When making decisions, people often rely on guidance, Fr. Marreddy Pothireddy of the Tri-Parish Catholic Community said.

The Tri-Parish Community is made up of St. Finbarr Catholic Church in Grand Meadow, St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Spring Valley and St. Patrick Catholic Church in LeRoy.

"What prompts you to make the decisions you make?" Pothireddy asked in the Sept. 27 edition of the Tri-Parish Catholic Community News bulletin. "When confronted with a decision, whether one that is more trivial and mundane or one that is more significant and profound, we rely on guidance. That guidance can be the result of impulse and passion or the fruit of the interior voice of conscience. Decisions made on impulse and passion can be misguided and erroneous. Decisions based on conscience, or the moral voice within, will reflect the depth and maturity of our soul work."

Pothireddy commented that a more contemplative soul will make decisions that are more contemplative, but consciences that aren't as developed will make decisions based on the person's development level. 

"Conversion and a change of heart are at the core of Jesus’ message precisely because of this reality," Pothireddy said in the bulletin. "We are works in progress. For the person on fire with the Holy Spirit and centered on God, life reflects an ever-deepening awareness and heightened sense of God’s presence and a greater willingness to do God’s will."

When decisions are made internally, we use what we have witnessed externally as validation. 

"The hypocrite is the one who says yes when they really mean no," Pothireddy said. "From the start, they had no desire to do the virtuous act but wanted to outwardly appear as if they did." 

Pothireddy also noted that honesty is a requirement for the "road of integrity." Struggling with decisions is not only okay, it's normal. 

"Consciences on the path to maturity and greater depth are not always going to know what action is immediately best," he said. "We may, at first; say no to what we know is right and, after prayerful reflection and thought, come around to doing it. Conversion happens when our no changes to yes, regardless of how sinful or out of sync we may be at the time. God is anxious to welcome us to Himself. But we cannot embrace Him unless we want to. Learning to orient our gift of free will to what is of divine origin, right and best is a discipline we must always tweak and perfect."