How do I know that my moral conscience is sharp?

Conscience is sharp when three conditions are present. One: when it can determine freely and clearly the existence of what is good and what is evil. Two: when it can judge that this existence of good and evil is real and is confirmed by God’s commandments. Three: when the good makes conscience happy or when the bad disturbs or pricks the conscience.

In the last week’s Shalom I mentioned the fact that when conscience, traditionally considered God’s voice from within, is no longer disturbed, that is, the inner voice cannot be heard, it might be callused or numbed. In Cebuano we call this, “nakubalan ang konsensya. Busa wala sya nakonsensya.” What then makes a conscience callused?

One reason for a callused or numbed conscience is indulgence in sins or vices. The situation is no longer a question of not hearing God’s inner voice or moral conscience. It is now one when the sinner cannot see the beauty of goodness and the ugliness of evil.

But the most important truth is the malice of sin or evil. It is an utter defiance of God, a direct insult to the Creator.

Another malice which is much worse is for a person to say there is no sin. So there’s no offense against God. Therefore there is no evil! There is no more faith and therefore no more God who rewards virtues and punishes sins and crimes. This is the abyss of human misery. (To be continued)