Conscience and Faith

Feb 13, 2012

In recent times certain governments try to force Catholics to deny their faith and beliefs and to go against their consciences. Our faith cannot be subject to the will of a government as then it would be nothing more than secularism cloaked in the name of faith.  Also, when the governments change then could come a change of faith.

Our Catholic faith is supposed to be a relationship of love between God and man.  A relationship where people try their best to live as Our Lord, Jesus, calls us to.  A relationship that puts God before all else and above all else where we are obedient to His holy will in all things. With the eyes of heavenly love that come with trying to live as Catholics, a rejection of the world’s ways that oppose the will of God, is born within us and grows within us as we seek to live for God.

Our conscience guides us by the grace of God to know what is right and what is wrong.  Our conscience is an expression of our soul’s desire to be close to God and filled with His divine love. Our conscience works to keep us on the right path and to avoid error and sin.  Our conscience is a treasure of grace but sadly we do not always listen to it and listen to the graceless, and what seems to be the clever, arguments of the world instead.

It is our conscience that exposes who we truly are, the person we are and if we listen to it helps us know who we are.  It is a great blessing from God that we have this within us; a blessing that all have but not all respect.  In the history of the church so many have given every thing to live to the conscience bestowed upon them by God.  Many have made the ultimate sacrifice so as to keep faith with God and their conscience.  Communism, fascism, dictatorships and religions that say ‘convert or die’ have been unable to overcome the true believers and their relationship of love with the one true God, The Holy Trinity.  Rivers of holy martyrs blood have been shed in the love of Our Lord, Jesus, and the faith He gave to us; rivers that wash over the world soaking it in the sacrificial love of God.

Today, secularist, socialist and sinful leaders try to force Catholics to deny their faith and their conscience.  It is done with a smile and the arguments that it benefits people if Christians would give up their faith, give up the morals by which they are called by God to live to.  If Christians accept these arguments and bow to the will of their leaders the world becomes worse not better.  A person cannot be a Christian and follow the world instead of following Christ.

It is by following the will of Christ, that each individual makes the world better, as His grace pours out through them to bless the world.  It is by standing firm in the faith and not denying their faith and their God that Christians can be Christ-like.  It is by understanding and accepting that to live to God’s way might at times call for sacrifice, suffering and persecution that each one can confront evil and overcome it.

Just as the brave and holy martyrs of the past stood firm in their faith and love of God regardless of the cost, let us stand firm. Just as the martyrs raised their eyes to heaven and cried ‘Your will not mine’, let us do the same.  Just as the martyrs confronted in love the evil the world tried to force upon mankind.  Let us do the same.

Now is the time for all Christians to stand up and be counted for Christ.  Now is the time for all Christians to say ‘Enough’. Now is the time for all Christians to support those leaders who are truly Christian, not those who claim to be Christian but show by their words and action they are anti-Christian.

Let your voices be heard.  Let your God smile upon you as He sees how strong your love for Him is as you raise your voice in love of Him.

God bless,

Alan Ames