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I. Module Lesson 8: Growing in Christian Conscience

Objectives:
 Explain that conscience is one’s personal norm
 Map out means to minimize occasions of erroneous judgement of conscience.
 Value the gift of conscience as the voice of God
 Pray for the grace of discernment in daily decisions

A. Introduction
“Do the Right Thing”
-by Richard N. Velotta-

A Las Vegas cab driver who found $300,000 — $100 bills in six $50,000 bundles — in a brown paper bag in the back seat of
his taxi returned the money to the owner, a gambler who had won big at the Cosmopolitan. Yellow Checker Star named cabbie
Gerardo Gamboa its Driver of the Year, rewarding him with $1,000 and a dinner for two at an exclusive restaurant. Gamboa may
still get a reward from the unidentified gambler. Gamboa picked up the player Monday morning at the Cosmopolitan and took him to
Palms Place, where the passenger gave him a $5 tip. Gamboa’s next stop was the Bellagio, where a doorman removed the bag
from the back seat of the car and put it on the front passenger seat, surmising it was chocolate left behind by a previous rider.

When Gamboa stopped at a traffic light after picking up his next passenger, he peeked inside the bag and discovered the
money. “I told my passenger, ‘You are my witness on this,’ and then I immediately called my dispatcher,” Gamboa said. Once the
cash was secured at the taxi company office, it was tracked to the owner through Cosmopolitan records. The man arrived at the
office in sweats and a T-shirt to reclaim his money, but he didn’t have any identification.

YCS officials took another few hours conferring with the Cosmopolitan and Metro Police to make sure they were handing the
money over to the right person. “He was really polite about it and waited patiently,” said Bill Shranko, a YCS manager. “He said he’d
do whatever was necessary.” Once his identity was verified, YCS turned the cash over to the player, who asked to see Gamboa to
shake his hand. He told Gamboa he planned to reward him and got his contact information.

“If he doesn’t give me anything, that’s OK,” Gamboa said. “I’m not waiting for any kind of return. I just wanted to do the right
thing, and I appreciate what the company did for me.” Gamboa, a humble and religious man who has worked for YCS for 13 years,
has now become a media star, fielding interview requests from Los Angeles, Chicago and New York about the unusual find.

Reflection
Did the Taxi driver do the “right thing”?What prompted him to return
Whatthe
does he mean when he said, “I just wanted to do the right th
money?

“ People, when making decisions, are guided by conscience. Conscience is the voice of God within prompting the
person to do what is right and to shun the wrong doings. In the gospel about the Beatitudes, Jesus gives us the
guidelines on how to live in accordance with God’s will to enjoy eternal happiness in the Kingdom of God .
”
Sermon on the Mount
-Matthew 5:1-11-
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Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And He opened His
mouth and began to teach them, saying,
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

The Beatitudes express Jesus’ teaching on a way of living that opens to us the gates of the Kingdom of God. Because of its
paradoxical nature, we cannot fully understand and live it unless we have consented to follow Christ be becoming his disciple. The
Beatitudes are not a set of principles or theories about the meaning of existence, nor is it a system of morality. Rather, it tells how
Jesus’ lived and how he expects his disciples to live and merit God’s blessings.

B. Lesson Proper
Conscience

Living the beatitudes is more of conscience matter and not by force. Filipinos believe that the inner voice that
guides our moral life is conscience. The voice within us basically loves the good and avoids evil. Speaking to the heart of
a person, the voice of one’s conscience serves to apply moral norms or guides for personal and particular acts.

Man’s secret core and God’s voice echoes in his interior is Conscience. It is a judgment using reason for people
to know the moral quality of his or her actions. whenever evil is committed, conscience guides people for hope and
conversion. A conscience that is well-formed is upright and tells the truth. Man’s formulation of judgment in a well-
formed conscience is always geared toward the Creator’s wisdom. Erroneous judgment or right decision may come as a
result of moral choice. Not free or guilt, an ignorant conscience is liable for responsibility. There is a need for
formulation of moral conscience. Faith and prayer is fundamental to practice and must be assimilated with the Word of
God, the Light of our Path.

Virtues That Can Help Us Develop Our Conscience:

If we develop our Conscience, we can sustain a closer relationship with God worthy of his Kingdom by living out
the following virtues:

1. Prudence. The virtue of prudence guides one to make decisions that are right and implement them properly. We can
form this virtue when all the decision are in union with God.
2. Justice. The virtue of justice makes the community live harmoniously in respect to other’s rights. This means giving
due what is to God and fellow men. When our actions are directed to God and others, our virtue of justice is
developed.
3. Fortitude. This virtue makes us courageous to carry and face consequences of responsibilities. When we act rightly is
spite of criticisms, temptations, and fear, we develop fortitude.
4. Temperance. This virtue moderates the desires of using material goods rightly and moderate actions and thoughts
pleasing to the senses. When we form our intelligence and will over instincts, our temperance is developed. To
minimize disorder and disharmony caused by erroneous judgment of conscience, we must take time to do the
following:
a. Study our Options. Take into consideration the object, intention, and circumstances.
b. Have a Mental Review of Fundamental Principles. Remember the following:
- The end does not justify the means (Do not do something bad that good may arise)
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- Love you neighbor as yourself.

- Do not do to others what you would not want others do unto you.
- Respect the dignity of everyone.
c. Seek Advice. Choose people you can trust and respect people whose morals are upright.
d. Think of you Past Experiences. Wise people learn from past experiences. We learn much from mistakes of the past.
5. Pray. Seek the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary for she will surely guide us to the correct course of action.

Theological Virtues

Theological virtues are the virtues God shared and implanted in our divine soul that must be nourished and
nurtured by the Word of God and through personal faith experiences as we form and live our consciences with God and
fellowmen. The virtues faith, hope, and charity are theological virtues or virtues of God given to Christians to live in
relationship with the Trinity. God is the origin, motive, and the object.

C. Synthesis/ Closure/ Wrap Up

Remember!
In all our activity or journey, we are bound to follow our conscience faithfully, to be lead to God for whom we were
created. To educate our conscience, there is a need to be more reflective and always abide by the guidance of the Holy
Spirit- he will always direct us to do what is right.

Note: The underlined phrases in the content will help you relate your Benedictine values/ reflection with the topic.

Benedictine Values Activity: How can you practice the 3 benedictine values (given above) in your life as a follower of Christ? Write a
specific action wherein you can apply each value in relation to the topic, “Conscience”.

OBEDIENCE COMMUNITY HUMILITY

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D. Enrichment Activity
Justify your Action: A classmate owed five hundred pesos to you. This debt is caused by his “addiction” to computer games.
Many times you have counselled him to stop his hobby but he promises one day and forgets about it the next day. Finally, you
told his parents about his “wrong doing” without his knowledge. Is your action correct? Did you do the right thing?