My dear parishioners,
Peace! In other bulletins (4 December, 2016-11 June, 2017) we have considered the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on “conscience.” Now we turn to Saint John Paul II’s encyclical letter Veritatis splendor (6 August, 1993) which addresses fundamental moral issues, including “conscience.” Here we consider Veritatis splendor, 3.
Saint John Paul II (+2005) citing Lumen Gentium, 16, points out that the “issue of morality” and the “path of the moral life” are all bound together with “the way of salvation” and
“the dictate of conscience.” Issues of morality address what is good and what is not good or evil or bad. The moral life corresponds to our living well or not, according to what is truly good or not. The way of salvation is an echo of John 14:6 where the Lord Jesus teaches us: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Moral life, for Christians is tied up with the Lord. If we do not have the Father or the Son, surely the Spirit is also not a part of our path in that the Spirit has us cry out “Abba, Father” and “Jesus is Lord” (cf. Romans 10:9; Galatians 4:6; Philippians 2:11). A dictate of conscience is a command: do this, don’t do this/that. In the fallen world we are told, or commanded to believe that there is no such thing as sin. If there is no such thing as sin then we do not need a Saviour. If we can look in the mirror and say there is no sin, that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not within us (cf. 1 John 1:8).
A well formed conscience is a necessary help to salvation in the Providence of God. If we do not form our conscience well we spurn God. If we do not follow a well formed conscience we spurn God. But to form our conscience well and to follow a well formed conscience is to glorify God who has given us not only free will but the ability to choose according to whatever is good, true and beautiful (cf. Philippians 4:8). While not all people have explicit faith in Jesus Christ, His Gospel, His Church, the God of Heaven nonetheless enlightens everyone that they may have life. To form our conscience well we should look upon the Cross since our sins are the cause of the Passion (cf. Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46; John 19:30). The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992) cites the Roman Catechism (1566) and Saint Francis of Assisi (+1226) to the effect that “all sinners were the authors of Christ’s Passion” (cf. CCC, 589). To form our conscience well we should look at the Commandments of God. To form our conscience well we should study the sure and certain teaching of Mother Church, and the lives and teaching of the saints.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr