What role does conscience play in our spiritual lives?

About this episode

What is moral theology, and where does it fit in our spiritual lives? Fr. James Martin, S.J., asks these questions to James Keenan, a Jesuit priest and one of the world's leading Catholic moral theologians on “The Spiritual Life” podcast. He is the Canisius professor of theology at Boston College, where he also serves as director of the Jesuit Institute and Vice Provost for Global Engagement. He has written and edited over a dozen books, covering everything from church leadership to moral life to bioethics, and more. Together, they discuss: - Moral theology in practice - The role of conscience in our daily lives - What happens when conscience and church teaching disagree? Chapters: 00:00 Who is Fr. James Keenan, S.J.? 4:15 Mercy and vulnerability 6:10 Sin is "not bothering" 9:10 What sins are Jesus concerned with? 10:35 Becoming a moral theologian 15:15 Morality and birth control 18:40 What is moral theology? 22:30 What is conscience? 26:23 Conscience and church teaching 30:05 Understanding the Good Samaritan 41:00 Fr. Keenan's spiritual practices 45:10 Audience question: Conscience in difficult decisions Spiritual advice column for this episode by Maggi and