“But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there”
St. Joseph, in deciding what was best for his family, had to have had a well-formed conscience. Think for moment of the difficult decisions and situations he faced. He was told that his betrothed, Mary, conceived the Messiah immaculately. . An angel in a dream told him to take his brand new family hundreds of miles to Egypt to escape Herod. Soon after, he obeyed another angel in another dream to move back to Nazareth, even though he feared the new ruler, who had slaughtered the Holy Innocents. His conscience had to guide him in making the right choices for himself and his family.
What is a conscience? The Catechism states, “Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has already completed.” [1], or as St. Thomas Aquinas put it simply, “conscience is the mind of man passing moral judgment.” [2]
Who has a conscience? All of us! Our conscience should not be based on feelings, emotions, or our will, but as the Catechism states, on intellect and reason. An action is right or wrong based on objective principles, not because we want it that way or feel it should another way. [3] If our consciences were strictly emotional, then we would fall into relativism, where one person’s preference is no better than anyone else’s. Since our consciences use intellect, it is our right and duty to pass moral judgments. [4] Truth cannot contradict truth.
What does it mean to pass judgment? To pass judgment can mean many things. The world will try and use Scripture to say we are not allowed to pass judgment on others. The judgment Jesus speaks of in Scripture is final judgment of someone’s soul; whether they will end up in Heaven or Hell. However, a person can pass judgment if it is based on someone’s actions and using our intellect and will. There are three things to always consider when we use our intellect and reason. We look at the action, the intention of the person, and the circumstance in which the person is in. Actions can always be judged; an action is either good or evil. What we cannot always judge is the intention of a person and we cannot always know the full circumstance they are in. God is author of all hearts and this is why He is the perfect judge. He not only can judge actions, but He knows in totality each person’s intent and circumstance.
Should we act when conscience tells us something is right or wrong? Yes, we are obligated to not only act on but also obey. In fact, it is crucial to follow our consciences. We must follow our conscience because it’s the closest norm we have to know what is right and what is wrong. [5] What if we act against our consciences? If we deliberately act against our consciences, we would condemn ourselves. [6]
What should we do if we are in doubt? We are to refrain from any action if we are unsure or have doubt in regards to the morality of the action. However, we must not stay in doubt or ignorance. If someone was breaking a rule of the road, and was pulled over by a police officer, the person could say, “but officer, I didn’t know the rule” The officer could reply, “It is your job to know the rule”. If we are going to drive, it is our responsibility to know the rules of the road. In the same way to live our Catholic faith to the full, to truly live with a good conscience, it is our obligation to know the law, both natural law and moral law. We must take action to find out what is true and good. If we don’t, then we are culpable for the evil we commit. [7]
If we fail to educate ourselves in the prayers, beliefs, and morals of the Church, we can fall in the following ways: “Ignorance of Christ and his Gospel, bad example given by others, enslavement to one’s passions, assertion of a mistaken notion, rejection of the Church’s authority and her teaching, lack of conversion and of charity.” [8] A study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is crucial to love and knowledge of the prayers, beliefs, and morals of Christ and His Church.
How do we form our consciences? How can we know right from wrong? Our consciences are formed by principles, “known to the mind, either from the light of natural reason reflecting on the data of creation, or from divine faith responding to God’s supernatural revelation.” [9] In other words, our consciences are formed by the natural reason we are all born with and God’s revelation through His Church. Since Christ founded the Church and is infallible in regards to faith and morals, we can take great solace in relying on Her wisdom and guidance in forming our consciences. If the light of natural reason (natural law) and God’s law (revealed law) does not shine on our consciences, we will be without necessary formation that allows us to think and act according to God’s will and law.
“The education of the conscience is a lifelong task”. [10] Besides the teaching of the Church, our consciences are formed by the Word of God which is the light of our path [11], practice in our faith and prayer life, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the witness or advice of others, and examination of our consciences (preferably in front of a Crucifix). [12] We are the clay and God is the Potter. As in all things, we are formed by repetitive actions, so by repeating our liturgy, prayers, and beliefs, and daily living out virtues, we are formed into what God wills us to be.
“To know right from wrong, we should look to interpreting the data, seeking the advice of reliable people, and the help of the Holy Spirit. There are some things rules of thumb when deciding what applies in every case: One may never do evil so that good may result from it The Gold Rule: ‘Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.’ Charity always proceeds by way of respect for one’s neighbor and his conscience: ‘Thus sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience...you sin against Christ.’ Therefore “it is right not to...do anything that makes your brother stumble.’” [13]
Thus, we must assimilate our consciences in faith and prayer and put it into practice in order to form our moral consciences. [14]
Why do we need to form our consciences?
Our consciences are like internal alarm clocks. When our intellects and knowledge informs us that something is wrong or bad, our consciences should sound off to warn us of the danger. This is like a “Spidey sense” which is, “derived from the comic book superhero Spiderman, it is generally used to mean a vague but strong sense of something being wrong, dangerous, suspicious, a security situation.” [15] Our consciences have this sense that is given by God. This sense in strengthen by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The gift of counsel above all the others “warns us of the deceits of the devil, and of the dangers to salvation.” [16]
We are in danger when we do not educate our conscience, because we will not know what is right or wrong, good or bad. Our consciences are not infallible, but rather require development and careful training in God’s law. When we ignore or go against our consciences, they become weak. Like any alarm we can press the snooze button or worse, the alarm can become muted, and can become so dulled that not even a criminal knows they are wrong. [17]
Activity - Examination of Conscience -
Catholics should do an Examination of Conscience not only right before they go to Confession, but daily. During Night Prayer, we are to take a brief time and think of our day when we might have sinned against God. Examining our consciences helps us grow to know ourselves better in what we do, don’t do, and what we know is right, wrong, good, and bad.
Please see the Family Prayer Book on the main page online of this packet. There are three examination of conscience in the book—two for adults, one for children.
There are many different kinds of examinations. Most follow the Ten Commandments. The one provided is a little different, and can be used in a more daily setting and is based on the Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity.
Faith
Do I make an honest effort to grow in the virtue of faith by daily mental prayer on the mysteries of the faith as revealed in the life of Jesus Christ?
Do I make at least a short act of faith every day?
Do I pray daily for an increase of faith?
Do I ever tempt God by relying on my own strength to cope with the trials in my life?
Do I unnecessarily read or listen to those who oppose or belittle what I know are truths of my Catholic faith?
What have I done today to externally profess my faith?
Have I allowed human respect to keep me from giving expression to my faith?
Do I make a serious effort to resolve difficulties that may arise about my faith?
Do I ever defend my faith, prudently and charitably, when someone says something contrary to what I know is to be believed?
Have I helped someone overcome a difficulty against the faith?
Hope
Do I immediately say a short prayer when I find myself getting discouraged?
Do I daily say a short act of hope?
Do I dwell on my worries instead of dismissing them from my mind?
Do I fail in the virtue of hope by my attachment to the things of this world?
Do I try to see God's providence in everything that "happens" in my life?
Do I try to see everything from the viewpoint of eternity?
Am I confident that, with God's grace, I will be saved?
Do I allow myself to worry about my past life and thus weaken my hope in God's mercy?
Do I try to combine every fully deliberate action with at least a momentary prayer for divine help?
How often today have I complained, even internally?
Charity
Have I told God today that I love Him?
Do I tell Jesus that I love Him with my whole heart?
Do I take the occasion to tell God that I love Him whenever I experience something I naturally dislike?
Have I capitalized on the difficulties today to tell God that I love Him just because He sent me the trial or misunderstanding?
Do I see God's love for me in allowing me to prove my love for Him in the crosses He sent me today?
Have I seen God's grace to prove my love for Him in every person whom I met today?
Have I failed in charity by speaking unkindly about others?
Have I dwelt on what I considered someone's unkindness toward me today?
Is there someone that I consciously avoid because I dislike the person?
Did I try to carry on a conversation today with someone who is difficult to talk to?
Have I been stubborn in asserting my own will?
How thoughtful have I been today in doing some small favor for someone?
Have I allowed my mood to prevent me from being thoughtful of others today?
Am I given to dwelling on other people's weaknesses or faults?
Have I been cheerful today in my dealings with others?
Do I control my uncharitable thoughts as soon as they arise in my mind?
Did I pray for others today?
Have I written any letters today?
Have I controlled my emotions when someone irritated me?
Have I performed any sacrifice today for someone?
[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church 1778
[2] The Catholic Catechism pg. 291
[3] Modern Catholic Dictionary pg. 126
[4] The Catholic Catechism pg. 291-292
[5] The Catholic Catechism pg. 292
[6] Catechism of the Catholic Church 1790
[7] Catechism of the Catholic Church 1791
[8] Catechism of the Catholic Church 1792
[9] Modern Catholic Dictionary pg. 126
[10] Catechism of the Catholic Church 1784
[11] Psalm 119:105
[12] Catechism of the Catholic Church 1785
[13] Catechism of the Catholic Church 1788-89
[14] Catechism of the Catholic Church 1802
[15] Urbandictionary.com
[16] Baltimore Catechism; Question 704
[17] The Catholic Catechism pg. 293