Tag Archives: religious freedom

Blessed John Paul II on Religious Freedom in America

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As this new dawn rises on America, it’s a day of sadness. It seems 50% and the electoral college (a flawed system at best) of the United States of America (united is now a loose term) have decided to re-elect a person that opposes religious freedom in this country. Actually, this individual is very hostile toward Christianity, but specifically Catholicism. For the 50% of Catholics (another term used loosely) who chose to vote for this person, what are you thinking? Do you have any idea what you have just done? You reap what you sow! I hope that at some point you will come to realize what your decisions could do to this country.

As Catholics, who are faithful to the teachings of the Church (not like the 50%), we must turn our gaze to the late great pontiff, Blessed John Paul II. He too lived through the Nazi Empire as well as the Socialists who ruled with Communism in Poland and most of Eastern Europe. Blessed John Paul was a fundamental figure in the writing of Dignitatis Humanae, the Declaration on Religious Freedom from the Second Vatican Council – because he was living through it! As faithful practicing Catholics who adhere to the teachings of the Church (not like those numbers above), we must storm heaven with prayers and ask the intercession of Blessed John Paul II, St. Thomas More (and the fight for religious freedom), St. John Fisher, the Mexican Martyrs, and all the other saints who lived under governments that oppressed religious freedom.

On October 8, 1995, in Baltimore, Maryland, no less, Blessed John Paul II said,

“The challenge facing you, dear friends, is to increase people’s awareness of the importance for society of religious freedom; to defend that freedom against those who would take religion out of the public domain and establish secularism in America’s official faith. And it is vitally necessary, for the very survival of the American experience, to transmit to the next generation the precious legacy of religious freedom and the convictions which sustain it.”

It would seem that Blessed John Paul II could see the “writing on the wall” in 1995 as his statement has a prophetic tone to it. So what can we do?  Storm heaven with our prayers and know that God is still God no matter who the person leading a country is and remember the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ and Blessed John Paul II – “BE NOT AFRAID!”

Hiatus Continued

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Hello Everyone,

Well I am safely back in the Valley of the Sun (Phoenix, Arizona) after two days of traveling on the road between Austin to Phoenix. I arrived back in Phoenix on Saturday afternoon and was greeted by a monsoon thunderstorm. It’s been great being home with family and friends so far and I look forward to more time with them and meeting new people. I just wanted to let everyone know that my short hiatus from my blog will continue till next Monday. I am looking forward to getting back to some writing, but just know that this week off will bring me back refreshed and renewed. Stay diligent and stay in prayer.

I encourage you to read or reread my posts from the past 6 months. If you are a new follower to my blog or a new follower on Twitter, please read some of my posts from February, March, and April. Since we are in the aftermath of the Fortnight for Freedom, I would encourage you to read my posts on Religious Freedom and Conscience Formation. I also write a lot on Blessed John Paul II and would like to see those posts read more. We need to look to him as our religious freedoms are threatened. He knew this subject well dealing with the Nazi’s and Socialist’s in Poland. On the right side of my blog you will find my tags for the posts. That is the easiest way to find subjects of the posts.

You are in my prayers this week. Please pray for me as well.

See you next Monday with the Blessed Mother.

In Christ,

Tom Perna

Fortnight for Freedom Closing Mass

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Last Wednesday, July 4, 2012 – Independence Day for the United States of America, I was able to attend the Closing Mass for the Fortnight for Freedom at the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. I found it providential that I could attend because I have been writing about religious freedom ever since the HHS Mandate was promulgated by this current tyrannical administration in the White House. Truth be told, I was in the D.C/Northern Virginia area for a friend’s wedding that would occur on the following Friday, but since the closing Mass was to happen while I was there, I found myself blessed to be in the area.

I was sitting in the front row of the back section of the basilica on the right hand side. I could look up from my seat and see the mosaic dome that portrays Jesus’ Temptation in the Desert, his Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension. Sitting next to me was a nice married couple from Baltimore who I talked to briefly before Mass began. We talked about my blog a bit and the husband said that he knew people in Phoenix, Arizona. The husband has recently contacted me via email to assist me network with another gentleman in the Phoenix area for potential employment.

As the procession began with the altar servers, then the deacons, I noticed the vast amount of priests that showed up for this important Mass. There were so many priests present, even Cardinal Donald Wuerl mentioned it before Mass began as he thanked all the hierarchy and lay faithful in attendance. There were also quite a few Bishops present as well. It was so great to be at this closing mass! I truly felt blessed being in the presence of so many great and faithful Catholics. I would say the highlight of the Mass, not including when Jesus became present on the altar – which happens at every Mass, would be Archbishop Charles J. Chaput’s homily that can be read here. His homily was so inspiring! His passion for religious freedom is contagious. Everyone present was inspired to stand up for religious freedom for the months ahead. I would encourage you to read his homily located above.

In his homily, the one thing that really stood out for me was when he said that Caesar isn’t able to give or take away religious freedom. He may be able to interfere with it, but when he does he takes away from his own legitimacy. Read the homily and this will make more sense. Religious freedom, in accordance with the Natural Law, is rooted in the very foundation of our humanity. At the end of his homily, he received a loud ovation from all in attendance. There were even people waving small American flags in the basilica. 

As Mass ended and the procession exited the nave of the basilica, I found myself with tears in my eyes. I said two things to myself. First, “Man, I love being Catholic.” Second thing I said, “If being persecuted is what it’s going to take, then bring it!”

Even though the Fortnight for Freedom has concluded, we all need to be diligent and continue to fight for our religious freedom. We need to continue to pray, catechize, battle, and support each other during this trying time in our country’s history. I encourage you to read all that you can on religious freedom. Continue to follow my blog (many of my February posts are on conscience formation and religious freedom) and other Catholic bloggers who will continue to write on religious freedom, especially as we draw closer to this upcoming election. This election could define our country for generations to come. The current person that calls himself our president must be removed from the oval office for if he is not, the United States of America could cease to exist, as we know it.

**Note: I will be on a short hiatus over the next 5 days or so since I am moving back to Phoenix. Please continue to read my blog and check out older posts during my short absence. Also, please pray that my move is efficient and safe.**

St. Thomas More and the Fight for Religious Freedom

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As we enter the Fortnight For Freedom, which will last from today till July 4, we need to remember the sacrifices of other Catholics who have laid down their lives in defiance of tyrannical kingdoms and governments. It is fitting, and obviously planned, by the United States Bishops to begin this fortnight on the feast day of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More. From the early Christian martyrs to Sts. Fisher and More to the Mexican Martyrs (so eloquently shown in the recent film, For Greater Glory) to Sts. Maximilian Kolbe and Edith Stein to the Catholics being killed for their faith in Africa today, it is fitting that it is now our time to STAND UP for the great injustice (HHS Mandate) that has been promulgated by the current presidential administration; an administration that has tyrannical and socialistic tendencies rooted in its very foundation. At this time, we may not be called to shed our blood for the faith (red martyrs), but we are being called to stand up for our faith and face social persecution (white martyrdom).

Over the next couple of weeks, we will celebrate the lives of martyrs in the liturgical calendar. During this time, we must pray, study, catechize, and engage in public action. Religious Freedom is at the heart and center of not only the United States of America, but it’s also fundamental to every human being by means of the Natural Law. I urge you during this time to pray hard for the conversion of the hearts of those seek to destroy the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church has faced many tyrants in her past and every time has been victorious for we have Jesus Christ and he has conquered evil and death.

St. Thomas More is the key figure for us when we think of one who stands up to tyranny and injustice. St. Thomas More was wrongfully committed of High Treason by the Kingdom of England for not agreeing to the marriage of King Henry VIII. Below are the last few lines of St. Thomas More from the play, A Man For All Seasons. I think we need to remember these words and try to live up to them for ourselves and fights we many have ahead. This is a play I first read in college and many of the lines have stuck with me over the years. It’s a beautiful depiction of St. Thomas More as servant to the king, but God’s servant first. As I have said in other posts –  We are Americans, but we are Catholic first!

Norfolk: Prisoner at the bar, you have been found guilty of High Treason. The sentence of the Court –

More: My Lord! My lord, when I was practicing the law, the manner was to ask the prisoner before pronouncing sentence, if he had anything to say.

Norfolk: Have you anything to say?

More: Yes. To avoid this I have taken every path my winding wits would find. Now that the Court has determined to condemn me, God knoweth how, I will discharge my mind…concerning my indictment and the King ‘s title. The indictment is grounded in an Act of Parliament which is directly repugnant to the Law of God. The King in Parliament cannot bestow the Supremacy of the Church because it is a Spiritual Supremacy! And more to this the immunity of the Church is promised both in Magna Carta and the King’s own Coronation Oath!

Cromwell: Now we plainly see that you are malicious!

More: Not so, Master Secretary! I am the King’s true subject, and pray for him and all the realm…I do none harm, I say none harm, I think none harm. And if this be not enough to keep a man alive, in good faith I long not to live…I have, since I came into prison, been several times in such a case that I thought to die within the hour, and I thank Our Lord I was never sorry for it, but rather sorry when it passed. And therefore, my poor body is at the King’s pleasure. Would God my death might do him some good…Nevertheless, it is not for the Supremacy that you have sought my blood – but because I would not bend to the marriage!

*************************************************************************

More: My Master had easel and gall, not wine, given him to drink. Let me be going.

Margaret: Father! Father! Father, Father, Father, Father!

More: Have patience, Margaret, and trouble not thyself. Death comes for us all; even at our birth – even at our birth, death does not stand aside a little. And every day he looks towards us and muses somewhat to himself whether that day or the next he will draw nigh. It is the law of nature, and the will of God. You have long known the secrets of my heart.

The Death Scene from the film, A Man For All Seasons. 

Religious Freedom, Conscience Formation and “For Greater Glory”

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In light of the STAND UP FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM RALLIES that will be taking place in 160 cities across the United States of America tomorrow, I wanted to share with my new blog followers and Twitter followers some of my early posts on religious freedom and conscience formation. The primary purpose of this blog is to educate and evangelize the Catholic lay faithful in the New Evangelization. This purpose has begun to find its legs, but when I began this blog in late January, 6 of the first 7 posts were dedicated to religious freedom and conscience formation. As Catholics, we must partake in the political stage and not just sit on the sidelines and watch. These posts were written by me because in January the President and his minion, Kathleen Sebulius, announced the horrific HHS Mandate. Although this an attack on Catholics first and foremost, most of the other major religions have come to the side of Catholics to fight against this albatross that “El Presidente”  calls a “law.” The United States Bishops have vowed to fight this unjust mandate to the point of civil disobedience. As the laity, we must follow and support our modern day Apostles and stand with them against this tyranny and the radical views that are rooted deep in this administration’s foundation.

Yesterday I went to see the new film – For Greater Glory. It’s the story of the Cristeros and their fight for religious freedom against the Mexican government between 1926-1929. Essentially, it was the Socialistic Mexican president along with his government attacking Catholics in a vicious way. Bishops, priests, religious and countless lay men and women were slaughtered in church’s and on the streets by Federation troops. Blessed John Paul II canonized many of the martyrs of this war and Pope Benedict XVI has beatified others. This film is not an answer to the HHS mandate since it was in production before the HHS Mandate was announced, however, it is a reminder to us what happens when religious and civil freedoms are threatened. I suggest seeing the film as soon as possible. See here for movie times. In solidarity with our Catholic Mexican Martyrs who died not 100 years ago, we should all be present at the rallies tomorrow in our respective cities. Viva Christo Rey!

Below are my previous posts on religious freedom and conscience formation -

1. Dear Senator…I Want My Religious Freedom

2. Conscience Formation 101

3. Conscience Formation 102

4. Conscience Formation 103

5. The Erroneous Conscience

6. The Rise of the Faithful Catholics

Standing Up For Religious Freedom

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This past Friday I joined a few hundred individuals at the steps of the Texas State Capitol to show my outrage against the Obama Administration’s HHS Mandate. When this was first announced a few weeks ago, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it since I teach during the time the rally was to be held. However, we had a different schedule on Friday since we had Eucharistic Adoration with the entire student body. I was able to drive down from North Austin to Downtown Austin for the rally and I was so happy to be amongst the men and women standing in defiance of tyranny. While I was at the steps of the capitol, I ran into many people I knew and even ran into Mother Assumpta Long, O.P., one of the founders of the Dominican Sisters Mary Mother of the Eucharist. She was in Austin for a fundraiser that the Sisters had the day before.

As I returned back to the high school, I looked at Facebook and Twitter on my cell phone and so many people were posting pictures from the other rallies that had occurred on Friday as well. I believe there were over 100 cities in the United States that participated in the “Stand Up For Religious Freedom Rally.” As par for the course, there was barely any media coverage at the Austin rally. I only saw one media outlet present. It seems that the rallies did bring out the news media outlets around the country. It’s shocking to read so many news stories because the liberal leaning media sources want no part of the words that are spoken at these events usually. They are in bed with the Obama Administration and really should be considered “state-run” media sources like we see in other countries that oppress liberty and specifically, religious freedom.

Even though the Austin rally was relatively small compared to some of the numbers I read about it in other places around the country, the overall support from people driving by in their cars was very high. Many people honked their horns in affirmation in what we were doing on Friday.  As one who has prayed in front of abortion facilities before, you can tell the difference between a car horn of affirmation or one of negativity. As so many people honked in affirmation, I said to myself, of course they are honking positively because nobody in their right mind wants their religious liberties taken away from them. This country was rooted in the very fact that we have such liberties granted to us. The First Amendment is FIRST for a reason!

So what should we do?

First, inform yourselves if you haven’t already and visit the website – StandUpForReligousFreedom.com

Next, call or write your congressmen and U.S. Senators and ask them to support legislation that will overturn the HHS Mandate. Here is my post – Dear Senator…I Want My Religious Freedom.

Third, only vote for candidates that seek to protect human life and religious liberties.

Fourth, as Catholics, read the document – Dignitatis Humanae – Declaration on Religious Liberty from the Vatican II Council (December 7, 1965).

Lastly, PRAY! Pray that those who are in power see the errors of their ways.

Dignitatis Humanae was so important during the Vatican II Council because at that time the Soviet Union was oppressing so many countries that the Bishops had come from in regards to religious liberties. Blessed John Paul II knew the dangers of socialism and communism first hand.  It was he, along with Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher that helped bring down Communism in the Soviet Union. America, we need to wake up to these dangers for they are present in our country and will only increase if the current administration is re-elected.

I leave you with some of the words from the above document. The bold lettering is mine.

“The Vatican Council declares that the human person has a right to religious freedom. Freedom of this kind means that all men should be immune from coercion on the part of individuals, social groups, and every human power so that, within due limits, nobody is forced to act against his convictions nor is anyone to be restrained from acting in accordance with his convictions in religious matters in private or in public, alone or in associations with others. The Council further declares that the right to religious freedom is based on the very dignity of the human person as known through the revealed word of God and by reason itself. This right of the human person to religious freedom must be given such recognition in the constitutional order of society as will make it a civil right.” (Paragraph 2)

The Rise of the Faithful Catholics

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On Monday, February 13, a religious order of faithful catholic sisters released this statement – read it here.

I read either on Facebook or another blog the statement, why doesn’t the media ever interview religious sisters that are faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church? It’s a good question, but one question, we already know the answer. The media isn’t searching for the truth, they are seeking to distort the truth and destroy Christianity, specifically, Catholicism.

There is no compromise with the HHS Mandate and if it’s going to take Civil Disobedience on the part of us faithful Catholics to reject this terrible and religious freedom-revoking mandate, then so be it! We must, as faithful Catholics (many non-Catholics have come to our defense as well) reject this mandate and all its false rhetoric and flawed statistics. Although this mandate is disguised under a “Healthcare” banner, the bigger issue of this mandate is religious freedom. I use the word “healthcare” with great care since sterilization, contraception, and abortion inducing pills cannot and should not be called “medicine.” Medicine should heal an individual not destroy or allow other diseases to rise.  Don’t forget – the issue here is RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.

In Chapter I, section 2, the Vatican II Declaration on Religious Freedom (Dignitatis Humanae) states, “…the human person has a right to religious freedom. Freedom of this kind means that all men should be immune from coercion on the part of individuals, social groups, and every human power so that, within due limits, nobody is forced to act against his convictions nor is anyone to be restrained from acting in accordance with his convictions in religious matters in private or in public, alone or in associations with others. The Council further declares that the right to religious freedom is based on the very dignity of the human person as we know through the revealed word of God and by reason itself.” (Italicized done by author). For us as faithful Catholics, this paragraph wraps up everything we will fight for when it comes to this mandate. We will not violate our conscience. We will not comply with this law.

As the lay faithful, we must stand with and support our Bishops in this endeavor. I know some of the Bishops in the past have not made the best decisions and have aligned themselves with people they should have clearly opposed. I also know that for 30 years in the US Church things were handled poorly and scandals arose. I further know that catechesis of the faith was watered-down and poor. I am not discrediting any of these issues, but our Bishops are taking a stance and we must support them in all that they do. Our new and young Bishops are strong, orthodox and faithful to the Church. They are attracting great men to the priesthood who are also orthodox and faithful. Religious orders that are faithful to the Church are on the rise and attracting men and women who want to give their lives to Christ and his Church. Oh yeah…one more thing…many of these orders – wear habits too! The “LPN” religious orders are going the way of the Dodo bird. “LPN” stands for Lapel Pin Nuns. You know them well – they dress like everyone else, wear a lapel pin cross and you wouldn’t know if they were a nun or a plumber.

One such order that is rising from Blessed John Paul II’s call for a New Evangelization is the Dominican Sisters Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. They are religious sisters of the Dominican Order of Preachers. I have a great love for these holy women of God since I know the order very well and have worked with them in Phoenix, Arizona at St. Mary’s Catholic High School and currently at St. Dominic Savio Catholic High School in Austin, Texas. In the summer of 2008, I was blessed to visit their Mother House in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I was invited by some of the sisters I knew in Phoenix at the time to attend their Final Vows. My words cannot do the experience justice, so I won’t even try to tell you how inspiring and beautiful it all was to me.

Mother Assumpta Long, the Prioress General and one of the four founders is one of the most amazing Catholic religious I have ever encountered. Holy, yet down to earth; educated, yet humble. And the young women that are flocking (and I mean as in the words of Forrest Gump…”I was Runnn-ing”) to this order mirror Mother Assumpta, yet have their own unique personalities and gifts. Over the past seven years of working with these sisters, I have met at least 50 of them, however, there are four that stand out to me since I worked with them or do so currently– Sister Mary David, Sister Mary Magdalene, Sister John Paul, and Sister Mary Elizabeth. 

I know times are tough with the current economic difficulties, but if you are looking for an organization to donate to, look no further than this great and holy religious order in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I would also encourage you to make a trip up to see their Mother House. Visit their website for more information.

As these faithful religious orders rise from the last 30 years of debunked Catholicism and as the new wave of faithful Bishops,  priests, and religious come from the JP II generation, we too, the lay faithful, must rise and be as faithful as our pastors and shepherds. Let us stand in solidarity with one another and with the generations before us who were oppressed by tyrannical governments oppressing religious freedom.

As the Christians came forth from the catacombs in the 4th century, we must rise up as they did and bring Jesus Christ and Church with us. It’s time…our time…The Rise of the Faithful Catholics begins now!

Other faithful religious orders for your browsing:

Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration

The Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration 

Sisters of Reparation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Missionaries of Charity

Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia

Sisters of Life

Franciscan Friars of the Renewal

Benedictines – Prince of Peace Abbey 

Conscience Formation 102

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I must first throw a shout-out to my favorite football team, The New York Football Giants (Big Blue, G-Men), who won Super Bowl XLVI last night. I sat home last night dressed in my Giants shirt and Giants hat and screamed and yelled at the television like a lunatic for 4 hours. In the end, the G-Men pulled out a victory and to say I am happy is an understatement. They beat the Patriots for the second time this year and the second time in a Super Bowl in the past five years. GO BIG BLUE!!

Now that I got that out of my system, let’s look at What Conscience IS.  According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church 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.”

According to the Vatican II document, Gaudium et Spes (16), the meaning of conscience – “Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which be 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: do this, shun that. For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. His dignity lies in observing this law, and by it he will be judged. His conscience is man’s most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes, in his depths.”  This law that GS is speaking of is the Natural Law. It’s the law that is written on our hearts and directs us to good and avoid evil. The Natural law connects us with the Divine Law of God and it allows us to know human nature through human reason.  The Natural Law is unchanging in any time or place, which means it’s objective (compared to subjective…relativism). It helps us to preserve life, develop individuals and communities, and sharing life with others. Keeping these three points in mind, we see the Natural Law clearly displayed for us in the Ten Commandments.  The Ten Commandments preserve life, assist with individuals and communities, and shares in the life of others. Read the Ten Commandments and you will see these points.

The above definition from GS helps us to define three intertwining points of conscience that helps with the comprehension of moral truth. The three points are “Conscience is awareness of God’s call to be, Conscience is awareness of God call to know and do the good, that is, to love, and Conscience is a practical judgment of the intellect.”

First, “Conscience is awareness of God’s call to be” is rooted in the very core of the human person where we exist with the God as the Trinity. This call from God comes as an invitation for us to answer him, for we are created in his image and likeness; we are his children. The conscience is personal as is our relationship with God.   Second, “Conscience is awareness of God’s call to know and do the good, that is, to love” should be displayed by us who strive to mirror God in all that we do. When we love, we do the good and avoid evil. This happens when we follow the natural law that God has written on our hearts. As conscience is personal, it’s also to do the good and avoid evil. Lastly, “Conscience is a practical judgment of the intellect.” The practical judgment of the intellect helps in those situations that occur to us on a daily basis. Blessed John Paul II said that conscience is a judgment and NOT a decision. Assisted by God himself, this internal call helps with the good actions and evil actions we have committed, about to commit, or have committed in the past. There is great deal of practicality to the conscience. It helps us to do the good and avoid evil.  The three points together show us how to love God by doing the good and avoiding evil while still remaining practical. Through our conscience we must seek out moral truth.

However, our conscience is not merely an individual entity, but we must strive to unite our conscience with that of the human community. As the human community, we must seek out truth itself, especially the moral truth that allows us to know the objective norms of morality and in turn will allow us to seek the common good.  As part of the Christian community, the individual must learn to live among others seeking what is best for them as well. Christ established the Church as a community of believers here on Earth and from the beginning of the world, we were meant to live in a community.  We were not to live alone. Within in the community there are many issues that must be discussed, such as how a nation will deal with illegal immigration, or the economy, or religious freedom. An essential point of the Christian community is to be responsible to for one another and to aid in the moral procedures and laws that will affect the life we live together.

Conscience Formation 103 and 104 will come later this week.

I encourage you to leave comments and questions. I also encourage my colleagues and friends who are reading my blog to leave comments so we all have a deeper understanding of Conscience Formation.

 

Conscience Formation 101

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I am by no means a moral theologian (The Scriptures is my thing), but with the current state of affairs we Catholics are facing, I feel it’s my mission to at least take a shot at explaining some of teachings of the Catholic Church on Conscience Formation.  Over the past two weeks, you have heard the Bishops of the United States speak of us “violating our conscience” since the Obama Administration decided that all religious institutions, specifically Catholic institutions, have to offer sterilizations, contraceptives, and abortifacients in all healthcare plans. This is in complete violation of our religious freedoms and the First Amendment.

With all that being said, I can say that there are colleagues from Franciscan that can teach and write on moral theology ten times better than me as well as friends of mine outside of Franciscan, so I am hoping that they will add to what I have said in the comment section of these next few posts so my readers will attain the most complete understanding of Conscience Formation. For the next few posts, I would like to focus on a few points: What Conscience is Not, What Conscience Is, How Conscience Works, What Leads To An Erroneous Conscience and How To Avoid One.

In today’s day and age, there is plethora of wrong ideas about what the term conscience truly means. If you were to Google search an online dictionary, more than likely you would find this as the definition of conscience: “the awareness of a moral or ethical aspect to ones’ conduct together with the urge to prefer right over wrong.” Many, like the above definition, are in complete contradiction with the Christian idea of conscience.

For today’ post, let’s focus on what Conscience is NOT. Conscience is not…the majority opinion, a feeling, a superego, a gut-instinct, “Jiminy Cricket” and a myth. Let’s take each of these one at a time.

Conscience as majority opinion is simply doing what the crowd is doing. It must be just fine if everyone is doing it. With the majority opinion, personal responsibility is lost to what the group is doing. The right behavior is directed by whatever opinion is popular with the group. Pope Benedict XVI says, “Truth is not determined by a majority vote.” Moral decisions should not be decided by how many people or legislators vote on a given point.

Conscience as a feeling is a very popular idea today. In the 1960’s, there was a saying, “if it feels good, do it.” Since the 1980’s, there is also another saying generated from a popular athletic company – “just do it.” This view of conscience states that the individual is the epicenter of his or her morality and they only answer to themselves. Conscience as a feeling is deeply rooted in Moral Relativism. Moral Relativism is the idea that what you think is right…is right. Nobody can tell you that you are wrong. There is no objective truth in Moral Relativism! This has been a battle that Pope Benedict XVI has taken on with the secularists of the world. Furthermore, “feelings” are just that – feelings. Feelings come and go with every passing second. According to Peter Kreeft, conscience “is first of all a knowing, an awareness of the truth about good and evil.”

Conscience as superego comes from Sigmund Freud who thought that the superego conscience were rules we followed as a child that are still in our mind and we hold on to them with our subconscious. All the rules from our parents, teachers, coaches, and employers are still left over in our minds. According to Freud, the rules we followed as children were to seek love from authoritative figures. He also said we never fully understood the rules – we just walked through motions. When we would break these rules, we would feel guilty. This guilt comes from psychological conditioning and not that we have contradicted God’s love for us.  In complete opposition to this viewpoint, the Christian conscience is an answer from God’s call. The Christian’s conscience is personal and self-chosen. Conscience is based on our reason.

Conscience as gut-instinct is about how you feel at the moment. This is could be a good place to start with conscience, but it is very limited and we must seek a more mature and Christian understanding of conscience. As Christians, we must use our reason to make decisions and also hope in God’s love throughout our entire life. “The education of the conscience is a lifelong task” (CCC 1784).

Conscience as Jiminy Cricket is often portrayed in movies or television shows as the angel and demon that stands on our shoulders. It’s the “internal voice” that we listen to do either good or evil. Our guardian angels do not whisper in our ears and tell us what to do. God does not speak to us through our Smart Phones either.  God might “speak” to us in a small way, but we must train ourselves to hear it, as we would train for a competition. A coach can only teach us so much before we can take it and make it own. God respects our freedom and allows us to use our free will to make the decision. 

Conscience as myth is the complete denial that a personal conscience even exists. These doubters see conscience as a way that organized religion keeps people under control by using guilt. (This is a favorite of the people who have either left the church or have a poor understanding of conscience. These individuals use the term – “catholic guilt.” Let’s be honest – guilt is guilt! There is no such thing as “catholic guilt.” I despise that saying by people. When I do something wrong and feel guilty, it’s not “catholic guilt” that is making me feel this way, it’s my own sin. It’s mine and I need to repent of it.) When the conscience is seen as a myth, individuals think they can do whatever they want without any sort of personal responsibility to hold them accountable. They usually push others aside for their own desires. Morality dies when the conscience is denied.

Conscience Formation 102, 103, and 104 will be posted  soon. Check back in a couple of days or even better, subscribe to the blog and you will be notified when the next post is up and ready.

Dear Senator…I Want My Religious Freedom

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As Catholic lay people, we must for the sake of our own conscience engage in the public square and be active members of our local communities and in the nation as a whole. As Catholics, it’s a moral imperative that we exercise our right to vote and participate in the governing of our country. In 2007, the United States Conference for Catholic Bishops adopted with great zeal the document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. This document explains how we as Catholics must form our consciences so we can exercise our rights as citizens of this great nation. We are both Catholic Christians and American citizens – we must participate fully in both arena’s. As Catholic Americans, we must strive to accomplish the common good and reach out to those who are in need. Of course, we must also stand up and resist when religious freedom is being threatened as it is being threatened now with the HHS Mandate declared by the Obama Administration. Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles said this week when speaking of us Catholics, they must “step up to their responsibilities for the Church’s mission” and “to be leaders in helping to shape the values and moral foundations of America’s future.”

When it comes to these matters, as Catholics, we must also pray!  When we do battle, our strength comes from Jesus Christ himself and the Church he founded upon St. Peter. When the Israelites would engage in battle against their enemies in the Old Testament, they would rub oil, which was seen as a sign of strength, on their shields, swords, and upon themselves. Chrism Oil is rubbed on our heads as children when we are Baptized to give us strength as we enter the Church and we receive it again at Confirmation, which is to prepare us to be soldiers for Christ in the world. This is the time when we must remember the oil rubbed on our heads by the Bishop and prepare ourselves for battle.

St. Padre Pio said, the greatest weapon against Satan is the Rosary.  Join me in the 18 day Rosary Campaign for Religious Freedom (it’s an event on Facebook) which begins on February 1. Let us pray that this encroaching mandate is lifted from us and we may live as our Founding Fathers had hoped for. On Days 1-9, let us pray for the overturning of the HHS mandate that would require Catholic institutions to provide health insurance plans to their employees, subsidizing contraception, sterilization, and abortifacient drugs. And for the conversion of our politicians. On Days 10-18, let us pray in thanksgiving for our prayers being answered. We must storm heaven with our prayers!

I would urge you to read the above document by the US Bishops and to contact your State Senators and Congressmen. The US Bishops are fighting this mandate and we must support them in this very important endeavor.  Please follow my example and write to your elected officials. Read more about the Action Alert at National Committee for a Human Life Amendment. The Bill is different in the House and Senate, please make sure you send the correct information. Below is the letter I sent to my elected Senators here in Texas -

Dear Senator, 

On January 20, 2012, I read about the HHS Mandate that the Obama Administration declared for religious organizations, including the Catholic Church, which I am a practicing member. What I saw not only made me angry, but also made me want to fight it at that very moment. It seems the Obama Administration has decided that Religious Liberty and the First Amendment are no longer suitable for US citizens. They are making it mandatory that all healthcare insurance plans cover the costs of sterilization, contraceptives, and abortion inducing pills (I choose not to use the term – “medicine” since medicine should help to heal and not destroy).  

For me as a Catholic Christian, this “law”, if you want to call it that, will violate my moral conscience. The forming of our conscience is one of the key factors that separate us from the animals. Our Founding Fathers understood the importance of the conscience and how it should never be violated. George Washington said, “The conscientious scruples of all men should be treated with great delicacy and tenderness…” and James Madison, the author of the First Amendment said, “Conscience is the most sacred of all property.” This current administration is seeking to destroy all those who stand against them and will do so at any cost. The First Amendment means nothing to them and if they could shred the Constitution, they would do so!

If our religious freedoms are threatened, we could see those of us who fight against this tyranny (and yes…this is becoming tyrannical) thrown in prison like Alexander Solzhenitsyn and many others who wrote and taught against the same sort of tyranny. I wonder if the brave men and women who fought the Nazi’s, stood toe to toe with the Communists, and who fight against religious extremism today, would have thought that what they were fighting against would find itself in the United States of America.

Please co-sponsor the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act (S. 1467). This measure ensures that the rights of conscience of all participants in our nation’s health care system will be respected. It is imperative for the future of our great country!

Sincerely,

Thomas J. Perna 

May God give us the strength and grace to engage the evils of religious discrimination.