The Illumination of 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
… 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.5
Catechism of the Catholic Church
We’ve been hearing a lot about an ‘illumination of conscience’, this is what the Lord wants for us, whether it’s coming in one fell swoop over society, we gradually come upon it, or we merely happen on to it as we draw our last breath. It will happen. This illumination like a lamp that is lit in a dark room, not only shows us the true beauty that we have been surrounded by, but will also show the dust that we’ve allowed to accumulate.
The more dust and dirt in our little room, the more anxiety and sadness we’ll experience at seeing how much has stood in our way of seeing things clearly. But God is a loving and forgiving God…He will not only show us the true beauty in our midst, He will help us clean up the messes that we’ve allowed to grow. This my friends is why we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation…Confession. We need to be willing to part with the dust (our sins) in order to embrace the true beauty before us (the Kingdom of Heaven).
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew 3:2
Please watch the following video about “What You Don’t Know but Need to Know about Confession and Joy”
