Various notions of Conscience

• Feeling of
guilt, worry, dissatisfaction, restlessness or
a feeling of “hiya” when they do something
wrong.
• Sincerity: to be “true to one’s self”: “I can
do anything as long as it does not hurt
anybody”
• What “authorities” tell them to do: the laws
of the government, the Church, the
parents, the “barkada.”
 CONSCIENCE
THE SUBJECTIVE NORM OF
MORALITY
As a subjective norm of morality,
Conscience has the final say in making
moral decisions. It helps a person
make the final judgement on how to
act in a given situation.

Along with LAW, which is the objective

norm of morality, conscience helps a
person determine whether one is doing
the right or the wrong.
 CONSCIENCE
• It is the inner voice summoning us
to love the good and avoid evil, by
applying objective moral norms to our
particular acts, and thus commanding:
“do this, do not do that”. (CFC 723)
• Basic tendency toward the good (CFC 701)
• Conscience is man’s most secret
core, and his sanctuary. There he is
alone w/ God whose voice echoes in his
depths (GS 16)
 Conscience is a JUDGEMENT OF REASON
by which the human person recognizes
the moral quality of a concrete act (CCC 1796)

THROUGH THE PROCESS OF REASONING,

BASED ON MORAL PRINCIPLES,
CONSCIENCE JUDGES AN ACT AS GOOD OR BAD.
 Two basic elements of
Conscience
1. Moral judgment that discerns
what is right and wrong.
2. Moral obligation or command to
do good and avoid evil
 MOMENTS
• ANTECEDENT - Conscience which discerns.
(Before the act)

• CONCOMITANT- Conscience in action.

“Am I doing the right thing?” (During the act)

• CONSEQUENT - Conscience which reviews,

evaluates an action which has already been
done. (After the act)
 LEVELS OF CONSCIENCE
1. INSTINCTIVE LEVEL – Dominated by
fear of punishment & desire for approval
or reward.
• Natural level, normal for children.
2. MORAL / PHILOSOPHICAL - Operates
on the ethical level, that is, not just on what
is commanded by some “authority” but now
from awareness of the inner good or evil of
an act.
3. CHRISTIAN LEVEL – One’s Christian
Faith illumines, clarifies & deepens what we
perceive as truly worthy of being a person. It
places moral striving as a personal call to
wholeness & holiness.

We become conscious of the healing &

liberating grace present in our very moral
struggle & striving, as we are called to greater
& fuller conversion into the persons that God
has created us to become.
 CONSCIENCE

• SINCERITY • CORRECTNESS

It is not enough to be sincere.

It is important to be correct.
 Ways by which our Conscience
is formed
• Through the natural education agents of
family upbringing
• Our school training
• Parish catechist
• Influence of friends and social contacts
 FORMATION OF
CHRISTIAN CONSCIENCE?
A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful.
The education of Conscience is a lifelong task
• Formed gradually in faith and through personal
& ecclesial PRAYER LIFE:
 Studying the WORD of GOD & the
Teachings of the Church (Seek the moral
guidance of the Church)
 Responsiveness to the indwelling Holy Spirit.
 Examination of one’s conscience which is
a critical reflection on our concrete moral
choices & experiences in daily life.
 Types of Conscience
1. Correct or true Conscience – corresponds
to objective moral values and precept
A good and pure conscience is enlightened by
true faith, for charity proceeds at the same time
“from a pure heart and a good conscience and
sincere faith” (CCC 1794)

2. False or erroneous conscience – one

which mistakenly judges something as
morally good which is objectively evil
 Work of Conscience
To judge the good or evil of an act,
by deciding on its three essential aspects:
• the nature or object of the act
• our intention as agents or doers of the act,
and
• the circumstances which affect the
morality of the act
CFC 728
 Formation of Conscience
• INFORMED
• ENLIGHTENED
• FORMED
 The Catholic Church as Moral
Guide & Teacher:
• Bearer of Moral Tradition
• A community of Moral discernment
• Shaper of Moral Identity.