THEOLOGY 1:

CHRISTIAN VISION OF THE HUMAN PERSON

CONSCIENCE:
MAN’S SANCTUARY
BRYAN B. ALBIA, MAL
 Ethics and
The psychology both
Difference deal with human
Between behavior, with
Ethics and the abili8es and
Psychology acts of the
human person.
But the la<er
studies how
man actually
does behave,
while the former
how he ought to
behave.
The Freudian Personality Diagram
 the term used by
Freud to describe
the basic,
unconscious,
ins3nctual sexual
energy in each
individual.
Libido
Id

• the inborn primitive portion

of the storehouse of libido,
the basic energy that
continually pushes for
immediate gratification.
“The Pleasure Principle”.
Ego

• the portion of personality that organizes,

plans and keeps the person in touch with
reality. Language and thought are both
ego functions. “The Reality Principle”.

Superego

• the ‘conscience’ part of personality, which

contains parental and societal values and
aCtudes incorporated during childhood.
“The Ought Principle”.
In theological
terms, the
superego is
NOT the
conscience.
The Differences Between Conscience and Superego
HOW SHOULD WE PROPERLY UNDERSTAND CONSCIENCE ?
Man’s Sanctuary
The relationship Conscience
between man's and Truth
freedom and God's
law is most deeply
lived out in the "heart"
of the person, in his
moral conscience.
Vatican II observed:
In the depths of his conscience man detects a
law which he does not impose on himself, but
which holds him to obedience. Always
summoning him to love good and avoid evil,
the voice of conscience can when necessary
speak to his heart more specifically: 'do this,
shun that'. For man has in his heart a law
written by God. To obey it is the very dignity
of man; according to it he will be judged
(cf. Rom 2:14-16)" (VS, 54).
Conscience
• the judgment or dictate
of the prac;cal intellect
deciding from general
principles the goodness
or evil of some act
which is to be done here I.
and now or has been DEFINITION
done in the past OF
already.
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
Judgment or dictate of the prac2cal intellect.

• It is not a power or a habit but an act, viz-a-viz the application of knowledge to

an individual act, and this application is a judgment or dictate of the practical
intellect, not of the speculative intellect or of the will.
From general
principles

• It derives its judgment from

these since it presupposes as
true the general principles of
faith and of natural reason,
and applies them to individual
cases. Conscience, then,
doesn’t pass judgment on the
truths of faith and of reason
but decides whether the act be
done (or has been done) in
conformity with existing just
laws.
Decides the goodness or
evil of some act which is
to be done here and now
(or has been done).

• Conscience is the
subjec3ve standard of
morality.
In all he says and It is by the judgment
does, man is of his conscience
obliged to follow that man perceives
faithfully what and recognizes the
he knows to be prescrip8ons of the
just and right. divine law.
CCC, 1778
”The sanctuary This voice, it is said,
leads man not so much
of man, where to a meticulous
he is alone with observance of universal
norms as to a creative
God whose and responsible
voice echoes acceptance of the
personal tasks entrusted
within him". to him by God.”
 Biblical understanding of
conscience

• "When Gentiles who have

not the law do by nature
what the law requires,
they are a law unto
themselves, even though
they do not have the law.
They show that what the
law requires is written on
their hearts, while their
conscience also bears
witness and their
conflicting thoughts accuse
or perhaps excuse them"
(Rom 2:14-15). VS, 57.
The importance of this
interior dialogue of
man with himself can
never be adequately
appreciated. But it is
also a dialogue of man
with God, the author of
the law, the primordial
image and final end of
man. VS, 58.
“Conscience is our natural “Conscience is the connec,ng
spine and companion teacher of
guide, assigned to us by the
the soul whereby the soul is
Author of Nature” (Joseph dissociated from evil and clings to
Butler) good” (Origen)

‘Conscience is the reason ‘The built in monitor of moral

making moral judgements’ (St action or choice values.’ (John
Thomas Aquinas) Macquarrie)
 ”Conscience is like God's
herald and messenger; it does
not command things on its
own authority, but commands
them as coming from God's
authority, like a herald when
he proclaims the edict of the
king. This is why conscience
has binding force."
Saint Bonaventure, VS, 58.
Gaudium et Spes, 16

• “as man's most secret core,

and his sanctuary. There he is
alone with God, whose voice
echoes in his depths. By
conscience, in a wonderful
way, that law is made known
which is fulfilled in the love
of God and one's neighbor”
Declara'on on Religious Liberty

• It is through his conscience that man

sees and recognizes the demands of
the divine law. He is bound to follow
this conscience faithfully in all his
acSvity, so that he may come to God,
who is his last end. Therefore, he must
not be forced to act contrary to his
conscience. Nor must he be prevented
from acSng according to his
conscience, especially in religious
maUers.
 Conscience bears witness to man's own rec@tude or iniquity to man himself
but, together with this and indeed even beforehand, conscience is the witness
of God himself, whose voice and judgment penetrate the depths of man's
soul, calling him for$ter et suaviter to obedience. VS, 58
Moral conscience does not
close man within an
insurmountable and
impenetrable solitude, but opens
him to the call, to the voice of
God.
In this, and not in anything else,
lies the entire mystery and the
dignity of the moral conscience:
in being the place, the sacred
place where God speaks to
man. VS, 58
 Saint Paul does not
merely acknowledge
that conscience acts
as a "witness"; he
also reveals the way
in which conscience
performs that
function. He speaks
of "conflicting
thoughts" which
accuse or excuse the
Gentiles with regard
to their behavior
(cf. Rom 2:15).
The term "conflic@ng
thoughts" clarifies the
precise nature of
conscience: it is a
moral judgment about
man and his ac@ons, a
judgment either of
acquiHal or of
condemna@on,
according as human
acts are in conformity
or not with the law of
God wriHen on the
heart. VS, 59.
In the same text the Apostle
clearly speaks of the
judgment of actions, the
judgment of their author
and the moment when that
judgment will be definitively
rendered: "(This will take
place) on that day when,
according to my Gospel,
God judges the secrets of
men by Christ Jesus"
(Rom 2:16). VS, 59.
The judgment of conscience is
a practical judgment, a
judgment which makes
known what man must do or
not do, or which assesses an
act already performed by him.

It is a judgment that applies

to a concrete situa3on, the
ra3onal convic3on that one
must love and do good and
avoid evil.
 SYNDERESIS

This first principle of practical reason is part of the natural law; indeed it
constitutes the very foundation of the natural law since it expresses that primordial
insight about good and evil, that reflection of God's creative wisdom which, like an
imperishable spark (scintilla animae), shines in the heart of every man.
VS, 59
But whereas the natural law discloses the
objec3ve and universal demands of the moral Conscience thus formulates moral obligation in
good, conscience is the applica3on of the law the light of the natural law: it is the obligation
to a par3cular case. This applica3on of the to do what the individual, through the workings
law thus becomes an inner dictate for the of his conscience, knows to be a good he is
individual, a summons to do what is good in
this par3cular situa3on. called to do here and now. VS, 59
The judgment of conscience has an impera4ve character:
The dignity of this rational forum and the authority of
man must act in accordance with it. If man acts against this
judgment or, in a case where he lacks certainty about the its voice and judgments derive from the truth about
rightness and goodness of a determined act, s4ll performs moral good and evil, which it is called to listen to and to
that act, he stands condemned by his own conscience, the express. This truth is indicated by the "divine law", the
proximate norm of personal morality. VS. 60. universal and objective norm of morality.
 The judgment of conscience does
not establish the law; rather it bears
witness to the authority of the
natural law and of the practical
reason with reference to the
supreme good, whose attractiveness
the human person perceives and
whose commandments he accepts.

"Conscience is not an independent and exclusive capacity to decide what is good and
what is evil. Rather there is profoundly imprinted upon it a principle of obedience vis-à-
vis the objec?ve norm which establishes and condi?ons the correspondence of its
decisions with the commands and prohibi?ons which are at the basis of human
behavior" VS, 60
The truth about moral good, as that If man does evil, the just judgment of his
truth is declared in the law of reason,
is pracScally and concretely recognized conscience remains within him as a witness
by the judgment of conscience, which to the universal truth of the good, as well
leads one to take responsibility for the as to the malice of his par@cular choice.
good or the evil one has done. VS, 61
 But the verdict of
conscience remains in him
also as a pledge of hope and
mercy: while bearing
witness to the evil he has
done, it also reminds him of
his need, with the help of
God's grace, to ask
forgiveness, to do good and
to cul3vate virtue
constantly. VS, 61
Consequently, in the practical
judgment of conscience, which
imposes on the person the obligation
to perform a given act, the link
between freedom and truth is made
manifest.
Precisely for this reason conscience
expresses itself in acts of "judgment"
which reflect the truth about the
good, and not in arbitrary
"decisions". VS, 61.
 Certainly, in order to have a "good
conscience" (1 Tim 1:5), man must seek
the truth and must make judgments in
accordance with that same truth. As the
Apostle Paul says:

”Conscience must confirmed by the

Holy Spirit" (cf. Rom 9:1);

“It must be "clear" (2 Tim 1:3);

“It must not "pracMce cunning and

tamper with God's word", but
"openly state the truth" (cf. 2 Cor
4:2).
 On the other hand, the
Apostle also warns
Chris@ans: "Do not be
conformed to this world
but be transformed by the
renewal of your mind, that
you may prove what is the
will of God, what is good
and acceptable and
perfect" (Rom 12:2).
 Take note:

Synderesis is the habitual

knowledge of the first
principles whose proper Moral science deduces Natural law embraces the
act is to decide in a objective conclusions Prudence is a virtue - a objective principles of
general way that good from the first principles; habit. Some4mes, morality while
must be done and evil while conscience is however, the act of conscience uses these
must be avoided while something subjective and prudence coincides with principles to decide
conscience decides in an may or may not agree conscience. whether an act should be
individual case. The with moral science. done or omitted.
moral habit of synderesis
never errs; conscience
may err.
 II. DIVISION
OF
CONSCIENCE:
Conscience, as As the Council puts it, "not infrequently conscience can be mistaken as a result of
invincible ignorance, although it does not on that account forfeit its dignity;
the judgment
of an act, is
not exempt but this cannot be said when a man shows liTle concern for seeking what is true and
good, and conscience gradually becomes almost blind from being accustomed to sin".
from the
possibility of
In these brief words the Council sums up the doctrine which the Church down the
error. VS, 62 centuries has developed with regard to the erroneous conscience.
 With regard to the act
considered by conscience

Concomitant moment
Antecedent moment which which is then considered as
is the conscience in the conscience in action. In Consequent moment
discernment and very much here, the conscience asks wherein the person
concerned where the the question of whether evaluates and reviews
movement of the spirit is he/she is following the the action done.
leading the person; spiritual consolation during
the act.
 With regard to its conformity with the eternal law
(Judgment in accordance with fact)
True or Correct – when it deduces False or Erroneous – when it decides
correctly from the principles that the from false principles considered as
act is lawful. true that something is unlawful.
It is always from the truth It is never acceptable to confuse a "subjec4ve"
that the dignity of in the case of the erroneous error about moral good with the "objec4ve"
conscience derives. In the conscience, it is a question truth ra4onally proposed to man in virtue of
his end, or to make the moral value of an act
case of the correct of what man, mistakenly, performed with a true and correct conscience
conscience, it is a ques3on subjectively considers to be equivalent to the moral value of an act
of the objec3ve truth performed by following the judgment of an
received by man;
true. erroneous conscience. VS, 63

Correct and Erroneous Conscience

It is possible that the evil done as the result of
invincible ignorance or a non-culpable error of
judgment may not be imputable to the agent; but
even in this case it does not cease to be an evil, a
disorder in relation to the truth about the good.

Furthermore, a good act which is not recognized as

such does not contribute to the moral growth of the
person who performs it; it does not perfect him and it
does not help to dispose him for the supreme good.

Thus, before feeling easily jus3fied in the name of our

conscience, we should reflect on the words of the
Psalm: "Who can discern his errors? Clear me from
hidden faults" (Ps 19:12). There are faults which we
fail to see but which nevertheless remain faults,
because we have refused to walk towards the light (cf.
Jn 9:39-41). VS, 63
Kinds of Erroneous
Conscience:
Scrupulous - one that for liTle or no reason
judges an act to be morally evil when in fact it
is not.

Perplex - judges wrongly that sin is committed

both in the performance or omission of an
act.

Lax - judges on insufficient ground that there

is no sin in the act, or that the sin is not as
grave it is in fact.

Pharisaical - minimizes grave sins but

maximizes small ones.
Note:

• Conscience that is
erroneous without the
knowledge or fault of
the agent, is called
invincibly erroneous or
inculpably erroneous,
while conscience that is
erroneous through the
agent’s fault, is culpably
erroneous.
Conscience, as the ul=mate concrete
Jesus alludes to the danger of the conscience being
judgment, compromises its dignity when it
deformed when he warns: "The eye is the lamp of
is culpably erroneous, that is to say, "when
man shows liAle concern for seeking what
the body. So if your eye is sound, your whole body
is true and good, and conscience gradually will be full of light; but if your eye is not sound, your
becomes almost blind from being whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light
accustomed to sin". VS, 63 in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!" (Mt
6:22-23).
 With regard to the
act of assent
Certain – when Doub,ul –
without any when it fails to
prudent fear of pass a moral
error it decides judgment on
that the act is the character of
either lawful or the act due to a
unlawful. fear of error.
 Moral Certainty may be:
Specula:ve – Direct -
when the Prac5cal – based on
Imperfect
Perfect intellect
(wide) – when
considers the when it is intrinsic Indirect -
(strict) - some slight
truth of some concerned principles derived from
when it reasons militate
against truth of
maTer with an act that clearly what are
excludes any objecMvely
a doubt which is to be done reveal the called reflex
prudent without any
founded on here and moral principles.
doubt. direct reference
serious moMve
to a parMcular now. character of
case. the act.
Doubts can be resolved in two ways.
If there is @me, they can be resolved
in a direct way, by consul@ng a book
or an expert, or by checking the
facts. If there is no @me, they can be
resolved in an indirect way, by
applying some maxims called reflex
principles. These are general rules
that help reach a solu@on based on
what is most common and
probable, which can be safely
presumed to be the truth. Thus, all
reflex principles can be summed up
as follows: “In case of doubt, what is
presumed stands.”
The most important reflex principles are the
following:
• A doubtful law does not bind.
• In case of doubt, the possessor has a better right.
• A person is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
• In case of doubt, the defendant is to be favored.
• In case of doubt, the superior is presumed to be right.
• In case of doubt, one has to judge according to what
ordinarily happens.
• An act is to be presumed valid until proven invalid.
• In case of doubt, what is odious should be restricted, and
what is favorable should be expanded.

However, if the judgment could cause a serious

damage, the principle to be followed is:
• In case of doubt, one has to follow the safest soluMon.
 Dubium iuris
• doubt as to the existence of some law

Dubium facti
• doubt as to the existence of some fact

Posi:ve
• when the fear of error is based on grave reasons

Nega:ve
• when the fear of error rests on slight reasons

Speculative
• concerning that morality of an act objec4vely considered
irrespec4ve of its actual commission or omission

Doubts may be: Practical

• concerned with the morality of the act performed to be
performed here and now
III. FORMING
ONE’S
CONSCIENCE
We are called to form our Saint Paul exhorts us not to be conformed to the mentality
conscience, to make it the of this world, but to be transformed by the renewal of our
object of a con:nuous mind (cf. Rom 12:2). It is the "heart" converted to the Lord
conversion to what is true and to the love of what is good which is really the source of
true judgments of conscience.
and to what is good.
Indeed, in order to What is essen?al is a sort of Prudence and the other
"prove what is the will of "connaturality" between cardinal virtues, and even
God, what is good and man and the true good. Such before these the theological
acceptable and perfect" a connaturality is rooted in virtues of faith, hope and
(Rom 12:2), knowledge and develops through the charity. This is the meaning of
of God's law in general is virtuous aRtudes of the Jesus' saying: "He who does
certainly necessary, but individual himself: what is true comes to the
it is not sufficient: light" (Jn 3:21). VS, 64.
ChrisSans have a great help for the
formaSon of conscience in the Church
and her Magisterium. As the Council
affirms: "In forming their consciences,
the ChrisSan faithful must give careful
aUenSon to the sacred and certain
teaching of the Church.

For the Catholic Church is by the will

of Christ the teacher of truth. Her
charge is to announce and teach
authentically that truth which is
Christ, and at the same time with her
authority to declare and confirm the
principles of the moral order which
derive from human nature itself ".
It follows that the authority of This is so not only because freedom of conscience is never freedom
the Church, when she "from" the truth but always and only freedom "in" the truth, but also
pronounces on moral because the Magisterium does not bring to the ChrisMan conscience
questions, in no way truths which are extraneous to it; rather, it brings to light the truths
undermines the freedom of which it ought already to possess, developing them from the starMng
conscience of Christians. point of the primordial act of faith.
 To form one’s
Moral certitude is
conscience is to get
It is not always sufficient and
rid of doubt and
possible to have requisite for the
achieve certainty; it
absolute certitude guidance of the
is to make up one’s
in matters of conscience –
mind clearly and
conscience , but it judgment when
definitely on what is
is always possible to there is question of
required in a given
achieve moral the lawfulness or
individual instance;
certitude directly or unlawfulness of an
it is to reason out
indirectly. act here and now to
the right and wrong
be determined upon.
of a given situation.
 So what Discernment
helps the • the choice between
conscience two goods.
• why two goods?
in its choice? Because evil has no
place in the life of a
ChrisEan.
• the choice of the
conscience is called
ELECTION.
A8er being aware of our control
over our freedom and knowledge
about how the laws guide us,
how then do we undergo
discernment?

• be mindful of the movement of the

spirits.
• there are the spirits which are from
the evil ones and the ones which are
from the Lord.
• the movement of the spirits results in
desolation and consolation
This consolation encourages
and facilitates a deep sense
of gratitude for God’s
faithfulness, mercy, and Spiritual
companionship in our lives. Consola.on

is an experience of being so
In consola8on, we feel more on fire with God’s love that
alive and connected with we feel impelled to praise,
others. love, and serve God and
help others as best we can.
 Is an experience of the soul in heavy darkness or
turmoil.

Spiritual
We are assaulted by all sorts of doubts, bombarded
by tempta?ons, and mired in self-preoccupa?ons.
Desola.on

We are excessively restless and anxious and feel cut

off from others.

Such feelings, “move one toward lack of faith and

leave one without hope and without love”.
The key ques3on in interpre3ng
consola3on and desola3on is: where is
the movement coming from and where
is it leading me?
Spiritual Consola3on does not always
mean happiness. Spiritual Desola3on
does not always mean sadness.
Some@mes an experience of
sadness is a moment of
conversion and in@macy with
God.

• Times of human suffering can

be moments of great grace.
Similarly, peace or happiness
can be illusory of these
feelings are helping us avoid
changes we need to make.
 For people who have closed
themselves off from God’s
grace, the good spirit disturbs
In his rules of and shakes up.
discernment, IgnaLus
of Loyola tells us that
the good and evil
spirits operate
depending on the
spiritual condiLon of
the person. It stirs feelings of remorse and
discontent. The purpose is to
make the person unhappy
with a sinful way of life.
On the other hand, the evil spirit wants
such people to con3nue in their confusion
and darkness. So the evil spirit tries to make
them complacent, content, and sa3sfied
with their distrac3ons and pleasures.
 For people who are trying to live a
life pleasing to God, the good spirit
strengthens, encourages, consoles,
removes obstacles, and gives peace.

The evil spirit tries to derail them by

s8rring up anxiety, false sadness,
needless confusion, frustra8on, and
other obstacles
 We must be ready to
improvise and adjust
because God works in
It requires
each of us so
maturity, inner Discernment
Discernment of uniquely. That is why
quiet, and an takes practice. It
spirits is a most counselors
ability to reflect is something of
challenging task. recommend
on one’s interior an art.
undertaking
life.
discernment of spirits
with the assistance of
a spiritual director
The Church puts herself always and only at the service of conscience,
helping it to avoid being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine
proposed by human deceit (cf. Eph 4:14), and helping it not to
swerve from the truth about the good of man, but rather, especially
in more difficult quesEons, to aQain the truth with certainty and to
abide in it.
DISCUSSION BOARD

What is the difference

between conscience
and synderesis?

Is there a necessity to
form one's conscience?
Why and How?