My dear parishioners,
Peace! Under headings of Judgment, Formation, Choice in Accord, Erroneous Judgment and In Brief, the Catechism of the Catholic Church addresses “conscience” in twenty-nine passages. Here we consider CCC, 1779.
In order for us to hear and follow the voice of conscience we must be self-aware or”sufficiently present” to ourselves.
Without any reflection on what we are doing, what we have done, or what will do, we make ourselves less than unreflective beasts. While the Catechism does not cite Socrates or Plato (Apology 38a5-6) the ancient saying: “The unexamined life is not worth living” comes to mind.
Another way to say this is interiority is required of us. Interiority comes from the medieval Latin interioritas, meaning interior. As relates to “conscience” interiority refers to what is going on inside of us, our motivations, desires, and deeds. Benedict XVI addresses “interiority” in his Encyclical Caritas in Veritate, 76 (29 June, 2009) warning against any contemporary tendency toward a technological reductionsim of human interiority, emotions, interior life to a “purely psychological point of view”which would do away with meaning, awareness and “the ontological depths of the human soul as probed by the saints.”
Making a self-examination is one aspect of having a conscience. Many people examine their conscience by looking at the Ten Commandments (or Decalogue) (cf. Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:6-21). Others look to the “Beatitudes” (cf. Matthew 5:3-10; Luke 6:20-23) and the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (cf. Matthew 5-7). The virtues and the vices also help us to examine our conscience. Ascetical theology looks to the “polishing, smoothing, or refining” of the human person redeemed by Christ even as the ancient Greek athletes trained and developed their physical prowess (from the Greek askesis, askein). There is a general examination of conscience which recalls all the faults of the day and a particular examination of conscience which focuses our attention on one single defect, marking the frequency or on one virtue in order to increase and grow. Saint Ignatius of Loyola (+1556) in his Spiritual Exercises insists on the importance of the examination for the spiritual life. Saint Ignatius himself practiced the following five step daily examen and required the members of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) to practice the examen twice a day, at noon and at the end of the day: first, become aware of God’s presence; second, review the day with gratitude; third, pay attention to your emotions; fourth, choose one feature of the day and pray from it; fifth, look toward tomorrow. Examination allows for intentional living, unlike logs just floating downstream.
When considering the introspection which conscience demands the Catechism cites the Commentary on the Letters of Saint John by Saint Augustine (+431): “Return to your conscience, question it… Turn inward, brethren, and in everything you do, see God as your witness.” While we may be able to fool some of the people some of the time, and even ourselves, we can never fool God.

God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr