CONSCIENCE (PROFESSIONAL DEONTOLOGY PAPER)

Among the readings that I’ve read and studied, that of St. Augustine captured my mind. Aside from the fact that I was able to comprehend his thoughts easily, unlike the others which gave me a difficult time processing the words and understanding their real meaning, I also believe his teachings are quite true. Being a Non-Catholic person has a possibility of not believing some of the Catholic Church’s teachings but despite such thought, St. Augustine was able to capture my attention and made me agree on his teachings. The part of the Catechism of the Catholic Church which I agree upon is:

 “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.

In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path, 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.”

 Indeed these words are true for me. Forming a person’s conscience begins the moment a child is born as it is stated by St. Augustine that education of the conscience is a lifelong process. Therefore, it happens the very first moment of life of a person and later on continues as he or she grows. People surrounding a child play an important role in the formation of his or her conscience. Parents are usually the ones who bring up children, the people involved in the education of the conscience of a child. I believe that it depends on the family on how they teach and train up a child, and in here conscience develops and matures. As the child grows up, he or she starts recognizing and understanding different images and thoughts, then with these the child starts distinguishing right from wrong, and good from bad, and moral from immoral.

 It says in the paragraph I’ve chosen that prudent or careful education results to virtue and prevents us from any other negativity. Wise formation of the conscience eventually results to having the goods in life. If one’s conscience was formed carefully since childhood, he or she may make good and right decisions for life’s situations, choosing the highest end, based on the dictates of his or her own conscience that is, willed by the Father. Then, being able to make good decisions will eventually prevent man from fear and guilt, those which result from having made wrong decisions and choosing the lower end.

 Another way of forming the conscience stated in St. Augustine’s teaching is having the Word of God as a light to our life’s journey. It’s like God serves as our lighthouse in the dark ocean (life), where we often face storms (problems). If one chooses to follow and believe in God and accepts Him in his or her life, there’s no reason to feel scared or worried about making decisions, because God is always in control of everything.

 In our lives, we may have made decisions which were not willed by God, or which we forgot to lift up to Him, which resulted to some guilty feelings. Despite these situations, we always deserve second chances with God. That is why we are given the opportunity, a time to talk to God and commune with Him. In those times, we search for God and He enlightens our conscience and our understanding about everyday situations, in making decisions, and in living our lives with love and happiness for the very reason of having formed a good conscience guided by God.