Homilies about conscience

St. John Henry Newman: Why Your Restlessness is a Divine Whisper

Deacon Larry

This homily, delivered as a presentation on St. John Henry Newman, emphasizes that faith is not static but a dynamic journey of continuous growth, questioning, and surrender. Drawing heavily on Newman's life and writings, the speaker highlights the importance of an active conscience as God's whisper, the development of doctrine as maturation, and the necessity of following truth even when it leads away from comfort and familiarity. The core message is that heaven is for seekers who never stop listening to God's call to go deeper.

Why God's Commandments Are Not Suggestions

This homily emphasizes the critical importance of obeying God's laws, not as mere suggestions, but as divine commands essential for societal order, personal success, and spiritual growth. The priest argues that flouting God's laws, even without immediate earthly punishment, leads to sin and a deadened conscience, urging a conscious effort to keep God's commandments to achieve holiness and inherit the kingdom of heaven.

The Sin of Omission: What You're Not Doing Matters to God

The homily focuses on the sin of omission, drawing from the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. It emphasizes that Christians are responsible not just for what they do, but for what they fail to do, urging a mature conscience to seek out neglected responsibilities and be attentive to the needs of others beyond one's immediate family.

The Sanctuary of Conscience: Hearing God's Voice in Silence

This homily emphasizes the importance of conscience as the most secret sanctuary of a person, where God's voice is heard. It discusses how freedom and natural law guide us, and how we must be open to God's will, even when it challenges our own understanding. The homily also touches on the need for silence to discern God's voice amidst the noise of the world.

Worshiping God in Spirit and Truth: Lessons from the Samaritan Woman

Father John Mark Solitario

The homily reflects on the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, emphasizing Jesus' willingness to engage with our brokenness and lead us to worship God in spirit and truth. It highlights the importance of forming and following our conscience, aligning our lives with God's law, and accepting God's grace and friendship through confession and the sacraments.

How to Safeguard Your Conscience in a Divided World

The homily emphasizes the importance of a well-formed conscience, drawing parallels between Jesus's teaching on being 'with me or against me' and the challenges of discerning truth in society. It warns against being misguided by erroneous concepts and radicalization, urging listeners to be guided by the Holy Spirit to make good choices and understand Jesus Christ more deeply.

Building Bridges, Not Burning Them: A Lenten Call to Conscience

The homily emphasizes the importance of unity and truth, drawing from the Gospel's message about a kingdom divided against itself. It calls for introspection during Lent, urging reconciliation and bridge-building instead of burning bridges, and highlights the role of conscience as a guide to God's truth.

The Five Things We Reject That Could Save Us

The homily uses the parable of the wicked tenants to illustrate how people often reject the very things that can save them. It identifies five specific rejections: truth (moral relativism), correction (fraternal correction), conscience (hardening of hearts), prophets, and ultimately, God himself. The core message is that life improves when we learn to receive God and his guidance.

Why Jesus Can Be 'Bothersome' to Our Conscience

The homily reflects on the resistance to truth, drawing parallels between the prophet Jeremiah facing opposition for speaking truth and Jesus being 'molesto' (bothersome) to the conscience of his time. It challenges listeners to consider how Jesus might also be bothersome to their own consciences today, urging humility and recourse to God's mercy when confronted with their failings or uncertainties.

The Sin of Doing Nothing: Why Inaction Can Be Our Greatest Fault

The homily focuses on the sin of omission, drawing from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The priest emphasizes that sometimes our greatest sin is not actively doing wrong, but rather failing to act when we should, especially in the face of injustice. He encourages daily examination of conscience to identify these passive failures.

The Rich Man, Lazarus, and the Dangers of a Dead Conscience

The homily uses the parable of the rich man and Lazarus to illustrate the dangers of a hardened conscience and the rewards of patient suffering. The priest shares a personal anecdote from his military service in Afghanistan to explain the cultural context of wild dogs consuming garbage, drawing a parallel to the rich man's indifference to Lazarus while feeding animals. He emphasizes Lazarus's silent endurance as a model of faith.

How to Hear God's Voice: Forming Your Conscience

This homily emphasizes the importance of listening to God's voice, which is equated with following one's conscience. It distinguishes the Catholic understanding of conscience as an objective voice of God, not a subjective feeling, and stresses the need for forming one's conscience through church teachings and practicing obedience to it for spiritual flourishing and happiness.

Why a 'Clear Conscience' Can Be Dangerous

The homily emphasizes the importance of a contrite spirit and humility over outward acts of piety. Drawing from the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, it highlights that true righteousness comes from acknowledging one's brokenness and need for God's mercy, rather than a self-satisfied conscience.

Is Your Conscience Like a Hearing Aid You Refuse to Wear?

The homily uses an anecdote about an elderly woman who refuses to wear her hearing aid to illustrate how people often 'shut off' their conscience, which is likened to a spiritual hearing aid. The priest emphasizes the importance of listening to God's voice through scripture and opening our hearts, especially during Lent, to recognize God's work in our lives rather than attributing good deeds to evil.

Finding God's Voice in a Noisy World: The Power of Silence

The homily emphasizes the importance of silence and stillness in encountering God, especially in a noisy and distracting world. Drawing on Cardinal Robert Sarah and Romano Guardini, the priest argues that silence allows our conscience to work, bringing us closer to God's voice and prompting reflection on life's deeper questions. He encourages listeners to actively seek and embrace moments of quiet attentiveness, particularly during Mass, to foster a deeper spiritual connection.

How to Discern True Goodness and Overcome Temptation This Lent

The homily emphasizes that our struggle against sin often stems from mistaking partial goods for the ultimate good, which is God. It highlights the importance of allowing our conscience to be formed by the Church's authority, especially during Lent, to discern and pursue what is truly good.

How to Prepare for Confession: Examining Your Conscience with the Ten Commandments

The homily emphasizes the importance of listening to God's voice and obeying His commandments, especially during the Lenten season and a parish's 'day of reconciliation.' It encourages self-examination using the Ten Commandments and seeking genuine repentance and forgiveness. The priest stresses that the Holy Spirit speaks through our conscience, guiding us to choose good over sin.

Are You Truly Listening to God? A Lenten Reflection

This homily, delivered during Lent, emphasizes the difference between merely hearing and truly listening to God. It encourages active listening through prayer, conscience, and the words of others, urging the faithful to open their hearts and slow down to discern God's message amidst the world's noise, especially during the Lenten season.

Your Lifelong Duty: Teaching God's Laws to Your Family

The homily emphasizes the continuous responsibility of parents and grandparents to teach God's laws to their children and future generations, stressing that this duty does not end as long as one is alive. It warns against disobedience and teaching others to be disobedient, highlighting that God's laws are written in our hearts through conscience, making us aware of right and wrong.

Are You Judicially Blind? Seeing with God's Eyes

The homily reflects on the Gospel of the man born blind, distinguishing between 'judicial blindness' – trusting in anything but God – and 'insight' – recognizing Jesus as divine. It challenges listeners to shed their own forms of judicial blindness and cultivate insight through conscience, especially as they approach Easter.