An Examination of Conscience

AN EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

(BASED ON THE TEN COMMANDMENTS)

1.           I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD. YOU SHALL NOT HAVE STRANGE GODS BEFORE ME.

·         Do I give God time each day in prayer?

·         Do I seek to love God with my whole heart or is something more important than Him?

·         Have I been involved with superstitious practices or the occult (séances, Ouija boards, etc.)?

·         Do I seek to surrender myself to God’s Word in the Bible as taught by the Church?

·         Have I ever received Holy Communion in the state of mortal (serious and deliberate) sin?

·         Have I ever deliberately told a lie in Confession or have I withheld a mortal sin from a priest in Confession?

2.         YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN.

·         Have I used God’s name in vain:  lightly or carelessly?

·         Have I been angry with God?

·         Have I wished evil upon any other person?

·         Have I insulted a sacred person (priest, sister, etc.) or abused a sacred object?

3.         REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE LORD’S DAY.

·         Have I deliberately missed Mass on Sundays or Holy Days of Obligation?

·         Have I tried to observe Sundays as a family day and a day of rest?

·         Do I do needless work on Sundays?

4.         HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER.

·         Do I honor and obey my parents?

·         Do I respect teachers and those in authority?

·         Have I given my family good religious example?

·         Do I try to bring peace into my home life?

·         Do I visit or care for my aged and/or infirm relatives?

5.         YOU SHALL NOT KILL.

·         Have I had an abortion or encouraged or helped another to have an abortion?

·         Have I physically harmed anyone?

·         Have I abused alcohol or drugs of any kind?

·         Do I give scandal to anyone, thereby leading them into sin?

·         Have I been angry or resentful?

·         Have I insulted another or done damage to someone’s reputation?

·         Have I harbored hatred in my heart?

6.         YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.

·         Have I engaged in any sexual activity outside of marriage (including any genital contact)?

·         Have I used any form of contraception or artificial birth control?

·         Have I been guilty of masturbation?

·         Have I sought to control my thoughts?

·         Have I respected all members of the opposite sex and treated him/her with dignity or have I thought of other people as objects?

·         Have I been guilty of any homosexual activity?

·         Do I seek to be chaste in my thoughts, words, and actions?

·         Have I told or enjoyed dirty jokes?

·         Am I careful to dress modestly and not seductively?

7.         YOU SHALL NOT STEAL.

·         Have I stolen anything?

·         Have I returned or made restitution for what I have stolen?

·         Do I damage property?

·         Do I waste time at work, school, or home?

·         Do I gamble excessively?

·         Do I cheat on tests or homework?

·         Do I pay my debts promptly?

·         Do I seek to share what I have with the poor?

8.         YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST YOUR NEIGHBOR.

·         Have I lied?

·         Have I gossiped?

·         Have I spoken behind someone else’s back?

·         Am I sincere in my dealings with others?

·         Am I critical, negative, or uncharitable in my thoughts of others?

·         Do I keep secret what should be kept confidential?

9.         YOU SHALL NOT COVET (DESIRE) YOUR NEIGHBOR’S WIFE.

·         Have I consented to impure thoughts?

·         Have I caused them by pornography (impure magazines, videos, the Internet, etc.), conversation or curiosity?

·         Do I seek to control my imagination?

·         Do I pray at once to banish impure thoughts and temptations?

·         Have I removed any pornographic material from my possession so that it does not cause further problems?  

10.        YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR’S GOODS.

·         Am I jealous of what other people have?

·         Do I envy other people’s families or possessions?

·         Am I greedy or selfish?

·         Are material possessions the purpose of my life?

·         Do I trust that God will care for all of my material and spiritual needs?

SOME HELPS TO MAKING A GOOD CONFESSION AND TO CHRISTIAN HOLINESS.

·         Do I try to examine my conscience regularly (daily)?

·         Do I take the Sacrament of Penance seriously and use it frequently?

·         Do I do the Penance that I am given? 

·         Do I realize that Catholics should first go to Confession before receiving Holy Communion if they are aware of serious (mortal) sins?

·         Do I ask Our Lady to help me daily and do I consciously seek to imitate Christ in all of my dealings with others?

·         Do I lead others to Christ rather than away from Him by my example and actions?