Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship Joan Rosenhauer Special Projects Coordinator -...

Forming Consciences for

Faithful Citizenship

Joan Rosenhauer Special Projects Coordinator - Department of Social Development and World Peace

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Paul J. ThomasAssociate Director-Office of Lifelong Catholic Formation/Education

Diocese of Beaumont

© 2008 USCCB

Faithful Citizenship challenges Catholics to rely on a well formed conscience in order to participate responsibly in the political

process.

First we must ask ourselves…

What is Conscience?

“The interior voice of a human being, within whose heart the inner law of God is

inscribed.”

Definition from Catechism of the Catholic Church

“…yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me…”

Letter of St. Paul to Galatians 2:20

These words from St . Paul remind us that as Catholic and Christian, the formation of

our conscience is a reflection of the presence of Christ growing in our lives.

“Now I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ”.

Galatians 1:11-12

The formation of conscience includes these elements:

• A desire to embrace goodness and truth

• To examine the facts and background information about various choices

• Prayerful reflectionFaithful Citizenship No. 18

The church’s teaching on conscience:

The capacity to make judgments in

agreement with God’s law, to protect human dignity and reject anything that degrades it.

Catholic Catechism for Adults

The word of God and the teachings of the church give us a particular

way of viewing the world.

We call this:

A Consistent Moral Framework

From a Consistent Moral Framework, our conscience is formed to recognize that behind every issue there is a human face.

We call this…

A Consistent Ethic of Life

A comprehensive ethical system that links together many different issues by focusing attention on the basic

value of life.

Where does the Consistent Ethic of Life come from? It comes largely from the insights of Cardinal Bernardin, the teachings of the U.S. Catholic bishops and, most recently and significantly, John Paul II's encyclical The Gospel of Life. The ultimate source, however, is the Bible, especially the life and teaching of Jesus.

“I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly”.

John 10:10

We make decisions everyday that affect the basic value of life.

We must ask ourselves, “How will my decision enhance the Life and Dignity of

the Human Person?”

These decisions are aided by a well formed conscience.

Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship…

Putting our conscience to work in the public square

Faithful Citizenship is NOT

Partisan Politics

A NEW IDEA

UCSA

Focused only on elections

Deus Caritas Est

[C]harity must animate the entire lives of the lay faithful and therefore also their political activity, lived as ‘social charity.’

Pope Benedict’s Encyclical God is Love No. 29

“The direct duty to work for a just ordering of society is proper to the lay faithful”

Deus Caritas Est No. 29


A new idea

PARTISAN POLITICS

UCSA

Focused only on elections

Catholic moral framework does not easily fit the ideologies of “right” or “left”, nor the platforms of any party. Our values are often not “politically correct”.

As Catholics, we should be guided

more by our moral convictions than by our attachment to a political party or interest group.

…our participation should help transform the party to which we belong; we should not let the party transform us…

Remember…

A well formed conscience helps to evangelize hearts and minds; leading others to conversion

Evangelization aims at both the interior change of individuals and the external change of societies.

National Directory for Catechesis No. 17C


• New idea

• Partisan Politics

• UCSA

• Focused only on elections

UCSA…United Catholic States of America

When the church calls the state to task, it does not want to introduce a Christian state. It simply wants to promote a human state.

Pope John Paul II

December 18, 1987

Deus Caritas Est“The Church cannot and must not take upon herself the political battle to bring about the most just society possible. She cannot and must not replace the State. Yet at the same time she cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice… [T]he Church wishes to help form consciences in political life and to stimulate greater insight into the authentic requirements of justice as well as greater readiness to act accordingly…”

God is Love No. 28


• New idea

• Partisan Politics

• UCSA

• Focused only on elections

Catechism of the Catholic Church

“[I]t is necessary that all participate, each according to his position and role, in promoting the common good. This obligation is inherent in the dignity of the human person.... As far as possible citizens should take an active part in public life.”

Nos. 1913-1915

Faithful Citizenship IS• Affirmation of Catholic Social Teaching

– Basic Themes– Avoiding Evil and Doing Good

• Call to Faithful Citizenship– Forming Consciences– Voting

• Summary of Church Teaching on Issues

Catholic Social Teaching• Life and Dignity of the Human Person

• Call to Family, Community, & Participation

• Rights and Responsibilities

• Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

• Dignity of Work & Rights of Workers

• Solidarity

• Care for God’s Creation

• Life and Dignity of the Human Person

The person is sacred, made in the image of God.

Catholic moral and social teaching

has as its core

the

“Life and Dignity of the Human Person”

• Call to Family, Community, & Participation

The social nature of the human person

Members of the Body of Christ

and

Members of Society

• Rights and Responsibilities

Every person has a right to the basic material necessities that are required to live a decent life.

• Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

Remember the “widows, orphans, and aliens.”

Those who are weak, vulnerable, and most in need deserve preferential concern.

• Dignity of Work & Rights of Workers

All workers have a right to productive work, to decent wages, to safe working conditions; and they have a right to organize and join unions.

• Solidarity

Jesus said to his disciples: "Love one another even as I have loved you.“

We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences.

• Care for God’s Creation

The goods of the earth are gifts. We hold them in trust, as stewards.

Faithful Citizenship IS

• Affirmation of Catholic Social Teaching– Basic Themes– Avoiding Evil and Doing Good



Faithful Citizenship• There are some things we must never do, as

individuals or as a society, because they are always incompatible with love of God and neighbor. These intrinsically evil acts must always be rejected and never supported…

No. 22 • Opposition to intrinsically evil acts also prompts

us to recognize our positive duty to contribute to the common good and act in solidarity with those in need. Both opposing evil and doing good are essential No. 24

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.“• 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.“Therefore "it is right not to . . . do anything that makes your brother stumble.“

Catechism, No. 1789

We are people of both

Faith and Reason

Catholics have a serious and lifelong obligation to form their consciences in accord with human reason and the teaching of the Church.

“For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God”.

1 Corinthians 2:10

Faith Formation (Catechesis) is an essential part of formation of

conscience

[Catechesis] teaches that God’s revealed law, as grounded in natural law and as taught by the Church, is the source of Christian morality and the formation of conscience

National Directory for Catechesis No. 4B


• Affirmation of Catholic Social Teaching– Basic Themes– Avoiding Evil and Doing Good



Deus Caritas Est

The Church wishes to help form consciences in political life and to stimulate greater insight into the authentic requirements of justice as well as greater readiness to act accordingly, even when this might involve conflict with situations of personal interest.

God is Love No. 28


Conscience is not something that allows us to justify doing whatever we want, nor is it a mere “feeling” about what we should or should not do. Rather, conscience is the voice of God resounding in the human heart, revealing the truth to us and calling us to do what is good while shunning what is evil.

Faithful Citizenship…this begins with a willingness and openness to seek the truth and what is right by studying Sacred Scripture and the teaching of the Church as contained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is also important to examine the facts and background information about various choices. Finally, prayerful reflection is essential to discern the will of God.

No. 18

The work of justice requires that the mind and heart of Catholics be

educated and formed to know and practice the whole faith.

Faithful Citizenship calls Catholics to see civic and political responsibilities through the eyes of faith and to bring our moral convictions to public life.

Believers are called to be a community of conscience within the larger society and to test public life by the values of Scripture and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

Faithful Citizenship IS• Affirmation of Catholic Social Teaching

– Basic Themes– Avoiding Evil and Doing Good




In the Catholic Tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in the political process is a moral obligation.

No. 13

The Church calls for a different kind of political engagement: one shaped by the moral convictions of well-formed consciences and focused on the dignity of every human being, the common good, and the protection of the weak and vulnerable.

Catholics often face difficult choices about how to vote. This is why it is so important to vote according to a well-formed conscience that perceives the proper relationship among moral goods.

No. 34

Faithful CitizenshipAs Catholics we are not single-issue voters. A candidate’s position on a single issue is not sufficient to guarantee a voter’s support. Yet a candidate’s position on a single issue that involves an intrinsic evil, such as support for legal abortion or the promotion of racism, may legitimately lead a voter to disqualify a candidate from receiving support.

No. 42

In the end, this is a decision to be made by each Catholic guided by a conscience formed by Catholic moral teaching.

No. 37


Affirmation of Catholic Social Teaching– Basic Themes– Avoiding Evil and Doing Good



“In this statement, we bishops do not intend to tell Catholics for whom or against whom to vote. Our purpose is to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with God’s truth. We recognize that the responsibility to make choices in political life rests with each individual in light of a properly formed conscience, and that participation goes well beyond casting a vote in a particular election.”

No. 7


Politics cannot be merely about ideological conflict, the search for

partisan advantage, or political contributions. It should be about

fundamental moral choices.

Politics should be about fulfilling our obligation to the

common good

The Common Good…

‘The sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and easily’

Catechism of the Catholic Church #1906

“We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves; let each of us please our neighbor for the good, for building up”.

Romans 15:1-2

“What interests the church is above all the integral development of the human person and of all peoples.”

General Directory for Catechesis No. 18

In conclusion…

During election years, there may be many handouts and voter guides that are produced and distributed. We encourage Catholics to seek those resources that are authorized by their own bishops, their state Catholic conferences, and the USCCB.

No.8

More information can be found at:

www.faithfulcitizenship.orgwww.usccb.org

www.vatican.va

http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/

http://www.usccb.org/

Forming Consciences for


Joan Rosenhauer Special Projects Coordinator - Department of Social Development and World Peace

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Paul J. ThomasAssociate Director-Office of Lifelong Catholic Formation/Education

Diocese of Beaumont

© 2008 USCCB

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