Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 295 – Part VI.

YOUCAT Question n. 295 - Part VI. What is conscience?

(Youcat answer - repeated) Conscience is the inner voice in a man that moves him to do good under any circumstances and to avoid evil by all means. At the same time it is the ability to distinguish the one from the other. In the conscience God speaks to man.

A deepening through CCC

(CCC 1789) Some rules apply in every case: - One may never do evil so that good may result from it; - the Golden Rule: "Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them" (Mt 7:12; cf. Lk 6:31; Tob 4:15) - charity always proceeds by way of respect for one's neighbor and his conscience: "Thus sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience… you sin against Christ" (1 Cor 8:12). Therefore "it is right not to… do anything that makes your brother stumble" (Rom 14:21).

Reflecting and meditating 

(Youcat comment) Conscience is compared with an inner voice in which God manifests himself in a man. God is the one who becomes apparent in the conscience. When we say, “I cannot reconcile that with my conscience”, this means for a Christian, “I cannot do that in the sight of my Creator!” Many people have gone to jail or been executed because they were true to their conscience.

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 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. (CCC 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" (GS 16). In such cases, the person is culpable for the evil he commits.  

(This question: What is conscience?  is continued)