Guide to Help with Examination of Conscience for Confession

For a more complete guide, go to http://www.communityofhopeinc.org/Catholic%20Beliefs/Examination.html

First Commandment
I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me.

I denied, or doubted my faith
_____ Times a week, or month.
I murmured against God
_____ Times a week, or month.
I despaired of His mercy
_____ Times a week, or month.
I missed my daily prayers
_____ Times a week, or month.
I went to places of false worship
_____ Times a week, or month.
I talked against the Church, priests, or faith
_____ Times a week, or month.
I went to fortune tellers
_____ Times a week, or month.
I was dealing with the occult-i.e. Ouija Board
_____ Times a week, or month
I was guilty of superstitious practices
_____ Times a week, or month.
I was guilty of excessive materialism
_____ Times a week, or month.
I was guilty of malice (deliberate choice of evil)
_____ Times a week, or month
I read books contrary to faith
_____ Times a week, or month.

In counting your sins, if you cannot give the exact number, average, tell as nearly as you can, about how often you have committed each.

Second Commandment
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

I swore by name of God (Blasphemy)
_____ Times a week, or month.
I swore by name of Jesus (Blasphemy)
_____ Times a week, or month.
I cursed others by saying: God damn you
_____ Times a week, or month.
I cursed my children and wife
_____ Times a week, or month.
I cursed in the hearing of the young
_____ Times a week, or month.
I perjured myself by swearing falsely in court
_____ Times a week, or month.
I took rash and unnecessary oaths
_____ Times a week, or month.
I provoked others to curse
_____ Times a week, or month.
I did not prevent cursing when I could and should
_____ Times a week, or month.
I spoke against saints, holy things and pious practices.
_____ Times a week, or month.


Third Commandment
Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath Day.

I missed Mass on Sunday & Holydays through my fault
_____ Times a week, or month.
I spent a great part of these days in sinful occupations
_____ Times a week, or month.
I was late for Mass by my own fault
_____ Times a week, or month.
I kept my wife, children or employees from Mass
_____ Times a week, or month.
I assisted at Mass with willful distractions
_____ Times a week, or month.
I engaged in servile works on Sunday and
Holydays without necessity
_____ Times a week, or month.

Fourth Commandment
Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother.

1. Duty of Children

I disobeyed my parents/teachers/leaders in important matters
_____ Times a day, or week.
I caused them to be angry: I grieved them
_____ Times a day, or week.
I used insulting language to them
_____ Times a day, or week.
I kept or wasted my wages I should have given to them
_____ Times
I did not support them
_____ Times
I incited my brothers and sisters against them
_____ Times
I neglected to write them, or send them help
_____ Months _____ years
I neglected them in sickness, in death
_____ Months _____ years

2. Duties of Husbands and Fathers

I grieved, abused, struck my wife
_____ Times
I accused her wrongfully
_____ Times
I neglected to provide for my family
_____ Times
I gave my children bad example
_____ Times
I failed to correct their faults
_____ Times
I neglected to instruct them in religion
_____ Times
I interfered with their religious vocation
_____ Times

3. Duties of Wives and Mothers

I disobeyed my husband
_____ Times.
I caused my children to disobey and dishonor him
_____ Times.
I talked of his faults to my children or neighbors
_____ Times.
I neglected to correct my children
_____ Times.
I gave them bad example
_____ Times.
I did not instruct them in their religion
_____ Times.
I interfered with their religious vocation
_____ Times.

Under this commandment masters and mistresses, employers and employees should examine themselves on their respective duties.

Fifth Commandment
Thou shalt not kill.

I was angry
_____ Times.
I caused others to become angry
_____ Times.
I was quarreling or fighting
_____ Times.
I desired the death of others
_____ Times.
I cherished hatred to others
_____ Times.
I've used or approved of artificial birth control
_____ Times.
I refused to speak or to be reconciled to others
_____ Times.
I caused the death of another by negligence
_____ Times.
I brought dishonor to family, school, community, or the Church
_____ Times.
I have been guilty of detraction (telling an unkind truth about another)
_____ Times.
I led others to commit sin, by word or example
_____ Times.
I Used illegal drugs
_____ Times.

For physicians, parents, others, - caused, counseled, consented to abortion. Abortion is a case reserved by the Holy See to Bishops.

Sixth Commandment and Ninth Commandment
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.

Here the penitent must seriously consider past thoughts, words, and actions against these commandments. If one had the misfortune to break them, one must tell whether one is single or married; whether thoughts, words, desires, or acts referred to single or married persons or relatives.

I had premarital sex, including oral sex, intercourse, impure touching of another
_____ Persons_____ Times.
I took pleasure in impure thoughts
_____ Times a day.
I had impure desires
_____ Times a day
I spoke immodestly in the hearing of
_____ Persons_____ Times a day.
I boasted of sins of impurity
_____ Times a day_____ a week.
I sang or listened to immodest songs
_____ Times a day_____ a week.
I read immodest books, papers, or writings
_____ Times.
I was guilty of immodest looks
_____ Times a week
I kept, showed, looked at immodest pictures/pornographic material
_____ Times a week.
I went to immodest places of amusement
_____ Times a week.
I was guilty of immodest acts
(See note above, and tell what these acts were)
_____ Times.
I committed homosexuals actions
_____ Persons_____ Times.
I committed immodest acts alone
_____ Times.
I was guilty of the sin of Onanism (masturbation, withdrawal method)
_____ Times.

In the Book of Genesis Onan was commanded by his father to impregnate the widow of his slain brother and to raise the offspring of the union. In order to avoid raising descendants for his late brother, however, Onan engaged in coitus interruptus.

There are hidden sins known only to God and the sinner. These he must also tell, and the number of times.

Seventh Commandment and Tenth Commandment
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.

I stole goods to the amount of
$ _____, _____ Times.
I destroyed property, defrauded insurance companies
$ _____, _____ Times.
I took from my employers
$ _____, _____ Times.
I stole $____ worth, but restored, though able to return all, only
$______ Worth
I wasted time for which I was paid work, value of
$ _____, _____ Times.
I injured others in their employment or goods
$ _____, _____ Times.
I neglected to pay my bills, just debts, amounting to
$ _____, _____ Times.
I defrauded in weights and measures
$ _____, _____ Times.
I defrauded those employed by me
$ _____, _____ Times.
I unjustly deferred the payment of their wages
$ _____, _____ Times.
I desired to possess unjustly my neighbor’s goods
_____ Times.

Eighth Commandment
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

I told lies
_____ Times.
I seriously injured my neighbor’s character, by
publishing his secret faults
_____ Times.
I carried stories and caused trouble
_____ Times.
I told a deliberate lie to the injury of my neighbor
_____ Times.
I spoke without necessity of the known faults of others
_____ Times.
I've broken promises deliberately
_____ Times.
I am guilty of calumny-telling lies about one another
_____ Times.
I failed to defend my neighbor’s character
_____ Times.
I encouraged detraction or calumny, or
listened to it with complacency
_____ Times.
I failed to make reparation for sins of tongue
_____ Times.

Commandments of the Church

I neglected my yearly confession and Easter Communion
_____ Times.
I attempted marriage contrary to the law of the Church
_____ Times.
I neglected, when able, to support the Church
_____ Times.
I ate meat on days of abstinence, without permission or necessity.
_____ Times.
I caused others to eat meat on days of abstinence
_____ Times.
I broke the fasts of the Church
_____ Times.
I caused others to break the fasts of the Church
_____ Times.

The Seven Deadly Sins

I was guilty of gluttony
_____ Times.
I was drunk
_____ Times.
I caused others to be drunk
_____ Times.
I gave liquor to those drunk
_____ Times.
I was slothful in religious exercises
_____ Times.
I was lazy and idle
_____ Times.
I was envious
_____ Times.
I was yearning for impure pleasures
_____ Times.
I have had an immoderate desire for earthly goods
_____ Times.
I have had an inordinate desire for revenge
_____ Times.
I was proud
_____ Times.

The Four Sins Crying to Heaven for Vengeance

Willful murder (including abortion)
_____ Times.
The sin of Sodom. (unnatural sex)
_____ Times.
Oppression of the poor.
_____ Times.
Defrauding laborers of their wages.
_____ Times.

The Six Sins against the Holy Ghost

Presumption of God's mercy-sinning and saying God must forgive me
_____ Times.
Despair-to believe that God will refuse to forgive you
_____ Times.
To attack as false or questioning the known truth.
_____ Times.
Envy at another's spiritual good
_____ Times.
Obstinacy in sin-refusing to stop known sinful behavior
_____ Times.
Final impenitence-refusing to accept God's mercy at moment of death (of course, it would be too late to confess this)
_____ Times.

Nine Ways of being Accessory to Another's Sin

By counsel-talking one into sin
_____ Times.
By command-telling one to sin
_____ Times.
By consent- agreeing with the sin
_____ Times.
By provocation- to pressure one into sin
_____ Times.
By praise or flattery- congratulating the sin committed by others
_____ Times.
By concealment- covering up the sin for another
_____ Times.
By partaking- approving sin by assisting in it
_____ Times.
By silence-by not speaking up against the sin
_____ Times.
By defense of the ill done- rationalizing the sin done or will be done
_____ Times.

Also, don't forget to always confess all Venial sins that you might have committed-i.e., ingratitude, reckless driving, selfishness, rudeness etc.