By JOE SIXPACK
Catholics have always been taught that we must follow our conscience, but an unfortunate reality of modern culture is that many Catholics today have a poorly formed conscience. How well is your conscience formed? Well, let’s find out.
“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” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1778). In other words, when we consider what we learned about natural law last week, your conscience is that still small voice inside you that warns you when something is wrong or tells you when something is right. After diligent reflection, when we’re certain something is the right thing to do, we must follow our conscience.
Many people in the world today like to claim that conscience is a formation of thought from a person’s culture or religious belief system. This couldn’t be further from the truth, as conscience is not of human origin. Each human person has in his heart a law inscribed by God (natural law). The conscience is the most secret inner core of man, and it’s a part of the soul’s faculty of intellect.
We aren’t aware of our conscience from the brain, a mere human organ, but from the movement of the soul. No neurologist nor scientist can tell us what part of the brain governs the conscience, because the brain is incapable, as an organ, to judge the difference between good and evil.
We are absolutely responsible for all our actions before Almighty God, because God gave us the gift of an intellect and free will. We must use them for the purpose for which we were created; that is, to know, love, and serve God in this life so we can be forever happy with Him in the next. To use the intellect and free will for anything contrary to God’s law is an abuse of those gifts. In other words, abuse of the intellect and free will to commit sin is itself sinful.
The type of conscience we possess falls into one of four categories: right conscience, doubtful conscience, scrupulous conscience, and lax conscience. A right conscience, which is what we all should want, is one in conformity with natural law, divine law, and the Church’s moral teachings. We form a right conscience by studying God’s moral code, as authoritatively taught by the Church. By learning and understanding Christian morality, and with the aid we ask from the Holy Spirit, we can form a conscience that will lead us to sanctity and salvation.
A doubtful conscience is one that can’t decide for or against the morality of an act. One must either refrain from acting or resolve the doubt. We may never act upon a doubtful conscience, as it’s a sin to do so. Don’t yield to the temptation to be your own god by acting on a doubtful conscience.
A scrupulous conscience is one that is constantly in doubt. It’s in dread of sin when none exists, or in dread of mortal sin when the sin is only venial. The ordinary cure for a scrupulous conscience is obedience to a good and wise confessor. Absent of such obedience, a person with a scrupulous conscience may eventually have to seek medical help from a competent mental health professional.
A lax conscience is one that judges more by convenience than God’s law. “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” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1791).
We can’t allow civil and penal law to be the guide for our conscience. Until the middle of the twentieth century, the laws of our occidental society could almost always be counted on to follow the moral norms of natural law. This isn’t any longer the case, as legalized abortion, bans on public display of faith, and same-sex “marriage” demonstrate. We’re obliged only to obey laws that comport to God’s law and forbidden to obey laws contrary to His law, even under the threat of imprisonment or death (Acts 5:29).
Another sign of modern decadent moral decay is the idea that a good end justifies the use of evil means. A common example, which would be evident to anyone who watches police shows on television, is how police regularly tell lies to a suspect to get him to confess to a crime. No, it’s not just Hollywood. This practice was affirmed by the Supreme Court some years ago. Lying is evil, and there is no such thing as a “white lie.”
Another example that is often in the news these days is the use of torture. Both these practices rely on the premise that evil must be used to combat evil. We may never commit evil that good may come from it. Indeed, we must be willing to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to keep God’s law, even humiliation, ridicule, and death. We should adopt the motto of St. Dominic Savio: “Death before sin.”
Is it possible for a person to commit a morally wrong act without committing sin? Can a person do something that is objectively evil yet be subjectively guiltless? Yes, it is, through what is called invincible ignorance. Invincible ignorance is a lack of knowledge for which a person is not morally responsible; that is, something one can’t possibly know through no fault of his own. However, invincible ignorance “remains no less an evil, a privation, a disorder. One must therefore work to correct the errors of moral conscience” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1793).
Consider this week’s article to be the end of your primer in Christian morality and conscience. Next week we’ll begin looking at the First Commandment: “I, the Lord, am your God. You shall have no gods besides me.” There probably won’t be too many surprises for you in that or the next two Commandments, so they’ll go quickly. The next seven…? Well, you’re probably going to be very surprised with some of what you learn there. I know I was.
If you have a question or comment you can reach out to me through the “Ask Joe” page of JoeSixpackAnswers.com, or you can email me at Joe@CantankerousCatholic.com.
Hey, how would you like to see things like this article every week in your parish bulletin as an insert? You or your pastor can learn more about how to do that by emailing me at Joe@CantankerousCatholic.com.
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