Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 297 – Part I.

YOUCAT Question n. 297 - Part I. Can a person form his conscience?

(Youcat answer) Yes, in fact he must do that. The conscience, which is innate to every person endowed with reason, can be misled and deadened. That is why it must be formed into an increasingly finetuned instrument for acting rightly.

A deepening through CCC

(CCC 1800) A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience. (CCC 1783) Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings.     

Reflecting and meditating 

(Youcat comment) The first school of conscience is self-criticism. We have the tendency to judge things to our own advantage. The second school of conscience is orientation to the good actions of others. The correct formation of conscience leads a man into the freedom to do what has been correctly identified as good. With the help of the Holy Spirit and Scripture, the Church over her long history has accumulated a vast knowledge about right action; it is part of her mission to instruct people and also to give them directions.

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 1786) Faced with a moral choice, conscience can make either a right judgment in accordance with reason and the divine law or, on the contrary, an erroneous judgment that departs from them.

(This question: Can a person form his conscience? is continued)