Conscience, Reason and God's Law, Freedom, What is Conscience? How our conscience helps us to make good choices?

1. FREEDOM FROM THE INSIDE
Our Freedom and The Church as our teacher.

2. YOUR CONSCIENCE CALLS YOU TO BECOME
BETTER & HOLY
 Everything you have ever done has a
witness.
a) Have you ever been bother for
something you did, that you knew was
wrong?
b) Or have you ever NOT done
something because you knew it was
wrong?
 This small voice inside of your heart
that tells you the difference between
right or wrong is called your:
CONSCIENCE.
 You are your constantly witness to
your own actions, through your
CONSCIENCE.
 In addition, Your Conscience calls
you to become a better and a Holy
Person.

3. EVERYONE WAS CREATED WITH A CONSCIENCE
 Every single person God has created
has a CONSCIENCE.
 It is another building Gift that God gave
in every man, in all times, and in all
places.
 Because God created man with Free
Will and Reason, He wants you
1) to use this reason to know
2) and to do what is good,
3) So you can keep growing in the Love
that you have for Him.

4. CONSCEINCE
WHERE FREEDOM & GOD’S LAW MEET
 In the last lesson you learned all about
God’s Law
 Remember, God’s Law set all men free
because God crated us for Him,
 And He wants you and every single person,
he ever created to be with Him in Heaven.
 God wants you to freely choose Him by
freely following His Laws
 God is so good with you that He gave
you a CONSCIENCE.
 CONSCEINCE is where freedom & God’s
Law meet.

5. YOU JUDGE WHAT IS RIGHT OR WRONG
ACCORDING TO GOD’S LAW
 CONSCEINCE is where freedom &
God’s Law meet.
 You judge what is right or wrong
according to God’s Law, and then apply
it to everyday life.
 Although God gives you Laws to follow, He
loves you so much that HE do not make
you follow them.
 He wants you to follow them because you
love Him
 He is not going to do your thinking &
your doing, for you.
 That is why He gave you reason & free
Will,
 so you can use them to think and make
decisions about what you’re going to do.

6. GOD’S LAW IS WRITTEN IN EVERY HUMAN HEART
 In order to understand conscience, we going to
review: God’s Law
 One very important factor to remember about
God’s Law is that
 you can apply it to our Conscience.
 God’s Law is the same for all time, for all people, all
places; NO MATTER who you are, or where you lived.
 God’s Law is written in every human heart
because every human person
 No Matter where they were born,
 or who they are…
 it is a person made in Image & Likeness of God.
 All people are held to a high standard of DIGNITY
because of His Image & Likeness
 Therefore, God’s Law never goes out of style or gets
old. It always remain…

7. GOD LEAVES IT UP TO YOU TO APPLY HIS LAW
 And because of all this, God gives
you a very big responsibility.
 He leaves it up to you to apply His
Law, in all the varieties of moments, in
your particular life.
 He gives every person, He ever
created, responsibility
 This is where person’s freedom meet
His Law.
 Although He gave you the guide line,
 it is up to you to use our reason & free
will
 to apply them in your ordinary everyday
life.
 Your CONSCIENCE is base on all of
God’s Laws which are TRUTH.

8. YOUR CONSCIENCE TAKES THIS TRUTHS
 Your conscience takes these Truths
that you know from God’s Laws,
 and apply them to judge what to do in
a particular situation.
 For Example:
 God’s Law tells you it is wrong to lie
 God’s Law never Change
1) And it is always wrong to lie in all the
situations…
2) because God knows “lie” Is Not The Truth
He created you for.
3) And it is below our Human Dignity to lie

9. CONSCIENCE BASE ON
THE UNCHANGING OF GOD’S LAW
 Let see an example of “a lie”
 Your Mom bake some cookies, and asked you if you ate all
them
 you are embarrassed because you ate all the cookies that
she bake & were cooling on the counter.
 This is were your conscience kicks in!
 God’s Law does not specifically say:
that you shall not lie to your Mom about the question of
eating all the cookies…NO!
 The Commandment just said: “You shall not bare false
witness against your neighbor”.
 So, your conscience base on the unchanging of God’s
Law…
 it can make a JUDGMENT, in this particular situation,
a) to judge that you Shall Not Lied,
b) and you should admit that you ate all the cookies.
 So following your Conscience,
a) you Reason what is right thing to do,
b) and you admit you ate all the cookies.

10. USE YOUR FREEDOM TO CHOOSE GOD
 Every time you use your freedom to
choose God in a particular moment to
follow His Laws, the more free you are.
 It is just like exercising your muscles,
the more you use them, the stronger
you become.
 The more you exercise your “Will” in
choosing God, more free you become to
keep choosing Him.

11. HIS LAWS HAVE BEEN THE SAME
THROUGH ALL TIME
 Think about the millions of people God
has created over the centuries,
 His Laws have been the same through all
time for all these millions of people
 And each individually has give a
responsibility to apply God’s Law in their
own Life.
 Your CONSCIENCE is the tool He gave you
& all the millions of people;
to all through time for this huge responsibility!
 With your CONSCIENCE you are to use
your freedom in any situation, you may find
yourself in.

12. USE YOUR FREEDOM
TO MAKE A GOOD JUDGMENT
 Using your own freedom and God’s Law, your
CONSCIENCE helps you, in the practical living
of life..
to use your freedom to make a good judgment
about what is good & right.
 For example The 4th Commandment said that
you Honor your father & mother
a) God wants you to show respect to your father &
mother,
b) But also, He wants you to exercise your freedom
and reason to show them honor & love.
 Now, the Commandment does not say
specifically
 how to show honor to your father & mother
 Or how to avoid dishonoring them

13. YOUR CONSCIENCE IS ALWAYS ON THE ALERT
 Lets see an Example on an specific
situation
 Once your mother ask you to help with dinner
 Even thought it is Not a Commandment
that says
That you should go and make a dinner salad
when your mother ask…
 Your Conscience, accessing the Specific
of the situation,
 helps you to freely choose to obey your Mom,
and go make the salad. Isn't that easy?
 So you are following God’s Law (4th
Commandment) by making a salad for
dinner.
 Your Conscience is always on the alert,
watching what is right and what is wrong.

14. YOUR CONSCIENCE IS ALWAYS ON THE ALERT
 Not only your conscience work before you
make a decision,
 It is also working overtime, while you act or
should acted,
 It is always a witness to your actions
 For example:
 Your mom asks you to do a salad, and you say
Yes!
 But then you continue to doing your things
 Your Conscience is that little feeling inside of
you that tells you to do what your mom asked
you to do
 It is pocking you; it keeps pocking you!
 Actually this action of your conscience can
lead you to do what is right and what is good.
 After a couple of minutes, of trying to ignore your
conscience, you get up & do what you were ask.

15. YOUR CONSCIENCE IS YOUR CONSTANT WITNESS
TO ALL YOUR ACTIONS
 Your conscience is your constant witness to
all your thoughts and actions.
 And it doesn’t quit once the judgment has been
made and an action began… Isn’t your
conscience busy?
 Some times you force our conscience into
working even harder
 Think about when you’re done something you
knew was wrong
 Remember your conscience is your constant
witness
 It let you know what you are doing is against
God’s Law.
 That is why you may feel guilty or bad
sometimes.

16. NOW YOUR CONSCIENCE HELPS YOU TO
MAKE THE RIGHT JUDGMENT
 Let see an example:
a) You are playing baseball and you brake your neighbor
window
b) It was an accident you didn't meant to brake your neighbor’s
window
c) But immediately you reacted by running away
 Now your Conscience is going to help you to make the
right judgment, on these particular circumstance, of what
you should do.
 So half way down to the street, your conscience is calling you,
to own up the fact that you destroy the window
 And now it would be good & honorable for your to go to
admitted to your neighbor and apologize.
 This is just the right thing to do
 so you start to slow down and our conscience is telling you to
go back
 Your Conscience witness to your actions and urge you to go
your neighbors house and admit what happen
 By turning back & apologizing by braking the window,
you did what is RIGHT & GOOD

17. YOUR CONSCIENCE LEADS YOU BACK TO GOD
 Since your conscience is a witness to all your
actions, when you sin, your conscience leads
you back to God
 It witness you all your actions
and reminds you of the dignity and love which
you were created for
 When the conscience witnesses your actions,
it sends out warnings, signals when you have
done something that goes against God’s Love.
 This conscience send this signals to your
heart to be sorry and to ask God’s forgiveness,
in the sacrament of Confession/Reconciliation.
 It is the witness that reminds all you have
done or neglected to do,
 that was not pleasing to God,
 and not following His Law.

18. THROUGH THE SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION
YOU ARE ONCE AGAIN SET FREE FROM SIN

19. THROUGH THE SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION
YOU ARE ONCE AGAIN SET FREE FROM SIN
 Examination of Conscience is one of
the first steps of a good confession.
 You can examine your conscience
(your witness) to see what you need to
set free from
 Going through the sacrament of
Confession you are once again set free
from sin.
 Since your realize is your conscience to
help make judgment about what is right and
good…
 It is very important for you to make sure that
your conscience is on tip top shape.
 This leads to Freedom!

20. “CONSCIENCE”
THE JUDGMENT OF REASON
 Remember, “Conscience” is the judgment of reason,
where you take God’s Laws and applied them to your
life.
 Your judgment is base on the laws of God that never
change
 God’s laws never change ever
 Sometimes you reason can make bad judgment
because you some times you make mistakes
1) Because you don’t have enough information to make a
good judgment
2) Or someone thought you something different, or give
you the wrong information
 This doesn’t make us God’s laws wrong
Remember God’s Law is TRUTH, and Truth never
changes
 So the conclusion is that you were wrong and you
make a wrong judgment

21. WE MAKE WRONG JUDGMENTS
 Sometimes we make wrong judgments; it is
inevitable
In every day life this can happen all the time
 For example
1) You run into your garage door with your bike because
you were faster than you thought
2) or you burn a chocolate cake because you didn’t
thought the oven was too hot.
 You can make mistakes since your conscience is a
function of your “Reason or intellect”,
 it can error,
 and make judgments that do not line up with the Reason
and Divine Law
 The errors can be because by a variety of
reasons.
a) You may not have had all the information you need
b) Or maybe you misunderstood
c) Or you were thought something different
d) Or you were thought some incorrect information

22. ERRORS CAN BE BECAUSE A VARIETY OF REASONS
 Errors can be because a variety of
reasons,
but although this may happen, ultimately is
up to you to get all the information…
 your conscience need to make a good
judgment. God left this responsibility, up to
you,
 And it is one of the responsibility that
goes with freedom.
 Getting all the information that your
conscience need to make a good decision
is called: FORMING YOUR CONSCIENCE

23. THE VALUE & RESPONSIBILITY OF
OUR CONSCIENCE
 St. Paul knew the value and
responsibility of his conscience
 He wrote an encourage letter to
the Romans and says:
Do notconform to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind.
That you may prove what’s God's will is good,
pleasing and perfect.

24. GOD PROVIDES YOU WITH ALL
THE MEANS NECESSARY
 One way to renew your mind is constantly
working on learning what is good,
acceptable, & perfect.
 God has provided you with wise people,
like your parents, teachers, the pope &
bishops, etc.
 God also gives us the Holy Scriptures,
but that is not all
 Just as you look your Mom & Dad for help on
forming your conscience and learning what is
right & wrong,
 God also provides another guide (who you were
born spiritually at your baptism) It is the Church
our teacher!

25. HOW CAN THE CHURCH BE OUR TEACHER?
 We already talked about God’s law and how the
judgment of your conscience is base in the Truth of
God’s Law
 But you will need a little reference
 You may know God’s Law, but you may not always
know the best way to follow His Laws.
 And you know that you want to, but you don’t know
how
 So where can you go for help? As usually God
provides
 He gave the Church the authority to interpret His Law;
 This is one of the particular laws of the
MAGISTERIUM of the Church
 MAGISTERIUM means the Pope & all the Bishops
in union with him.

26. THE LAW OF GOD WAS ENTRUSTED TO THE
MAGISTERIUM WHO IS GUIDED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

27. THE LAW OF GOD WAS ENTRUSTED
TO THE MAGISTERIUM
 The Law of God was entrusted to the
Magisterium who is guided by the Holy Spirit
 The Church has the same goal for you, as your
heavenly Father does
 She is your teacher and wants you to join your
Father in Heaven
 She Loves you and helps you to follow His Law.
 Just think what the Church has lived through
over the years, since Jesus established her on
earth:
a) Persecution, Heresies, etc.
b) No to mention how the world has change; Think all
the changes do the world have gone through
 The Church & her authority have remain
stronger
 She still the Pillar & the builder of the TRUTH
 Even when so many times the world is very confuse

28.  Since Jesus is Truth and Right, He can never be wrong, He is
God!
 He established the Church to carry his mission, after He
ascended into heaven
 He gave the Church the gift of INFALLABILITY
 INFALLABILITY: guaranties that the Church can never be wrong in
matters of faith & morals.
 The Infallibility of the Church is rooted in the Truth of Christ

29. On the Gospel of Matthew, He said:
All power is given to me in heaven and earth, Go therefore,
teach all nations, Baptizing them in the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have
commanded you and behold I am with you always, even to the
consummation of the world
(Matthew 28: 18-20)

30. THE CHURCH CAN GUIDE YOU
IN GOOD & MORAL ACTS.
 The Gift of Infallibility is not for the Church
itself; it is for you & your conscience
 So she can guide you in good & moral acts.
 The church is so anxious to get you to
Heave;
she takes the time to teach you all about the
Truth
 You can see the infallibility of the Church in
action when the Pope makes a declaration
about faith & morals;
they teaches us about what is right & what is
wrong.
 It is Jesus teaching through the Chair of
Peter and the Magisterium of the Church.

31. IT IS JESUS TEACHING THROUGH THE CHAIR OF PETER
AND THE MAGISTERIUM OF THE CHURCH

32.  When it comes to growing in Holiness, the Church does not
hold back,
 Not only you are guaranty guidance, but she places with
everything you can possible need
 to form your conscience, to know what is good.
 And straighten your Will to do what is good.
 First, safe guard the word of God
 Scriptures contains God’s Law both the Old Law of the 10
commandments
 And also the New Life of Christ

33. WHEN IT COMES TO GROWING IN HOLINESS, THE
CHURCH DOES NOT HOLD BACK
 She also has the Sacraments: (Baptism,
Confirmation, Eucharist, Confession, Holy Orders, Holy
Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick)
 you can gain Grace, and live a good and moral
life.
 Sacraments that help you see more clearly the
truth of God’s Law, and Grow in Holiness
 But that’s not all, through all times, and all
places,
the Church has held up examples of those who
have gone before us
 This are the Saints
 The saints are example of Holiness, obedience
 and witnesses to the Church of Christ which stay
profess
 Not only the saints are models of Holiness,
they also show us how to be obedience and
love the Church.

34. QUICK REVIEW
1. What does your conscience base its judgment on
determine if an action is right or wrong?
 God’s law, it is always Truth and it is always unchanging
2. Which Sacrament does your conscience move you
toward, by being a witness of all of your action?
 Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation
3. What is it called, when you seek to know what is True
and Good?
 It is called FORMING YOUR CONSCIENCE
 This keep your conscience in tip top shape and informing
it, so you could made good decision forming your
conscience.
4. Who has Jesus authority to interpret God’s Law?
 The Church

35. YOUR CONSCIENCE KEEP YOU
IN THE RIGHT TRACK
• Your conscience keep you in the right track,
using reason,
• you can make a judgment about what is right
and what is wrong
• By applying God’s Law to every situation in
your life.