Natural Law Today: Why It Declined—and How to Restore It (Thomistic Deep Dive + Q&A) ~ Fr. Ripperger

About this sermon

What is the natural law—and why has our culture forgotten it? In this long-form lecture (with Q&A), we walk through St. Thomas Aquinas’ framework for natural law, the classical “four causes,” and the three natural inclinations. We then trace the philosophical turns—from Nominalism through Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Hegel—that helped sever morality from objective reality, fueling today’s legal and cultural confusions. We close with practical remedies: grace, virtue, confession, formation, and rebuilding an intellectual life rooted in truth. You’ll learn: The Thomistic definition of law and why promulgation matters How material/formal/efficient/final causes clarify human actions The three natural inclinations (self-preservation, family/procreation, life of reason) Why passions, bad formation, and customs can eclipse the natural law How modern philosophy shifted morality from objective goods to subjective feelings Practical steps to restore a culture of virtue Chapters 00:00 Intro & setup 08:12 What is Natural Law? (Thomistic definition) 10:57 The Four Causes: material, formal, efficient, final 12:18 Promulgation & civil law 15:07 Three natural inclinations 18:42 Reason, community & cultural contradictions 19:32 Abortion psychology example (effects & observations) 19:40 Supreme Court & natural law: a mid-century break 20:50 Hobbes/Locke; schooling, socialism & communism 22:15 Property rights & redistribution 23:41 Children outside marriage; no-fault divorce 24:50 Vice normalization; DSM changes & consent debates 26:14 Eclipse of natural law in minds & culture 26:36 Primary vs. secondary precepts 28:44 How habits “erase” secondary precepts 29:35 Passions cloud judgment (fornication example) 33:07 Nominalism & skepticism about natures 34:15 Descartes and distrust of the senses 36:23 Hume on causation & downstream effects 39:03 Kant: moral law internalized; duty without nature 39:56 Schleiermacher: religion as feeling 40:55 Subjectivism replaces reality 41:42 Education by emotion, not truth 43:22 Collapse of objective morality 45:05 Two causes: passions & bad formation 46:01 Modernism in seminaries; manuals collapse 48:29 1930s–50s moral drift (case studies) 49:39 War’s effect on moral life 50:11 Post-war family shifts 51:20 Pleasure principle & cohabitation stats 52:23 Self-harm to nature (tattoos/piercings discussion) 53:05 Public square: speech & coercion 54:02 Leadership, charity, and truth 55:42 Grace, virtue, confession 56:58 Study & intellectual sloth 57:54 Break & announcements 59:05 Q&A begins 01:01:07 The “harm principle” in law & limits 01:03:13 Contraception/abortion and natural law 01:03:35 Hegel’s dialectic & moral “progress” 01:06:58 Evolution & nature debates 01:10:01 Cultural sequence: fornication → contraception → homosexuality 01:12:00 Archbishop mention & resources 01:13:20 Advice: curb media; daily study 01:16:18 Natural law arguments without religion 01:19:04 American law & formation 01:21:09 Closing prayer 01:22:49 End For more sermons & lectures please visit http://sensustraditionis.org/ & remember to do the PenanceWare Fr asks for Fr Ripperger's order of exorcists http://dolorans.org/ (C) 2018 Sensus Fidelium 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 #NaturalLaw #Thomism #StThomasAquinas #Catholic #MoralPhilosophy #VirtueEthics #Aristotle #Philosophy #Theology #FaithAndReason #ObjectiveTruth #Relativism #Culture #CatholicEthics #ProLife #Marriage #Family #Catechesis #Confession #Lecture #QandA