I keep hearing that Catholics should have a well-formed conscience when we vote. How do we do that?
Both major political parties fall tragically short of Catholic social and moral teaching, so a well-formed conscience is essential when it comes to voting. Without it, we are vulnerable to manipulation by forces that will make it impossible to engage in Christian discernment. Sadly, many people today do not have well-formed consciences. They base their life decisions, including their political choices, on whichever way the wind is blowing. Such persons are especially vulnerable to the propaganda found on social media. A well-formed conscience is the best protection against these forces.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides a beautiful explanation of conscience: “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” (CCC 1776).
As Christians, our consciences are formed first and foremost by the teachings of Jesus in the Gospel. Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves, to care for those who are most vulnerable and to forgive our enemies as a matter of salvation. If we are studying and praying with the Gospel, then we understand that our political discernment must seriously consider the hungry, the sick, the stranger and the imprisoned. This necessarily means that we favor candidates and policies which will benefit those with the fewest resources.
A second essential component of conscience formation is Church teaching. The catechism is thoroughly grounded in the teachings of Jesus and applies them to situations that Jesus didn’t directly address. For example, Jesus never directly confronted the issue of abortion, even though it was possible to terminate a pregnancy in the Roman world. Catholic teaching takes the Gospel of Jesus and applies it to the child within the womb. The catechism states that human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception (2270). As a result, abortion is gravely immoral and never permissible under any circumstances. If our conscience is formed by Church teaching, then we know that we have a moral obligation to vote in favor of initiatives such as Amendment 3, which will drastically reduce the number of abortions in the state of Missouri.
A third component of a well-formed conscience is a healthy spiritual and moral life. St. Ignatius of Loyola taught that in order to discern God’s will, we need to detach ourselves from sin and from selfish attitudes, seeking only to do God’s will. If we are actively doing that and spending time each day in prayer, then it will be easier to hear the voice of God as we discern our political choices. If our consciences are clouded by sin, then we will have a much harder time making decisions that promote human life and human dignity.
Finally, in forming our consciences to vote, we need to listen to the experiences of others. For example, if I am going to vote in favor of Amendment 3 — and I will — then I also need to listen to the experiences of women dealing with unplanned, difficult pregnancies. Many of them face serious health complications, economic hardships and other major issues. It is never enough to simply vote against abortion. We are also obligated to consider all the other ways our political choices impact the lives and well-being of mothers facing unplanned pregnancies. That means we will support affordable daycare, healthcare and educational and housing options that make choosing life a viable option for women considering abortion.
As Catholics, we are not single-issue voters. The considerations before us must always be: Given the range of candidates and initiatives, how can my vote be as pro-life as possible and reflect the Gospel of Jesus? How does my vote best promote the dignity of the human person at every stage of life, from conception to natural death? A well-formed conscience will help us discern as best we can the answers to these challenging questions.
