A Well-Formed Conscience: Critical for These Decisive Times, part 1

Cenacle 9/23/21

Lourdes Pinto

 

Fr Jordi spoke to us last week of Papal authority. He explained what INFALLIBILITY is, other teachings on faith and morals called ordinary magisterium, and a pope’s judgment applying a moral principle to a situation or controversy.

• This is the case of the pope’s support for the vaccine.

• An uncritical acceptance of the pope’s opinion on these matters is contrary to our responsibility to discern and act according to our conscience.

 

1. What is our conscience?

 

CCC 1776 - “Deep within his conscience, man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment. … For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. ...  His conscience is man’s most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God, whose voice echoes in his depths.”

 

• My Word is My life that must touch the depth of your heart. A hardened heart cannot feel the touch of My living Word. The intellect can receive My Word and manipulate it, but the Spirit penetrates a heart with My Word and transforms it. #116, p.311

 

• They (men) too must make themselves VULNERABLE at the feet of Jesus crucified and expose the depths of their hearts. Simple Path, p.33

 

CCC 1779- 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:

 

• By being attentive to how you use your hands or fail to use your hands, how you gaze at others, and how the words flow from your lips, you will come to know the sin that remains in your hearts. Simple Path, #105, p. 291

• My family, prepare for battle. Be attentive to Me. SP, #148, p.437

 

CCC 1781 - Conscience enables one to assume responsibility for the acts performed.

 

II. Formation of Conscience

 

CCC 1783 - Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences…

 

CCC1790 - Yet it can happen that moral conscience remains in ignorance… CCC1791 - 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.”

 

• Knowledgeable of Church’s teachings on faith & morals forms our conscience:

• Birth control- CCC2370 – as an end or means to render procreation impossible is intrinsically evil.

• Premarital sex- CCC2390-2391 - the sexual act must take place exclusively within marriage. Outside of marriage, it always constitutes a grave sin and excludes one from sacramental communion.

• Homosexuality- CCC-2357-2359 - basing itself on sacred scripture, which presents homosexual Max at acts of great depravity, tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” they are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

 

CCC 1784 - - The education of the conscience is a lifelong task. …it prevents or cures fear, selfishness and pride, resentment arising from guilt, and feelings of complacency, born of human weakness and faults. The education of the conscience guarantees freedom and engenders peace of heart.

 

CCC 1785 - In the formation of conscience, the Word of God is the light for our path; we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. We must also examine our conscience before the Lord’s Cross. We are assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of others, and guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church.

 

1. Conscience before difficult decisions-  Covid & mRNA “vaccine.”

 

CCC 1787 - Man is sometimes confronted by situations that make moral judgments less assured and decisions difficult. But he must always seriously seek what is right and good and discern the will of God expressed in divine law.

 

CCC 1788 - To this purpose, man strives to interpret the data of experience and the signs of the times assisted by the virtue of prudence, by the advice of competent people, and by the help of the Holy Spirit and his gifts.

 

• Fruits of Covid pandemic

“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.” Mt 12:33

 

• FEAR worldwide – caused anxiety, depression, mental distress, sleep disorders, pediatric depression, suicide, but also darkens our capacity to reason & discern

 

Spiritual problem – Philippians 4:4-7

 

Before we can go deep into our conscience to listen to the voice of God, we must deal with our fears. Our fears need to come into the light of our conscience before Christ crucified. This is important work for spiritual accompaniment (CCC1788-).

 

• DECEPTION -Lies:

Vaccine immunity is long-lasting (booster every five months. Vaccinated persons can get the virus and transmit it.)

Unvaccinated are spreading the virus (no mention of natural immunity)

 

• CENSORSHIP of any person, no matter the qualifications, that speak against the “agenda.”

Fruit of censorship & deception- to health measures of unknown substances with unknown long-term effects as love of neighbor

 

• DIVISION in families, communities,

Segregation – unvaccinated are being banned from “non-essential” services

Labeling of groups of people, “anti-vaxxers,” “conspiracy theorist,” misinformation

Bishops forcing their priests to confess to the congregation that they are unvaccinated

DISTANCING- loneliness, hospitals, social interactions, touch, smiles, human contact

CHILDREN are being greatly harmed

 

• CONTROL, - TYRANNY, mandate vaccines violate the dignity of the person–

loss of jobs, lockdowns, CDC “camps.”

Diocese in Canada is mandating vaccines to go to mass

“Stop and think about that: perfectly healthy priests being barred from administering the soul-saving graces of the sacraments because their natural immunity is no longer considered to be of any use. This is not only anti-science, anti-immunology, and anti-human, but anti-Christ.” Mark Mallett,

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently issued a new National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin implying that if Americans question and challenge the COVID shot mandates, they are now considered potential “” (DVE).

 

CCC 1782 - Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. “He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters.

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