The Catechism in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz

Episode Day 238: Our Moral Conscience (2025)
Date: August 26, 2025
Hosted by: Fr. Mike Schmitz | Ascension

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the concept of moral conscience—what it is, how it works, and why it matters in the life of every human being. Fr. Mike guides listeners through Catechism paragraphs 1776–1782, exploring the foundational Catholic teaching that every person has an inner law guiding them toward good and away from evil. He emphasizes that understanding conscience is vital for making truly moral decisions and hints at deeper discussions to come on how conscience should be formed.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Definition and Nature of Conscience

• Catechism Foundation (00:40–02:50):
  • Fr. Mike introduces the section with the famous line from Gaudium et Spes, echoed in paragraph 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 avoid evil sounds in his heart at the right moment.”

  • He likens conscience to the “Jiminy Cricket” of the soul—something innate, not external, as in the story of Pinocchio.
  • The voice of conscience is “ever calling us to love and to do what is good and to avoid what is evil.”
• Alone with God (03:10):
  • “His conscience is man’s most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God, whose voice echoes in his depths.”

2. Judgment of Conscience & its Role

• Judgment, Not Just Feeling (08:40):
  • Conscience is not merely a gut feeling or passion; it is “a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform… in all he says and does.” (Catechism 1778)
• Common Misconceptions (10:15):
  • Fr. Mike warns against reducing conscience to emotion:

    “Too often, we associate conscience with feelings: that queasiness or that gut feeling… but the Church says it’s a judgment of reason—our intellect, not just our feelings, is at work here.”

3. Requirement of Interiority

• Self-Reflection in a Distracted World (12:30):
  • Emphasizes the need “to be sufficiently present to [oneself] in order to hear and follow the voice of conscience.” (1779)
  • Observes how constant distractions prevent us from genuine introspection:

    “Do I have the ability to stand in line and not look at my phone? Or sit in silence without immediately going crazy with distractions? … In a culture of distraction, we rarely stop.”

• St. Augustine Reference (13:40):
  • “Return to your conscience, question it, turn inward, brethren, and in everything you do see God as your witness.”

4. Components of a Well-Formed Conscience

• Principles, Practical Application, & Judgment (15:20):
  • Fr. Mike outlines the threefold process described by the Catechism (1780):
    1. Perception of the principles of morality.
    2. Application in given circumstances by practical discernment.
    3. Judgment about particular acts.
  • Notes the challenge many people, especially young adults, face in having categories to make moral decisions.

5. Conscience, Responsibility, and Mercy

• Conscience as Witness and Hope (17:20):
  • Even after committing evil, conscience remains as “the witness to the universal truth of the good”—serving as both a call to repentance and as a pledge of hope:

    “Sometimes when I reach my hand out to evil, I don’t automatically become evil. The voice of conscience remains in me saying, ‘that was wrong.’”

• 1 John Reference:
  • “If our hearts condemn us, we reassure our hearts before him… for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”

6. The Right to Act in Accord with Conscience

• Freedom and Limitations (19:10):
  • Every person has the right—and sometimes the duty—to act according to their conscience, especially in religious matters.
  • Distinguishes between a true violation of conscience and mere preference:

    “If the child believed that eating the green beans would be the wrong thing to do… and was forced, that’s a violation. But just not wanting green beans isn’t a conscience issue.”

  • Clarifies Church teaching against forced conversion:

    “No one can be forcibly converted… To force someone to act contrary to their conscience is always wrong.”

7. Upcoming: Forming the Conscience

• Fr. Mike underscores that because conscience is a judgment of reason, it is susceptible to error and malformation:

  “Our reason, our intellect, can be misled … therefore, our conscience needs to be formed.” (21:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Inner Law (02:50):

  “Within his conscience, man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself, but which he must obey. This is a voice.” —Fr. Mike (paraphrasing Catechism and Gaudium et Spes)

• On Culture and Distraction (12:30):

  “Do I have the ability to stand in line and not look at my phone? Or sit in silence without immediately driving myself crazy? … We live in a culture that devotes itself to distraction.” —Fr. Mike

• On the Challenge of Moral Decision (15:45):

  “A majority of American young adults have neither the ability nor the categories to make moral decisions.” —Fr. Mike (quoting Christian Smith)

• On Conscience as Hope (17:40):

  “Even in the midst of my particular choices of choosing evil, the judgment of conscience convicts me of that choice and reminds me of the good… The verdict of the judgment of conscience remains a pledge of hope and mercy.” —Fr. Mike

• On Forced Conversion (19:30):

  “To forcibly baptize someone—to force them to act contrary to their conscience—would be the wrong thing to do. And we may never do that.” —Fr. Mike

Key Timestamps for Reference

• 00:40 — Start & summary of today’s topic
• 02:50 — Reading & discussion of Catechism paragraph 1776
• 08:40 — The definition of conscience as judgment of reason (Catechism 1778)
• 12:30 — Need for interiority/self-presence (Catechism 1779)
• 15:20 — Threefold structure of forming moral judgment (Catechism 1780)
• 17:20 — Conscience as witness to universal good & pledge of hope (Catechism 1781)
• 19:10 — The right to act in conscience, especially in religious matters (Catechism 1782)
• 21:10 — Preview of tomorrow: The importance of forming the conscience

Tone & Style

Fr. Mike’s style is warm, enthusiastic, practical, and pastoral. He combines scriptural and catechetical precision with relatable examples (e.g., green beans, checking your phone in line, feeling responsible after making a bad choice). His approach is to bring deep, sometimes technical teachings to everyday life and modern spirituality, making the Catechism both accessible and personally challenging.

Summary Takeaways

• Conscience is the God-given inner law and sanctuary where we encounter both duty and love.
• It is a judgment of reason, not just emotion or gut feeling, requiring formation and introspection.
• To act rightly, one must cultivate interiority, understand principles, apply them, and judge wisely.
• Conscience is a source of hope and call to responsibility even after wrongs are committed, as it bears witness to goodness and mercy.
• Each person has the right—and duty—to follow their conscience, especially in matters of faith, and should never be forced to act against it.
• Formation is crucial: a malformed conscience can lead people away from truth.

“Conscience is the aboriginal vicar of Christ.” —John Henry Newman (cited at 05:10)

For further exploration, next episode will tackle how to form and shape conscience according to truth and Church teaching.