A Good Examination of Conscience is
Only as Good as Our Conscience!
Okay. You clicked the link, "examination of conscience." So, something deep down at least tells you that this is important. And it is. With eternal consequences. But maybe the title has you scratching your head. Think about it. What comes to mind when you hear, "examination of conscience"? The way our society is nowadays, it is not at all uncommon to hear, or maybe you yourself have said, "My conscience tells me that it is okay for me to __________ [fill in the blank with something that is opposite of what the Ten Commandments tells us to avoid or do]." It is hard to get people to agree that an objective morality does in fact exist. As Pope John Paul II used to say, our culture has lost the "sense of sin". Echoing this, our present Holy Father, Pope Benedict says that all too many people in our times live within a "delusion of innocence". We think we're pretty good people if we haven't been convicted of a felony or killed someone. Who remembers anyone teaching them to do a daily examination of conscience? So, the purpose of this page is to help get back to the basics of what God has revealed through His Word and the Church (which is His Word - - the Body of Christ). Once we know where we stand in relation to God's desires for us as evidenced through His law, we can then decide whether we want to live by God's law/will or our own. In order for an examination of conscience to benefit us we first have to form our conscience. As persons created in the image of God people are born with an innate sense of right and wrong, but due to the darkening of our intellect (one of the effects of Original Sin), in the history of mankind we've needed "reminders" -- special revelations from our Creator such as when God revealed the Ten Commandments to Moses. In past generations Catholics laypersons tended to be more knowledgeable about the teachings of their faith. Priests were not afraid to emphasize the "Last Things"(death, judgment, heaven, hell) and point out the dangers of sin. Though it probably took years to develop, catechetical teachings were getting a bit more "fuzzy" around about the 1960's when I was a child. Heavily influenced by modern philosophical ideas, some theologians started doubting basic truths of the faith such as the reality of hell and Satan. At the same time Vatican II coincided, leading to major and abrupt changes to the Mass. Many people believed that the Church was finally "modernizing." Suddenly people stopped going to confession (why go if there is no hell?), but just as suddenly EVERYONE was going to Communion. Priests who preached about sin and morality were considered pastorally "insensitive" and the fear among priests was that this might lead to people leaving the Church. I could go on, but there is enough material for another whole web site. My purpose here is to help make up a bit for the lack of doctrinal teaching by proposing a general examination of conscience. Although aimed primarily at Catholics the questions are adaptable to other Christian faiths. My hopes are that you, my reader, might honestly look into your heart and resolve to confess your transgressions, thus beginning the liberation of your soul from its "slavery to sin" as St. Paul so aptly referred to it. God provided us with the perfect outline for an examination of conscience when He gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. He further revealed His law of love when He sent His only Son, Who established the Church as a guardian of the truths He wished to reveal to mankind. The Holy Spirit, given to His Church is the guarantee that we can safely follow her teachings. So, although we must form our consciences we must do so within the Church. An examination of conscience is something that as Christians we should be doing on a regular basis, at least daily. Once we get into the habit of looking at our lives in the light of God's love we will come to know ourselves better and see those areas of weakness that we need to pay particular attention to in order to grow in our faith, hope and love. The examination of conscience outlined below is a good general one to start with in order to prepare for the sacrament of confession. Before you begin your examination of conscience it is most important to quiet yourself interiorly and exteriorly. Next pray a prayer to the Holy Spirit to enlighten your mind as to those things in your life that stand between you and God. Here's a example: Come Holy Spirit of the Father and the Son. Come into my heart and my mind. Give me the grace to see myself as you see me. Help me to see the pain that my sins have caused God and my brothers and sisters. Give me the grace and the courage to change the sinful patterns of my life. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
I. I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me.
Don't be too quick to bypass this commandment. It is the FOUNDATION for your daily examination of conscience. It is next to impossible for a person NOT to sin against this commandment at least once in a day. Ask yourself these questions:1. Do my actions and words prove that I seek to put God first in my life? 2. Do I truly love God with my whole mind, heart and strength? Do I dare to be "different" in the practice of faith from the rest of the crowd? 3. Have I denied any truths of the faith as revealed by God through the Holy Scriptures or as defined by the Magisterium of the Church that Jesus founded? 4. Have I unworthily received the Eucharist in a state of serious or mortal sin? 5. Have I been involved in the occult or in superstitious practices such as visiting a clairvoyant or fortune-teller, wearing crystals, taking part in Reiki or other New Age practices? 6. Have I lied to the priest in a past confession or withheld telling him all of my sins? Or have I abused the sacrament in such a way as to continue sinful habits? (For example, going to confession to get absolution but without the intention of halting the subsequent sinful behavior.) Am I faithful to a daily examination of conscience?
II. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God.
This one's pretty straightforward. If you have uttered the Lord's name at all, was each instant for the purpose of prayer and calling on Him? A lot of people have the bad habit of exclaiming, "Oh God!" This is a "vain" use of the Lord's name. This habit can be broken with God's help. I know because I once was guilty of it. The Lord's name is holy and should always be treated with the utmost respect.Also included in this commandment is the way we treat of all of those things pertaining to Our Lord: the Church, His Holy Mother, the saints and martyrs, sacred places and things. Do we ridicule or do we treat these things with the reverence they deserve?
III. Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.
1. Do I go to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of obligation? Do I participate in thought, word and action as fully as possible in the Mass?2. Do I arrive late or leave early from Mass without a good reason? 3. Do I try not to do unnecessary work on Sunday?
Okay, right about here you may find yourself becoming discouraged especially if you are not used to doing an examination of conscience and realize you are guilty of more sins than you realized. I urge you to stick with it, however and thank God for the insight and the grace He has given you to be able to recognize sin in your life. Being able to see one's shortcomings is a great grace. Take courage, and finish meditating on the rest of the commandments that have to do with love of neighbor:
IV. Honor your father and your mother.
Parents and those with lawful authority over us come next after God. Think about what a nutty and chaotic world it would be if there were no authority or laws. 1. Do I honor and obey my parents? Do I care for them in their old age? Do I pray for them? 2. Do I neglect my family responsibilities? 3. Do I treat my children with love, respect and affection and bring them up in the faith? Do we pray as a family? Do I set a good example for them with regard to prayer and obedience to God's law? 4. Is my family life centered around Christ?
V. You shall not murder.
You might be tempted to pass this one right by seeing that you've probably never killed anyone, but ponder these questions:1. Have I been indifferent to the sin of abortion? Have I had an abortion or encouraged or helped another to obtain one? 2. Have I abused drugs or alcohol or done other things that are damaging to my health? 3. Have I thought about or attempted throwing away the life that God has given me through suicide? 4. Have I encouraged or performed sterilization on anyone? 5. Have I used hateful or "killing words" toward another? 6. Have I out of proportion and sinfully acted out my anger? 7. Have my actions or encouragement led anyone else into serious sin? We need to see serious sin for what it leads to - the death of the soul and eternal damnation. 8. Have I helped someone else commit suicide wrongly claiming compassion? (For Christians suffering can be good if we unite it to the sufferings of Jesus and allow it to purify us)
VI. You shall not commit adultery.
1. Am I faithful to my spouse (or future spouse) in thought, word and action? Do I practice
chastity?
2. Have I used
contraception
or been sterilized?3. Have I had sexual relations with anyone of either sex outside of marriage? 4. Have I masturbated? 5. Have I indulged in pornography? 6. Is my manner of dressing modest? (This one's not just for the girls.)
VII. You shall not steal.
1. Have I taken anything that is not mine? 2. Have I bought or accepted something that I believed was stolen? 3. Have I failed to pay my debts? 4. Do I falsify my tax returns? 5. Do I gamble? 6. Do I share my money and goods with the poor? 7. Have I cheated on tests? 8. Have I plagiarized another's work?
VIII. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
1. Do I gossip or tell lies about people?2. Have I sworn falsely? 3. Have I ruined someone's good name by revealing their faults and sins to another (detraction)? Or even worse, made up things that were not true (calumny)? 4. Do I always tell the truth?
IX. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
1. Am I desirous of someone else's spouse?2. Do I keep a check on my imagination and thoughts? (There is a practice that we don't hear about any more called "custody of the eyes". It's knowing when NOT to look at something or someone when we know it will only lead us to sinful or lustful thoughts. It's kind of like when Jesus said, "If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.") 3. Am I careful about the entertainments that I indulge in?
X. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.
Does the thought of what my neighbor has: beauty, house, possessions, money, and/or success bother me? Am I envious?
In the above examination of conscience, if you really think about it, all of the sins mentioned have to do with putting oneself first. It's doing what you want to do, not what God wants you to do. Perhaps you have read some of what I have written here and do not agree that some thing or other is a sin. I can understand entirely because that was me also at one time. Consult the Catechism of the Catholic Church and visit good orthodox Catholic web sites. If you are able, watch EWTN. Some final thoughts... Okay, you have now completed an examination of conscience. Thank God for any insight you may have received into the state of your soul. This examination of conscience is by no means exhaustive. It basically just covers the most serious sins. Once you are in the habit of going to confession on a more regular basis, daily prayer and the reading of scripture will suggest other things that you might be guilty of. We all have sins that we just can't seem to get away from, and find ourselves confessing them over and over again. Along with doing an examination of conscience, praying, reading scripture and going to confession, it is helpful to try and practice the opposite virtue from your habitual sins. God bless you!
How do you examine your conscience?
The Ten Commandments provide one basic framework for us to examine our consciences, but there are other ways too. Those who make it a point of regularly seeking Jesus' forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance often discover that there is no single "right way" of examining one's conscience. It can be helpful to discover these different paths to reconciliation. What is one way that has worked for you?
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