Part Three: Life in Christ › Section One of Part Three: Man’s Vocation - Life in the Spirit ›› CHAPTER 1: The Dignity of the Human Person ››› Article 6: Moral Conscience

› IN BRIEF

Questions and Answers

1808. How does Gaudium et Spes 16 call the conscience? (CCC 1776) Gaudium et Spes 16 calls the conscience “man’s most secret core and his sanctuary”.
Gaudium et Spes is a Vatican II document, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World.
1809. What is the judgment of conscience? (CCC 1777) The judgment of conscience is the activity by which the moral conscience either:
1. enjoins a person at the appropriate moment to do good and to avoid evil or
2. judges particular choices, approving the good ones and denouncing the evil ones.
1810. Why is conscience a judgment of reason? (CCC 1778) Conscience is a judgment of reason, because through it man recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act present, past or future.
1811. What is required to hear and follow the voice of conscience? (CCC 1779) Interiority (= being present to oneself) is required to hear and follow the voice of conscience.
1812. What three parts does conscience include? (CCC 1780) Conscience includes the following three parts:
1. synderesis: the perception of the principles of morality
2. the practical application of the principles of morality
3. judgment about concrete acts yet to be performed or already performed.
1813. How does conscience enable the sinner to assume responsibility for his sins? (CCC 1781) Conscience enables the sinner to assume responsibility for his sins by allowing the just judgment to remain in the sinner at the same time as the evil of his particular choice.
1814. What two rights does man have regarding his moral conscience? (CCC 1782) Regarding his moral conscience man has the two rights:
1. not to be forced to act contrary to it
2. not to be prevented from acting according to it.
1815. Why is the formation of conscience indispensable? (CCC 1783) The formation of conscience is indispensable, because men are tempted to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings.
1816. How is moral conscience formed? (CCC 1785) Moral conscience is formed by:
1. the Word of God
2. the regular examination of our conscience
3. the gifts of the Holy Spirit
4. the witness or advice of others
5. the authoritative teaching of the Church.
1817. What does it mean to choose in accord with conscience? (CCC 1786) To choose in accord with conscience means to make a right judgment in accordance with human reason and the divine law.
1818. What three rules apply in every judgment of conscience? (CCC 1789) The three rules that apply in every judgment of conscience are:
1. One may never do evil so that good may result from it.
2. Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.
3. Always proceed by way of respect for your neighbour and his conscience.
Respect for your neighbour and his conscience aims at avoiding anything that makes your brother stumble.
1819. What causes the moral conscience to make erroneous judgments? (CCC 1790) Ignorance causes the moral conscience to make erroneous judgments.
1820. How is vincible ignorance of the moral conscience caused? (CCC 1791) Vincible ignorance of the moral conscience is caused when:
1. a man takes little trouble to find out what is true and good
2. conscience is by degrees almost blinded through the habit of sinning.
In the case of “vincible ignorance” the person is culpable for the evil he commits.
1821. What is invincible ignorance of the moral conscience? (CCC 1793) Invincible ignorance of the moral conscience is an ignorance for which a moral subject is in no way responsible so that the evil committed cannot be imputed to him.