Summa Theologiae Moralis, vol. I: De Principiis

216. What supernatural conscience is¹. — In the supernatural order, there must also be a supernatural conscience which judges the quality and supernatural value, or the supernatural morality, of our acts. It can be defined as: a judgment or dictate of the practical intellect affirming that the act to be placed here and now in particular is supernaturally good or also meritorious of eternal life, or is not.

It differs from natural conscience:

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

b) in end or motive: natural conscience proceeds from a 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 the divine life begun or consummated, and to avoid the loss of this life and of God himself for eternity;

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

217. Relation between natural and super- natural conscience. — Supernatural conscience does not exist separately and independently of natural conscience, so that in the faithful there would be two disparate and collateral consciences alternating with each other (e.g. the philosophical conscience of the Stoic and the Christian conscience of the faithful man); but supernatural conscience includes the natural and subordinates it to itself, so that there is harmony and unity in the whole life and activity of man, and this whole is governed with all its acts by supernatural conscience. Hence in the faithful natural conscience is transformed and becomes supernatural; having become supernatural, it includes the natural but surpasses it, so that the faithful is bound

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

2. also to live honestly the natural life, but also more, namely to live supernaturally the divine life;

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

4. to do good and to cultivate virtue according to the measure of reason, but also according to the more excellent measure of the 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 the natural, just as grace does not destroy but perfects nature.

218. Formation of supernatural conscience. — Supernatural conscience follows no other process than natural conscience, since grace does not destroy but perfects nature, although it is ordered to acts of greater excellence. Hence it is the conclusion of a syllogism. 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 toward honest good or of reason; so supernatural conscience is founded a) on the first practical principles of faith, e. g. We must tend to God as the supernatural end, or: The Supreme Good in itself to be possessed by the beatific vision is to be loved above all things, or: The happiness which consists in the vision of God is to be sought, or: God, ordaining us to his friendship and fellowship of his life, is to be obeyed; and b) if it is perfect, on faith informed by charity, which inclines to the divine good, and on sanctifying grace.

The Major is not from synderesis alone², but chiefly from faith, informatively elevating and subordinating reason and synderesis; faith in the just obtains help from the gifts of understanding, knowledge, and wisdom under the influence of the Holy Spirit indwelling and moving;

the minor is from reason under the influence of grace inspiring supernatural prudence with its adjuncts; in the just, however, under the influence of the habit of infused prudence (with the virtues annexed) and also sometimes under the influence of the gift of counsel through the Holy Spirit: for just as for living honestly we seek counsel from the wise and prudent, so, in place of human counselors, the Holy Spirit himself indwelling deigns to be our counselor in order to eternal life³.

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

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

219. Corollaries. — 1) Therefore supernatural conscience is more perfect than the natural and perfects it, for a) it surpasses it, as has been said in n. 217; b) it is clearer, because it rests on the principles of faith, is illumined by faith, and is formed under the help of grace; c) it is more certain, because the divine revelation on which it rests 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 its security from the light of the Holy Spirit.

2. Since Christian conscience includes natural conscience, to be the rule of honest acting it must have the same qualities, namely rectitude and certitude.

3. Nevertheless, for conscience to be the rule of supernatural acts, that invincibly erroneous conscience is not sufficient by which namely someone in good faith would think that an act is supernatural, or meritorious of eternal life. Good faith may suffice for honesty, because honesty depends on our conscience or judgment, but not so the supernatural value of the act. For the judgment of reason or conscience cannot make an act to be supernatural and proceed from grace, and to be efficacious for obtaining eternal life. The question is namely not only about honesty but also about the validity of the act and the efficacy of the means for the end (n. 215, 3°).