The Human

Person Is Gifted
with Conscience
 Luke 18: 9-14
He then addressed this
parable to those who were
convinced of their own
righteousness and despised
everyone else. “Two people
went up to the temple area
to pray; one was a Pharisee
and the other was a tax
collector.
 Luke 18: 9-14
The Pharisee took up his
position and spoke this prayer to
himself, ‘O God, I thank You
that I am not like the rest of
humanity- greedy, dishonest,
adulterous- or even like this tax
collector. I fast twice a week,
and I pay tithes on my whole
income.’
 Luke 18: 9-14
But the tax collector stood off at
a distance and would not even
raise his eyes to heaven but beat
his breast and prayed , ‘God, be
merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell
you, the latter went home
justified , not the former; for
everyone who exalts himself
will be humbled, and the one
who humbles himself will be
exalted.”
The Parable of the
Pharisee and tax
Collector is found only
in the Gospel of Luke.
In this particular
account, Jesus taught
the meaning of
righteousness.

In the story, we can see

the work of one’s
conscience.
The Pharisee had enough confidence in
himself because he obeys the laws. He thinks
that he is perfectly clean before the Lord.

He thinks that all the good he did was his

own accomplishments. For him they are all
exclusively his efforts- something he must
brag about before the Lord. He then assumed
that what he has is far better than anyone
else.
The tax collector, meanwhile, stood far from
the altar while praying for he could not even
look straight to the altar. He prayed humbly,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner’ (Luke
18:13).

He is aware of his own wrongdoings, admits

them with regret and sincerity, and begs God
for mercy. Such act was an act of true
repentance and humility.
The tax collector, recognized his
sinfulness before the Lord. It was clear
to him that he offended God by his sins.
He was willing to make amends. His
genuine humility before God exalted
him.
Jesus said, “I tell you, the
latter went home justified,
not the former;
for everyone who exalts
himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles
himself will be exalted.”
(Luke 18:14)
The tax collector shows
an example of one who
once sinned, but later on,
he realized that he must
do the right thing by
obeying the call of his
conscience to be true,
admitting his sins, and
begging God for mercy.
While, the Pharisee
shows an example of
one who needs to
form his conscience
according to what is
righteous, not self-
righteous.
Jesus was not pleased with the Pharisee
because of his self-centeredness. Mere
obedience to the laws is not justified.

Obedience is good but it only becomes

pleasing to God when it is motivated by
love- love if God and neighbor.
Understanding
Human
Conscience
What is conscience?
Conscience is a
judgment of reason
whereby the human
person recognizes the
moral quality of a
concrete act that he is
going to perform, is in
the process of
performing, or has
already completed. (CCC
1778)
In all he says and
does, man is obliged
to follow faithfully
what he knows to be
just and right. (CCC
1778)
Conscience is the most
secret core and sanctuary of
a man. There , he is alone
with God, whose voice
echoes in his depths.

In a wonderful manner,
conscience reveals that law
(to love good and to avoid
evil) which is fulfilled by
love of God and neighbor.
It is important for every person to be sufficiently
present to himself in order to hear and follow the
voice of his conscience. This requirement
of interiority is all the more necessary as life
often distracts us from any reflection, self-
examination or introspection:

“Return to your conscience, question it. . . . Turn

inward, brethren, and in everything you do, see
God as your witness.”
-St. Augustine of Hippo
Though conscience is innate in us,
it is not something “automatic”
(CFC 704). As we grow in our
Christian maturity, the many and
complex factors that we encounter
gradually shape and form and
conscience.
Factors such as
• family upbringing,
• basic education, and
• catechesis in the faith,
• our cultural attitudes and values,
the friends we grow up with, and
the
• larger social environment of the
community influence the
development of our conscience.
It is our responsibility to
educate and develop our
conscience. Especially in the case
of younger children, we should
help them develop their
consciences into “both an
enlightened and informed” ones.
An enlightened and
informed conscience
implies that we judge the
goodness and evilness of
human act according to
what is objectively good
and evil.

Our conscience is guided

by basic and essential
values protected by laws
that direct our relationships
and by the person,
teachings, and life of
Jesus, our moral norm.
The opposite is an erroneous
conscience, it is when we
mistakenly judge something evil
to be good, or something good
to be evil.

“Conscience frequently errs

from invincible ignorance
without losing its dignity” (GS
16). So, there is a need to
educate our conscience by
instruction and relevant values
which provide a correct vision of
Christ’s moral witness.
A Christian conscience, is formed
through a gradual process by engaging in
personal and ecclesial prayer in faith by
listening on the Word of God and the
teachings of the Church.

We also form a Christian conscience, by

being more responsive indwelling of
the Holy spirit in us, and by critical
reflection on our moral actions and
decisions in daily life.
The formation of conscience involves the
mind and heart factors as significant parts
of our being as persons.

a. The “mind” factors refers to our

knowledge and understanding of the
Sacred Scriptures and Church teachings.

b. The “heart” factors refer to reading

and prayerful reflection on Jesus’ teachings
and way of living.
 LEVELS OF
CONSCIENCE
Our conscience develops into fullness
as we ourselves develop into the
fullness that we are meant to mature
into.

As we undergo the different stages of

development, or conscience also goes
through different levels.
1. Instinctive Level-
On this level, a
person’s actions and
decisions are not based
on the good or bad
objective but is
motivated by fear of
punishment and the
desire to be rewarded,
praised, or accepted by
a significant others.
2. Moral or ethical
Level- A person
whose conscience is
on this level acts
based on values.

The law, command,

or rule is followed
because of the
value that it
upholds.
3. Christian religious
Level- On this level, we
see any wrongdoing as an
act against the Triune God
who calls us to become
fully human.

We see our moral actions

as our way of responding
to God’s call of sharing in
His Divine Life.
SUMMARY:

• Our conscience is the voice within us that

calls us to do what is good and avoid was is
evil.
• Our conscience is from God ; therefore,
to obey our conscience is our nature
since we are created in the image and
likeness of God.
• But our conscience is not automatic. We
form our conscience by forming our hearts
and minds.
References:
• Afire with Gratitude: We live a
life of Love
Page 41-46.