On Conscience

A truly excellent article on forming our 'conscience' as Catholic Christians.  The article is presented by Fr. Juan Velez who has written "Passion for Truth: The life of John Henry Cardinal Newman," to be published in the Fall by TAN Books. He is co-author of "Take Five, Meditations With John Henry Cardinal Newman." It is lengthy but a great read, have a look:

Many people consider there is little more to life than thinking as they wish and doing as they feel. They speak of "my truth" and "my conscience," refusing to acknowledge an objective moral order. 

Unfortunately, this cultural relativism is also prevalent among Catholics, who often wish to act according to their subjective beliefs rather than the objective teaching of the Catholic Church.

Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman

Catholics who disagree with Church teaching often attempt to find a basis for their arguments in the teachings of Blessed John Henry Newman, who was beatified by Benedict XVI last Sept. 19, and whose feast day is Oct. 9. This great teacher on moral conscience wrote, among other things, on the development of Christian doctrine, the consent of the faithful in matters of doctrine, and on the supreme role of the moral conscience.

Those who question objective truths or the Church's capacity to command obedience to these truths often misunderstand the context and content of his teaching. In particular, Cardinal Newman's notion regarding the "freedom to follow my conscience" is invoked to sanction disagreement with the Church's teaching on obedience to the Pope, artificial contraception, the question of "divorce and remarriage," ordination of women and the practice of homosexuality.

What is conscience?

Conscience is a natural faculty by which man applies what he knows of natural law and revelation to decisions regarding his choice of actions. In the Letter to the Duke of Norfolk, Cardinal Newman explained that together with revelation -- an external witness to God that comes to us through the teaching of the Pope and the magisterium -- we have conscience, an internal witness which commands man to fulfill his duty. He described conscience as a messenger from God, an internal witness of God's revelation, which like a high priest, is able to command, to judge and to bless.

The following is Cardinal Cardinal Newman's description of conscience: "The rule and measure of duty is not utility, nor expedience, nor the happiness of the greatest number, nor state convenience, nor fitness, order, and the pulchrum. Conscience is not a long-sighted selfishness, nor a desire to be consistent with oneself, but it is a messenger from him, who, both in nature and in grace, speaks to us behind a veil, and teaches and rules us by his representatives."

Conscience is not the "self" speaking; it is the voice of God. Cardinal Newman explains that conscience is like a messenger of God speaking to us behind a veil. He even goes as far as to call it the original Vicar of Christ, attributing to it the offices of prophet, king and priest.

"Conscience is the aboriginal Vicar of Christ, a prophet in its information, a monarch in its peremptoriness, a priest in its blessings and anathemas, and, even though the eternal priesthood throughout the Church could cease to be, in it the sacerdotal principle would remain and would have a sway," said Cardinal Newman.

Father German Geissler comments on Cardinal Newman's words: "Conscience is a prophet because it tells us in advance whether the act is good or bad. It is a king because it exhorts us with authority: 'Do this, avoid that.' It is a priest because it blesses us after a good deed -- this means not only the delightful experience of a good conscience, but also the blessing which goodness brings in any case to people and to the world -- and likewise: 'condemns' after an evil deed, as an expression of the gnawing bad conscience and of the negative effects of sin on men and their surroundings. It is a principle that is written in the being of every person. It asks for obedience and refers to one outside of itself: to God -- for one's own sake and the sake of others."

Thus Cardinal Newman argues against conscience as a license for one's own utility or pleasure. Conscience is always bound to the truth. It should never be used as a justification for a self-referential interpretation of what is good and evil which cuts man off from God and his Revelation. No one can rightly say: "my conscience tells me this" in contradiction to that which God reveals in an external manner through Revelation and entrusts to the judgment of the Church.

For, instance, it is wrong to claim that "my conscience tells me the use of artificial contraception is acceptable" when God mandates in the Scriptures that sexual love is to be fruitful, and when the Church authoritatively teaches this doctrine. To sanction this choice under the notion "freedom of conscience" would be to make God's internal and external witness contradictory.

Conscience does not to decide on the truth about Natural Law or Revelation. Writer Jeff Mirus explains, "Conscience is a moral compass, not an intellectual one." It acts upon revelation and is subordinate to it. However, like Adam and Eve, men and women often wish to establish what is good and evil. Man can and does err in his moral judgments when his conscience ignores revelation.

Judgments and authority

Catholic Tradition has taught of the importance of forming one's conscience; people have the obligation to learn the truths of natural law and those revealed by God and taught by the Church. As Pope John Paul II taught in "Splendor Veritatis," there are objective moral norms that always apply. There are some negative precepts that admit of no exceptions. No "conscience" can rightly justify them.

Otherwise, a person acts on what is called "a poorly formed," or at times "deformed," conscience. The same can be said about education of children; they need to be formed at an early age in the truths of the faith, and the best source for instruction and formation in conscience is the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Cardinal Newman's teaching on conscience is found in his sermons and other works, but especially in his Letter to the Duke of Norfolk (1875), a response to his friend, William Gladstone, the prime minister of England. It was a brilliant defense of Catholic citizens in which Cardinal Newman asserted that they are loyal citizens of any just state. He explained that the Catholic religion does not keep Catholics from fulfilling their obligations as loyal citizens, and that the Holy See does not have the custom of interfering in their civic duties.

Cardinal Newman repeated the teaching of the constitution "Pastor Aeternus" of Vatican Council I, which asks Catholics for obedience to the Pope only in matters of faith and morals, and in matters of discipline and ecclesiastical government. Cardinal Newman explained that by obeying the Pope in such matters, the moral conscience is neither eliminated nor substituted by the Pope's authority.

Papal infallibility

As Vatican I asserted, the Pope's authority extends only to matters of doctrine and morals. We are obliged to believe, for example, what he teaches about the Holy Eucharist or marriage. His teaching does not extend on how to organize the water supply of a city, raise taxes, run elections, etc.

Cardinal Newman explained to his fellow Englishmen, who out of prejudice considered the teaching of the Pope's infallibility as a threat to English government or sense of pride, that this doctrine does not make Catholics puppets: did the Pope speak against Conscience in the true sense of the word, he would commit a suicidal act. He would be cutting the ground from under his feet. His very mission is to proclaim the moral law, and to protect and strengthen that "Light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world." On the law of conscience and its sacredness are founded both his authority in theory and his power in fact…I am considering here the Papacy in its office and its duties, and in reference to those who acknowledge its claims.

Cardinal Newman pointed out that so many types of acts by a Pope, such as the excommunication of a person in error or the Pope's blessing of the Spanish Armada, are not a matter of exercising his pontifical authority in an infallible manner, which would bind the faithful in conscience. Cardinal Newman wrote that Catholics are not bound by the Pope's personal character or private acts, but by his formal teaching (although it should be pointed out that, in the case of a person excommunicated, that is a canonical act that is indeed binding, whether or not it is infallible).

Difficult cases

If a scholar were to disagree with a doctrinal or moral teaching of the Church he should submit his judgment to the Church's teaching out of humility and obedience. Here too Cardinal Newman offered advice and good example. A theologian or for that matter a pastor should not create unrest among the faithful, much less confusion. Such a person should have the humility to admit that his opinion is likely mistaken, especially if the magisterium has already pronounced on the matter.

Upon being received in the Church Cardinal Newman accepted all its teachings, including the ones he did not fully understand. As the declaration of papal infallibility drew near, Cardinal Newman accepted this teaching, even if he thought that despite its truth it was not an opportune moment to make it. The English hierarchy had only just been restored in England in 1850, and there was a lot of prejudice against Catholics in England. In that country the so-called Ultramontane Catholics who advocated a temporal power by the Pope were making matters worse. In sum, Cardinal Newman thought this was not the best time for such a declaration, but he submitted to it.

Developing doctrine

"Development of doctrine" is one of Cardinal Newman's great contributions to theology. He argued that over time Catholic doctrine grows; it is explained better and conclusions are drawn from truths known earlier in time. At a cursory glance development of doctrine seems to imply that what was once held may now be shown not to be true. It would seem to undergird the idea that one can object in conscience to beliefs that later on may be shown to have been wrong in the first place. Cardinal Newman's seminal work which, in fact, actually led to his conversion on Oct. 9, 1845, argues the contrary. Cardinal Newman put forth safeguards for reaching the conclusion that a development is a true development. One of the main safeguards is, precisely, that it does not contradict earlier teaching, and another is that the new teaching was already implicit in earlier teaching. In sum development of doctrine does not support the claim the truths are subjective and therefore can be accepted or rejected by a Christian based on his own conscience.

A toast

Cardinal Newman noted that on rare occasions a person's conscience may collide with the Pope's teaching, for two reasons: 1) the Pope is attempting to teach in an area that does not really pertain to faith and morals as such, or 2) the person's conscience has not been formed properly. Cardinal Newman laid out the Church's long-standing teaching that on such occasions that person must obey his conscience, even if it is in error. Naturally, however, the person is obliged to seek the truth about the matter in question; and once he discovers the error, he must re-evaluate his position.

After providing some examples of papal statements or actions that are not infallible Cardinal Newman proceeded to make an affirmation which is often quoted to justify dissent from Church teaching: "Certainly, if I am obliged to bring religion into after-dinner toasts, (which indeed does not seem quite the thing) I shall drink -- to the Pope, if you please -- still, to conscience first, and to the Pope afterward."

Out of context, this casts doubt on all that Cardinal Newman taught, but properly examined, we understand that there should very rarely be opposition between conscience and the Pope. Since a well-formed conscience is God's voice, Cardinal Newman naturally would give it preference in a toast.

A Worthwhile Meditation: On Change

Good Morning, Church

Just a momentary reflection to begin the day....I stumbled across the following meditation in my morning prayers this morning.  I think it is worthwhile to share:

The Unseen God can help to make us truly grateful and humble.  Since we cannot see God, we must believe in Him without seeing.  What we can see clearly is the change in a human being, when one sincerely asks God for the strength to change. We should cling to faith in God and in His power to change our ways. Our faith in an Unseen God will be rewarded by a useful and serviceable life. God will not fail to show us the way we should live, when in real gratitude and true humility we turn to Him.

 Prayer for the Day:

I pray that I may believe that God can change me. I pray that I may be always willing to be changed for the better.

Cardinal Piacenza on the 21st Century Priest

The Church's real battlefield is the "secret landscape of man's spirit," and there, priests are invited to enter, with tact and compunction, counting on the grace of state that comes with ordination.

This was one of the observations offered Monday by Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, at a meeting with priests of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

That city's Archbishop José Gómez invited the cardinal to participate in an annual conference for Hispanic priests serving in the United States.

The cardinal's poetic address offered a profile of the priest of the 21st century.

"It is right that the priest insert himself in the ordinary life of men, but he must not yield to the conformisms and compromises of society," he said.

The priest "is not like 'others.' What people expect from him is, in fact, that he not be 'like others.'"

Cardinal Piacenza said a priest "will not hesitate to give his life, either in a brief but intense period of generous dedication without limits, or in a daily, long donation in the drop-by-drop progression of humble gestures of service to his people, tending always to the defense and formation of human greatness and of the Christian growth of each of the faithful and of the whole of his people."

"A priest must be simultaneously little and great, noble in spirit as a king, simple and natural as a peasant," the Vatican official continued. "A hero in overcoming himself, sovereign of his desires, a servant of the little ones and weak ones; who is not humbled in face of the powerful, but who bends down to the poor and the little ones, a disciple of his Lord and head of his flock."

He added, "No more precious gift can be given to a community than a priest according to the heart of Christ."

On Laughter...

The most wasted day of all is that on which we have not laughed.
--Sebastien R. N. Chamfort

Learning to laugh is part of our growth. It recognizes our shared experiences and helps us feel closer to one another. It also reminds us we are able to smile again, and that a better perspective on life is able to be enjoyed.

We only have today to live, and we are getting better today, so why not smile and enjoy it? Why not open ourselves up to a good laugh and let it push our pain or sorrow out? Let us choose to opt for joy, not sadness.

New English Liturgy Seen as "More Formal": ICEL

The executive director of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) visited Christendom College last week to explain the steps involved in producing the new translation of the missal of the liturgy in English.

Theologian Msgr. Andrew Wadsworth, a priest of the Archdiocese of Westminster, England, readily acknowledged that the new translation is "more formal."

He explained that the use of formal English words reflected the quality and the characteristics of the original Latin text, and it also avoided regional differences that are more often found in colloquial phrasings.

"The difference that we have in our language, when we use it in an everyday way, does not exist to the same level when we move everything up a notch," the priest said. "When we move everything to a more formal register of the use of English, then we have a language that is common across regional and national boundaries."

Msgr. Wadsworth suggested that the current translation is "a bit flat": "The ideas are there, but they've sort of been squashed. In the new translation, they are re-inflated. They have something of the natural balance that is evident in the Latin.

"The phrases balance each other perfectly, the ideas are well presented, and you get a greater sense of what the prayer is about."

In his talk titled "The Making of the Missal," the commission director also explained the translation process, which he said was undertaken with "great care" and with the involvement of the bishops at each step.

He said that a base translator, who is accomplished in both linguistics and theology, initially translates each text. That translation is then evaluated by a team of four bishops, who present the text to the 11 bishops who serve ICEL.  The text then goes to the 11 conferences that those bishops represent.  

There, comments and recommendations are made, after which it is sent back to
ICEL. The commission makes adjustments to the translation and then it goes back to the 11 conferences for review. With a two-thirds majority vote, it is approved and sent to the Holy See.

Gregorian chant

Msgr. Wadsworth, an accomplished musician and leader of a choir that performs internationally, also noted that the new Missal contains more music that any other Missal in the history of the Church.

"The music is Gregorian chant -- with which I believe you are familiar," he said with a smile. "The Latin and the English sometimes appear side by side, which is a powerful way to reinforce that the singing of chant in Latin is perfectly alright in an English celebration of the Mass."

He went on to encourage students in their study of Latin, saying that the language is the "matrix" of much of western civilization and even more so of the Church -- particularly with sacred liturgy.

"The number of men and women who have the necessary command of the language is pitifully small at the present. It has dwindled," he said. "You are part of the new wave that's going to produce a new generation of scholars that will have not only these skills, but the sensibility to understand what the liturgy is about because you've been formed with Catholic theology. It is not sufficient to be a linguist. You have to be a linguist who understands the theology of the liturgy and who understands the truest purpose of the liturgy."

Concluding, Msgr. Wadsworth said that the purpose of the production of the English edition of the Missal -- and the guiding purpose in all of ICEL's activity -- is to create a dignified celebration of the sacred liturgy enabling all people to come to a greater experience of the saving mysteries that are celebrated.  

New Liturgy Two Months Away

Good Morning, Church,

My inbox is filling up with requests for clarification on the Revised Liturgy For Mass which is to take effect in the english speaking world on November 27th, 2011 (First Sunday of Advent.)  This is indeed a cornerstone day in your author's life as I was not alive when last the Church did this.

Further information can be found on the Canadian Conference for Catholic Bishops website here.

You may also look to this Canadian website for more clarification.

I will be running a series of bulletin inserts for St. Ann's Parish beginning next week.  Above all else I invite us to keep an openmind to these changes as they are intended to enhance our traditional witness in the celebration of the Eucharist and to strengthen our unity with the Universal Church throughout the world.

As ever....stay tuned.

Thought for the Day: On Prayer

Prayer is neither black magic nor is it a form of demand note. Prayer is a relationship.
--John Heuss

A conversation requires two parts: talking and listening. When only we are talking, that is a monologue. When someone lectures, we listen. Prayer can be a form of conversation, yet if we examine the way we pray we may find it's a monologue.

We pray to ask for answers or guidance, to express our gratitude, and to bless those we care for. It's wonderful to open up a channel to God by beginning the conversation, but unless we allow time to listen we will never really develop a dialogue.

We can begin to change our way of praying. We can limit our requests so we are not listing a series of wishes or demands. We can ask for patience to listen and then allow a few moments to listen. The answers will come to us and our guidance will be given when we are truly ready to receive them. An equal balance of talking and listening will help strengthen our relationship with God.
   
Prayer for today:
I will pray and then listen, to allow God some time to communicate with me.

Pope Calls Families to New Evangelization

Families who are living for Christ are among the protagonists in the Church's mission to bring about a new evangelization, says Benedict XVI.

The Pope affirmed this today before praying the midday Angelus with crowds gathered at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo.

Reflecting on the passage from Philippians in today's liturgy, the Holy Father noted how the letter was written around the year 50 A.D., and therein was already a complete synthesis of the mystery of Christ: "incarnation, 'kenosis,' that is, humiliation unto death on the cross, and glorification."

"This mystery itself became one with the life of the Apostle Paul, who wrote this letter while he was in prison, awaiting a sentence of life or death," the Holy Father explained. "He writes: 'For me to live is Christ and die is gain.' It is a new sense of life, of human existence, that consists in living communion with the living Jesus Christ."

This communion, the Pontiff said, is not with a mere historical figure, "but with a man in whom God dwells personally."

"His death and resurrection are the Good News that, starting from Jerusalem, is destined to reach all people and nations, and to transform all cultures from within, opening them to the fundamental truth: God is love; he became man in Jesus and with his sacrifice he ransomed humanity from slavery to evil, giving it a trustworthy hope."

Benedict XVI proposed that today "we live in an epoch of new evangelization."

"The protagonists of this mission," he said, "are the men and women who, like St. Paul, can say: 'For me to live is Christ' -- persons, families, communities, who decide to work in the vineyard of the Lord, according to the image of this Sunday's Gospel. Humble and generous workers, who do not ask any other recompense than participating in the mission of Jesus and the Church."

Pontiff to Parents: Keep Striving to Be a Model for Your Children

This past Saturday the Holy Father offered an invitation to parents of Catholic children.

Benedict XVI is encouraging parents not to give up in their efforts to be a reference point for their children.

The Pope said this in a message to the 22nd Marian Day of the Family, held Saturday in the shrine of Torreciudad, in the Spanish province of Huesca. Opus Dei cares for the shrine.

The Holy Father said that children need to discover the "face of true love" in "constancy and the sense of duty."

He also exhorted families to "be a sign of hope in present-day society."

Overcoming Themselves

Cardinal Antonio Rouco Varela, archbishop of Madrid and president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, presided over the event, which gathered some 16,000 people from across Spain.

In his homily, the cardinal said that "life is a most beautiful story, and at the same time a dramatic story, in which children must be taught to struggle, to overcome themselves, and to go forward overcoming the snares of evil."

"Victory consists in holiness, man's true vocation," the cardinal affirmed.

The prelate reassured the families that "God is with man in an extraordinarily close, intimate and full way, so that the human being can make of the path of his life a path of salvation and glory."

Yet, to discover that closeness, Cardinal Rouco Varela recalled, "it is necessary to take a first step of faith, to believe in Jesus Christ 'firm in the faith,' as Benedict XVI said to young people a few days ago."