An Examination of Conscience

I am the Lord your God. You shall not have false gods before me.
· Do I deny or persist in doubt about the existence of God?
· Do I seek to love the Lord with my whole heart?
· Do I frequently give God time in heartfelt prayer?
· Do I take time to read God’s word in Sacred Scripture?
· Do I seek to surrender myself to God’s word as taught by the Church?
· In what areas of my life am I guilty of self-righteousness? (viewing myself as
better than others in the sight of God because some aspect(s) of my life seems to
me to be well-ordered or aligned with what I think God wants)
· Do I have false gods in my life? (idolatry) (people, pleasure, power, money,
security, image, etc.)
· Have I been involved with superstitious practices, magic or sorcery by which
one attempts to tame or serve occult powers? (Satanism, horoscopes, palm-
reading, ouija board, psychics or mediums, fortune-tellers, tarot cards,
witchcraft, seances, reincarnation, clairvoyance, spiritism, omens, charms)
· Have I been seriously involved in New Age philosophies or Eastern religions?
· Have I supported or participated in a schismatic group?
· Have I joined the Masons or any other cult or secret society outlawed by the
Church?
· Have I openly dissented from the Church’s teachings? (incredulity, heresy,
schism)
· Have I committed apostasy? (leaving the Catholic Church because I no longer
believe her teachings)
· Have I received Holy Communion or any other Sacraments unworthily (in a
state of mortal sin)?
· Have I deliberately lied in confession?
· Have I knowingly withheld a mortal sin in Confession?
· Have I failed to perform the penance given to me by the priest in my last
Confession?
· Have I participated in a “General Absolution” service, with the purposeful
intention of avoiding a personal confession to a priest?
· Am I guilty of the sin of despair? (lack of any hope for my personal salvation)
· Have I sinned against the Holy Spirit by stubbornly refusing to accept God’s
love, mercy and forgiveness?
· Am I guilty of the sin of presumption? (presuming upon God’s mercy without an
appropriate effort at ongoing conversion)
· Is my relationship with God “too friendly”? (not enough reverence for God, or
not taking seriously how greatly he hates sin)
· Am I guilty of performing pious acts or works of mercy so that people can see
them and think more of me?
· Am I guilty of letting other people know how much money I’ve contributed so
they will think more of me?
· Have I kept the required fasts and abstinences?
· Do I regularly do penance and make reparation for my sins especially on
Fridays? (Canon 1249-1253)
· Have I committed the sin of indifference by neglecting or refusing to reflect on
God’s love? (CCC, n. 2094)
· Have I committed the sin of ingratitude by failing or refusing to acknowledge
and return God’s love? (CCC, n. 2094)
· Have I committed the sin of lukewarmness by hesitating or neglecting to
respond to God’s love? (CCC, n. 2094) (Rev 3:16)
· Am I guilty of the sin of acedia (spiritual sloth) by refusing the joy that comes
from God and being repelled by his divine goodness?
· Do I have a firm desire to work at eliminating sin from my life? (ongoing
conversion and amendment)
· Have I failed to make an effort to learn more about my faith?
· Am I guilty of praying mindlessly and mechanically, just reciting words quickly
without contemplating the Lord?
· Have I knowingly put myself in danger of losing or weakening my faith by
something I’ve read or watched?
· Have I neglected to share my faith in God with others because of fear or
embarrassment?
· Am I guilty of the sin of tempting God by putting his goodness and power to a
test? (CCC, n. 2119)
· Am I guilty of the sin of sacrilege through profaning or treating unworthily the
Sacraments (especially the Holy Eucharist) or other liturgical actions, as well as
persons, things or places consecrated to God? (CCC, n. 2120)
· Am I guilty of the sin of simony because I was involved in the buying or selling
of spiritual things? (CCC, n. 2121)

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
· Have I used any of God’s names lightly, carelessly or frivolously?
· Have I told any jokes that made fun of God?
· Have I been angry with God?
· Have I spoken any words of hatred or defiance toward God? (blasphemy)
· Have I wished that God would bring evil upon another person?
· Have I used any of God’s names when cursing others?
· Have I abused the names of the Blessed Virgin Mary or the Saints?
· Have I insulted a sacred person or abused a sacred object?
· Did I break any vows that I’ve made to the Lord?
· Have I used the Lord’s name in swearing an oath that I had no intention of
keeping?
· Have I committed the sin of perjury by lying or making a false promise under an
oath sworn to God?
· Have I used vulgar or profane language (especially in the presence of children)?
· Am I embarrassed to refer to the Lord in conversation?

Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.

· Have I missed Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation deliberately or

without a legitimate reason?
· Have I carelessly arrived late for Mass or left before it ended?
· Do I concentrate and participate at Mass by praying and listening to the
readings and homily?
· Was I irreverent, silly or carelessly distracting to others during Mass?
· Do I acknowledge the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, and receive Holy
Communion with reverence and gratitude?
· Have I broken the required one-hour fast from any food and drink (except water
and medicine) before receiving Holy Communion?
· Has my behavior in the church before and after Mass reflected reverence for the
presence of Jesus in the tabernacle?
· Did I cause others to miss Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation?
· Have I tried to observe Sunday as a day of rest and reflection, of family time or
of doing works of mercy and charity?
· Did I do needless work/shopping on Sunday, especially the type of routine
work/shopping that could have been done another day?
· Did I selfishly cause someone else to have to work on Sunday?
· Have I fulfilled my Easter Duty? (to worthily receive Holy Communion during
the Easter season) (Canon 920)
· Have I fulfilled my yearly Confession duty? (to confess my grave sins at least
once a year) (Canon 989)

Honor your father and your mother.

· Do I obey and honor my parents?
· Have I spoken disrespectfully to or about my father or mother?
· Have I neglected my duties as a family member?
· Do I strive to be an example of holiness to the members of my family?
· Do I view and treat my children as God’s children first, who he has entrusted to
my care?
· Have I participated in our family prayer with a good attitude and proper
behavior?
· Am I significantly involved in the education of my children?
· Have I proactively and aggressively tried to pass our Catholic faith on to my
children, especially preparing them for the Sacraments?
· Have I tried to coerce any of my children to choose (or to avoid) a specific
vocation or sacrament?
· Have I been impatient or unloving with members of my family?
· Have I been a cause of disorder or lack of peace in our family?
· Have I brought or allowed inappropriate or disordered media into our home?
(TV, movies, books, magazines, websites, video games, etc.)
· As a parent, have I neglected to exercise proper authority over my children?
· When I corrected or disciplined my children, was I loving? Appropriately
merciful?
· Have I failed to show appropriate affection and encouragement to the other
members of my family?
· Have I done my chores and fulfilled my household responsibilities?
· Have I taken time for substantive communication with the members of my
family?
· Has my self-centeredness caused me to be rude, sullen or sulky in my home?
· Do I spend time with (or care for) my aged, sick or lonely relatives?
· Have I failed to carry out the last will of a deceased parent?
· Have I neglected any of the duties of my state in life?
· Do I obey all legitimate authority?
· Do I neglect to exercise my right to vote?
· Do I advocate perverse forms of family structure proffered by the prevailing
culture?

You shall not kill.

· Have I harbored anger, hatred or resentment in my heart?
· Am I guilty of judging others?
· Have I abused alcoholic beverages, tobacco or drugs?
· Am I guilty of the sin of gluttony? Purposely under-eating?
· Do I care for my health adequately?
· Have I physically harmed anyone?
· Have I made a serious attempt at suicide, or encouraged someone else to do so?
· Have I verbally abused anyone?
· Do I readily extend mercy and forgive others?
· Have I asked for forgiveness when I should have?
· Have I been patient in the face of sufferings, sorrows and disappointments?
Have I united my sufferings to the sufferings of Jesus, and offered them up?
· Am I guilty of malice, treachery, haughtiness, rivalry, discord, quarrels, angry
words, insolence, spitefulness, antagonism, tantrums, the “silent treatment,”
rebelliousness, selfishness, pride, pettiness, insults, bossiness or being
inconsiderate?
· Have I been receptive to lovingly-delivered and properly-ordered correction?
· Do I regularly neglect to express my gratitude to others?
· Did I give scandal to anyone by my attitudes or behavior, thereby leading them
into sin?
· Have I had an abortion, or encouraged or helped someone else to have an
abortion?
· Have I voted for a non-Pro-Life candidate, when a Pro-Life candidate was also
running?
· Have I encouraged or condoned sterilization?
· Have I mutilated myself through any form of sterilization to avoid having
children?
· Have I engaged in artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization?
· Have I participated in or approved of euthanasia?
· Have I participated in or supported human cloning?
· Have I advocated or supported an unjust war?
· Do I drive in a safe and courteous manner?
· Have I taken revenge on someone, or taken pleasure in imagining it?
· Have I willfully engaged in an unjust lawsuit?
· Am I guilty of bigotry? (hatred of persons of other races)
· Have I prayed for my enemies and persecutors? (Mt 5:44)
· Have I done anything to pollute or otherwise damage our natural
environment?
You shall not commit adultery.
· Have I disrespected members of the opposite sex by thinking of them as mere
objects for my pleasure?
· Have I been chaste in thought, word and action?
· Have I dressed immodestly?
· Have I allowed my mind to dwell on impure thoughts?
· Have I caused impure thoughts through reading or pictures? (magazines,
television, movies, internet)
· Have I engaged in masturbation?
· Have I been faithful to my marriage vows in thought and action?
· Have I engaged in any sexual activity outside of marriage?
· Have I used any method of contraception or artificial birth control?
· Has each sexual act in my marriage been open to the transmission of new
human life?
· Have I engaged in any homosexual activity?
· Have I given impure or pornographic material to someone else?

You shall not steal.

· Do I waste time? (work, school, home, etc.)
· Have I stolen anything?
· Have I failed to return and/or make restitution for anything that I had stolen?
· Have I knowingly accepted or purchased stolen property?
· Have I purposely damaged someone else’s property?
· Have I cheated anyone out of what is justly theirs? (friends, neighbors,
workplace, creditors, insurance companies, etc.) (especially by breaking a
contract or business agreement)
· Have I cheated? (tests, games, taxes, expense accounts, etc.)
· Have I accepted bribes, or otherwise sold my influence?
· Have I engaged in blackmail, fraud, embezzlement, price-fixing, tax evasion,
criminal forgery, or copyright violation?
· Have I been a poor steward of any of the resources with which the Lord has
blessed me?
· Do I pay my debts promptly?
· Have I incurred debt that I know is beyond my means?
· Do I regularly support my parish financially?
· Have I given to the poor? (relative to my income)
· Do I gamble excessively?
· Do I pay a fair wage to my employees, and provide good and safe working
conditions?
· Have I been guilty of laziness or excessive idleness?
· Have I neglected or abused any animals?

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

· Have I lied?
· Have I gossiped?
· Have I been negative, uncharitable, or too critical of others in my words or
thoughts?
· Do I complain too much?
· Do I talk excessively?
· When I have a different opinion, must I always express it?
· Am I boastful or self-aggrandizing in conversation?
· Have I been sincere in my dealings with others?
· Am I guilty of unfairness or persecution?
· Do I keep secret what should be confidential?
· Am I guilty of morbid curiosity?
· Have I injured the reputation of others by speaking about them negatively?
Made restitution? Asked their forgiveness?

You shall not desire your neighbor’s wife.

· Have I said or done anything which made a mockery of my wedding vows?
· Have I failed to defend the sanctity of Matrimony in my conversations when it is
attacked, ridiculed or belittled?
· Have I weakened my marriage commitment through my obsession with another
person?
· Have I behaved in an inappropriate way with members of the opposite sex?
(flirting, touching, etc.)
· Have I consented to impure thoughts?
· Am I living in an adulterous situation?
· Have I been obedient to the laws of the Church regarding marriage, or re-
marriage to someone who has previously been married?
· Am I guilty of polygamy or polyandry? (having more than one wife or husband)

You shall not desire your neighbor’s goods.·

Am I envious of what other people have? (possessions, successes, families, etc.)
· Am I greedy, miserly, or niggardly?
· Have I placed too high a priority on material possessions?
· Am I consumed by my personal ambitions, to the detriment of my family life
and personal spiritual growth?
· Do I try to project a false image of myself through ostentation?
· Do I trust that God will care for all of my material needs?
· Do I live Gospel simplicity and detachment?