What does it mean to have a well-formed

conscience?
The formation of a good conscience is another fundamental element of Christian moral
teaching. “Conscience is a judgment of reason by which the human person recognizes the
moral quality of a concrete act” (CCC, no. 1796). “Man has in his heart a law inscribed by
God. . . . His conscience is man’s most secret core, and his sanctuary” (GS, no. 16).

Conscience represents both the more general ability we have as human beings to know
what is good and right and the concrete judgments we make in particular situations
concerning what we should do or about what we have already done. Moral choices confront
us with the decision to follow or depart from reason and the divine law. A good conscience
makes judgments that conform to reason and the good that is willed by the Wisdom of God.
A good conscience requires lifelong formation. Each baptized follower of Christ is obliged to
form his or her conscience according to objective moral standards. The Word of God is a
principal tool in the formation of conscience when it is assimilated by study, prayer, and
practice. The prudent advice and good example of others support and enlighten our
conscience. The authoritative teaching of the Church is an essential element in our
conscience formation. Finally, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, combined with regular examination
of our conscience, will help us develop a morally sensitive conscience.

Because our conscience is that inner sanctuary in which we listen to the voice of God, we
must remember to distinguish between our subjective self and what is objectively true
outside ourselves. We can be subjectively in error about something that is objectively true.
On the objective level, if our conscience is “correct,” then there is no error between what is
internally perceived to be true and truth itself. If there is an incorrect conscience, that means
that the conscience is erroneous in its view of truth.

On the subjective level we can have a “certain” conscience, which means we believe that
our conscience is in conformity with what is objectively true. A person can have a “certain”
conscience on the subjective level but an “incorrect” one on the objective level. For
example, a person thinks that Ash Wednesday is a Holy Day of Obligation and chooses to
miss Mass anyway. The person thinks it is a Holy Day (certain subjectively but incorrect
objectively) and acts on it. This person has a certain but incorrect conscience. But because
the conscience acted against what it perceived to be objectively the good, the conscience
chooses to sin.

There are some rules to follow in obeying one’s conscience. First, always follow a certain
conscience. Second, an incorrect conscience must be changed if possible. Third, do not act
with a doubtful conscience. We must always obey the certain judgments of our conscience,
realizing that our conscience can be incorrect, that it can make a mistake about what is truly
the good or the right thing to do. This can be due to ignorance in which, through no fault of
our own, we did not have all we needed to make a correct judgment.

However, we must also recognize that ignorance and errors are not always free from guilt,
for example, when we did not earnestly seek what we needed in order to form our
conscience correctly. Since we have the obligation to obey our conscience, we also have
the great responsibility to see that it is formed in a way that reflects the true moral good.

Through loyalty to conscience Christians are joined to other men in the search for truth and
the right solution to many moral problems which arise both in the life of individuals and from
social relationships. Hence, the more a correct conscience prevails, the more do persons
and groups turn aside from blind choice and try to be guided by the objective standards of
moral conduct. (GS, no. 16)

You can read more from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, order your own
copy, or read questions about it at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
website.

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