YOUCAT Lesson 298,
YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic
youth
298 If someone in good conscience acts
wrongly, (is he) guilty in God’s sight?
No. If a person has
thoroughly examined himself and arrived at a certain judgment, he must in any
case follow his inner voice, even at the risk of doing something wrong. [1790-1794,
1801-1802]
Photo: …..Soldiers in
wartime face ethical choices of great importance. That’s me as an air observer when my
artillery battalion was in support of the Korean 1st Marine Division
in 1953. During the conflict I would
pray the rosary for peace while sitting atop our bunker on Hill 155 overlooking
Panmunjom. A week after I left Korea the
truce was signed. -- Don L. Bragg …..298
God does not blame us for the objective harm that results
from a wrong judgment of conscience, provided that we ourselves are not
responsible for having a badly formed conscience. While it is quite true that ultimately one
must follow one’s conscience, it must likewise be kept in mind that people have
swindled, murdered, tortured, and betrayed others on the basis of what they
wrongly supposed to be their conscience.
“Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather
fear that it shall never have a beginning.”
Bl. John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
IV. ERRONEOUS JUDGMENT
…….1790 A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his
conscience. If he were deliberately to act against it, he would condemn
himself. Yet it can happen that moral conscience remains in ignorance and makes
erroneous judgments about acts to be performed or already committed. –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second
Edition
…….1791 This ignorance can often be imputed to
personal responsibility. This is the case when a man "takes little trouble
to find out what is true and good, or when conscience is by degrees almost
blinded through the habit of committing sin."( Gaudfium et Spes 16.)59 In
such cases, the person is culpable for the evil he commits. –CCC
…….1792 Ignorance of Christ and
his Gospel, bad example given by others, enslavement to one's passions,
assertion of a mistaken notion of autonomy of conscience, rejection of the
Church's authority and her teaching, lack of conversion and of charity: these
can be at the source of errors of judgment in moral conduct. –CCC
…….1793 If - on the contrary -
the ignorance is invincible, or the moral subject is not responsible for his
erroneous judgment, the evil committed by the person cannot be imputed to him.
It remains no less an evil, a privation, a disorder. One must therefore work to
correct the errors of moral conscience. –CCC
…….1794 A good and pure conscience is enlightened by
true faith, for charity proceeds at the same time "from a pure heart and a
good conscience and sincere faith."( 1 Timothy 1:5; compare 1 Tim 1:8:9; 2
Tim 3:15; 1
Peter 3:21; Acts
of the Apostles 24:16.)60
The more a correct conscience prevails, the
more do persons and groups turn aside from blind choice and try to be guided by
objective standards of moral conduct.( Gaudium et Spes 16.)61 –CCC
…….1801 Conscience can remain in ignorance or make erroneous
judgments. Such ignorance and errors are not always free of guilt. –CCC
…….1802 The Word of God is a light for our path.
We must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. This is how
moral conscience is formed. --CCC
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