Education and Formation of Conscience

I like to do things my own way – who doesn’t? All the way back to Adam and Eve we’ve all been the same. Most of the time it doesn’t matter much. I pour milk into my tea, others pour tea into their milk. We all end up with our preferred cup of tea, not a problem.

Other times, we choose to do things our way instead of God’s way, and that is a very big problem because Jesus is the Way. He didn’t tell us he was one of several ways, of many truths or multiple lives. Not at all. And yet so often we choose to live as if that is what He did say. We re-write God’s words to suit ourselves and claim there are many ways to God, or many gods, or even no god at all.

The Game of Life

Have you ever tried to play a game when every player gets to make their own rules? That would be chaos. Or try playing a game when half the players have one set of rules and the other half a different set? It not only would not work, it cannot, it is impossible. Why? Because rules tell you how to begin as well as how to play and, importantly, rules tell you how to finish the game. They spell out the purpose of the play, the desired outcome, the goal.

Look Right

My first time in London, I stepped off the curb to cross the street and almost got hit by a cab. I had looked left as we do in America. Admittedly, it was a life-long habit. I had been taught from a young age to look left. By letting habit control my actions, I might’ve been killed.

For most of us, the choices we make each day are not a matter of life and death. Such situations might occur only once or twice in a lifetime if that. Much more frequent and vastly more important are the life-after-death choices we make not only daily, but minute by minute.

Thankfully, we are not left on our own to struggle through the labyrinth of life’s many choices. God has written His law on our hearts, we carry it within us wherever we go and in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. This law written on our heart is our conscience, it prompts us to do good and avoid evil and it judges our choices accordingly.

The noise and tumult surrounding us throughout the days and nights can deafen us to the ‘still small voice’. It is necessary to make time and space for prayerful reflection every day. When you listen to your conscience, you can hear God speaking.

The Education and Formation of Conscience

The education and formation of conscience is a lifelong task. We are all bombarded with negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer our own judgment to authoritative teachings. The education of conscience teaches virtue, guarantees freedom, and instills peace of heart. It prevents fear and cures the selfishness, pride, resentment, and complacency born of human weakness and faults.

The formation of conscience is the lifelong process of putting the education of conscience into daily practice. As we receive the sacraments, listen to and study God’s word, pray, and examine our conscience before the Lord’s Cross our wills begin to conform to God’s will. The Word of God is the light for our path and God’s gift of Grace helps us to follow the Way.

Our souls are eternal and our lives on Earth are brief. We are assisted in the education and formation of conscience by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of others, and guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church (cf Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1783-85).

We have been given special help for putting our faith into practice with clear and simple instructions from God Himself.

The Rules are not Complicated

 The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these (Mark 12:29-31).

Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy

In addition to the two basic rules above, we also have the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. The Spiritual Works of Mercy are oriented toward the soul. Not everyone is able or should even attempt to perform the first three Spiritual Works of Mercy: Admonish the Sinner, Instruct the Ignorant, Counsel the Doubtful. Without the proper tact, knowledge, or canonical training to do so, one could easily do much more harm than good.

The remaining four Spiritual Works of Mercy and all the Corporal Works of Mercy are obligatory for all the faithful to practice unconditionally when the circumstances arise:

• Bear Wrongs Patiently
• Forgive Others Willingly
• Comfort the Afflicted
• Pray for the Living and the Dead

The Corporal Works of Mercy are oriented toward the body. Again, every one of the faithful are obliged to perform these Works when their necessity arises from circumstances. Remember that those damned in Matthew 25:41-46 were damned because they refused the works of mercy when they had occasion to perform them.

• Feed the Hungry
• Give Drink to the Thirsty
• Clothe the Naked
• Shelter the Homeless
• Visit the Sick
• Visit the Imprisoned
• Bury the Dead

Now, children, I give you this command: serve God faithfully and do what is right before him (Tobit 14:9).

What a wonderful world we would have if everyone played the Game of Life by God’s rules.