My dear parishioners,
Peace! In other bulletins (4 December, 2016-11 June, 2017) we have considered the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on “conscience.” We then turned to Saint John Paul II’s encyclical letter Veritatis splendor (6 August, 1993) which addresses fundamental moral issues, including “conscience” more than one hundred times. These reflections were begun earlier (6 April, 2018-30 May, 2018). Here we now consider a passage from Veritatis splendor, 110
Saint John Paul II (+2005) when considering the “the service of moral theologians” in chapter III reminds us that “the Magisterium carries out an important work of vigilance, warning the faithful of the presence of possible errors, even merely implicit ones, when their consciences fail to acknowledge the correctness and the truth of the moral norms which the Magisterium teaches.”
When the Holy Father highlights the vigilance of the Magisterium, not only in matters of faith but also morals, he is following up on the prophecy of Ezekiel “son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel…” (3:17; 33:7). It was not only in the days of Gibeah that deep corruption necessitated a prophet as a watchman (cf. Hosea 9:8-9).
What good would a watchman be if he never sounded the alarm? The best sentinels are at their posts. Sometimes a warning is by siren, others by trumpet blast, even a knowing look or nod can serve as a warning. An “ideology of gender” denying “the difference and reciprocity” between men and women is one alarm sounded by Pope Francis in Amoris Laetitia, 56 (19 March, 2016). Pope Francis has made other warnings by likening abortion to hiring a hitman (27 September, 2021) or those engaged in human trafficking as other “Judases” (8 April, 2020).
Various possible errors may be encountered in our moral life. Rash promises are made erroneously (cf. Ecclesiastes 5:2). Some errors are due to deceit, when we are tricked (Jeremiah 20:7 is not a case of this, while Ephesians 4:14 addresses the issue clearly). If leaders lead us astray we may find ourselves in error (cf. Jeremiah 23:1-2). Some errors are just mistakes or accidents (e.g. 2+2 = 5 is a mathematical error, although in the USSR it was used in Communist propaganda…). Some numeral errors have been done intentionally in order to “cook the books” (e.g. Alphonse Capone’s accounting system, Enron…).
Sometimes implicit errors are the foundation for explicit errors (or the other way around). Imagine if I don’t think there is anything that is sinful (explicitly), then, implicitly no particular sort of thing (e.g. murder, lying, theft, rape, kidnapping…) are sinful…
If Mother Church goes to such efforts to teach us how to avoid sins in general and specific sins it is because Jesus Christ came to save us from our sins (cf. Matthew 1:21). This is why there are moral norms taught by the Magisterium, even until he should return in glory (cf. Matthew 16:27; 24:30; 25:31; 26:64).
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr