My dear parishioners,
Peace! Under headings of Judgment, Formation, Choice in Accord, Erroneous Judgment and In Brief, the Catechism of the Catholic Church addresses “conscience” in twenty-nine passages. Here we consider CCC, 1780.
An upright moral conscience corresponds to and is required of human dignity.
Conscience includes the perception of the principles of morality, also called synderesis. Consideration of the principles of morality did not begin with An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals of David Hume (+1776). Plato (+347BC), Aristotle (+322BC), Seneca (+65), and such Fathers of the Church as Saints Jerome (+420), Augustine (+431) and the medieval scholastics Thomas Aquinas (+1274) and Bonaventure (+1274), among others, have all considered the moral life and various aspects of conscience. In commenting on Ezekiel 1:4-14 Saint Jerome taught both that synderesis is never extinguished in us yet the wicked cease to have any conscience (Langston, Douglas. “Medieval Theories of Conscience” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2015). Saint Augustine, like Plato championed the virtues as they relate to conscience, it’s formation and exercise. Our contemporaries, Joseph Ratzinger contributed to the field with his Principles of Christian Morality (Ignatius, 1986), as have Germain Grisez in his Christian Moral Principles (Franciscan, 1983) and the late Servais Pinckaers in his The Sources of Christian Ethics (CUA, 1995).
Conscience includes the application in the given circumstances of the principles of morality by practical discernment of reasons and goods. The application of the general principles of morality to specific, concrete cases has been called “casuistry.” Some basic principles of morality include that good should be done and evil avoided, the goodness of truth telling, respecting the life and property of others… While there have been casuistic abuses (the Jesuits come to mind) that does not mean all applications of reason to moral issues is problematic.
Conscience includes the specific judgment about concrete acts yet to be performed or already performed as well as those currently being performed.
The prudential judgment of conscience practically and concretely recognizes the truth about the moral good stated in the law of reason. Here we can see just how Thomistic the Catechism is, even if a citation is not given to Summa Theologiae II-II Q. 47, A. 6, we read there that “Natural reason, known by the name of synderesis appoints the end to moral virtues.” By “end” here Saint Thomas means goal, that for which we act. It is important to note the emphasis on the role of “natural reason” in the judgment of conscience. While we know via faith and grace many things, including the Decalogue, the rewards of Heaven and the punishments of Hell, even without Divine Revelation we can know right from wrong, good from evil.
We are prudent when we choose in conformity with an upright moral conscience. It is prudent to act well for both our temporal well being, here and now today on Earth, as well as our eternal well being, in God’s mercy in the hereafter of Heaven.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr