The Moral Conscience - A Study Guide - Archdiocese of Saint Paul

THE MORAL

CONSCIENCE

A Study Guide

A study guide to the May 1, 2008 pastoral letter by The Most Reverend Harry J. Flynn, D.D.

Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis 2

CONTENTS

Letter from Archbishop Nienstedt .................................................................................... 3

Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 4

How to use this Study Guide ........................................................................................... 5

Session 1 – The Introduction ........................................................................................... 6

Session 2 – Chapter I. The Question .............................................................................. 8

Session 3 – Chapter II. Truth, Christ, Church ................................................................ 11

Session 4 – Chapter III. Conscience ............................................................................ 14

Session 5 – Chapter IV. Formation of Conscience ........................................................ 16

Session 6 – The Conclusion .......................................................................................... 17

Glossary ........................................................................................................................ 19

Terms ............................................................................................................................ 20

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LETTER FROM ARCHBISHOP NIENSTEDT

June 21, 2011

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I firmly believe that a proper formation of our consciences is one of our greatest

obligations as Catholics living in the world today. Joined to the teachings of the Church,

our conscience is a guide, or a “moral compass”, to help us make prudent decisions in

our lives and avoid that which leads us away from God.

However, our conscience is not infallible, and we must constantly find ways to

form it appropriately. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us “the education

of conscience is a lifelong task.” (CCC 1784) In response to this imperative, my

predecessor, The Most Reverend Harry J. Flynn, wrote the Pastoral Letter “The Moral

Conscience”. Written in 2008, Archbishop Flynn explains that our conscience bears

witness to the natural law, which is engraved in our hearts. (Romans 2:15) In a culture

that increasingly values moral relativism, it is essential that we heed the natural law as

we respond to the promptings of our conscience with a sincere and honest heart.

In an effort to assist the lay faithful in understanding this beautifully crafted

pastoral letter, the attached study guide has been developed for use with small groups,

RCIA candidates or ongoing adult education classes. I encourage you to read “The

Moral Conscience” in conjunction with this study guide. In doing so, I pray that your

faith may be enriched and your mind illumined by the light of God’s truth.

With every good wish, I remain

Cordially yours in Christ,

The Most Reverend John C. Nienstedt

Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

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INTRODUCTION

When a person hears the word the word ―conscience,‖ the first thing to pop into many people‘s

heads is Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio who sings, ―Always let your conscience be your guide!‖

As Pinocchio‘s conscience, Jiminy helps Pinocchio to know what is right and what is wrong.

When asked to describe what the conscience is, some might give an answer that is not very

different than Jiminy: conscience is that little voice inside you that helps you know right from

wrong. When we sin, conscience stirs that feeling inside that we‘ve done something wrong—we

get a guilty conscience.

In our world today, the word conscience gets used a lot in the political and moral spheres. A

voter should follow their conscience in the voting booth. Politicians must act according to their

consciences, justifying their support for a particular piece of legislation. A person decides it‘s

alright to do something others consider sinful because they feel it‘s ok in their heart, deep

down in their conscience.

While all of these popular conceptions or uses of the term ―conscience‖ have elements of truth,

the idea of the moral conscience is both far deeper and far simpler than any of these

conceptions (or misconceptions as the case may be). The moral conscience has a long and rich

tradition in the Catholic faith, and the Church‘s teaching on conscience is essential to living a

moral and holy life. The saints were able to do the virtuous and heroic act—the right moral

act—in the most difficult of circumstances, from the gutters of Calcutta to the gas chambers of

Auschwitz, because they had well formed consciences and followed without hesitation that

judgment of conscience. The saints show us that to follow one‘s properly formed conscience is

to live a life of great love.

To help us understand, form, and follow our consciences, Archbishop Harry Flynn has gifted us

with a pastoral letter on the moral conscience. The goal of this study guide is to help the

average person make sense of the terms and concepts in the Pastoral Letter on the Moral

Conscience. The questions given here are meant to help a person walk their way through the

pastoral letter, understand what is being said, and reflect on its greater import. May this guide

help you to understand and, most importantly, live a life that follows a properly formed

conscience, which is a life that strives after Jesus who is the way, the truth, and the life (Jn

14:6).

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HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDE

The study guide is divided into 6 areas. Each area corresponds to a chapter in the Pastoral

letter.

The study guide can be used by small groups in consecutive weekly sessions or combined to

form a ―Retreat Study Day‖. If you choose the Retreat Study day option, make sure you leave

time throughout the day to reflect on the discussion.

The six areas include:

Introduction

The Question: Where are You

Truth, Christ, Church

Conscience

Forming of Conscience

Conclusion

Depending on your time commitments, the 6 areas can easily be combined into 4 sessions by

assigning the Introduction with chapter one and chapter four with the conclusion.

Before starting the Study Group, it is best to read the entire Pastoral Letter.

Prior to each session you will be asked to read a portion of the Pastoral Letter, answer a few

questions and record your thoughts.

When you convene as a group, read the chapter together, discuss the questions that arose and

turn to the corresponding Reflection in the Study Guide for further discussion.

General suggestions in conducting a small group discussion are:

Start with Prayer.

Remember confidentiality.

Start on time—and end on time.

Discussion involves everyone.

Encourage respectful conversation.

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SESSION 1 – THE INTRODUCTION

Read the ―Introduction‖ from the Pastoral letter. Review the questions below and jot down your

answers and thoughts. Bring them to your small group discussion.

When you convene as a group read the Introduction to the Study Guide together and review the

―How to Use the Study Guide‖ with all participants. Read the Introduction to the Pastoral Letter

together and discuss the responses for the questions. Then read together the Question and

Reflection below. Take a moment between questions to offer opportunity for discussion.

The first line of the letter states: ―There are those who view the moral conscience as

personal, internal, subjective and open to no criticism from without.‖ The introduction

explains that this misses the point.

1. Question: What would a conscience look like that is personal, internal, subjective

and open to no criticism from without?

Reflection: All four of these descriptors get at essentially the same thing. A person who

talks about conscience in this way is seeking to make conscience autonomous, which is

another way of saying that it doesn‘t depend on anything or anyone else, is it is

completely independent of outside influences. What might this look like? Imagine that

a person redecorates your living room: they choose new window dressings and

furniture, they paint the walls a new color, and they add pictures and lamps and big

chandelier to the ceiling. Is there a correct way to decorate a room? No. Given the

same room, two different people would decorate it in two distinct ways and neither

would be wrong. Whether a person likes the decoration or not would be their personal,

internal, and subjective opinion. There is no objective right or wrong as to how to

decorate a room. Any criticism by another, a criticism from without, would be that

person‘s opinion and nothing more. Subjectivity is part of life and we have personal,

subjective opinions all the time: your favorite food, whether you like coffee, how you

drink your coffee, what your favorite song is, whether you like the book Moby Dick, etc.

If these same ideas are applied to conscience, a person making a moral decision would

be making a decision that is personal, internal, subjective and open to no criticism from

without. If this were the case, a person could say, ―I think that what I am doing is ok,

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even though you disagree with me. That‘s your opinion.‖ This ends up making moral

truth personal taste where there is no right or wrong, like whether you like coffee or

not. To use a controversial current example, a similar reasoning is used by many people

who are pro-choice. There are some who argue that a person has a right to decide for

themselves whether they want to have an abortion or not. This is to say that it is their

personal, interior, and subjective moral decision whether they should have an abortion.

Anyone who says otherwise violates their right to choose. Essentially this treats the

issue of abortion like an opinion, instead of an moral action that is either right or wrong.

As we will see in the course of the pastoral letter, and perhaps this is obvious already,

is to make conscience something that is subjective and autonomous is a slippery slope

and can lead to dangerous consequences in society at large.

As we shall see, there is objective moral truth, and our faith helps us to see it: the

conscience ―bears witness to the authority of truth in reference to the supreme God to

which the human person is drawn, and it welcomes the commandments‖ (CCC 1777).

The pastoral letter references the Catechism and the Second Vatican Council on

conscience: ―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.‖

2. Question: Can you think of an example in the world today where people are

prevented from acting according to their conscience in religious matters?

Reflection: A situation where a person would be prevented from acting according to

their conscience in religious matters would be a person trying to live their faith in a

country that does not allow religious freedom. For example, many remember that one

of the great evils of Communism was that it did not allow for religious expression.

Many suffered, and still suffer, as a result in Communist Russia, China, and Vietnam.

For a beautiful witness of suffering because of religious faith see the writings of

Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan.

This quotation from the Catechism can be easily used to justify a personal and

subjective understanding of conscience. To understand it better it is helpful to know

the greater context. The Catechism is quoting from Dignitatis Humanae (D.H.) section

number 3. Dignitatis Humanae is the document from the Second Vatican Council on

religious liberty. The Council Fathers were are not seeking to give an exhaustive

description on conscience; instead they were using the idea of conscience to argue for

religious liberty. This section of DH begins by recognizing objective truth: ―God has

enabled man to participate in this law of his so that, under the gentle disposition of

divine providence, many may be able to arrive at a deeper and deeper knowledge of

unchangeable truth.‖ One way is that we seek that unchangeable truth that is God is in

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religious faith. Another way that people can recognize God in their lives is through their

conscience. It is there they can see that there is moral truth. So, one can find God by

following the truth of conscience, which is the right of every human being. That is why

DH says in section 3: ―[Man] is bound to follow this conscience faithfully in all his activity

so that he may come to God, who is his last end. Therefore he must not be force to act

contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his

conscience, especially in religious matters....Consequently to deny man the free exercise

of religion in society, when the just requirements of public order are observed, is to do

an injustice to the human person and to the very order established by God for men.‖

SESSION 2 – CHAPTER I. THE QUESTION

(Note - you will need your bible for this session.)

Read Chapter I. ―The Question‖ from the Pastoral Letter and Genesis Chapter 3. Review the

questions below and jot down your answers and thoughts. Bring them to your small group

discussion.

When you convene as a group – read Genesis Chapter 3 and Chapter I ―The Question‖ from the

Pastoral Letter together. Then read together the Questions and Reflections below. Take a

moment between questions to offer opportunity for discussion.

Many great insights can be drawn from Genesis Chapter 3. Reflect on the meaning of

Adam and Eve‘s sin.

1. Question: What might this tell us about the nature of right and wrong?

Reflection: In the garden every need of our first parents was provided for. They could

eat freely of the trees in the garden, with the exception of the tree in the middle of the

garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God, the creator of those first

humans and the one who knew them through and through, was uniquely qualified to tell

them what they should and shouldn‘t do--he made everything. Adam and Eve had

tremendous freedom. Notice what the first words out of the snake‘s mouth are: ―Did

God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?‖ (Gen 3:1). The

snake begins with a flat lie, placing the idea in front of the woman that God in fact gave

them no freedom: God said that they could not eat from any of the trees. This tries to

portray God as one who does not really love or give freedom. In choosing to ignore the

command of God, the command about what is right or wrong, Adam and Eve decide that

they themselves know whether the tree is good to eat. In this choice Adam and Eve

ignore the objective truth of God‘s command and make the decision of whether or not

they should eat of this particular tree their own personal subjective decision. They

decide for themselves what would be right and what would be wrong.

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In the story of the fall, it is God who tells the first humans what is right or wrong. They

cannot make this up for themselves, and when they try to it has disastrous

consequences. Immediately, in the first pages of the Bible we can see that we as human

beings are not the ones who decide what is right or wrong. The truth about right and

wrong cannot be decided by us; instead the truth is encountered and received. In faith

we know that it is God who gives and is the standard of right and wrong, even so, the

natural law is accessible to all.

2. Question: What is moral relativism? What is an individualistic morality?

Reflection: As the document points out, ―relativism‖ comes about from the questioning

of the truth of right and wrong and sometimes even questioning whether there even is a

truth of right and wrong. Right and wrong become relative--what is right or wrong for

one person or culture may or may not be the case for another person or culture.

Relativism therefore, in its extreme forms, holds that there is no object universal truth.

An individualistic morality is a consequence of relativism, which exalts personal

autonomy and subjective determination of the good. Personal autonomy, as mentioned

above, means that a person is free from pressure or dictates from an outside authority.

An autonomous person is free to decide for themselves. Subjective determination of the

good means that a person can autonomously decide, decide for themselves, what is

right and what is wrong.

Some examples of what these look like in practice: Previous eras and cultures held that

sex before marriage was morally wrong. A relativist might argue that it was wrong in

those times and places because without modern contraceptives the ―risk‖ of conceiving a

child prohibited such behavior. Now that we have reliable birth control, sex before

marriage has a much lower chance of resulting in pregnancy, so it is now morally

permissible. An individualist morality would then add that a person can decide for

themselves if they are ready for sex, society should not put pressures or conditional

mores on sex before marriage.

As is cited in the endnotes of the pastoral letter, Pope John Paul II addresses such things

in his encyclical Veritatis Splendor n.32: ―To the affirmation that one has a duty to follow

one‘s conscience is unduly added the affirmation that one‘s moral judgment is true

merely by the fact that has its origin in the conscience [subjective determination of the

good]. But in this way the inescapable claims of truth disappear, yielding their place to

a criterion of sincerity, authenticity and ‗being at peace with oneself,‘ so much so that

some have come to adopt a radically subjective conception of moral judgment.... there

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is a tendency to grant to the individual conscience the prerogative of independently

determining the criteria of good and evil and then acting accordingly.‖

3. Question: Why might it be important to recognize a common standard of

objective truth?

Reflection: As the pastoral letter points out, we appeal to a common standard of moral

truth all the time. Children who play a game together instantly recognize unfairness

when one makes a new rule to a game or if another child tries to cheat. They

instinctively recognize that the same rules should apply to everyone. While waiting in

line for tickets, we objectively recognize that cutting in line is wrong and unjust. In a

marriage, each of the spouses wants the other to be faithful. If there were no common

standard or objective truth, then right and wrong become meaningless. Power and

pleasure would be the ultimate drives.

Yes, there is objective moral truth, which St. Paul describes as the Law of God engraved

in the hearts of all (Rm 2:15). This common standard is often called the natural law.

4. Question: Does the Church intend that the State be religious?

Reflection: The Church recognizes the State‘s distinctive responsibility to serve the

common good. This means that representatives of the people are called to discern

policies and laws that serve the common good; ie, the good of all. The Church‘s unique

competency is that she is an expert on the person and therefore it is essential that she

continue to propose this truth to the State. For human laws must respect the natural

law if, in fact, there will be laws that serve the person and help to realize the common

good.

5. Question: Are there actions which are always wrong, so called intrinsically evil

acts?

Reflection: Yes, the Christian moral tradition has always recognized intrinsically evil

acts; i.e., acts which are always and everywhere wrong. One such action is the direct

taking of an innocent human life such as occurs in abortion or intentional homicide. In

teaching the truth of such intrinsically evil acts the Church does not mean to limit

human freedom but to serve it, to witness to the truth that sets us free.

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SESSION 3 – CHAPTER II. TRUTH, CHRIST, CHURCH

Read Chapter II. ― Truth, Christ, Church‖ from the Pastoral Letter. Review the questions below

and jot down your answers. Bring them to your small group discussion.

As you convene as a group – read Chapter II ―Truth, Christ, Church‖ from the Pastoral Letter

together. Then read together the Questions and Reflections below. Take a moment between

questions to offer opportunity for discussion.

In our culture many things speak about love: popular songs, greeting cards, television

shows, self-help books, etc.

1. Question: What does real love look like? Where should we look to discover

the meaning of authentic love?

Reflection: Jesus Christ is the one who shows us what real love is!

If we look just at our culture or media, love is often spoken about in terms of emotion.

Emotion is not bad, and in fact encounters with people we love should call forth warmth

and joy, but real love is much more than butterflies in the stomach, long walks on the

beach, or a romantic dinner. Love is much more than what one says or feels. Love is

what one does; love is an action – that is, it is an act of the will directed by the intellect.

The pastoral letter focuses on the foot washing as one of the key events where Jesus

shows us what love is (Jn 13). Jesus, in great humility and not thinking of himself,

washed the feet of his disciples, which is an action reserved for servants. Notice how

Jesus gets no immediate gain or pleasure from what he does. There would have been

very few ―warm fuzzy‖ feelings as he handled and washed what must have been dirty

and worn feet. It is in this context that Jesus gives them the new commandment: love

one another as I have loved you (Jn 13:35).

The height of Jesus‘ love, and therefore the fullest expression of what real love is, is the

cross. There Jesus does us the greatest service and gives the greatest gift that he can:

the whole of who he is. Jesus lays down his life on the cross out of love. See again that

there is very little of what our culture considers love in Jesus‘ death. Here there is no

romantic sentiment. Jesus is not thinking about what is in it for him. Our Lord freely

laid down his life. In this we can see that real love involves giving of our self to others.

While this can be challenging and even painful at times, like Jesus‘ own sacrifice, when

we give of ourselves in love new life comes forth. This is why the Second Vatican

council, citing Lk 17:33, teaches that ―man can fully discover his true self only in sincere

giving of himself.,‖ which flows from the great commandment to love God and love our

neighbor (Gaudium et Spes 24).

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2. Question: What is authentic freedom?

Reflection: When many people in America think and talk about freedom, they portray

freedom as uninhibited choice. I can choose the kind and color of my car. I can choose

to drink coffee or not. But is this really freedom? The pastoral letter speaks of freedom

in a deeper and fuller sense: ―True freedom is the possibility of always being able to

choose what is truly good‖ (13). Freedom thought of in this way is very different than

the ability to choose. Instead freedom demands virtue from the one wishing to be free.

A few examples will help to illustrate this vision of freedom. Image a young girl is just

beginning to play the piano. Is she free to play the piano? She can hit whatever keys

she likes; she can choose to bang of the keys or lightly press them. Now compare the

beginner to the concert pianist. This person has practiced for many years, has learned

the rules of musical theory, and has practiced scales for days on end. A concert pianist

follows the rules of the musical notes on the page but at the very same time possesses a

freedom that allows for tremendous expression and beauty. Who is freer to play the

piano? The one who acquired the real freedom to play the piano through much

sacrifice.

Or imagine a soldier. There is a big difference between a man just entering boot camp

in the Marines and the veteran soldier. The soldier had to expend much energy and

sweat to get his body into top shape. He has had to submit to great discipline so that

he can follow orders under great pressure. A soldier has had his mind sharpened to

think clearly in circumstances that would paralyze most normal human beings. Who is

going to be free to do the courageous act in battle? The soldier who has trained himself

to face danger.

3. Question: Why is truth important for authentic freedom?

Reflection: If true freedom is the possibility of always being able to choose the good,

then to be free we must be able to know what is good. We can only do the good thing,

if we know what is truly good. Thus, for authentic freedom, knowledge of the truth is

indispensable—it is what makes it possible.

This point may seem painfully obvious to some. However, looking at our culture, and at

our own lives if we are honest with ourselves, it is very easy to stray from the truly good.

As our discussion of love above illustrates, many miss the fullness of what love is. Love,

which is at the core of what it is to be human, can easily be separated from its truth,

descending into lust, unrestrained desire, or jealousy. Only when we measure our love

against the standard of the real love that we have in Jesus, using the truth as our guide,

can we hope to keep our love on the straight path.

This is why we can say that the truth will set us free: free to love (Jn 8:32).

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4. Question: How can Church teaching help us live freedom?

Reflection: In his earthly ministry Jesus established a Church founded on the apostles

that is guided and directed by the Holy Spirit. In history, this Church has the task not

only of handing on the witness of Jesus Christ, but also living that witness in a

constantly changing world under the guidance of the Spirit. While Jesus himself did not

confront the challenges of modern medical technology, the Church, with the help of

God, we as a Church can take the truths of gospel and apply them to these new

circumstances. So the Church in its moral teaching in fact teaches the truth of Christ.

The Catechism speaks of this teaching part of the Church as the called the

―Magisterium‖: ―The mission of the Magisterium is linked to the definitive nature of the

covenant established by God with his people in Christ. It is this Magisterium's task to

preserve God's people from deviations and defections and to guarantee them the

objective possibility of professing the true faith without error. Thus, the pastoral duty of

the Magisterium is aimed at seeing to it that the People of God abides in the truth that

liberates.‖ (CCC 890).

The teachings of the Church, then, are not authoritarian; rather, the teachings of the

Church strive to make clear the truth that allows us to choose the good in freedom. As

a result of our sinfulness and the negative aspects of our culture, the truth of what is in

fact good is often obscured. Therefore we should be thankful to our God for giving us

so great a teacher as Christ and his Church. While sometimes the truth is challenging to

follow, and the moral teaching of the Church is often perceived as saying ―no‖ to many

things, to follow the truth is to say a resounding ―yes‖ to freedom and love.

Thus an essential passage from the pastoral letter: ―There is no contradiction between a

Church that offers the love of Christ and a Church that teaches the truth which Christ

embodies. Christians who endeavor to follow Christ and to live in his love should be

fully disposed to learn from the witness that this Church provides. Its statements are

not contrary to freedom of conscience, they are, rather, a statement of the truths which

enable our consciences to act with true freedom.‖ (13-14).

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5. Question: Is there a contradiction between freedom and truth?

Although our modern world tends to find cause for hesitancy before the prospect of

absolute truth; that is, truth that is universal, our freedom actually depends upon such a

truth. If there were no truth there could be no ground for personal dignity other than

the majority or no way to work for the common good apart from utility. And yet, if we

are reflective, our own personal experience informs us that there is such a truth. For

example, that truth should be told, that respect should be shown, that good should be

pursued and evil avoided. That truth that sets our freedom free is the natural law – the

way that the human person can deliberate about the good.

6. Question: Is there a contradiction between faith and reason?

Because there is a unity to the truth, there is not a contradiction between faith and

reason. Human understanding is a great gift and by thinking and reasoning the person

can come to truth. But love, if it is our fulfillment, cannot be explained merely by

reason. Love must be revealed. God revealed this truth to Israel and fulfilled it in Christ.

For Christians, the truth is ultimately a person who reveals the truth about God and the

truth about man in his own person: Jesus Christ.

Thus, reason‘s search finds its fulfillment not its negation in faith.

SESSION 4 – CHAPTER III. CONSCIENCE

Read Chapter III. ―Conscience‖ from the Pastoral Letter. Review the question below and jot

down your answers and thoughts. Bring them to your small group discussion.

As you convene as a group – read Chapter III ―Conscience‖ from the Pastoral Letter. Then read

together the Questions and Reflections below. Take a moment after the reflection to offer the

opportunity for discussion.

1. Question: What is Conscience?

Reflection: Conscience is an act of judgment where a person applies a moral norm or law to

a particular circumstance in life. A simple example can help us understand this basic

definition. Imagine that a young boy is in the supermarket with his parents and he asks

them to buy him a candy bar. His parents tell him ―no‖ because they are going to eat dinner

soon. The young boy really wants a candy bar, though, and notices that he could slip one

into his pocket while nobody is looking. Before he takes the candy bar or not, the boy‘s

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conscience comes into play. He knows it is wrong to steal. His conscience is the act of

judgment that he makes when he applies the moral norm, stealing is wrong, to the concrete

circumstance, taking this candy bar here and now. The boy‘s conscience tells him that it

would be wrong to take the candy bar. Now the boy can choose to follow his conscience or

not.

Notice some important truths about conscience given this simple definition. Conscience

does not determine what is right or wrong. Conscience is the judgment that applies a moral

principle to a particular action; it does not determine the moral principle itself. Moral

principles presuppose that there is a thing called truth. The conscience needs these truths

in order to make a judgment. Finally, since conscience is a human judgment, this judgment

can be wrong. There is such a thing as an erroneous conscience.

When we follow our well formed conscience and choose the good, we live a good moral life.

But our conscience also helps us to recognize our sins and need for God. Our conscience

gives witness to the good even when acting poorly--the lingering ―guilty conscience.‖ This

is a good thing, and a sign of hope: ―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‖ (CCC 1781).

With these things in mind, we can understand that when the Church insists that a person

needs to follow their conscience (CCC 1790), a person cannot justify poor choices or actions

merely by appealing to their consciences: ―Clearly a person must follow conscience in order

to be morally responsible. Yet no human being can realistically claim that his conscience is

simply infallible, since decisions of conscience depend on conformity to the objective moral

law and do not create the moral law.... If conscience, therefore, is to serve its purpose, it

must not only be sincere, it must also be correct. How sad, indeed, to be utterly sincere in

what we do and to be, at the same time, utterly and sincerely wrong. Conscience needs

formation‖ (17).

2. Question: Why is our conscience so necessary?

Our conscience is the way in which the human person comes to the truth about fulfillment

precisely because it acknowledges, when formed, the sapiential nature of God who is love.

Because God is love, God has directed all things to their end, to their fulfillment. The human

person always acts for his or her own fulfillment but often we are our own worst enemy – we

are the agents of our unhappiness! Conscience is the gift whereby we can come to know

and act according to our true end and thereby be fulfilled by a ―good‖ which is without end

namely, sharing in the exchange of divine love.

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3. Question: What is an erroneous conscience?

An erroneous conscience is a conscience that renders a wrong judgment about the good in

a concrete circumstance. For example, a married man who thought he deserved an intimate

relationship with someone who was not his spouse would have an erroneous conscience.

The opposite of an erroneous conscience is a correct conscience.

SESSION 5 – CHAPTER IV. FORMATION OF CONSCIENCE

Read Chapter IV. ―Forming Conscience‖ from the Pastoral Letter. Review the question below

and jot down your answers and thoughts. Bring them to your small group discussion.

As you convene as a group – read Chapter IV. ―Formation of Conscience‖ from the Pastoral

Letter. Then read together the Questions and Reflections below. Take a moment after the

reflection to offer the opportunity for discussion.

1. Question: Why is it important to properly form one‘s conscience?

Reflection: As described above, the judgment of conscience is dependent on the moral

principles it uses to make the judgment. The only way the judgment can be correct is if it

uses objectively true principles. Moreover, because of our sin and the many negative

influences present in our culture, one can easily stray from the true and the good (CCC

1783).

It is also important to form one‘s conscience because it is possible to make an erroneous

judgment because of ignorance: ―Even when the person making the judgment is certain that

he is right, he may easily fail to grasp the question correctly or to have the full knowledge

he needs or to be aware of all the facts. In such cases, the person making the judgment

would be acting in good faith and would not be guilty of sin but he would still be wrong and

the veil of the act would still take place‖ (19). For example, a person may grow up in a

family where fasting before Communion is not very important. Later on in life they don‘t

realize that they shouldn‘t eat breakfast right before Mass. If this is true, no fault can be

given to the person. This is sometimes called ―invincible ignorance‖ (CCC 1793). It can also

be the case that someone is willfully ignorant. This can happen through laziness or

sustained sinful habits. Such a person would be responsible for their actions. This is

sometimes called ―vincible ignorance.‖

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2. Question: What is the difference between a formed and unformed conscience?

A formed conscience is one which is informed by the truth of the natural law and the new

law of love fulfilled in Christ. As such, a formed conscience is not simply a referent for what

one wants to do or feels like doing but one which invites the individual to love. Because one

has the duty to form one‘s conscience in the truth – and this is only a logical necessity if

one desires to love, to do good and not evil – one has a responsibility to learn the truth and

to bind one‘s freedom to the truth.

3. Question: What is the difference between a vincible and invincible conscience?

Because one has an obligation to form one‘s conscience in the truth there is a presumption

that one is responsible for judging correctly the difference between right and wrong. A

vincible conscience is a conscience that should have known something one did not know

and therefore bears responsibility for that ignorance which led them to act wrongly. The

category invincible conscience is one which acknowledges that at times through no fault of

our own – i.e., we are trying to know the truth – we make decisions which are wrong.

SESSION 6 – THE CONCLUSION

Read the ―Conclusion‖ from the Pastoral Letter. Review the question below and jot down your

answers and thoughts. Bring them to your small group discussion.

As you convene as a group – read the ―Conclusion‖ from the Pastoral Letter together. Then read

together the Question and Reflection below. Take a moment after the reflection to offer the

opportunity for discussion.

1. Question: How can a person better form their conscience?

Reflection: As the pastoral letter mentions, there are several rules that apply in every moral

situation: one may never do evil so that good may result from it, the golden rule, and one

should respect one‘s neighbor and his conscience (CCC 1789).

The Catechism also gives wonderful recommendations about how we can continue to form

our consciences: ―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‖

(CCC 1785).

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Notice how the Bible and prayer are essential to formation of conscience. If weone is truly

striveing to encounter Christ in the Scriptures and the pPrayer with an open heart, and

struggle to understand the teachings of the Church, and Jesus is who he says he is, we will

over time have our consciences formed and molded. While prayer should not be

approached as an oracle or ―magic 8-ball,‖ if we bring our difficult moral choices to our

prayer we can in fact have confidence that God will be with us.

The advice of others will only be as good as the formation of their consciences. When

seeking moral advice, go only to those you trust and know are striving to live all of the

Church‘s teachings. Your parish priest can be a good resource.

There are also many resources available online. While there are many bad resources out

there, you can trust the websites of our own archdiocese and the United States Conference

of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The USCCB has put out many resources regarding social issues

as well as a faithful citizenship guide to help form one‘s conscience before voting.

RESOURCES

Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis: www.archspm.org

Dignitatis Humanae: Latin for ―Of the Dignity of the Human Person‖ - is the Second

Vatican Council's Declaration on Religious Freedom. With the stated intention ―to develop

the doctrine of recent popes on the inviolable rights of the human person and the

constitutional order of society‖, Dignitatis Humanae spells out the Church's support for the

protection of religious liberty. www.vatican.va/.../vat-ii_decl_19651207_dignitatis-

humanae_en.html

Faithful Citizenship: www.faithfulcitizenship.org

Gaudium et Spes: Latin for ―Joy and Hope‖ the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the

Modern World, was one of the four Apostolic Constitutions resulting from the Second

Vatican Council. The document is an overview of the Catholic Church's teachings about

man's relationship to society, especially in reference to economics, poverty, social justice,

culture, science & technology, and ecumenism. www.vatican.va/.../vat-

ii_cons_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: www.USCCB.org

Vatican: www.vatican.va

Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis 19

Veritatis Splendor: Latin for ―The Splendor of Truth‖ an encyclical by Pope John Paul II. It

expresses the position of the Catholic Church regarding fundamentals of the Church's role

in moral teaching. The encyclical is one of the most comprehensive and philosophical

teachings of moral theology in the Catholic tradition. It was promulgated on August 6,

1993. www.vatican.va/edocs/ENG0222/_INDEX.HTM

GLOSSARY

Authoritative - backed by an established and accepted authority

Autonomy - personal independence and the capacity to make moral decisions and act on them

Complacency - self-satisfied and unaware of possible dangers

Conscience - an act of judgment where a person applies a moral norm or law to a particular

circumstance in life - the sense of what is right and wrong that governs somebody's thoughts and actions,

urging him or her to do right rather than wrong

Culpable - deserving blame or punishment for a wrong

Determination - an act of finding out or ascertaining something, especially as a result of investigation

or research

Disparage - to refer disapprovingly or contemptuously to somebody or something

Erroneous - incorrect, based on an incorrect assumption or containing something that is incorrect

Fidelity - loyalty to an allegiance, promise, or vow

Formation - the process by which something develops or takes a particular shape

Ignorance - unawareness of something, often of something important

Illuminated - to provide somebody with knowledge or with intellectual or spiritual enlightenment

Immoral - contrary to accepted moral principles

Individualism - the belief that society exists for the benefit of individual people, who must not be

constrained by government interventions or made subordinate to collective interests

Ineffectual - not competent, decisive, or authoritative enough to achieve desired aims

Legitimate - well reasoned and sincere

Magisterium - in the Roman Catholic tradition, the authority of the church to teach religious doctrine

Materialism - devotion to material wealth and possessions at the expense of spiritual or intellectual

values

Moral -relating to issues of right and wrong and to how individual people should behave

Negation - the denying, disproving, or nullifying of something

Presupposes - to believe that a particular thing is true before there is any proof of it

Recrimination - an accusation made against somebody who has brought a previous accusation

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Relativism - the belief that concepts such as right and wrong, goodness and badness, or truth and

falsehood are not absolute but change from culture to culture and situation to situation

Sapiential - characterized by wisdom, especially the wisdom of God

Subjective - based on somebody's opinions or feelings rather than on facts or evidence

Subjectivism - emphasis on personal feelings or responses as opposed to external facts or evidence

Sovereign - having supreme authority or power

Totalitarianism - relating to or operating a centralized government system in which a single party

without opposition rules over political, economic, social, and cultural life

TERMS

Age of Enlightenment – the era in Western philosophy, intellectual, scientific and cultural

life, centered upon the 18th century, in which reason was advocated as the primary source for

legitimacy and authority. It is also known as the Age of Reason. The enlightenment was a

movement of science and reason.

Natural Moral Law - the belief that there are certain moral laws or norms that are true and can

be discerned by all men and women as men and women

Pastoral Letter – is an open letter addressed by a bishop to the clergy or laity of his diocese, or

to both, containing either general admonition, instruction or consolation, or directions for

behaviour in particular circumstances.

Scientific Revolution - the period of advances in science that was at its height in the 17th

century and produced widespread change in traditional beliefs held since the Middle Ages