If we could choose our physical features — what would we choose? What form would we give our bodies? We would choose the best, wouldn’t we?

While we might have limited options to form ourselves physically, we do have tremendous power over how our conscience is formed. Our conscience will be formed one way or another — of that there is no doubt — we cannot stop it from happening. Its ultimate formation will largely be a product of what we choose to expose ourselves to, reflect on, and internalize.

If we’re enamored with secular values and pleasures and spend ourselves in their pursuit, it should come as no surprise that our sense of right and wrong will be largely influenced by this. If, on the other hand, we immerse ourselves in Scripture reading and prayer, our conscience will likewise reflect the values we encounter there.

The question becomes, what will we choose to form and shape it with? In the end, we are largely responsible for what it looks like. It is true, as children conscience formation may be a product of environment and upbringing. But as adults we eventually have to take responsibility for our moral lives — and that includes the health and ongoing formation of our conscience.

This reminds us of something else. The process of conscience formation is never over. Much like today’s technology, it needs frequent updating. But this “updating” is not necessarily changing from one position to another. Rather, it is a matter of deepening our understanding of God’s moral truth.

In a relativistic world such as ours, it is easy to overlook the fact that moral truth is an objective rather than a subjective reality. While there are subjective components that may factor into a person’s choices and therefore their moral responsibility, nevertheless such factors do not have the ability to change what is actually good or evil. That was determined before we existed by God, the ground of all truth, including moral truth.

Conscience thus becomes a sort of ‘roadmap’ pointing out to us which behaviors lead us to God and which lead us away. Like any map, the more accurate it is at plotting the proper course, the more likely we are to arrive at our destination if we follow it.

If I want to walk the road that leads to God (and my own happiness) then it only makes sense that I utilize that which He gave for this purpose. This means that Divine Revelation — in the form of sacred Scripture and sacred tradition — must be the heart of what informs my conscience.

Fortunately, as Catholics, we do not have to re-invent the wheel with every successive generation. No, we have the privilege and the great gift of 2,000 years of teaching inspired by the Holy Spirit, 2,000 years of wisdom and prayerful reflection, 2,000 years of striving for deep understanding and moral coherence at our disposal.

It would be foolish to disregard such an awesome gift in favor of simply deciding everything for ourselves. And yet, how often does this happen?

Some people essentially say, “I don’t need to listen to the Church, I can think for myself.” True, we can think for ourselves, but why would any thinking person want to disregard such a time-tested body of moral knowledge when forming one’s conscience.

Imagine if a medical student did likewise and said, “I don’t need these textbooks, classes and instructors  … I can figure medicine out on my own.” It would be unreasonable, even irresponsible, to think that student could do better on his or her own and thereby dismiss the knowledge and wisdom that is already available.

In this light, we can see why moral relativism would be every bit as scary as medical relativism.

Conscience formation takes more than this, but for Catholics, recognizing the gifts God has given to aid us in forming our conscience, is a necessary first step.