Conscience can be mistaken
As imperative as it is to listen to our conscience, it can also be mistaken.
Amistaken conscience can unfortunately result from something done in ‘good faith’, in which case the order of conscience still remains binding. We should all strive to follow our conscience in all honesty. However, conscience frequently errs from invincible ignorance but without losing its dignity.
On the other hand, this does not apply to the person who cares little about seeking truth and righteousness, or where the conscience gradually becomes blind, through the habit of sin.
Christians must not rely solely on their own judgment because one can easily cheat oneself or be influenced by the surrounding environment or the interests one considers correct through egoistic tendencies.
We should strive to undergo a proper examination of our conscience, through praying and listening to the voice of the Lord, and respecting the precepts of authority. A key condition for an honest conscience is the sincere desire for the truth. In addition to forming a mature conscience, it is wise to seek advice from those who know how to guide Christian life, such as spiritual directors.
Every man is created with dignity in the image of God. This is emphasised in the Church’s document Dignitatis Humanae, which recognises in human beings the right for a conscience to be protected from any force and pressure in internal and religious decisions. “A sense of the dignity of the human person has been impressing itself more and more deeply on the consciousness of contemporary man, and the demand is increasingly made that men should act on their own judgment, enjoying and making use of a responsible freedom, not driven by coercion, but motivated by a sense of duty.”
Even though the Church may have the power to make demands on our conscience, it does not have the power to force itself upon us. In Dignitatis Humanae, the Church proclaimed for the first time the fundamental and equal right of all people to have religious freedom. The Church understood that man should have his dignity to practise the religion of his choice and not necessarily the Christian religion. Every religion should have the right, that those who profess it, have full freedom to do so, and that those who teach it, such as religious communities, have the right not to be impaired from doing so. Every human should not be forced or coerced to do what in their opinion is not good and reasonable.
In relation to the lay apostolate, the Church stresses that Christians must not only convey the message of Christ, but must also perfect the world with the spirit of the gospel. Thus in doing so, the laity must be driven by their Christian conscience. Furthermore, the laity must help, through the solidarity they provide and through the assistance they give, in the development of society.
Apart from this, every Christian, through his conscience, needs to foster a Christian spirit to be a witness unto others.
It is imperative for us to examine ourselves and our conscience and see how we are helping make this world a better place that is willing to hear the voice of the Lord! As Saint Paul says: “Setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God“(2 Cor 4,2).
The laity must help, through the solidarity they provide and through the assistance they give, in the development of society