Conscience - some help for the confused

"He who does the will of my Father in heaven shall enter the kingdom of heaven." St. Matthew, 7:21.

Quite a few years ago there lived in a country section of southern Cal­ifornia a poor but worthy Spanish-American family. The good mother took seriously sick and after a major operation, she passed away, leaving a fam­ily of eight children. The oldest was a girl of seventeen, a thin wraith of a creature. Upon her frail shoulders fell the burden of caring for the motherless family. She took up the task with courage, keeping the children clean, well fed, and regularly attending school.

A social worker complimented her on this good work. But the girl replied: "I can't take any credit for something I have to do."

"But, my dear," objected the visitor, "you don't have to. You could get out of it."

She who was playing the role of substitute mother paused for a moment and then exclaimed: "Yes, that's true. But what about the 'have to' that's inside of me?"

The 'have to' inside of us is what we call conscience. We don't have to prove that we have a conscience, because everyone knows it is there. Since it is so tremendously important in moral life, we must understand its nature and workings.

I. In reality, conscience is not a voice whispering to us:

A. It is our mind judging whether an action is right or wrong. It is an act of the mind which applies the moral law to ourselves in a particular case. The speedometer tells me that I am going beyond the speed limit. Conscience tells me that I am thereby endangering my life and the life of others, which is wrong.

B. Conscience not only knows the law; it applies the law.

C. Law is outside of us; conscience is inside us.

D. Conscience works frequently every day, whether we realize it or not. It works in unimportant as well as important affairs:

1. It does not make one big, complete decision for life or even for a year or one day. It keeps on making decisions or judgments as each action comes up.

2. Before the action conscience tells us to do the good, and avoid the evil.

3. After the act conscience praises the good, and condemns the bad.

II. Sometimes this power of judging works correctly; at other times, incorrectly.

A. Normally your conscience may be:

1. Right, when it judges as good that which is really good, and bad that which is really bad. A false conscience does the opposite.

2. Certain, when the individual has no reasonable fear that his judgment is wrong. In this connection the moral teachings of the Catholic Church are very definite and certain. Outside the Church there is doubt about almost everything.

3. Doubtful, if it hesitates in deciding whether an action is good or bad. The doubter is bound to find out for certain.

4. Perplexed, when there are two certain laws and the mind does not know which to obey. Someone is sick at home on Sunday morning. Shall I go to Mass or take care of the sick? An informed Catholic will know that he should take care of the sick. A perplexed person does not know what to do. Another reason here for learning your religion.

B. An abnormal conscience may be:

1. Lax, when it allows what is really forbidden, when it considers mortal sins as venial sins, when it considers as no sin that which is really wrong.

2. Dead, when a long-continued habit of sin, or the intentional stifling of the promptings of conscience, have made this judg­ment weak and helpless. Deliver us, 0 Lord, from a deadened conscience. And deliver Thy Church from so-called Catholics with the conscience of a corpse!

3. Scrupulous, when it makes big sins out of little sins, makes sins out of things which are not sins, or insists on confessing sins which have been confessed before. Only absolute obedience to one's confessor can cure this spiritual sickness.

III. Since this judgment of the mind regarding right and wrong is so important, it is necessary to know and follow some rules of conscience:

A. In general:

1. Always act according to your conscience. To do what you think is wrong, even though it is right, would be to commit sin.

2. Follow your conscience only when you are sure the action is good.

B. In particular:

1. Always obey a right conscience.

2. If a false conscience is certain and we do not suspect it is false, follow it; if it is false through your own fault, then correct it first.

3. Clear up doubts by asking someone who knows. If you cannot clear up the doubt, take the safer course.

4. A lax or deadened conscience must be corrected by thought, prayer, and the sacraments.

5. A scrupulous conscience is cured by absolute obedience to one's confessor.

Conscience is really the mind telling us "you must" or "you must not." By attentive listening to sermons, by reading faithful Catholic papers, magazines and books, by prayer and frequent confession and Communion, by attending missions and retreats, you can make and keep your conscience clear and correct. Then follow its promptings at all costs.

We all want to enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus tells us that we will if we do the will of His Father in heaven. Your conscience is the best help in doing God's will.

Like the girl who took the burden of the family upon her own frail shoulders, realize the presence and heed the promptings of the voice within you which says: "You have to."
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Adapted from:
Prayers, Precepts and Virtues by Fr. Arthur Tonne (1949)