannot reduce a human act to its physical appearance. The truth of an action lies in what is chosen, not just in what is seen.

Four

Intrinsically Evil Actions 

Some actions are intrinsically evil. That means they are wrong in themselves; no intention and no circumstance can make them good. Even if you have a good reason or hope for a good outcome, you may never choose them. Because it is always wrong to do evil, and you may never do evil as a means to achieve a good. No good intention and no difficult circumstance can justify it. Some actions are always wrong, regardless of why you do them or the situation you are in.

Examples of intrinsically evil acts include: theft, slavery, exploitation, prostitution, torture, murder, and lying. Sexual sins such as fornication (sex outside of marriage) and adultery (violating the marriage bond). Contraception, deliberately sterilizing an act of intercourse (e.g., pill, patch). Direct sterilization for contraceptive purposes (vasectomy or tubal ligation). Artificial reproduction (AI and IVF). Homosexual acts. Direct abortion. Euthanasia. Rape. Blasphemy and perjury (lying under oath). Pornography. Genocide. Fraud and unjust business practices.

These are intrinsically evil because they are wrong in themselves; no intention and no circumstance can make them good.

Five

Never Do Evil, Even to Achieve a Good

As we’ve seen, many factors go into evaluating an action: our intentions, the outcomes we hope for, the pressures and circumstances we face. But none of these can ever make an intrinsically evil act good. If something is wrong by its very nature, then no intention, no outcome, and no circumstance can justify choosing it.

This means that in moments of real pressure, as the young Polish nurse faced, we must ask, “What am I choosing to do?” And if the answer is something evil by its nature, then we must not choose it, no matter the cost.

This is where morality becomes real, when telling the truth may cost you, when doing what is right may bring suffering, and when avoiding evil may seem to lead to loss. We are never permitted to do evil so that good may come of it. This is the foundation of the moral life: do good always; refuse evil, always. And to trust God with the outcome.

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