“Inform Your Conscience” Sub-pages:
Quotes – Praying It – Basking In It – Digging Deeper – Making It Real

In this fallen world we have as our only guides, prudence, wisdom (rare in youth, too late in age), a clean heart, and fidelity of will… – J.R.R. Tolkien from a letter to his son, Michael

Be Prepared For Tough Decisions

One of the best explanations I’ve heard for the importance of informing your conscience was from a recent homily by a visiting priest. He’s retired from many years of teaching religion in high school, where he talked often with his students about morality and ethics, including such things as how to respond to evil.

This grounding served him well when he was faced with the very tough situation of his brother’s murder. He had already grappled with the important concept of forgiveness and was well-informed on subjects such as the death penalty. These prepared him to respond to this terrible situation in accord with his faith and his beliefs. Within the shock and pain of a terrible situation is not a good place to find out where we stand in a given situation. It is much better to prepare our hearts and consciences ahead of time to make decisions and develop attitudes that we can be at peace with.

Don’t be Easily Swayed by Media/Politics/Culture

Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined. – Matthew 7:24-27