As we outlined in Part 2 of our Sacraments series, there are a number of things we need to do as part of going to Confession. One of those is to examine our conscience.
Examining our conscience is not just a matter of a period of personal introspection before we go into the Confessional – it is however, a time of looking at ourselves in relation to the way that God’s love for us.
Therefore every examination of our conscience should begin with Christ. ‘The more we grow in our knowledge and love of Christ, the more we realise just how much we are not like him.’ (The Gift of Confession, pp 99)
A good guide for our examination of conscience are the Ten Commandments. These were given by God to Moses (and subsequently to us) and were reiterated by Jesus.
The First Commandment:
I am the Lord your God, you shall not have other God’s before me
Through this commandment we consider whether we have denied the existence of God or refused to agree with what God has revealed (ie. and element of Catholic teaching that we don’t personally agree with).
Our attitude towards God also comes under scrutiny, for example, have we been indifferent or ungrateful towards God or refused to hope?
We also ask ourself if we have participated in any superstitious activities like consulting palm readers or horoscopes or taken part in any seances or other occult practices.
The Second Commandment:
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
Taking the Lord’s name in vain is quite prevalent in society, but that doesn’t mean that we should fall into the trap of doing it also. We should also be careful not to exhibit any contempt for God through our thoughts, words or actions, nor should we belittle God or his Church for the sake of our standing.
The Third Commandment:
Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day
This commandment asks us to consider whether we have neglected to attend Mass on Sundays and the holy days of obligation, but further to this, it also asks us to consider the frame of mind in when we come on Sundays, in particular, how actively we participate in the Mass.
The Fourth Commandment:
Honour your father and your mother
Here we are asked to consider if we have been disobedient or disrespectful to our parents and extended family. Have we neglected members of our family in their time of need?
The Fifth Commandment:
You shall not kill
Though this commandment seems very severe and, God willing, we should never have to confess the mortal sin of taking some one’s life, there are a number of other things we need to consider when examining our conscience.
For instance, do we carry feelings of revenge or hatred for others, wishing them ill? Causing harm, using unnecessary aggression, threatening other people or causing other grievous bodily harm are all elements of this commandment we must examine ourselves for.
Some other areas to consider are whether we swear at others with deliberate disrespect, whether we have mutilated ourselves or taken or sold drugs to others, whether we have driven recklessly under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
We need also to consider whether we have ever seriously contemplated taking our own life, or promoted or supported practices such as euthanasia, abortion, or used the morning after pill.
The Sixth Commandment:
You shall not commit adultery
and
The Ninth Commandment:
You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife
Here we need to look at sins or desires of a sexual or lustful nature. We need to consider if we have cheated on our spouse, or been sexually active with a married person.
Have we had sex outside of marriage, or undertaken impure acts with our own body or someone else’s? Have we given into lust and put ourselves in occasions of sin or had impure thoughts?
Have we dressed and behaved immodestly thereby encouraging others to act lustfully or entertain impure thoughts?
The Seventh Commandment:
You shall not steal
and
The Tenth Commandment:
You shall not covet your neighbour’s possessions
In these commandments we are asked to consider whether we may have entertained the idea of stealing, or have taken someone else’s property. Damaging or losing someone else’s property are also things we should consider.
We are also called to consider if we have cheated in a test or in our business dealings as well as whether we have affected the livelihood of others through cheating, gambling or deliberately neglecting to pay our debts.
The Eighth Commandment:
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour
Here we are asked to consider if we have been fair and honest in our dealings with other people or whether we have resorted to slandering, gossiping or accusing someone else to shift the blame off ourselves.
Whilst this article gives you an idea of what you should be thinking about, it is not a concise list.
For a more detailed guide consult ‘The Gift of Confession: A positive guide to the Sacrament of Reconciliation’ by Fr Michael de Stoop or ask your local priest for an examination of conscience sheet or leaflet.
All Commandments are taken from the Compendium to the Catechism of the Catholic Church pp136-154 First published in In Sight Magazine
Originally posted 2014-10-30 22:11:35.