Let us
Leader: When we live in unity,
Augustinian prayer
All: How good and how pleasant it is.
Leader: Pray for us, Holy Father Augustine,
All: That we may dwell together in peace.
Leader: Let us pray,
All: God our Father, Your Son promised to be present in the midst of all who
come together in His name. Help us to recognize His presence among us and
experience in our hearts the abundance of Your grace, Your mercy, and Your
peace, in truth and in love. We ask this, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Conscience
Scenario : You are with your friends, and
they decide to not attend the Theo 4
class. They pressure you to join in, saying,
“Last subject na man lang, pa-tyangge
nalang ta kag mangape.”
What would you do?
Why does it matter?
Conscience is the inner voice that moves
us to choose good and avoid evil.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
(CCC 1776) describes it as a moral law
placed within us by God.
1. Awareness of Good and Evil
– Knowing what is morally right or wrong.
2. Desire to Choose Good
– Our conscience inclines us toward the good.
3. A Feeling of Joy and Peace
– Joy when doing good; guilt when doing wrong.
The functions correspond to the three parts of the soul:
Mind (Intellect)
– Knowing what is right.
Will
– Choosing what is right.
Emotions
– Feeling peace or guilt based on our actions.
"
"Anything done against conscience is a sin.”
—St. Thomas Aquinas
Pope John XXIII emphasized that violating
someone’s conscience is worse than physical
harm, as it destroys their dignity.
No one may be compelled to act against his
conscience, provided he acts within the limits of
the common good (CCC, 1780-1782).
How is it formed?
Erroneous conscience happens when there is:
Ignorance of Christ and his Gospel.
Bad example given by others.
Enslavement to one's passions.
Rejection of the Church's authority
Lack of conversion and of charity
YES.
However, the conscience, which is innate to every
person endowed with reason, can be misled. (CCC,
1783-1788, 1799-1800)
The first school of conscience is self-criticism.
The second school of conscience is orientation to the
good actions of others.
The formation of the conscience is lifelong task.
1. Certain Conscience
– Confidence in knowing what is right.
2. Doubtful Conscience
– Hesitation or uncertainty.
3. Righteous Conscience
– Choosing what is morally upright.
4. Erroneous Conscience
– Making the wrong moral judgment
due to misinformation or personal bias.
Conscience is not just a feeling.
Conscience is not infallible.
Conscience is not passive.
▪ Only the true and certain conscience is the
right proximate rule of morality.
▪ Man has the obligation, therefore, to make
sure his conscience is “true”, i.e. sufficiently
formed and informed.
▪ It is not right to follow a culpably erroneous
conscience or a doubtful conscience.
▪ Doubts can be resolved by means of
sincerity, upright intention, the desire to seek
the will of God in everything, and a sense of
responsibility in consulting the right person.
Open Forum
Quiz Time!
Quiz
1. What are the three functions of conscience?
a.
b.
c.
2. “Conscience is the _____ voice that moves us to
choose ____ and avoid ____.”
Quiz
3. What type of conscience tells about choosing what
i is morally upright?
a. Certain Conscience
b. Righteous Conscience
c. Doubtful Conscience
4. “Anything done against conscience is a ___.”
—St. ______ Aquinas
Quiz
5. The Catechism of the Catholic
Church (CCC 1776) describes it as a
immoral law placed within us by God.
True or False?
Answer
1. What are the three functions of conscience?
a. Awareness of Good and Evil
b. Desire to Choose Good
c. A Feeling of Joy and Peace
2. “Conscience is the inner voice that moves us to
choose good and avoid evil.”
Answer
3. What type of conscience tells about choosing what
i is morally upright?
b. Righteous Conscience
4. “Anything done against conscience is a sin.”
—St. Thomas Aquinas
Answer
5. The Catechism of the Catholic
Church (CCC 1776) describes it as a
immoral law placed within us by God.
True
