Is my conscience enough?

 

                                                                     Mr. Didanoto's classroom

I shuddered when, in response to a question about what could restrain his power, the president said:

"My own morality, my own mind."

God placed in our hearts a natural law, whose voice calls us to "love and to do what is good and to avoid evil." (CCC1776)

But, we must understand that Natural Law uses reason and a well-formed conscience:

"It is by the judgment of his conscience that man perceives and recognizes the prescriptions of the divine law." (CCC1778)

We have to be careful here, because our judgment should be deeply rooted in divine law. It is actually the mind of God that we must follow.

Following are some points of wisdom from the "Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)." I encourage you to take your time with them: 

1783 Conscience . . . formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator.

1784 The education of the conscience is a lifelong task. 

1786 Faced with a moral choice, conscience can make either a right judgment in accordance with reason and the divine law or, on the contrary, an erroneous judgment that departs from them.

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

Let us not miss the reality that our decision-making is not as simple as proclaiming "my own morality, my own mind." We must use our reason and divine law when it comes to making moral decisions that should always lead us to "doing good and avoiding evil." (We can certainly go even deeper into this in identifying what is evil.)

The truth is, if we rely ONLY on morality of our own making, and the thoughts in our own mind, we can easily be led to poor decision-making.

I encourage you to check out the links below that are related to today's blog. Pray over these and study them a bit to educate yourself on these important topics.

Janet Cassidy
Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com

janetcassidy.com
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/
https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy  

 

Relevant video (Trump):

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysZJUjhnt3M

Relevant article on conscience: 

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/catechism/index.cfm?recnum=4994

Relevant article on Natural Law:

https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/natural-law

 

Influence the world for good

 

"By their deeds, the disciples are to influence the world for good."

This explanation in my Bible's footnote about verses 13-16 of Matthew Chapter 5 caused me to really think about who a disciple is and what they are called to do. 

I had a conversation with a neighbor years ago who dismissed the idea of faith by saying that she was just teaching her daughter to be a good person, implying that was enough.

Maybe you think this way, or you know someone who does, but being a good person (while commendable), is lacking, if your "goodness" is not built on solid ground and is disconnected from Jesus.

An easy reading of Matthew, Chapters 4 & 5, makes it pretty clear:

FIRST, Jesus called those who were to become his disciples, THEN he taught them what their mission was. He wasn't simply calling good people to follow him. He wasn't giving them instruction about how to be nice people.

They needed both a relationship with him, and his instruction.

So back to my footnote.

Every day, in every way, each of us is called to "influence the world for good" by our "deeds."

Whatever your deeds are, whether they include spending time with someone, writing a card, praying, serving the poor, teaching or some big sacrificial act, those deeds should add good to the world, but remember, their foundation comes from discipleship, not just from being a good person.

While God will bless all of our efforts, his greatest desire is that we are close to him, from whom we draw our understanding and strength.

Being good is okay, but the fullness of discipleship is so much more.

And one more thing, just to make you think even harder, "Who decides what good is, if you don't have Jesus?"

Janet Cassidy
Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com

janetcassidy.com
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/
https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy 

 

A Doughnut for Your Story?

 

I was leaving the doughnut shop and I heard the next customer say, "I need a minute to look. I haven't been in a doughnut shop in years."

Naturally, my first thought was, "What?" How is it possible not to be in a doughnut shop for years?

Then, I heard the rest of the conversation.

"I've been in China for 12 years and the best I could get was a doughnut from something like a Walmart. Not a real doughnut."

It was all I could do not to stop right there and start asking him questions, but my more disciplined self stopped me. Still, I'd love to know the rest of his story.

We all have stories to tell and while they might seem ordinary to us, I think they might be quite interesting to others. In addition to details about life, I am always interested in stories that bring people to faith. They are often a fascinating testament to God tangibly working in someone's life.

Often circuitous, the twists and turns and surprises of life add great interest to our story.

This week, as we continue to celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, let's tell each other our story and draw closer to one another--even those who do not share our particular faith.

As we grow closer, our unity will strengthen our work towards peace, and Heaven knows we need peace in this world.

What is your story of faith? Are you willing to share it?

Janet Cassidy
Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com

janetcassidy.com
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/
https://www.youtube.com/@janetcassidy