Discovering integrity through a moral conscience

In the Christian faith, conscience is foundational because it helps us to live a moral life.

To put it simply, our conscience helps us to do good and to avoid evil. When we consider what we have been hearing lately in the news, we could certainly use more good and less evil.

Sometimes when we think of conscience, the image of the good angel and the bad angel sitting on our left and right shoulders comes to mind.

One is encouraging us to do good and the other encouraging us to do the opposite. We wait to see which angel will be more convincing and then we act. As we know, things are really not that simple.

In the Old Testament there are many references to the human heart. This is a sacred place where God speaks to us and we speak to God.

It is where, in the light of God’s grace, correction, discernment and decisions take place. Here the dialogue is not between two angels on our shoulders; the conversation is with God. In the divine presence we are able to look at our lives and our actions and make the necessary changes. In order to do this we need to be able “to see.”

In the New Testament Jesus states that, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness” ( Mt. 6: 22- 23)!

The Lord makes reference to the eye that helps us to see because it allows in the light rather than the darkness.

That is the function of our conscience. In the depths of our heart it acts as a lamp that helps us to see, judge and act with integrity. It helps us to behave in an ethical manner and that is the foundation of morality.

This is not a term that we hear a great deal about today; however, it seems that what we need today is greater moral integrity. This is especially true in the area of human sexuality. The “Me Too” movement is an example of what happens when a person acts abusively and sexually abuses or harasses another. We have all heard about the pain and suffering it causes.

If we are going to allow our conscience to be a lamp to guide us throughout life, then we also must make sure that it is healthy because, as Jesus states, an unhealthy eye “fills the body with darkness.” We need to form our conscience so that it can judge and act properly.

From a Christian perspective this can be done by staying close to God, praying, seeking the truth, and regularly examining life. We must also be willing to seek forgiveness when we fail.

All of this will help to “enlighten” our conscience and this will give us greater confidence to live a moral life.

A well- formed conscience is a gift because it will help us to act morally and justly in this life. This is why it deserves great respect. We should never try to force or coerce people to compromise their beliefs. Unfortunately this can happen at times especially when we consider some of the more controversial moral questions of our day. A healthy society respects diversity and healthy debate and never resorts to coercion of the heart.

We all have a conscience and we have a responsibility to form it, to follow it, and above all, to respect it.

Most Reverend Gerard Bergie is Bishop of Saint Catharines