Conscience - Catechism
from the
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Article 6 - Moral Conscience
1776 "Deep within his Conscience, Man discovers a Law which he has
not laid upon himself, but which he must Obey. Its Voice, ever calling him to Love and to do what is Good and to avoid Evil, sounds in
his Heart at the Right Moment. . . . For Man has in his Heart a Law inscribed by God. . . . His Conscience is Man's
most Secret Core and his Sanctuary. There he is alone with God, Whose Voice echoes in his depths". (Gaudium et Spes 16).
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"For Man has in his Heart a Law inscribed by God"
Infused/Innate Knowledge -
"Synderesis"/"First Principles"
God writes His Name on the Soul of every Man at Conception. Reason and Conscience are the God within us
in the Natural Order. The Fathers of the Early Church were wont to speak of the Wisdom of Plato and Aristotle as the 'unconscious'
Christ within us. Men are like so many Books issuing from the Divine Press, and if nothing else be written on them, at least the
Name of the Author is indissolubly engraved on the Title Page. God is like the 'Watermark on Paper', which may be written over
without ever being obscured.
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The Judgment of Conscience
1777 Moral Conscience, present at the
Heart of the Person, enjoins him at the Appropriate Moment to
do Good and to avoid Evil. It also Judges Particular Choices,
Approving those that are Good and Denouncing those that are Evil.
It Bears Witness to the Authority of Truth in reference to the Supreme
Good to which the Human Person is drawn, and it welcomes the Commandments. When he
listens to his Conscience, the Prudent Man can hear
God Speaking.
1778 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. In all he says and does, Man is obliged to follow Faithfully
what he knows to be Just and Right. It is by the Judgment of his
Conscience that Man perceives and recognizes the Prescriptions of the
Divine Law:
- Conscience is a Law of the Mind; yet [Christians] would not grant that it is nothing more;
I mean that it was not a Dictate, nor conveyed the notion of Responsibility, of Duty, of a Threat and a Promise. . . .
[Conscience] is a Messenger of Him, Who, both in Nature and in Grace, speaks to us behind a Veil, and Teaches and Rules us by
His Representatives. Conscience is the Aboriginal Vicar of Christ. (John Henry Cardinal Newman)
According to Kant, Reason is the Power of Synthesizing into
Unity (1), by means
of Comprehensive Principles, the Concepts that are provided by the Intellect.
1779 It is important for every person to be Sufficiently Present to himself, in order to Hear and
Follow the Voice of his Conscience. This requirement of Interiority
is all the more necessary as Life often Distracts us from any
Reflection, Self-Examination or Introspection:
- Return to your Conscience, question it. . . . Turn inward, Brethren, and in
everything you do, see God as your Witness. (Saint Augustine)
1780 The Dignity of the Human Person implies and requires Uprightness of
Moral Conscience. Conscience includes the Perception of the
Principles of Morality (Synderesis); their application in the given circumstances by
Practical Discernment of Reasons and Goods; and finally Judgment
about Concrete Acts yet to be performed or already performed. The Truth about the
Moral Good, stated in the Law of Reason, is recognized
Practically and Concretely by the Prudent Judgment of Conscience.
We call that Man Prudent who chooses in Conformity with this Judgment.
1781 Conscience enables one to assume
Responsibility for the Acts performed. If Man commits Evil,
the Just Judgment of Conscience can remain within him as the
Witness to the Universal Truth of the Good, at the same time
as the Evil of his Particular Choice. The Verdict of the Judgment of
Conscience remains a Pledge of Hope and Mercy. In
attesting to the Fault committed, it calls to Mind the
Forgiveness that must be asked, the Good that must still be
practiced, and the Virtue that must be constantly Cultivated with the
Grace of God:
- We shall . . . reassure our Hearts before Him whenever our Hearts condemn us;
for God is greater than our Hearts, and He knows everything. (1John 3:19-20)
1782 Man has the Right to Act in Conscience and in
Freedom so as personally to make Moral Decisions.
"He must not be forced to Act contrary to his Conscience. Nor must he be prevented from Acting according
to his Conscience, especially in religious matters".
The Formation of Conscience
1783 Conscience must be Informed and Moral Judgment
Enlightened. A Well-Formed
Conscience is Upright and Truthful. It formulates
its Judgments according to Reason, in Conformity with the True Good
Willed by the Wisdom of the Creator. The Education
of Conscience is indispensable for Human Beings who are Subjected to
Negative Influences and Tempted by Sin to prefer
their own Judgment and to Reject Authoritative Teachings.
1784 The Education of the Conscience is a
Lifelong Task. From the earliest years, it awakens the child to the Knowledge and Practice of the
Interior Law recognized by Conscience. Prudent Education teaches
Virtue; it prevents or cures Fear,
Selfishness and Pride, Resentment arising from
Guilt, and feelings of complacency, born of Human Weakness and
Faults. The Education of the Conscience guarantees
Freedom and engenders Peace of Heart.
1785 In the Formation of
Conscience the Word of God is the Light for our Path,
we must assimilate it in Faith and Prayer and put it into
Practice. We must also Examine our Conscience before the Lord's
Cross. We are assisted by the Gifts of the
Holy Spirit, aided by the Witness or Advice of others and guided by the
Authoritative Teaching of the Church.
To Choose in Accord with Conscience
1786 Faced with a Moral Choice, Conscience can make either a
Right Judgment in accordance with Reason and the
Divine Law or, on the contrary, an Erroneous Judgment that
departs from Them.
1787 Man is sometimes confronted by situations that make Moral Judgments less-assured and Decision
difficult. But he must always seriously seek what is Right and
Good and Discern the Will of God expressed in
Divine Law.
1788 To this purpose, Man strives to interpret the Data-of-Experience and the Signs-of-the-Times
assisted by the Virtue of Prudence, by the Advice of Competent People, and by the Help of the
Holy Spirit and His Gifts.
1789 Some Rules apply in every case:
One may never do Evil so that Good may result from it;
The Golden 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".
Erroneous Judgment
1790 A Human Being must always Obey the Certain Judgment of his
Conscience. If he were Deliberately to Act against it, he would Condemn himself. Yet it
can happen that Moral Conscience remains in Ignorance and makes
Erroneous Judgments about Acts to be performed or already committed.
1791 This Ignorance can often be Imputed to Personal Responsibility. This is the case when a Man
"takes little trouble to find out what is True and Good, or when Conscience is by degrees almost blinded
through the Habit of committing Sin". In such cases, the Person is Culpable for the
Evil he commits.
1792 Ignorance of Christ and his
Gospel, Bad Example given by others, Enslavement to
one's Passions, Assertion of a Mistaken Notion of Autonomy of
Conscience, Rejection of the Church's Authority and
Her Teaching, Lack of Conversion and of
Charity: these can be at the Source of Errors of Judgment in Moral Conduct.
1793 If - on the contrary - the Ignorance is Invincible, or the Moral Subject is not
Responsible for his Erroneous Judgment, the Evil committed by
the Person cannot be Imputed to him. It remains no less an Evil, a Privation, a Disorder. One must
therefore work to correct the Errors of Moral Conscience.
1794 A Good and Pure
Conscience is Enlightened by True Faith, for
Charity proceeds at the same time "from a Pure Heart and a Good
Conscience and Sincere Faith".
- The more a Correct Conscience prevails, the more do Persons and Groups turn aside from
Blind Choice and try to be guided by Objective Standards of Moral Conduct. (Gaudium et Spes 16).
In Brief
1795 "Conscience is Man's most Secret Core, and his Sanctuary.
There he is alone with God Whose Voice echoes in his depths" (Gaudium et Spes 16).
1796 Conscience is a Judgment of
Reason by which the Human Person recognizes the Moral Quality of a Concrete Act.
1797 For the Man who has committed Evil, the Verdict of his
Conscience remains a Pledge of Conversion and of
Hope.
1798 A Well-Formed Conscience is
Upright and Truthful. It formulates its Judgments according to
Reason, in Conformity with the True Good Willed by the
Wisdom of the Creator. Everyone must avail himself of the means to
Form his Conscience.
1799 Faced with a Moral Choice, Conscience can make either a
Right Judgment in accordance with Reason and the
Divine Law or, on the contrary, an Erroneous Judgment that
departs from them.
1800 A Human Being must always Obey the Certain Judgment of his
Conscience.
1801 Conscience can remain in Ignorance or make
Erroneous Judgments. Such Ignorance and Errors are not
always Free of Guilt.
1802 The Word of God is a
Light for our Path. We must Assimilate it in Faith and
Prayer and put it into Practice. This is how Moral Conscience is
Formed.
Short Audio Clip on
Formation of Conscience
by Monsignor William B. Smith, STD
Professor of Moral Theology
An excellent 8 Minute Treatise on our Personal Responsibility
to form our Catholic Conscience during our Whole Lifetime.
We will be Judged by God during our own Particular Judgment
on our Success or Lack of it in this Matter.
| Responsibility for Formation of Conscience belongs to:
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| Our Priest?
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No
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| The Pope?
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No
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| Our Parents/Family?
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No
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| The Church?
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No
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| Our Schools/Society?
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No
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| Ourselves?
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Yes!
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Conscience ≠ a Virtue of the Soul