Conscience is the innermost sanctum where God informs everyone of their moral duty. This makes conscience one of the most treasured gifts given to humanity by God. In trying times it is even more important to listen to our conscience. To do this we need courage molded through fortitude; recklessness must not be confused with courage. Fortitude perfects courage by strengthening hearts to follow God’s will. Therefore fortitude overcomes fear through a reliance on God’s grace.

In the political arena many ominous events have recently arisen that will require a well formed, brave conscience. In our country’s history many people have been forced to choose between being liked by the populace and being true to conscience. In 1956, Senator John Kennedy wrote a detailed and interesting account of eight U.S. senators holding true to their consciences in spite of vicious personal attacks. The name of this compelling title is "Profiles In Courage."

John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Thomas Hart Benton, Sam Houston, Edmund Ross, Lucius Lamar, George Norris and Robert A. Taft are the senators analyzed in the book. Each man was placed at a critical juncture in American history and had to make choices fraught with peril for themselves. All eight men knew the way to succeed in the American Senate was by going along with public opinion. But each knew in his conscience that public opinion is a false barometer of the truth.

Edmund Ross in particular found the bitter path of suffering for his conscience. In the trumped up impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson, Ross knew in his heart that Johnson was not guilty of anything but imprudence and bad judgment. He realized that Radical Republicans in the House and Senate were trying to corrupt the U.S. Constitution. Public opinion in his home state of Kansas also wanted to see the president broken and the former Confederacy further humiliated. During the impeachment trial, Ross received repeated threats if he voted to acquit. He knew a vote for acquittal would mean his personal and financial ruin. On the fateful day of the verdict during the trial, the vengeful senatorial leadership was ready to turn its poison on the first-time senator from Kansas. The packed Senate gallery turned its eager eyes on the tortured senator. Would he falsely convict and be handsomely rewarded, or acquit and face the wrath of a nation?

What did Edmund Ross do? What would you have done if faced with this grueling choice? All the senators described by Kennedy faced equally daunting situations that demanded a fidelity to conscience. Kennedy relates the salty language used by their enemies to condemn them, but shows how their choice to be faithful to their conscience makes them examples of the virtuous life.

There is much to be learned from reading about the lives of these eight senators. This courage will be needed. In our own times, the American bishops, and Bishop Bruskewitz in particular, have shown the faithful how to be true to conscience during the appalling attack on religious freedom made by the Obama Administration. The bravery of the eight senators discussed in "Profiles In Courage" can guide us in the proper response of a well formed conscience.

"Profiles In Courage" won the Pulitzer Prize for journalism in 1957. Kennedy was later accused of having the book ghost written for him by his speech writer, Ted Sorenson, a Nebraskan. However in the forward of the book, Senator Kennedy publically thanks Mr. Sorenson for his assistance in the "assembly and preparation of the material on which the book was based." In Chapter 13 of his own autobiography, "Counselor," Mr. Sorenson, a Lincoln native, discusses his role in the writing of "Profiles In Courage" and ascribes authorship to Senator Kennedy. "Profiles In Courage" is well written, interesting and continues to speak to our current times. I hope you get a chance to read this outstanding book about the importance of living courageously and being true to conscience.