Do you have a clear conscience? Ask the Catechism.
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Por: Javier Ordovás | Fuente: Catholic.net

The Catechism is one of the sources to educate your conscience.
Do you have a clear conscience? Ask the Catechism.
 
We can ask many of our questions to the Catechism. What does the Catechism tell us about conscience?
By: Javier Ordovás | Source: Catholic.net
 
The abbreviated Catechism (Compendium) is published in the form of 598 questions to make it more attractive. The reading and consultation of the Catechism is an excellent way of acquiring formation and explaining the "Why" of faith and morality.
 
See: http://www.vatican.va/archive/index_sp.htm
 
We can ask many of our questions to the Catechism. What does the Catechism tell us about conscience? Every person’s dignity includes the rightness of conscience that implies freedom and its corresponding responsibility.
 
The righteous and truthful conscience is formed with education, with the assimilation of the word of God, the teachings of the Church and the assistance of the Holy Spirit, aided with the advice of prudent people.
 
The conscience must follow a pattern of behavior that the Catechism summarizes in three norms. Nonetheless, the conscience can make erroneous judgments, partly with personal guilt.
 
At the end of any decision, the best judge we can have is God who knows perfectly our righteousness of intent and who is Father and merciful.
 
Here are some points of the abbreviated Catechism about this theme, with reference to the numbers of the complete Catechism. It is worth for you to take a look at them:
 
372. What is moral conscience? (1776-1780), (1795-1797)
 
Moral conscience, present in each person’s intimacy, is a judgment of the reason, which in the opportune moment, drives the man to do well and to avoid evil. Thanks to it, the human person perceives the moral quality of an act to be performed or already done, allowing him to assume responsibility for it. When he hears the moral conscience, the prudent man can feel the voice of God speaking to him.
 
373. What constitutes the dignity of the person in relation to the moral conscience? (1780-1782), (1798)
 
Human dignity implies the righteousness of moral conscience, that is to say that it is in agreement with what is right and good according to the reason and the Law of God. Because of the same personal dignity, the man should not be forced to work against his conscience, nor should he be prevented from working in accordance with it, especially in the religious field, within the limits of the common good.
 
 
374. How is the moral conscience formed to be straight and truthful? (1783-1788), (1799-1800)
 
The righteous and truthful conscience is formed with education, with the assimilation of the Word of God and the teachings of the Church. It is assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit and aided by the advice of prudent people. In addition, moral formation is greatly encouraged by both prayer and conscience’s examination.
 
375. What standards should consciousness always follow? (1789)
 
Three are the most general rules that the conscience must always follow:
 
1) It is never permissible to do evil to obtain a good.
2) The so-called Golden rule: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. " (Mt 7, 12).
3) Charity always implies respect for others and their conscience, although this does not mean accepting as good what is objectively evil.
 
376. Can moral conscience issue erroneous judgments? (1790-1794), (1801-1802)
 
The person must always obey the true judgment of one's conscience, which, however, may also make erroneous judgments, for reasons not always exempt from personal guilt. However, it is not imputable to the person the evil committed by involuntary ignorance, even if it remains objectively an evil. It is, therefore, necessary to strive to correct the moral conscience of its mistakes.