April 11.  Doctors, nurses and paramedics too are frontline workers often dealing with the reality of life and death. But other challenging situations arise too.  Sophie, a nurse, working in a public hospital shared, “I wonder what would happen if I refused to do some procedures, like abortion, that are against my religion and my conscience.  If I say, ‘I must obey God rather than men,’ I could lose my job and it won’t be easy to get another post.” Mrs Adams replied, “I understand and I believe that somehow we need to pray for courage to obey our conscience because after all we’re answerable to God in the end.”     

Reflect, share, pray. Scripture: After the leaders forbade them to preach Peter and the apostles answered, “we must obey God rather than men.   The God of our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging him on a tree, God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Saviour to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.  And we are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit. Acts  5:27-33. Pope Francis:  It should be acknowledged that among the most important crises of the modern world are a desensitized conscience, a distancing from religious values and individualism accompanied by materialistic philosophies that deify the human person and introduce worldly and material values in place of supreme and transcendental principles. FT275. We have been called to form consciences, not to replace them. AL36.   Share:  Ask yourself how well formed your conscience is and do you always obey it.