Transcript Document

Challenges in forming
the conscience
Ongoing formation
James McTavish, FMVD
7/18/2015
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Outline
Part I
What is conscience?
Part II
Conscience formation and its challenges
- Our charism and the formation of conscience
- Challenges to form the conscience
Part III
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Forming the Filipino conscience
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What is morality?
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What is it? The P500 bill
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“All human acts are moral acts”
St Thomas Aquinas
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The way we preach, talk, dialogue, pray...
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“Any act, behaviour, or way of proceeding that
we intend belongs to morality”
James F. Keenan, S.J.
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*Vatican II
“Special care must be given to the perfecting of
moral theology. Its scientific exposition,
nourished more on the teaching of the Bible,
should shed light on the greatness of the calling
of the faithful in Christ and the obligation that is
theirs of bearing fruit in charity for the life of
the world.” Optatam totius 16
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*What is Conscience? Discuss using GS 16
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In the depths of his conscience, man detects a law which he does
not impose upon himself, but which holds him to obedience.
Always summoning him to love good and avoid evil, the voice of
conscience when necessary speaks to his heart: do this, shun
that. For man has in his heart a law written by God; to obey it is
the very dignity of man; according to it he will be judged.
Conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man.
There he is alone with God, Whose voice echoes in his depths.
In a wonderful manner conscience reveals that law which is
fulfilled by love of God and neighbor. Gaudium et spes 16
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What is Conscience?
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In fidelity to conscience, Christians are joined with the rest of
men in the search for truth, and for the genuine solution to the
numerous problems which arise in the life of individuals from
social relationships. Hence the more right conscience holds sway,
the more persons and groups turn aside from blind choice and
strive to be guided by the objective norms of morality.
Conscience frequently errs from invincible ignorance without
losing its dignity. The same cannot be said for a man who cares
but little for truth and goodness, or for a conscience which by
degrees grows practically sightless as a result of habitual sin?
Gaudium et spes 16
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“the greatest difficulty is to
apply principles rightly
and in a new way to
particular cases according
to the many
circumstances calling for
different solutions”
St Alphonsus Liguori
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From the apostolate
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The civil wedding in Cebu...
To pass from general to particular
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The lola who is sick...we will just pray
To pass from particular to general
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We will just pray...
“Ordinary means of preserving life are all
medicines, treatments and operations which
offer a reasonable hope of benefit for the
patient and which can be obtained and used
without excessive expense, pain or other
inconvenience.”
(Kelly 1958)
 Ordinary means are morally obligatory.
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How does our charism
help form the conscience of a
person?
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*PRAYER with the Word of God
“It is important for every person to
be sufficiently present to himself in
order to hear and follow the voice
of his conscience. This requirement
of interiority is all the more necessary
as life often distracts us from any
reflection, self-examination
or introspection.” CCC 1779
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Prayer
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To discern what is
good
To receive the grace
to put it into practice!
To learn from Christ
how to love others
To correct one’s
errors
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*Community
“Take counsel from every wise person and don’t
despise useful advice” (Tobit 4,18)
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*Spiritual means
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Exam of conscience
“Return to your conscience, question it. . . .
Turn inward, brethren, and in everything you
do, see God as your witness”
St Augustine
ROL
Reconciliation
Spiritual direction
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Our preaching
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Our preaching can help so much to enlighten
the conscience. How can we address the issues
of our times?
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*Study and formation
To help the disciples to discover what is right
and wrong – to know the Law of God written in
their hearts – helping them discover the truth
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*Formation of
the Conscience
“It would be impossible to
live, feel, think and love like
Jesus without a keen
sensitivity and right
formation of conscience”
(VDC 27)
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Challenge to form Conscience
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Formation of conscience
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To follow your conscience is in vogue, but it
must be formed first!
Conscience must be informed...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 authoratitive teachings. (CCC 1783).
The education of the conscience is a lifelong
task (CCC 1784).
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Challenge to discover truth
Eternal law
Natural law
OUTLAW!
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*Cardinal Newman
“The sense of right and wrong, which is the first
element in religion, is so delicate, so fitful, so easily
puzzled, obscured, perverted, so subtle in its
argumentative methods, so impressible by education, so
biased by pride and passion, so unsteady in its flight,
that, in the struggle for existence amid various exercises
and triumphs of the human intellect, this sense is at
once the highest of all teachers, yet the least luminous;
and the Church, the Pope, the Hierarchy are, in the
Divine purpose, the supply of an urgent demand”
A Letter addressed to the Duke of Norfolk, 1875
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*Care for the formation
of conscience
“The care for the formation of the conscience clearly
emerges as the fundamental ethical responsibility of every
person. Whatever laziness in this regard will have
immense consequences for oneself and for the others –it
can never be justified. Neither is it possible at a certain
point of life to stop. The path of formation needs to be
continually taken up; in fact in adulthood there is a
renewed responsibility in front of one’s professional,
family and social duties challenged by new ethical
problems full of questions and uncertainties.”
Rev Fr. S.Majorano CSs.R
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Challenge to form conscience
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Speed of life
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Relativism and going with the flow
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Mass media and misinformation e.g. Human
sexuality and article from Yahoo news on
abortion
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Ann Furedi, chief executive of the charity BPAS (the British Pregnancy Advisory
Service) said some women became pregnant despite being careful. She said:
"Women try hard to avoid becoming pregnant when they don't want to become a
mother, or aren't able to bring up a child, but unintended pregnancy still remains
a significant public health problem." Ms Furedi added: "Women who are then
faced with a difficult decision about a pregnancy need the option of accessible
abortion care available to them as early as possible - and as late as necessary. "The
law and medical evidence on abortion has been examined by Parliamentarians and
we expect July will bring further abortion votes when the Human Fertilisation
and Embryology Bill reaches report stage. "We hope that MPs will recognise the
importance for individual women and society of creating a more fit-for-purpose
abortion law to allow women to access the most up-to-date medical care at the
earliest possible stage. “Unfortunately, the existing legal framework can actively
work to delay some women from treatment."
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From Yahoo news
Ann Furedi, chief executive of the charity BPAS (the British Pregnancy
Advisory Service) said some women became pregnant despite being careful.
She said: "Women try hard to avoid becoming pregnant when they don't want
to become a mother, or aren't able to bring up a child, but unintended
pregnancy still remains a significant public health problem." Ms Furedi added:
"Women who are then faced with a difficult decision about a pregnancy need
the option of accessible abortion care available to them as early as possible and as late as necessary. "The law and medical evidence on abortion has been
examined by Parliamentarians and we expect July will bring further abortion
votes when the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill reaches report
stage. "We hope that MPs will recognise the importance for individual
women and society of creating a more fit-for-purpose abortion law to allow
women to access the most up-to-date medical care at the earliest possible
stage. “Unfortunately, the existing legal framework can actively work to delay
some women from treatment."
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Ongoing challenges
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Individualism
Reduced communication
Lack of a critical sense – to be closed in one’s
convictions
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What are the elements in the formation of
the conscience?
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- To be sufficiently present to myself
- Vigilance and critical sense
- To be open and humble
*Critical consumers
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“The means of social communication (especially
the mass media) can give rise to a certain
passivity among users, making them less than
vigilant consumers of what is said or shown.
Users should practice moderation and discipline
in their approach to the mass media. They will
want to form enlightened and correct
consciences the more easily to resist
unwholesome influences.”
CCC 2496
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“The world is in danger from
a lack of thinking”
Rev. Fr. Adolfo Nicolas, S.J.
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Evangelium vitae, # 16
The Pharaoh of old, haunted by the presence and increase of the
children of Israel, submitted them to every kind of oppression
and ordered that every male child born of the Hebrew women
was to be killed (cf. Ex 1:7-22). Today not a few of the powerful
of the earth act in the same way. They too are haunted by the
current demographic growth, and fear that the most prolific and
poorest peoples represent a threat for the well-being and peace
of their own countries. Consequently, rather than wishing to face
and solve these serious problems with respect for the dignity of
individuals and families and for every person's inviolable right to
life, they prefer to promote and impose by whatever means a
massive programme of birth control. Even the economic help
which they would be ready to give is unjustly made conditional
on the acceptance of an anti-birth policy.
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Ongoing formation
What pastoral situations are
challenging you to form your
conscience?
e.g. teenager asking me about her older sister
who has a girlfriend...what to advise?
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I didn’t know...
Ignorance
- vincible
(your fault that
you did not know)
- invicincible
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Duty to follow the conscience
Follow your conscience
but form it well first!
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SALAMAT!
Case discussion to follow
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Discussion points
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“The community will always follow the
guidelines of the Holy See, will always heed the
orientations given by the Shepherds of the
Catholic church” VDC 6
(See also VDC 12-14, 90)
To be zealous for the truth – a true pastoral
accompaniment
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