An Examination of Conscience for Lent
reflecting on Christ’s Suffering and Passion on the
Cross
by Fr Dylan James
“The Cross exemplifies every
virtue” (St Thomas Aquinas)
How do our lives compare with
what Christ has shown us?
5
STEPS FOR A GOOD CONFESSION
1. Examine your conscience
-recall the sins that you have committed since your last good confession.
2. Be sincerely sorry for your
sins.
3. Confess your sins to the
priest.
4. Make certain that you confess
all your mortal sins and the number of them.
5. After confession, do the
penance the priest gives to you.
ACT
OF CONTRITION
O my God, I am heartily sorry for
having offended You, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of
Heaven and the pains of Hell, but most of all because they offend You, my God,
Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help
of Your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
Sins
of omission:
“In what I have done, and in what
I have failed to do”-sins of omission may be more serious than sins of
commission
e.g.Have I omitted to say my
prayers?
or, Have I omitted to look for
and respond to the needs of family?
Thought: “In thought, word, and
deed”
e.g. Even if I did not gossip in
word, did I judge someone in my thoughts?
Each area of my life should be
considered:
e.g. My family, my friends, my
work, my prayer, those I work and live with etc.
Christ
loved us on the Cross:
“Greater love than this has no one than to lay down his life for his
friends”(Jn 15:13)
How have I failed to love?
Christ
put our needs before His own, that we might be saved
“Each of you must think of
others’ needs before your own”(Phil 2:4)
Have I been attentive to the
needs of my neighbour, and the needs of my family?
Have I been lazy in helping
others?
Have I been generous in giving to
others?
Have I used people for my own
ends and advantage?
Has my conversation been focussed
on my own pleasure, or on others?
Has my humour been insensitive to
others?
My Family:
Have I been more focussed on
myself than on the needs of others?
Have I spent time with my family?
How have I manifested my concern for them? Have I been forgiving and tolerant
of them? Have I scandalized them by a bad or lazy example?
Punctuality and Discipline:
Have I wasted other people’s time
by being late?
Have I sinned against God and the
congregation by being late for Mass?
Christ
forgave His murderers, even as He hung on the Cross, saying, “Father, forgive
them”(Lk 23:34)
Have I been slow to forgive others?
Have I harboured resentment,
grudges, and hatred in my thoughts?
Have I nurtured imaginary angry
conversations?
Have I lost my temper?
Have I borne hated for another?
Gossip:
Have I judged others in my
thoughts?
Have I damaged the reputation of
another person by my words, attitude, or looks?
Have I repeated accusations that
might not be true? Have I exaggerated?
Have I failed to defend the
reputation of others?
Have I failed to keep secrets?
Lies: Have I lied or exaggerated?
Christ
did the will of the Father, saying, “Not my will by Yours be done”(Lk 22:42)
Have I sought God and His will
above all else, or have I put other priorities ahead of him? (e.g. friendships,
ambition, comfort and ease)
Have I got so caught up in the
things of this world that I’ve forgotten God?
Have I risked losing my
faith/piety by bad company, bad reading, cowardice, or pride?
Christ
was patient on the Cross, bearing it for our sakes
How have I carried my cross?
Have I been willing to suffer in
my service of others?
Have I grumbled and complained?
C.f. “Do everything without grumbling or arguing”(Phil 2:14)
Have I been impatient with
people, family, events, sufferings, sicknesses?
Christ
trusted in the Father, even as He died on the Cross, saying, “Father, into Your
hands I commend my spirit”(Lk
23:46)
Have I trusted God, especially in
times of difficulty?
Christ
“despised earthly riches”, becoming “poor for our sake” (2 Cor 8 :9)
Have I ranked money and riches
too highly?
Have I been overly concerned
about my own comfort and well-being?
Have I been resentful of my lack
of money?
Have I cheated, stolen, or failed
to pay my bills on time?
Have I wasted money?
Have I envied or been jealous of
the abilities, talents, ideas, good-looks, intelligence, clothes, possessions,
money, friends, family, of others?
Christ
“despised earthly pleasures” that He might give Himself in love for us
Have I been overly attached to
pleasures of food or sex?
Have I eaten more than I need?
To how serious an extent?
Have I spent excessive money on
food?
Have I drunk alcohol excessively?
Have driven after drinking?
Have I eaten greedily and with
little consideration for those at table with me?
Have I given money to help the
hungry?
Have I regularly practiced
fasting and self-denial, especially on Fridays?
Have I abstained from meat on
Fridays?
Have I always fasted an hour
before receiving Holy Communion at Mass?
“Whoever
looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in
his heart” (Mt
5:28)
Have I viewed other people as
mere sexual objects rather than as persons to be loved?
Pornography: On internet? or TV?
Have I entertained impure
thoughts?
Impure Acts: Alone, or with
another?
Christ
prayed, even as He hung on the Cross
Have I neglected to say my daily
prayers?
Have I entertained distractions
in prayer?
Have I attended Mass each and
every Sunday?
Have I done unnecessary servile
work on a Sunday, or bought or sold things on a Sunday?
Have I made a prayerful
preparation before Mass and a good thanksgiving after Mass?
Have I received Holy Communion
while in a state of serious sin?
Have I neglected to seek
Confession before Holy Communion?
Have I taken the Lord’s name in
vain? Or used other foul language?
Christ
allowed Himself to be mocked by the soldiers, spat upon, and publically striped
of his clothes
Have I been overly concerned
about what others think of me? Have I allowed this to motivate my actions?
Have I lied or exaggerated to
make myself look good?
Have I wasted undue time and
money on clothes and appearance?
“Christ
was humbler yet, even to accepting death on a cross”(Phil 2:8)
Have I been content with my lowly
position, or have I resented the role that Christ asks of me?
Have I refused to admit my own
weaknesses?
Have I dwelt on the failings of
others?
Have I judged others, in my
thoughts or words?
Have I ranked myself better than
others?
Have I refused to learn from
others?
Do I despise others of different
race, class or culture?
Have I been stubborn? Refused to
admit I was wrong? Refused to accept that another person had a better idea?
Have I been arrogant?
Have I held others in contempt?
Pusillanimity –false humility:
Have I neglected to use the
talents that God has given me?
Christ
endured all things upon the Cross,
Have I persevered in the work God
asks of me?
Have I made good use of my time,
or have I wasted time needlessly? E.g. TV or internet?
Have I planned good use of
relaxation and recreation, knowing that I need to rest well?
Have I gone to sleep on time?
