Feelings, an effective guide or not?

[belprezt]

I’m currently having trouble with what I’m feeling. I was making a purchase online and was trying to gauge what product to buy. One product that I had my eye on would let me do certain things more safely, it was more expensive than similar products, but it had the quality I was looking for. However, something told me that the product probably wasn’t the right thing to buy. I bought it anyway and went through the motions of setting it up. Was my act of buying against my “instinct” an act against my conscience and therefore a sin? If so, then should I try to take the product back as reparation for my sin? Since God cares about our decisions and the thoughts and actions in our lives, does he use feelings to guide us? How should we regard feelings in regards to every-day decisions?

 

[Hatikvah]

Well, if it is somehow a sinful item or will reasonably enable you to sin, avoid it as much as you can. The temptation to sin leads to further sin. Do what Jacob did and run away from sin.

Feeling is a pretty broad term. It can change at a whim. Someone can be content one moment and easily get offended, depending on the person. Remember that there is a distinction between the will of God (the Holy Spirit in particular) and your fleshly desires, known as concupiscence:

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. (Galatians 5:17, KJV)

The conscience, however, can be easily influenced by the Holy Spirit and we should trust in it.Here you can find a CCC section on the judgment of moral conscience. I’ll provide some quotes, though:

Moral conscience, present at the heart of the person, enjoins him at the appropriate moment to do good and to avoid evil. It also judges particular choices, approving those that are good and denouncing those that are evil. It bears witness to the authority of truth in reference to the supreme Good to which the human person is drawn, and it welcomes the commandments. When he listens to his conscience, the prudent man can hear God speaking. (CCC 1777)

The dignity of the human person implies and requires uprightness of moral conscience. Conscience includes the perception of the principles of morality (synderesis); their application in the given circumstances by practical discernment of reasons and goods; and finally judgment about concrete acts yet to be performed or already performed. **The truth about the moral good, stated in the law of reason, is recognized practically and concretely by the prudent judgment of conscience. **We call that man prudent who chooses in conformity with this judgment. (CCC 1780)

From here, we can easily take it that we should trust our natural conscience when our judgment is not impaired. However, as always, give things consideration.

God bless!

 

[PaulfromIowa]

Was the item sinful somehow? Purchases are generally prudential judgements, not moral issues.

 

[GEddie]

Assuning no sin was involved in the purchase, conscience is NOT instinct, therefore you are ok.

ICXC NIKA