Third Question: On Christian Conscience as It Is the Rule of Supernatural Acts

216. What supernatural conscience is. - In the supernatural order, there must also be a supernatural conscience, which judges the supernatural quality and value or supernatural morality of our acts. It can be defined: a judgment or dictate of the practical intellect affirming that an act in particular, to be placed here and now, is supernaturally good or also meritorious of eternal life, or is not.

1. Cf. Noble, La conscience morale.

It differs from natural conscience:

a) in object: natural conscience regards only the natural goodness of the act; supernatural conscience also regards supernatural goodness; namely, it further asks whether the act tends to the supernatural end, or does not tend to it, or even turns away from it;

b) in end or motive: natural conscience proceeds from love of natural honesty, and intends to conform acts to reason; supernatural conscience also proceeds from a certain love of God Himself, at least initial and imperfect, and intends to conform acts to divine life begun or consummated, and to avoid the loss of that life and of God Himself for eternity;

c) in the law of which it is the application: natural conscience applies natural law, or also human law which perfects and determines it; supernatural conscience also applies the positive divine law, or also ecclesiastical law which determines and completes it.

217. Relation between natural and supernatural conscience. - Supernatural conscience does not exist separately and independently from natural conscience, so that in the faithful there would be two disparate and collateral consciences alternating with one another (for example, the philosophical conscience of a Stoic and the Christian conscience of a faithful man); but supernatural conscience includes natural conscience and subordinates it to itself, so that there is harmony and unity in the whole life and activity of man, and this whole life, with all its acts, is ruled by supernatural conscience. Hence in the faithful natural conscience is transformed and becomes supernatural; but once made supernatural, it includes natural conscience but exceeds it, so that the faithful person is bound:

1. to act also as man, and beyond this as a son of God;

2. also to act honorably in the natural life, but also more, namely, to act supernaturally in the divine life;

3. to observe the natural law, but also the new and positive precepts of God and of the Church relative to the sacraments, penance, religious piety toward God, and divine friendship;

4. to do good and cultivate virtue according to the measure of reason, but also according to the more excellent measure of divine law, in order to the more excellent divine life according to the exemplar of Christ Jesus humbling Himself, suffering, and obedient even unto death.

In one word, supernatural conscience does not destroy but perfects natural conscience, just as grace does not destroy but perfects nature.

218. Formation of supernatural conscience. - Supernatural conscience does not follow a process other than natural conscience, since grace does not destroy but perfects nature, but it is ordered to human acts of greater excellence. Whence it is the conclusion of a ratiocination. For just as natural conscience is founded on the first principle of synderesis: Good is to be done, evil is to be avoided, and on the natural inclination of the will to the honorable or rational good; so supernatural conscience is founded a) on the first practical principles of faith, for example, One must tend to God the supernatural end, or: The Supreme Good, to be possessed in itself by beatific vision, must be loved above all things, or: Happiness which consists in the vision of God must be procured, or: God destining us to His friendship and the fellowship of His life must be obeyed; and b) if it is perfect, on faith formed by charity, which inclines to the divine good, and on grace making one pleasing.

The major is not from synderesis alone, but principally from faith, informing and elevating and subordinating reason and synderesis; but in the just man faith obtains aid from the gifts of understanding, knowledge, and wisdom under the influence of the indwelling and moving Holy Spirit;

the minor is from reason under the influence of grace inspiring supernatural prudence with its annexed virtues; but in the just man it is under the influence of the habit of infused prudence (with the annexed virtues), and also sometimes under the influence of the gift of counsel through the Holy Spirit: for just as, for living life honorably, we seek counsel among the wise and prudent, so, in place of human counselors, the indwelling Holy Spirit Himself deigns to become our counselor in order to eternal life;

the conclusion is enunciated under the influence of supernatural prudence with its annexed virtues.

The immediate principle, therefore, of supernatural conscience is infused prudence with the annexed virtues; the mediate principles are the theological virtues and the gifts of the indwelling and moving Holy Spirit, so that God Himself has immediately bestowed all the powers of this conscience. Christian conscience, namely, in its origin, progress, and perfection, is the work of divine grace.

1. Faith informs reason and synderesis, elevates them, and subordinates them to itself; whence consequently, under the light of faith, synderesis can enunciate the first supernatural practical principles. And indeed, supposing that faith teaches that God has elevated us to a supernatural end, and that our highest good is only in the beatific vision of God Himself, reason now sees that one must tend to that end, and that the supreme good possessed in this way must be loved in all acts. Nor should you say that synderesis does not have the idea of a supernatural end; for synderesis is not given for conceiving ideas, but, ideas having been supposed, it sees and with facility enunciates their fittingness or unfittingness. Nor let it be said that this is against the doctrine of St. Thomas, q. 62, a. 1 and 3. St. Thomas does not expressly speak of supernatural conscience, but everywhere says that the Major is posited by synderesis in conscience; but he speaks not only of the conscience of philosophers but also of the conscience of the faithful. Therefore.

2. II-II, q. 52, a. 2, ad 3.

219. Corollaries.

1. Therefore supernatural conscience is more perfect than natural conscience and perfects it, for a) it exceeds it, as was said in n. 217; b) it is clearer, because it rests upon the principles of faith, is illumined by faith, and is formed under the aid of grace; c) it is more certain, because divine revelation, upon which it is founded, is more certain than human reason, as given to us by the infallible authority of God and proposed by the infallible authority of the Church, and because it has security from the light of the Holy Spirit.

2. Since Christian conscience includes natural conscience, in order that it be the rule of acting honorably, it must have the same qualities, namely, rectitude and certitude.

3. Yet in order that conscience be the rule of supernatural acts, that invincibly erroneous conscience by which, namely, in good faith someone would think an act to be supernatural or meritorious of eternal life does not suffice. Good faith can suffice for honesty, because honesty depends upon conscience or our judgment, but not so the supernatural value of the act. For the judgment of reason or conscience cannot make an act supernatural and proceeding from grace, nor make it efficacious for obtaining eternal life. The question, namely, is not of honesty alone but also of the validity of the act and the efficacy of the means to the end (n. 215, 3).