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.” We then turned to Saint John Paul II’s encyclical letter Veritatis splendor (6 August, 1993) which addresses fundamental moral issues, including “conscience” more than one hundred times. These reflections were begun earlier (6 April, 2018-30 May, 2018). Here we now consider a passage from Veritatis splendor, 61.
Saint John Paul II (+2005) when considering the “judgment of conscience” reminds us that “the verdict of conscience remains in” us as “a pledge of hope and mercy” at once “bearing witness to the evil” done and as a reminder of the need of God’s help and grace “to ask forgiveness, to do good and to cultivate virtue constantly.” It is important to note at least six aspects of a well-formed conscience highlighted here:
Conscience is a pledge of hope and mercy. When we follow a well-formed conscience we will be well confessed where we receive both hope and mercy from Almighty God. When we have a clear conscience we need not despair at all, our hope is well placed in God and His mercy is upon us.
Conscience bears witness to evil done. Because our well-formed conscience holds us accountable for the evil we have done then we are able to seek and receive in the here and now God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness. A well-formed conscience does not gloss over or white-wash our sinfulness or the evil we have done.
Conscience serves as a reminder of the need of God’s help and grace. The well-formed conscience not only bears witness to our sins but also the need we have of the Divine Assistance which we call grace, which helps us to overcome our sins, strengthening our resolve to sin no more.
Conscience has us ask for forgiveness. The well-formed conscience not only bears witness to the evil we do, but even moves us to repentance, to sorrow for our sins and to seek and receive the mercy of God. King David reminds us in Psalm 130:4 of the forgiveness of God which he needed, which we need too.
Conscience leads us to do good. The Holy Father again insists that there is a difference between good and evil, right and wrong. Our well-formed consciences recognize that difference and goads us to do the good and spurn the evil (cf. Isaiah 1:16).
Conscience cultivates virtue constantly. As human beings we have been made in the Divine Image and Likeness (cf. Genesis 1:26-27). By grace we are able to share in the divine nature (cf. 2 Peter 1:4-5). The more we develop the virtues in our lives the more we correspond to the human nature which God has created and redeemed by the blood of the God-Man Christ Jesus (cf. John 12:45; 14:7,9; 1 Timothy 2:5). The Greek word arête is translated as “virtue, moral excellence.” Virtue is not haphazard.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr