Search
-
September 17, 2020
What’s a Catholic to Do (Part 1)
Catholics are called to participate in civic life, so that the principles of our faith — which originate in the Gospel — will be heard in shaping the way our nation is governed. The Church offers advice and guidance as to how Catholics can best discern how to vote, especially when, as always, candidates and proposals are imperfect. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) provides a document called “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” which is the authoritative source for advice on how Catholics can best discern for whom and for what to vote.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church includes a section on Conscience Formation which I have found extremely helpful for myself and for many with whom I’ve shared it. It begins with paragraph 1776 (easy for Americans to remember!) and is about five or six pages long. It’s not difficult to read.
Most Catholic adults have not studied conscience formation — it’s not taught to children in Faith Formation programs, since children require definitive input from parents and others about what is right and wrong. But for adults, there can be situations in which what is right is not immediately crystal clear, and to know the process for conscience formation is essential for Catholics who desire to do what is right.
The Catechism makes several important points about Conscience:- It is the voice of God within us. It’s inherent; it is given to us by our Creator along with our free will, so that we can have the capacity to choose what is good and thus enjoy the experience of discerning God’s will and following it. This also, of course, comes with the capacity to deny God’s will. Yet God does not force our choices. It is by God’s design that we are free to choose.
- Once formed, the conscience must be followed, and it is a grave sin not to do so (#1787)
- No one can form someone else’s conscience; there is a right to follow one’s conscience, once formed; and we cannot be forced to act against our conscience. (This is about adults. Parents do indeed form their children’s conscience and sometimes impose their own conscience decisions on their children.)
On the parish Facebook page, there is a video — nothing fancy — that reviews this topic as presented in the Catechism. Last Tuesday evening, I held a Zoom meeting so that there could be a conversation about the material. I’ll hold one more of those this Monday, September 21, at 7 pm. If you’d like to participate, simply send me an email to say so. I’ll send you the link to the meeting about 2 hours in advance. (rick.hardy@stpeter-douglas.org)
And you don’t have to take my word for any of this: it’s all in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, starting at 1776.