THE CATECHISM OF
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CATHOLIC CHURCH
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ARTICLE 6 - MORAL CONSCIENCE
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 to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right
moment.... For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God.... His
conscience is man's most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone
with God whose voice echoes in his depths."[47]
I. THE JUDGMENT OF CONSCIENCE
1777 Moral conscience,[48] present at the heart of the person, enjoins him
at the appropriate moment to do good and to avoid evil. It also judges
particular choices, approving those that are good and denouncing those
that are evil.[49] It bears witness to the authority of truth in reference
to the supreme Good to which the human person is drawn, and it welcomes
the commandments. When he listens to his conscience, the prudent man can
hear God speaking.
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. It is by the judgment of his conscience that man perceives
and recognizes the prescriptions of the divine law:
Conscience is a law of the mind; yet [Christians] would not grant that it
is nothing more; I mean that it was not a dictate, nor conveyed the notion
of responsibility, of duty, of a threat and a promise.... [Conscience] is
a messenger of him, who, both in nature and in grace, speaks to us behind
a veil, and teaches and rules us by his representatives. Conscience is the
aboriginal Vicar of Christ.[50]
1779 It is important for every person to be sufficiently present to
himself in order to hear and follow the voice of his conscience. This
requirement of interiority is all the more necessary as life often
distracts us from any reflection, self-examination or introspection:
Return to your conscience, question it.... Turn inward, brethren, and in
everything you do, see God as your witness.[51]
1780 The dignity of the human person implies and requires uprightness of
moral conscience. Conscience includes the perception of the principles of
morality (synderesis); their application in the given circumstances by
practical discernment of reasons and goods; and finally judgment about
concrete acts yet to be performed or already performed. The truth about
the moral good, stated in the law of reason, is recognized practically and
concretely by the prudent judgment of conscience. We call that man prudent
who chooses in conformity with this judgment.
1781 Conscience enables one to assume responsibility for the acts
performed. If man commits evil, the just judgment of conscience can remain
within him as the witness to the universal truth of the good, at the same
time as the evil of his particular choice. The verdict of the judgment of
conscience remains a pledge of hope and mercy. In attesting to the fault
committed, it calls to mind the forgiveness that must be asked, the good
that must still be practiced, and the virtue that must be constantly
cultivated with the grace of God:
We shall . . . reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn
us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.[52]
1782 Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as
personally to make moral decisions. "He must not be forced to act contrary
to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his
conscience, especially in religious matters."[53]
II. THE FORMATION OF CONSCIENCE
1783 Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A
well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its
judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by
the wisdom of the Creator. The education of conscience is indispensable
for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by
sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings.
1784 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.
1785 In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our
path,[54] 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.[55]
III. TO CHOOSE IN ACCORD WITH CONSCIENCE
1786 Faced with a moral choice, conscience can make either a right
judgment in accordance with reason and the divine law or, on the contrary,
an erroneous judgment that departs from them.
1787 Man is sometimes confronted by situations that make moral judgments
less assured and decision difficult. But he must always seriously seek
what is right and good and discern the will of God expressed in divine
law.
1788 To this purpose, man strives to interpret the data of experience and
the signs of the times assisted by the virtue of prudence, by the advice
of competent people, and by the help of the Holy Spirit and his gifts.
1789 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."[56]
- 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."[57] Therefore "it is right not
to . . . do anything that makes your brother stumble."[58]
IV. ERRONEOUS JUDGMENT
1790 A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his
conscience. If he were deliberately to act against it, he would condemn
himself. Yet it can happen that moral conscience remains in ignorance and
makes erroneous judgments about acts to be performed or already committed.
1791 This ignorance can often be imputed to personal responsibility. This
is the case when a man "takes little trouble to find out what is true and
good, or when conscience is by degrees almost blinded through the habit of
committing sin."[59] In such cases, the person is culpable for the evil he
commits.
1792 Ignorance of Christ and his Gospel, bad example given by others,
enslavement to one's passions, assertion of a mistaken notion of autonomy
of conscience, rejection of the Church's authority and her teaching, lack
of conversion and of charity: these can be at the source of errors of
judgment in moral conduct.
1793 If - on the contrary - the ignorance is invincible, or the moral
subject is not responsible for his erroneous judgment, the evil committed
by the person cannot be imputed to him. It remains no less an evil, a
privation, a disorder. One must therefore work to correct the errors of
moral conscience.
1794 A good and pure conscience is enlightened by true faith, for charity
proceeds at the same time "from a pure heart and a good conscience and
sincere faith."[60]
The more a correct conscience prevails, the more do persons and groups
turn aside from blind choice and try to be guided by objective standards
of moral conduct.[61]
IN BRIEF
1795 "Conscience is man's most secret core, and his sanctuary. There he is
alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths" (GS 16).
1796 Conscience is a judgment of reason by which the human person
recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act.
1797 For the man who has committed evil, the verdict of his conscience
remains a pledge of conversion and of hope.
1798 A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its
judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by
the wisdom of the Creator. Everyone must avail himself of the means to
form his conscience.
1799 Faced with a moral choice, conscience can make either a right
judgment in accordance with reason and the divine law or, on the contrary,
an erroneous judgment that departs from them.
1800 A human being must always obey the certain judgment of his
conscience.
1801 Conscience can remain in ignorance or make erroneous judgments. Such
ignorance and errors are not always free of guilt.
1802 The Word of God is a light for our path. We must assimilate it in
faith and prayer and put it into practice. This is how moral conscience is
formed.
ARTICLE 7 - THE VIRTUES
1803 "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever
is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any
excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these
things."[62]
A virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the
person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The
virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual
powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions.
The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God.[63]
I. THE HUMAN VIRTUES
1804 Human virtues are firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual
perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our
passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and faith. They make
possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life. The
virtuous man is he who freely practices the good.
The moral virtues are acquired by human effort. They are the fruit and
seed of morally good acts; they dispose all the powers of the human being
for communion with divine love.
The cardinal virtues
1805 Four virtues play a pivotal role and accordingly are called
"cardinal"; all the others are grouped around them. They are: prudence,
justice, fortitude, and temperance. "If anyone loves righteousness,
[Wisdom's] labors are virtues; for she teaches temperance and prudence,
justice, and courage."[64] These virtues are praised under other names in
many passages of Scripture.
1806 Prudence is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our
true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving
it; "the prudent man looks where he is going."[65] "Keep sane and sober
for your prayers."[66] Prudence is "right reason in action," writes St.
Thomas Aquinas, following Aristotle.[67] It is not to be confused with
timidity or fear, nor with duplicity or dissimulation. It is called auriga
virtutum (the charioteer of the virtues); it guides the other virtues by
setting rule and measure. It is prudence that immediately guides the
judgment of conscience. The prudent man determines and directs his conduct
in accordance with this judgment. With the help of this virtue we apply
moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts
about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid.
1807 Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm
will to give their due to God and neighbor. Justice toward God is called
the "virtue of religion." Justice toward men disposes one to respect the
rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that
promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good. The just
man, often mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures, is distinguished by
habitual right thinking and the uprightness of his conduct toward his
neighbor. "You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but
in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor."[68] "Masters, treat your
slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in
heaven."[69]
1808 Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties
and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to
resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. The virtue
of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face
trials and persecutions. It disposes one even to renounce and sacrifice
his life in defense of a just cause. "The Lord is my strength and my
song."[70] "In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I
have overcome the world."[71]
1809 Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of
pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the
will's mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what
is honorable. The temperate person directs the sensitive appetites toward
what is good and maintains a healthy discretion: "Do not follow your
inclination and strength, walking according to the desires of your
heart."[72] Temperance is often praised in the Old Testament: "Do not
follow your base desires, but restrain your appetites."[73] In the New
Testament it is called "moderation" or "sobriety." We ought "to live
sober, upright, and godly lives in this world."[74]
To live well is nothing other than to love God with all one's heart, with
all one's soul and with all one's efforts; from this it comes about that
love is kept whole and uncorrupted (through temperance). No misfortune can
disturb it (and this is fortitude). It obeys only [God] (and this is
justice), and is careful in discerning things, so as not to be surprised
by deceit or trickery (and this is prudence).[75]
The virtues and grace
1810 Human virtues acquired by education, by deliberate acts and by a
perseverance ever-renewed in repeated efforts are purified and elevated by
divine grace. With God's help, they forge character and give facility in
the practice of the good. The virtuous man is happy to practice them.
1811 It is not easy for man, wounded by sin, to maintain moral balance.
Christ's gift of salvation offers us the grace necessary to persevere in
the pursuit of the virtues. Everyone should always ask for this grace of
light and strength, frequent the sacraments, cooperate with the Holy
Spirit, and follow his calls to love what is good and shun evil.
II. THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES
1812 The human virtues are rooted in the theological virtues, which adapt
man's faculties for participation in the divine nature:[76] for the
theological virtues relate directly to God. They dispose Christians to
live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have the One and Triune
God for their origin, motive, and object.
1813 The theological virtues are the foundation of Christian moral
activity; they animate it and give it its special character. They inform
and give life to all the moral virtues. They are infused by God into the
souls of the faithful to make them capable of acting as his children and
of meriting eternal life. They are the pledge of the presence and action
of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being. There are three
theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity.[77]
Faith
1814 Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and
believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church
proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself. By faith "man freely
commits his entire self to God."[78] For this reason the believer seeks to
know and do God's will. "The righteous shall live by faith." Living faith
"work[s] through charity."[79]
1815 The gift of faith remains in one who has not sinned against it.[80]
But "faith apart from works is dead":[81] when it is deprived of hope and
love, faith does not fully unite the believer to Christ and does not make
him a living member of his Body.
1816 The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it,
but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it: "All
however must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow him
along the way of the Cross, amidst the persecutions which the Church never
lacks."[82] Service of and witness to the faith are necessary for
salvation: "So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will
acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me
before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven."[83]
Hope
1817 Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of
heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's
promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace
of the Holy Spirit. "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without
wavering, for he who promised is faithful."[84] "The Holy Spirit . . . he
poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we
might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal
life."[85]
1818 The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God
has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire
men's activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of
heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of
abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude.
Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the
happiness that flows from charity.
1819 Christian hope takes up and fulfills the hope of the chosen people
which has its origin and model in the hope of Abraham, who was blessed
abundantly by the promises of God fulfilled in Isaac, and who was purified
by the test of the sacrifice.[86] "Hoping against hope, he believed, and
thus became the father of many nations."[87]
1820 Christian hope unfolds from the beginning of Jesus' preaching in the
proclamation of the beatitudes. The beatitudes raise our hope toward
heaven as the new Promised Land; they trace the path that leads through
the trials that await the disciples of Jesus. But through the merits of
Jesus Christ and of his Passion, God keeps us in the "hope that does not
disappoint."[88] Hope is the "sure and steadfast anchor of the soul . . .
that enters . . . where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf."[89]
Hope is also a weapon that protects us in the struggle of salvation: "Let
us . . . put on the breastplate of faith and charity, and for a helmet the
hope of salvation."[90] It affords us joy even under trial: "Rejoice in
your hope, be patient in tribulation."[91] Hope is expressed and nourished
in prayer, especially in the Our Father, the summary of everything that
hope leads us to desire.
1821 We can therefore hope in the glory of heaven promised by God to those
who love him and do his will.[92] In every circumstance, each one of us
should hope, with the grace of God, to persevere "to the end"[93] and to
obtain the joy of heaven, as God's eternal reward for the good works
accomplished with the grace of Christ. In hope, the Church prays for "all
men to be saved."[94] She longs to be united with Christ, her Bridegroom,
in the glory of heaven:
Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch
carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience
makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long
one. Dream that the more you struggle, the more you prove the love that
you bear your God, and the more you will rejoice one day with your
Beloved, in a happiness and rapture that can never end.[95]
Charity
1822 Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all
things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of
God.
1823 Jesus makes charity the new commandment.[96] By loving his own "to
the end,"[97] he makes manifest the Father's love which he receives. By
loving one another, the disciples imitate the love of Jesus which they
themselves receive. Whence Jesus says: "As the Father has loved me, so
have I loved you; abide in my love." And again: "This is my commandment,
that you love one another as I have loved you."[98]
1824 Fruit of the Spirit and fullness of the Law, charity keeps the
commandments of God and his Christ: "Abide in my love. If you keep my
commandments, you will abide in my love."[99]
1825 Christ died out of love for us, while we were still "enemies."[100]
The Lord asks us to love as he does, even our enemies, to make ourselves
the neighbor of those farthest away, and to love children and the poor as
Christ himself.[101]
The Apostle Paul has given an incomparable depiction of charity: "charity
is patient and kind, charity is not jealous or boastful; it is not
arrogant or rude. Charity does not insist on its own way; it is not
irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the
right. Charity bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things."[102]
1826 "If I . . . have not charity," says the Apostle, "I am nothing."
Whatever my privilege, service, or even virtue, "if I . . . have not
charity, I gain nothing."[103] Charity is superior to all the virtues. It
is the first of the theological virtues: "So faith, hope, charity abide,
these three. But the greatest of these is charity."[104]
1827 The practice of all the virtues is animated and inspired by charity,
which "binds everything together in perfect harmony";[105] it is the form
of the virtues; it articulates and orders them among themselves; it is the
source and the goal of their Christian practice. Charity upholds and
purifies our human ability to love, and raises it to the supernatural
perfection of divine love.
1828 The practice of the moral life animated by charity gives to the
Christian the spiritual freedom of the children of God. He no longer
stands before God as a slave, in servile fear, or as a mercenary looking
for wages, but as a son responding to the love of him who "first loved
us":[106]
If we turn away from evil out of fear of punishment, we are in the
position of slaves. If we pursue the enticement of wages, . . . we
resemble mercenaries. Finally if we obey for the sake of the good itself
and out of love for him who commands . . . we are in the position of
children.[107]
1829 The fruits of charity are joy, peace, and mercy; charity demands
beneficence and fraternal correction; it is benevolence; it fosters
reciprocity and remains disinterested and generous; it is friendship and
communion:
Love is itself the fulfillment of all our works. There is the goal; that
is why we run: we run toward it, and once we reach it, in it we shall find
rest.[108]
III. THE GIFTS AND FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
1830 The moral life of Christians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy
Spirit. These are permanent dispositions which make man docile in
following the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
1831 The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding,
counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in
their fullness to Christ, Son of David.[109] They complete and perfect the
virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in
readily obeying divine inspirations.
Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.[110]
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God . . . If
children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.[111]
1832 The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms
in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church
lists twelve of them: "charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control,
chastity."[112]
IN BRIEF
1833 Virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do good.
1834 The human virtues are stable dispositions of the intellect and the
will that govern our acts, order our passions, and guide our conduct in
accordance with reason and faith. They can be grouped around the four
cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.
1835 Prudence disposes the practical reason to discern, in every
circumstance, our true good and to choose the right means for achieving
it.
1836 Justice consists in the firm and constant will to give God and
neighbor their due.
1837 Fortitude ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the
pursuit of the good.
1838 Temperance moderates the attraction of the pleasures of the senses
and provides balance in the use of created goods.
1839 The moral virtues grow through education, deliberate acts, and
perseverance in struggle. Divine grace purifies and elevates them.
1840 The theological virtues dispose Christians to live in a relationship
with the Holy Trinity. They have God for their origin, their motive, and
their object - God known by faith, God hoped in and loved for his own
sake.
1841 There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. They
inform all the moral virtues and give life to them.
1842 By faith, we believe in God and believe all that he has revealed to
us and that Holy Church proposes for our belief.
1843 By hope we desire, and with steadfast trust await from God, eternal
life and the graces to merit it.
1844 By charity, we love God above all things and our neighbor as
ourselves for love of God. Charity, the form of all the virtues, "binds
everything together in perfect harmony" (Col 3:14).
1845 The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon Christians are
wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of
the Lord.
ARTICLE 8 - SIN
I. MERCY AND SIN
1846 The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God's mercy to
sinners.[113] The angel announced to Joseph: "You shall call his name
Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."[114] The same is true
of the Eucharist, the sacrament of redemption: "This is my blood of the
covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."[115]
1847 "God created us without us: but he did not will to save us without
us."[116] To receive his mercy, we must admit our faults. "If we say we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and
cleanse us from all unrighteousness."[117]
1848 As St. Paul affirms, "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the
more."[118] But to do its work grace must uncover sin so as to convert our
hearts and bestow on us "righteousness to eternal life through Jesus
Christ ourLord."[119] Like a physician who probes the wound before
treating it, God, by his Word and by his Spirit, casts a living light on
sin:
Conversion requires convincing of sin; it includes the interior judgment
of conscience, and this, being a proof of the action of the Spirit of
truth in man's inmost being, becomes at the same time the start of a new
grant of grace and love: "Receive the Holy Spirit." Thus in this
"convincing concerning sin" we discover a double gift: the gift of the
truth of conscience and the gift of the certainty of redemption. The
Spirit of truth is the Consoler.[120]
II. THE DEFINITION OF SIN
1849 Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is
failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse
attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human
solidarity. It has been defined as "an utterance, a deed, or a desire
contrary to the eternal law."[121]
1850 Sin is an offense against God: "Against you, you alone, have I
sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight."[122] Sin sets itself
against God's love for us and turns our hearts away from it. Like the
first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against God through the will to
become "like gods,"[123] knowing and determining good and evil. Sin is
thus "love of oneself even to contempt of God."[124] In this proud self-
exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the obedience of Jesus, which
achieves our salvation.[125]
1851 It is precisely in the Passion, when the mercy of Christ is about to
vanquish it, that sin most clearly manifests its violence and its many
forms: unbelief, murderous hatred, shunning and mockery by the leaders and
the people, Pilate's cowardice and the cruelty of the soldiers, Judas'
betrayal - so bitter to Jesus, Peter's denial and the disciples' flight.
However, at the very hour of darkness, the hour of the prince of this
world,[126] the sacrifice of Christ secretly becomes the source from which
the forgiveness of our sins will pour forth inexhaustibly.
III. THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SINS
1852 There are a great many kinds of sins. Scripture provides several
lists of them. The Letter to the Galatians contrasts the works of the
flesh with the fruit of the Spirit: "Now the works of the flesh are plain:
fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife,
jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness,
carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those
who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God."[127]
1853 Sins can be distinguished according to their objects, as can every
human act; or according to the virtues they oppose, by excess or defect;
or according to the commandments they violate. They can also be classed
according to whether they concern God, neighbor, or oneself; they can be
divided into spiritual and carnal sins, or again as sins in thought, word,
deed, or omission. The root of sin is in the heart of man, in his free
will, according to the teaching of the Lord: "For out of the heart come
evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness,
slander. These are what defile a man."[128] But in the heart also resides
charity, the source of the good and pure works, which sin wounds.
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