It is 13th September 2018. We celebrate the memorial St John Chrysostom, Bishop and the Doctor of the Church. The readings are from 1 Corinthians 8:1-7, 11-13; and the Gospel from Luke 6:27-38. It is not possible to navigate the issues of life without a clear conscience. Forming and strengthening our conscience is the matter of urgency today. Well informed and constructed conscience depends and enlightened by the power of the Word of God. We cannot blanket the issues of faith when our consciences are clouded in darkness and erroneous conceptions and judgements. Our faith in the Lord must be the light for our consciences not a knowledge that we acquired from someone. Our consciences are clear and is the voice of God when we are living in grace. When we have evaded from the teaching of the Gospel, our consciences cannot inform the right way rather it would look for a loophole to justify what it believes. Just because we like something and do not feel questioned by my own consciences does not mean that we have a clear conscience. When our consciences cannot be chiselled by the edge of the Word of God, it is surely erroneous and misleading our lives. We have no freedom of conscience to scandalize our fellow believers just because somethings we like to do the way we want. Anything that weakens the faith in the Lord Jesus does not help the conscience to be strengthened. In the first reading, St. Paul leaves the matter of eating meat offered to so-called idols to our conscience. Anything dangerous to faith is not good for the conscience of the person. Our faith in Jesus must help another brother or sister to come closer to God. If our life style and food habits would cost the faith of our neighbour, we need to reconsider our stand just because of the church member who has a weak conscience. Let not our strong freewill injure or crush the finest and thinnest embroidery of faith in other members. “In this way your knowledge could become the ruin of someone weak, of a brother for whom Christ died. By sinning in this way against your brothers, and injuring their weak consciences, it would be Christ against whom you sinned.” (1 Cor.8:12). The responsorial Psalm intercedes, “Lead me, O Lord, in the path of life eternal.” (Ps.138:24). The Gospel invites us to be compassionate and loving not legalistic and fanatic. It is very challenging to love those who wished and did evil to us. But that is exactly what the Lord want us to do. To be a Christian is to love and to be merciful to those who have no clue of love and mercy. We are known by God by the love, mercy and forgiveness we have for each other. Mere knowledge alone cannot provide the path of holiness but love does. Let us not puff up our lives with knowledge alone rather fill our Christian life with selfless love that brings someone closer to God and Christ. May we be extremely careful with the elements that blunt our consciences that would cost our relationship with God and one another. May you have a good day. God bless you.