Summaries / Resúmenes - Studia Moralia

REVIEWS / RECENSIONES 279Cessario, Romanus, Introduction to Moral Theology. CatholicMoral Thought. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University ofAmerica Press, 2001, xxiii + 268 p.This book is the first volume of The Catholic Moral Thoughtseries published by The Catholic University of America Press inWashington, D.C. The purpose of this series is “to provide upperdivision and graduate students with a well-rounded and readableaccount of the principal branches of moral theology according tothe way that the discipline has actually developed and is now practicedwithin the Roman Catholic tradition” (xi). This first volume,which outlines the fundamental principles of Catholic moral theology,was inspired by and follows carefully two important magisterialdocuments that deal with Catholic moral teaching: John Paul II’sencyclical on fundamental moral principles, Veritatis splendor, andThe Catechism of the Catholic Church. The author, in fact, suggeststhat these documents be used “as two companion volumes thatshould be consulted frequently while undertaking this introductorystudy” (xvi). The book, one might say, presents the philosophicaland theological tenets of “moral realism” upon which these magisterialdocuments are based and which is articulated especially well inthe work of Thomas Aquinas. As such, it offers excellent backgroundfor those wishing to understand the intellectual underpinningsof the Church’s moral teaching.The book consists of an introduction, five chapters, an appendix,a select bibliography, and an index. The introduction focuseson the current climate of moral theology today, offers a generaldescription of the Catholic Moral Thought series, and gives a summary-analysisof the work at hand. Chapter One, “The StartingPoint for Christian Moral Theology,” discusses the relationshipbetween sacra doctrina and moral theology and roots the “pre-ethicalfoundations of moral action” in the Church’s teaching on thehuman person’s being created in the image of God (imago Dei) andwhose ultimate end is to see God face to face (beatitudo). ChapterTwo, “Moral Realism and the Natural Law,” develops the Church’steaching on natural law and emphasizes the importance of locatingthis teaching within the larger context of Divine Providence andhumanity’s participation in God’s eternal reason. Chapter Three,“The Origin and Structure of Virtuous Behavior,” discusses thenature of human freedom, the structure of human action, and theprimacy of prudence for the execution of virtuous behavior. Chapter