Presence

God is always calling to me, in a still, small voice. Can I hear it? What is He saying today?

Scripture Reading

Acts 24: 15-16 NRSVue

I have a hope in God—a hope that they themselves also accept—that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. Therefore I do my best always to have a clear conscience toward God and all people.

Reflection

There’s an old quip that says a conscience is that little voice that tells us someone may be watching. Conscience has two parts: 1) a commitment to morality itself, i.e. acting and choosing morally as best I can; and 2) judging whether something I’ve done or am thinking of doing would violate that commitment. Do I listen to that inner voice? Do I pay attention to those twinges? Or do I ignore them, subvert them, drown them out? As a Christian, I thank God for the gift of penance, for the opportunity to clear my conscience so that I might start again, with a clean slate. Today, I will pay more attention to what I do, asking myself whether I am acting and choosing morally as best I can. I will listen to that inner voice.

Closing Prayer

Dear Jesus, help me to see conscience as a gift, not as a burden. It is really the place where you and I meet and are one. You are Life, Lord, and Freedom. Conscience is about truth, and you said that the truth makes us free. (John 8:32). Help me to always follow the path of truth, and to live in the true freedom it brings.  Amen.