Our experiences tell us, however, that our true freedom

is undermined when we ignore our moral obligations

toward one another as person-
person-in-
in-community. In the light
of objectivity²
objectivity²if we can lie about others, they can lie
about us²
us²we understand the value and need to do
good & avoid evil. Through our well-
well-formed conscience,
we are able to discern the concrete good act we should
do or the concrete evil act we should avoid in order to
become truly free persons-
persons-in-
in-community. Clearly, our
conscience are a blessing & a gift from God who
desires that we become truly free & truly happy.

veryday, we are constantly making moral judgments about
the acts we are about to do or acts we have already done.
We all experience within ourselves an inner voice telling us
at the right moment ³ë ³ë
«

« 

 ´.

 ´. Because of our
past experiences & choices, many of our moral judgments
are almost automatic, seemingly involving little or no
deliberation at all. Other moral acts, on the other hand, may
demand from us a longer process of discernment, especially
if we have doubts about the facts, motivation or other
circumstances related to the act. When we fail to do the good
or shun the evil in our concrete circumstances, we
experience guilt.
 The idea of conscience is not something new to most people.
But some of us perceive misconceptions on what it really means.

° Myth 1: ³It¶s a matter between me & my conscience

conscience..´
For some people, following one¶s conscience is
simply doing things ³my way´ without considering the good
of others.
others. This individualistic idea of conscience, collapses
before the fact that we are all relational beings beings.. We
become truly free as persons persons--in-
in-community only by
fulfilling our moral obligations toward one another
another..
° Myth 2: Conscience is God¶s voice within us
us..
We naturally relate the voice of our conscience to
God, first, because God has created us as moral persons with
consciences, & second because God is the perfect norm of
goodness.. But this is not the case
goodness case.. God can never be confined
to any person¶s conscience because from experience we know
that our consciences can sometimes be in serious error error²
²
mistakenly judging what is truly evil to be good & vice versa
versa..
Our own erroneous judgment therefore results from our own
human inadequacies & faulty moral formation
formation..

° Myth 3: Conscience is our feeling of guilt

guilt..
Although guilt is often a sign that our consciences are
at work in our concrete moral situations, we should not equate
our feelings with conscience itself
itself.. It is like saying that our
consciences make moral ³judgments´ only by considering the
good or guilty feeling following a particular free action
action..
° Myth 4: The notion that media¶s depiction of
conscience as an external reality is essentially
accurate..
accurate
Films & advertisements usually depict human
conscience in entertaining although misleading ways ways..
Some examples of this is the story of Ý

 that
equates conscience with an advice of a friend, and the
³ 
  

      implying that conscience

is simply an act of personal deliberation without reference
standard.. This should not be,
to any objective moral standard
instead, we must know the true nature of sound moral
judgment when we use our human conscience
conscience..
 All of us have conscience. We all have human capacity to use our
reason to discern & judge the moral goodness or evil of a particular act
with the feelings of being morally obliged to do what is good & avoid
what is evil. With this understanding, we are called not only to judge
what is normally good but ³to do the right & to love goodness.´

Subjective Dimension of Human Conscience

By subjective, we do not mean that the judgment of conscience depends
not only on what an individual thinks (kanya
(kanya--kanya mentality) but that
our individual conscience is simply ours & no one else¶s. Our
conscience has a unique role that nothing & no one else can perform: it
judges what we must do or avoid by creatively applying universal
objective moral laws to our concrete moral act.
 Objective Dimension of Human Conscience
Our conscience are shaped by the influence of others; they do not
develop in a vacuum. As children we learn by our parents &
teachers, & as teenagers we learn by our friends, media, &
religious education. Only through interaction do we fully understand
the fundamental human values & objective norms that guide our
consciences in making moral judgments. The relational nature of
our consciences flows directly from our relational nature as
persons. Thus, our conscience always have a social dimension.
 Follow Your Conscience
We experience the law of God written in our hearts within us when
we reflect on our moral acts. For instance, we chose to study than to
spend time with your Ô  
Ô   ,, we realize that our capacity to discern
what we should do & the decision to do so are not the results of any
merely private whim. Rather, this experience of the working of our
conscience is based directly on the natural human capacities of
intellect & free will as exercised within a social context. By creating
us a rational persons, God has endowed us with the capacity to
discern what, in their best lights, given the limitations of their reason,
freedom, & all their faculties, they consider to be truly good & should
be done. Hence, our dignity as persons lies in following our properly
formed consciences; when we reject the call of conscience, we sin.

ducate Your Conscience
Sincerely following our consciences is not our only moral
obligations as human persons. We also need to form or educate
our conscience; because conscience gradually develop. It is
formed by many influences: family, friends, religious practices,
catechesis, even media. It is our moral responsibility to develop
our own correct conscience; one that judges true moral
goodness.

very person has an obligation to develop his conscience. This is
because, as we mature, conscience also undergoes stages of
development: instinctive, ethical or moral, & religious or Christian.

Instinctive Level
It is the stage where most young children are. They do not yet see the
intrinsic goodness or evil acts.
acts. Hence, children at this level cannot
understand yet the inherent goodness of doing honest acts.

thical or Moral Stage
We become aware that the goodness or evil of acts is not dependent on
the approval or disapproval of others. We may choose to do good or
evil depending on the level of awareness we have.
 Christian or Religious Level
We see our moral actions as a response of faith to God our Father who
summons us through the Risen Christ & the Holy Spirit to goodness &
the fullness of our graced life. It is our relationship with the Triune God
that can empower us to do what is good & avoid what is evil.

Our conscience is influenced by what we learn & how we feel, our

intellectual & affective aspects: our mind & our heart.

Ways of Forming our Minds:

~ Learning from the experiences & reflections of friends
friends..
~ Taking time to read & study the Bible
Bible..
~ Listening to parents¶ advice or engaging in a dialogue with them
over important issues
issues..
~ Learning in school by our teachers & discussions
discussions..
~ Studying moral teachings & principles of our society & of the
Catholic Church on moral issues
issues..
~ Consulting or asking questions from elderly people.
 Ways of Forming our Hearts:
~ Spending moments alone in a quiet personal prayer &
reflection.
~ Attending & participating in the
ucharist Liturgy.
~ Joining reflection sessions, prayer groups, or youth
recollections with friends.
~ Receiving the sacraments, especially the Sacrament of the
Holy
ucharist (Communion) & the Sacrament of
Reconciliation.