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THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
§1700
The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation in the image and likeness
of God (article 1); it is fulfilled in his vocation to divine beatitude
(article 2). It is essential to a human being freely to direct himself to this
fulfillment (article 3). By his deliberate actions (article 4), the human
person does, or does not, conform to the good promised by God and attested by
moral conscience (article 5). Human beings make their own contribution to their
interior growth; they make their whole sentient and spiritual lives into means
of this growth (article 6). With the help of grace they grow in virtue (article
7), avoid sin, and if they sin they entrust themselves as did the prodigal
son1 to the mercy of our Father in heaven (article 8). In this way they
attain to the perfection of charity.
MAN: THE IMAGE OF GOD
§1701
«Christ, . . . in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and of
his love, makes man fully manifest to himself and brings to light his exalted
vocation.» 2 It is in Christ, «the image of the invisible
God,» 3 that man has been created «in the image and
likeness» of the Creator. It is in Christ, Redeemer and Savior, that the
divine image, disfigured in man by the first sin, has been restored to its
original beauty and ennobled by the grace of God.4
§1702
The divine image is present in every man. It shines forth in the communion of
persons, in the likeness of the union of the divine persons among themselves
(cf chapter two).
§1703
Endowed with «a spiritual and immortal» soul,5 The human
person is «the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own
sake.» 6 From his conception, he is destined for eternal beatitude.
§1704
The human person participates in the light and power of the divine Spirit. By
his reason, he is capable of understanding the order of things established by
the Creator. By free will, he is capable of directing himself toward his true
good. He finds his perfection «in seeking and loving what is true and
good.» 7
§1705
By virtue of his soul and his spiritual powers of intellect and will, man is
endowed with freedom, an «outstanding manifestation of the divine
image.» 8
§1706
By his reason, man recognizes the voice of God which urges him «to do what
is good and avoid what is evil.» 9 Everyone is obliged to follow
this law, which makes itself heard in conscience and is fulfilled in the love
of God and of neighbor. Living a moral life bears witness to the dignity of the
person.
§1707
«Man, enticed by the Evil One, abused his freedom at the very beginning of
history.» 10 He succumbed to temptation and did what was evil. He
still desires the good, but his nature bears the wound of original sin. He is
now inclined to evil and subject to error:
Man is divided in himself. As a result, the whole life of men, both individual
and social, shows itself to be a struggle, and a dramatic one, between good and
evil, between light and darkness.11
§1708
By his Passion, Christ delivered us from Satan and from sin. He merited for us
the new life in the Holy Spirit. His grace restores what sin had damaged in us.
§1709
He who believes in Christ becomes a son of God. This filial adoption transforms
him by giving him the ability to follow the example of Christ. It makes him
capable of acting rightly and doing good. In union with his Savior, the
disciple attains the perfection of charity which is holiness. Having matured in
grace, the moral life blossoms into eternal life in the glory of heaven.
IN BRIEF
§1710
«Christ . . . makes
man fully manifest to man himself and brings to light his exalted
vocation» (GS 22 # 1).
§1711
Endowed with a spiritual
soul, with intellect and with free will, the human person is from his very
conception ordered to God and destined for eternal beatitude. He pursues his
perfection in «seeking and loving what is true and good» (GS 15 # 2).
§1712
In man, true freedom is
an «outstanding manifestation of the divine image» (GS 17).
§1713
Man is obliged to follow
the moral law, which urges him «to do what is good and avoid what is
evil» (cf GS 16). This law makes itself heard in his conscience.
§1714
Man, having been wounded
in his nature by original sin, is subject to error and inclined to evil in
exercising his freedom.
§1715
He who believes in
Christ has new life in the Holy Spirit. the moral life, increased and brought
to maturity in grace, is to reach its fulfillment in the glory of heaven.
OUR VOCATION TO BEATITUDE
I. The Beatitudes
§1716
The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus' preaching. They take up the promises
made to the chosen people since Abraham. the Beatitudes fulfill the promises by
ordering them no longer merely to the possession of a territory, but to the Kingdom
of heaven:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be
satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of
evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.12
§1717
The Beatitudes depict the countenance of Jesus Christ and portray his charity.
They express the vocation of the faithful associated with the glory of his
Passion and Resurrection; they shed light on the actions and attitudes
characteristic of the Christian life; they are the paradoxical promises that
sustain hope in the midst of tribulations; they proclaim the blessings and
rewards already secured, however dimly, for Christ's disciples; they have begun
in the lives of the Virgin Mary and all the saints.
II. The Desire for Happiness
§1718
The Beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness. This desire is of
divine origin: God has placed it in the human heart in order to draw man to the
One who alone can fulfill it:
We all want to live happily; in the whole human race there is no one who does not assent to this proposition, even before it is fully articulated.13
How is it, then, that I seek you, Lord? Since in seeking you, my God, I seek a happy life, let me seek you so that my soul may live, for my body draws life from my soul and my soul draws life from you.14
God alone satisfies.15
§1719
The Beatitudes reveal the goal of human existence, the ultimate end of human
acts: God calls us to his own beatitude. This vocation is addressed to each
individual personally, but also to the Church as a whole, the new people made
up of those who have accepted the promise and live from it in faith.
III. Christian Beatitude
§1720
The New Testament uses several expressions to characterize the beatitude to
which God calls man:
- the coming of the Kingdom of God;16
- the vision of God: «Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see
God» 17
- entering into the joy of the Lord;18
- entering into God's rest:19
There we shall rest and see, we shall see and love, we shall love and praise. Behold what will be at the end without end. For what other end do we have, if not to reach the kingdom which has no end?20
§1721
God put us in the world to know, to love, and to serve him, and so to come to
paradise. Beatitude makes us «partakers of the divine nature» and of
eternal life.21 With beatitude, man enters into the glory of
Christ22 and into the joy of the Trinitarian life.
§1722
Such beatitude surpasses the understanding and powers of man. It comes from an
entirely free gift of God: whence it is called supernatural, as is the grace
that disposes man to enter into the divine joy.
«Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.»
It is true, because of the greatness and inexpressible glory of God, that «man shall not see me and live,» for the Father cannot be grasped. But because of God's love and goodness toward us, and because he can do all things, he goes so far as to grant those who love him the privilege of seeing him.... For «what is impossible for men is possible for God.» 23
§1723
The beatitude we are promised confronts us with decisive moral choices. It
invites us to purify our hearts of bad instincts and to seek the love of God
above all else. It teaches us that true happiness is not found in riches or
well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement - however
beneficial it may be - such as science, technology, and art, or indeed in any
creature, but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love:
All bow down before wealth. Wealth is that to which the multitude of men pay an instinctive homage. They measure happiness by wealth; and by wealth they measure respectability.... It is a homage resulting from a profound faith ... that with wealth he may do all things. Wealth is one idol of the day and notoriety is a second.... Notoriety, or the making of a noise in the world - it may be called «newspaper fame» - has come to be considered a great good in itself, and a ground of veneration.24
§1724
The Decalogue, the Sermon on the Mount, and the apostolic catechesis describe
for us the paths that lead to the Kingdom of heaven. Sustained by the grace of
the Holy Spirit, we tread them, step by step, by everyday acts. By the working
of the Word of Christ, we slowly bear fruit in the Church to the glory of
God.25
IN BRIEF
§1725
The Beatitudes take up
and fulfill God's promises from Abraham on by ordering them to the Kingdom of
heaven. They respond to the desire for happiness that God has placed in the
human heart.
§1726
The Beatitudes teach us
the final end to which God calls us: the Kingdom, the vision of God,
participation in the divine nature, eternal life, filiation, rest in God.
§1727
The beatitude of eternal
life is a gratuitous gift of God. It is supernatural, as is the grace that
leads us there.
§1728
The Beatitudes confront
us with decisive choices concerning earthly goods; they purify our hearts in
order to teach us to love God above all things.
§1729
The beatitude of heaven
sets the standards for discernment in the use of earthly goods in keeping with
the law of God.
MAN'S FREEDOM
§1730
God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who
can initiate and control his own actions. «God willed that man should be
'left in the hand of his own counsel,' so that he might of his own accord seek
his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to
him.» 26
Man is rational and therefore like God; he is created with free will and is master over his acts.27
I. Freedom and Responsibility
§1731
Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do
this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility.
By free will one shapes one's own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and
maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward
God, our beatitude.
§1732
As long as freedom has not bound itself definitively to its ultimate good which
is God, there is the possibility of choosing between good and evil, and thus of
growing in perfection or of failing and sinning. This freedom characterizes
properly human acts. It is the basis of praise or blame, merit or reproach.
§1733
The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom
except in the service of what is good and just. the choice to disobey and do
evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to «the slavery of
sin.» 28
§1734
Freedom makes man responsible for his acts to the extent that they are
voluntary. Progress in virtue, knowledge of the good, and ascesis enhance the
mastery of the will over its acts.
§1735
Imputability and responsibility for an action can be diminished or even
nullified by ignorance, inadvertence, duress, fear, habit, inordinate
attachments, and other psychological or social factors.
§1736
Every act directly willed is imputable to its author:
Thus the Lord asked Eve after
the sin in the garden: «What is this that you have done?» 29
He asked Cain the same question.30 The prophet Nathan questioned David
in the same way after he committed adultery with the wife of Uriah and had him
murdered.31
An action can be indirectly voluntary when it results from negligence regarding
something one should have known or done: for example, an accident arising from
ignorance of traffic laws.
§1737
An
effect can be tolerated without being willed by its agent; for instance, a
mother's exhaustion from tending her sick child. A bad effect is not imputable
if it was not willed either as an end or as a means of an action, e.g., a death
a person incurs in aiding someone in danger. For a bad effect to be imputable
it must be foreseeable and the agent must have the possibility of avoiding it,
as in the case of manslaughter caused by a drunken driver.
§1738
Freedom is exercised in relationships between human beings. Every human person,
created in the image of God, has the natural right to be recognized as a free
and responsible being. All owe to each other this duty of respect. the right to
the exercise of freedom, especially in moral and religious matters, is an
inalienable requirement of the dignity of the human person. This right must be
recognized and protected by civil authority within the limits of the common
good and public order.32
II. Human Freedom in the Economy of Salvation
§1739
Freedom and sin. Man's freedom is limited and fallible. In fact, man failed. He
freely sinned. By refusing God's plan of love, he deceived himself and became a
slave to sin. This first alienation engendered a multitude of others. From its
outset, human history attests the wretchedness and oppression born of the human
heart in consequence of the abuse of freedom.
§1740
Threats to freedom. the exercise of freedom does not imply a right to say or do
everything. It is false to maintain that man, «the subject of this
freedom,» is «an individual who is fully self-sufficient and whose
finality is the satisfaction of his own interests in the enjoyment of earthly
goods.» 33 Moreover, the economic, social, political, and cultural
conditions that are needed for a just exercise of freedom are too often
disregarded or violated. Such situations of blindness and injustice injure the
moral life and involve the strong as well as the weak in the temptation to sin
against charity. By deviating from the moral law man violates his own freedom, becomes
imprisoned within himself, disrupts neighborly fellowship, and rebels against
divine truth.
§1741
Liberation and salvation. By his glorious Cross Christ has won salvation for
all men. He redeemed them from the sin that held them in bondage. «For
freedom Christ has set us free.» 34 In him we have communion with
the «truth that makes us free.» 35 The Holy Spirit has been
given to us and, as the Apostle teaches, «Where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is freedom.» 36 Already we glory in the «liberty of the
children of God.» 37
§1742
Freedom and grace. the grace of Christ is not in the slightest way a rival of
our freedom when this freedom accords with the sense of the true and the good
that God has put in the human heart. On the contrary, as Christian experience
attests especially in prayer, the more docile we are to the promptings of
grace, the more we grow in inner freedom and confidence during trials, such as
those we face in the pressures and constraints of the outer world. By the
working of grace the Holy Spirit educates us in spiritual freedom in order to
make us free collaborators in his work in the Church and in the world:
Almighty and merciful God,
in your goodness take away from us all that is harmful,
so that, made ready both in mind and body,
we may freely accomplish your will.38
IN BRIEF
§1743
«God willed that man
should be left in the hand of his own counsel (cf ⇒ Sir
15:14), so that he might of his own accord seek his creator and
freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him» (GS 17 #
1).
§1744
Freedom is the power to
act or not to act, and so to perform deliberate acts of one's own. Freedom
attains perfection in its acts when directed toward God, the sovereign Good.
§1745
Freedom characterizes
properly human acts. It makes the human being responsible for acts of which he
is the voluntary agent. His deliberate acts properly belong to him.
§1746
The imputability or
responsibility for an action can be diminished or nullified by ignorance,
duress, fear, and other psychological or social factors.
§1747
The right to the
exercise of freedom, especially in religious and moral matters, is an
inalienable requirement of the dignity of man. But the exercise of freedom does
not entail the putative right to say or do anything.
§1748
«For freedom Christ
has set us free» (⇒ Gal 5:1).
THE MORALITY OF HUMAN ACTS
§1749
Freedom makes man a moral subject. When he acts deliberately, man is, so to
speak, the father of his acts. Human acts, that is, acts that are freely chosen
in consequence of a judgment of conscience, can be morally evaluated. They are
either good or evil.
I. The Sources of Morality
§1750
The morality of human acts depends on:
- the object chosen;
- the end in view or the intention;
- the circumstances of the action.
The object, the intention, and the circumstances make up the
«sources,» or constitutive elements, of the morality of human acts.
§1751
The object chosen is a good toward which the will deliberately directs itself.
It is the matter of a human act. the object chosen morally specifies the act of
the will, insofar as reason recognizes and judges it to be or not to be in
conformity with the true good. Objective norms of morality express the rational
order of good and evil, attested to by conscience.
§1752
In contrast to the object, the intention resides in the acting subject. Because
it lies at the voluntary source of an action and determines it by its end,
intention is an element essential to the moral evaluation of an action. the end
is the first goal of the intention and indicates the purpose pursued in the
action. the intention is a movement of the will toward the end: it is concerned
with the goal of the activity. It aims at the good anticipated from the action
undertaken. Intention is not limited to directing individual actions, but can
guide several actions toward one and the same purpose; it can orient one's
whole life toward its ultimate end. For example, a service done with the end of
helping one's neighbor can at the same time be inspired by the love of God as
the ultimate end of all our actions. One and the same action can also be
inspired by several intentions, such as performing a service in order to obtain
a favor or to boast about it.
§1753
A good intention (for example, that of helping one's neighbor) does not make
behavior that is intrinsically disordered, such as lying and calumny, good or
just. the end does not justify the means. Thus the condemnation of an innocent
person cannot be justified as a legitimate means of saving the nation. On the
other hand, an added bad intention (such as vainglory) makes an act evil that,
in and of itself, can be good (such as almsgiving).39
§1754
The circumstances, including the consequences, are secondary elements of a
moral act. They contribute to increasing or diminishing the moral goodness or
evil of human acts (for example, the amount of a theft). They can also diminish
or increase the agent's responsibility (such as acting out of a fear of death).
Circumstances of themselves cannot change the moral quality of acts themselves;
they can make neither good nor right an action that is in itself evil.
II. Good Acts and Evil Acts
§1755
A morally good act requires the goodness of the object, of the end, and of the
circumstances together. An evil end corrupts the action, even if the object is
good in itself (such as praying and fasting «in order to be seen by
men»).
The object of the choice can by itself vitiate an act in its entirety. There
are some concrete acts - such as fornication - that it is always wrong to
choose, because choosing them entails a disorder of the will, that is, a moral
evil.
§1756
It is therefore an error to judge the morality of human acts by considering
only the intention that inspires them or the circumstances (environment, social
pressure, duress or emergency, etc.) which supply their context. There are acts
which, in and of themselves, independently of circumstances and intentions, are
always gravely illicit by reason of their object; such as blasphemy and perjury,
murder and adultery. One may not do evil so that good may result from it.
IN BRIEF
§1757
The object, the
intention, and the circumstances make up the three «sources» of the
morality of human acts.
§1758
The object chosen
morally specifies the act of willing accordingly as reason recognizes and
judges it good or evil.
§1759
«An evil action
cannot be justified by reference to a good intention» (cf St. Thomas
Aquinas, Dec. praec. 6). the end does not justify the means.
§1760
A morally good act
requires the goodness of its object, of its end, and of its circumstances
together.
§1761
There are concrete acts
that it is always wrong to choose, because their choice entails a disorder of
the will, i.e., a moral evil. One may not do evil so that good may result from
it.
THE MORALITY OF THE PASSIONS
§1762
The human person is ordered to beatitude by his deliberate acts: the passions
or feelings he experiences can dispose him to it and contribute to it.
I. Passions
§1763
The term «passions» belongs to the Christian patrimony. Feelings or
passions are emotions or movements of the sensitive appetite that incline us to
act or not to act in regard to something felt or imagined to be good or evil.
§1764
The passions are natural components of the human psyche; they form the
passageway and ensure the connection between the life of the senses and the
life of the mind. Our Lord called man's heart the source from which the
passions spring.40
§1765
There are many passions. the most fundamental passion is love, aroused by the
attraction of the good. Love causes a desire for the absent good and the hope
of obtaining it; this movement finds completion in the pleasure and joy of the
good possessed. the apprehension of evil causes hatred, aversion, and fear of
the impending evil; this movement ends in sadness at some present evil, or in
the anger that resists it.
§1766
«To love is to will the good of another.» 41 All other
affections have their source in this first movement of the human heart toward
the good. Only the good can be loved.42 Passions «are evil if love
is evil and good if it is good.» 43
II. Passions and Moral Life
§1767
In themselves passions are neither good nor evil. They are morally qualified
only to the extent that they effectively engage reason and will. Passions are
said to be voluntary, «either because they are commanded by the will or
because the will does not place obstacles in their way.» 44 It
belongs to the perfection of the moral or human good that the passions be
governed by reason.45
§1768
Strong feelings are not decisive for the morality or the holiness of persons;
they are simply the inexhaustible reservoir of images and affections in which
the moral life is expressed. Passions are morally good when they contribute to
a good action, evil in the opposite case. the upright will orders the movements
of the senses it appropriates to the good and to beatitude; an evil will
succumbs to disordered passions and exacerbates them. Emotions and feelings can
be taken up into the virtues or perverted by the vices.
§1769
In the Christian life, the Holy Spirit himself accomplishes his work by
mobilizing the whole being, with all its sorrows, fears and sadness, as is
visible in the Lord's agony and passion. In Christ human feelings are able to
reach their consummation in charity and divine beatitude.
§1770
Moral perfection consists in man's being moved to the good not by his will
alone, but also by his sensitive appetite, as in the words of the psalm:
«My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.» 46
IN BRIEF
§1771
The term
«passions» refers to the affections or the feelings. By his emotions
man intuits the good and suspects evil.
§1772
The principal passions
are love and hatred, desire and fear, joy, sadness, and anger.
§1773
In the passions, as
movements of the sensitive appetite, there is neither moral good nor evil. But
insofar as they engage reason and will, there is moral good or evil in them.
§1774
Emotions and feelings
can be taken up in the virtues or perverted by the vices.
§1775
The perfection of the
moral good consists in man's being moved to the good not only by his will but
also by his «heart.»
MORAL CONSCIENCE
§1776
«Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon
himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do
what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment.... For
man has in his heart a law inscribed by God.... His conscience is man's most
secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in
his depths.» 47
I. The Judgment of Conscience
§1777
Moral conscience,48 present at the heart of the person, enjoins him at
the appropriate moment to do good and to avoid evil. It also judges particular
choices, approving those that are good and denouncing those that are
evil.49 It bears witness to the authority of truth in reference to the
supreme Good to which the human person is drawn, and it welcomes the
commandments. When he listens to his conscience, the prudent man can hear God
speaking.
§1778
Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the
moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process
of performing, or has already completed. In all he says and does, man is
obliged to follow faithfully what he knows to be just and right. It is by the judgment
of his conscience that man perceives and recognizes the prescriptions of the
divine law:
Conscience is a law of the mind; yet [Christians] would not grant that it is nothing more; I mean that it was not a dictate, nor conveyed the notion of responsibility, of duty, of a threat and a promise.... [Conscience] is a messenger of him, who, both in nature and in grace, speaks to us behind a veil, and teaches and rules us by his representatives. Conscience is the aboriginal Vicar of Christ.50
§1779
It is important for every person to be sufficiently present to himself in order
to hear and follow the voice of his conscience. This requirement of interiority
is all the more necessary as life often distracts us from any reflection,
self-examination or introspection:
Return to your conscience, question it.... Turn inward, brethren, and in everything you do, see God as your witness.51
§1780
The dignity of the human person implies and requires uprightness of moral
conscience. Conscience includes the perception of the principles of morality
(synderesis); their application in the given circumstances by practical
discernment of reasons and goods; and finally judgment about concrete acts yet
to be performed or already performed. the truth about the moral good, stated in
the law of reason, is recognized practically and concretely by the prudent
judgment of conscience. We call that man prudent who chooses in conformity with
this judgment.
§1781
Conscience enables one to assume responsibility for the acts performed. If man
commits evil, the just judgment of conscience can remain within him as the
witness to the universal truth of the good, at the same time as the evil of his
particular choice. the verdict of the judgment of conscience remains a pledge
of hope and mercy. In attesting to the fault committed, it calls to mind the
forgiveness that must be asked, the good that must still be practiced, and the
virtue that must be constantly cultivated with the grace of God:
We shall . . . reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.52
§1782
Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make
moral decisions. «He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience.
Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in
religious matters.» 53
II. The Formation of Conscience
§1783
Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed
conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to
reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator.
the education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected
to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to
reject authoritative teachings.
§1784
The education of the conscience is a lifelong task. From the earliest years, it
awakens the child to the knowledge and practice of the interior law recognized
by conscience. Prudent education teaches virtue; it prevents or cures fear,
selfishness and pride, resentment arising from guilt, and feelings of complacency,
born of human weakness and faults. the education of the conscience guarantees
freedom and engenders peace of heart.
§1785
In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our
path,54 we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into
practice. We must also examine our conscience before the Lord's Cross. We are
assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of
others and guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church.55
III. To Choose in Accord With Conscience
§1786
Faced with a moral choice, conscience can make either a right judgment in
accordance with reason and the divine law or, on the contrary, an erroneous
judgment that departs from them.
§1787
Man is sometimes confronted by situations that make moral judgments less
assured and decision difficult. But he must always seriously seek what is right
and good and discern the will of God expressed in divine law.
§1788
To this purpose, man strives to interpret the data of experience and the signs
of the times assisted by the virtue of prudence, by the advice of competent
people, and by the help of the Holy Spirit and his gifts.
§1789
Some rules apply in every case:
- One may never do evil so that good may result from it;
- the Golden Rule: «Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to
them.» 56
- charity always proceeds by way of respect for one's neighbor and his
conscience: «Thus sinning against your brethren and wounding their
conscience . . . you sin against Christ.» 57 Therefore «it is
right not to . . . do anything that makes your brother stumble.» 58
IV. Erroneous Judgment
§1790
A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience. If he
were deliberately to act against it, he would condemn himself. Yet it can
happen that moral conscience remains in ignorance and makes erroneous judgments
about acts to be performed or already committed.
§1791
This ignorance can often be imputed to personal responsibility. This is the
case when a man «takes little trouble to find out what is true and good,
or when conscience is by degrees almost blinded through the habit of committing
sin.» 59 In such cases, the person is culpable for the evil he
commits.
§1792
Ignorance of Christ and his Gospel, bad example given by others, enslavement to
one's passions, assertion of a mistaken notion of autonomy of conscience,
rejection of the Church's authority and her teaching, lack of conversion and of
charity: these can be at the source of errors of judgment in moral conduct.
§1793
If - on the contrary - the ignorance is invincible, or the moral subject is not
responsible for his erroneous judgment, the evil committed by the person cannot
be imputed to him. It remains no less an evil, a privation, a disorder. One
must therefore work to correct the errors of moral conscience.
§1794
A good and pure conscience is enlightened by true faith, for charity proceeds
at the same time «from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere
faith.» 60
The more a correct conscience prevails, the more do persons and groups turn aside from blind choice and try to be guided by objective standards of moral conduct.61
IN BRIEF
§1795
«Conscience is
man's most secret core, and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose
voice echoes in his depths» (GS 16).
§1796
Conscience is a judgment
of reason by which the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete
act.
§1797
For the man who has committed
evil, the verdict of his conscience remains a pledge of conversion and of hope.
§1798
A well-formed conscience
is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in
conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. Everyone
must avail himself of the means to form his conscience.
§1799
Faced with a moral
choice, conscience can make either a right judgment in accordance with reason
and the divine law or, on the contrary, an erroneous judgment that departs from
them.
Catéchisme de l'Église catholique © Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1992.
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