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A Well-Formed Conscience

Posted on February 7, 2023 by Published by

My brothers and sisters, in this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus clearly states that He came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. The law of the Old Testament is the Ten Commandments, and Jesus came to show us how to follow the law through love.

Each of us as baptized individuals are called to imitate Christ. This is our life’s goal. This should be our greatest desire. What makes us like Jesus is the fact that we our free and that we can love. Our freedom consists in our ability to make a choice between good and evil. Jesus asks us to choose what is good; for only when we choose what is good, do we most fully resemble God, who does only what is good.

In our contemporary world, where we are so inundated with news about murders, adulterous relationships, and people who have not remained true to their word, it is as if we have become accustomed to sin—accustomed to evil—and it does not bother us. It is with this in mind that I would like to ask each of you these very important questions:

“What does your conscience look like? Do you listen to the voice of your conscience? Do you take time to form your conscience by learning the teachings of the Church? What do you choose most frequently: good or evil?”

In St. John’s Gospel, Jesus says: “I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” He also tells us that we must be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. The only way that we can have an abundant life is to do good, to truly love as God loves us. This does not mean that we will not fall or sin. It means, however, that we should always keep in mind that God created us for Heaven, and He wants us to choose life. Nothing will help us more to do what is good than to know what is the good and to believe that God loves us. Therefore, on this weekend, I would like to invite each of you to take time to form your consciences by learning what it is the Church teaches and why. (One practical way you can begin doing this is by reading Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church). I would also like to invite you to ask God for the grace to discover how much He loves you and the courage to follow His example and to do what is good.

Yours in Christ,
Father Arthur

Readings for the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time: Lectionary 76

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