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HOW TO
GO TO RECONCILIATION (CONFESSION)
The Ten Commandments
..... Examination of Conscience
1. I am
the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me.
Do
I strive to love God with my whole heart, mind, soul and strength?
Do I give Him the priority in my life that He deserves as my
Creator and Lord or rather do I make compromises on my love for
God for the sake of pride, pleasure or the avoidance of a necessary
sacrifice? Do I spend time in prayer daily?
Have I had any direct involvement with the occult, witchcraft,
wicca, ouija boards, séances, tarot cards, new age crystals,
fortune telling, or the like? Have I put faith in horoscopes?
Have I received Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin?
Have I abused the Sacrament of Reconciliation by deliberately
lying to the priest or deliberately choosing not to confess a
mortal sin?
Have I publicly denied a truth of the faith out of concern for
the respect and opinion of others? Have I doubted or denied
my faith?
Have I read books against the Catholic Faith?
2. You
shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
We
would never think of using the name of a friend in an irreverent
way. Have we always treated the all-holy name of God with
the greatest possible reverence and awe?
Have I deliberately cursed or shown contempt for or ridiculed
God, Sacred Scripture, the Church, Mary, the saints, or sacred
places or things? Did I cause scandal by doing this in the presence
of others?
Have I failed to keep the promises/oaths made in the presence
of God and while invoking His Name?
Did I curse or swear? Do I use profane language?
3. Remember
to keep holy the Lord's Day.
Have
I deliberately missed Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day of obligation
without a serious reason such as illness or lack of transportation?
Have I deliberately come late or left early from Mass without
a good reason?
Do I try to keep Sunday as a day of rest and relaxation by avoiding
unnecessary work?
Have I deliberately allowed my children to miss Mass without
a serious reason?
Did I omit my Easter Duty? Did I omit my yearly Confession
duty?
Was I easily distracted at Mass?
4. Honor
your father and your mother.
Have
I neglected my family responsibilities?
Do I respect and obey my legitimate superiors?
Have I separated or divorced civilly without consultation according
to the mind of the Church?
For children:
Do I honor, respect, and obey my parents?
Have I deliberately harmed my parents by word or by deed? Have
I spoken badly of them in the presence of others?
For parents:
Do I treat my children with love, respect, and affection?
Am I concerned about the well-being (physical, spiritual, mental)
of all family members?
5. You
shall not kill.
Have
I intentionally harmed anyone?
Have I had an abortion or encouraged or helped someone to have
an abortion? Have I encouraged mutilation (vasectomy, etc.)
to avoid children?
Have I attempted suicide or given deliberate consent to the idea?
Have I neglected my spiritual, physical or mental health
or tried to harm myself?
Have I abused drugs or alcohol? Have I gotten high or drunk?
Have I led anyone to sin through bad example or through direct
encouragement?
Have I gossiped, made fun of, or harmed someone's reputation
by my words?
Have I harbored grudges or refused to forgive someone who hurt
me?
Have I refused to help someone who was really in need?
Have I been angry, resentful, or kept hatred in my heart?
Have I failed to correct my transgressions through charity?
6. You shall not commit adultery.
For the married:
Am I faithful to my spouse in thought and in action?
Have I used artificial contraception or been sterilized?
Was I married outside the Church without proper permission of
the Church?
For the unmarried:
Have I engaged in any kind of sexual activity with anyone
of either sex (includes prolonged kisses, passionate touches
or any use of another person as an object to obtain sexual pleasure)?
Am I chaste in my demonstrations of affection?
For all:
Have I indulged in pornographic magazines, videos, or internet
websites?
Have I masturbated or fornicated?
Do I dress modestly (i.e. does my dress reflect my dignity as
a child of God and preserve my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit
or could I lead other to sinful thoughts by my dress)?
Have I looked lustfully at someone or used impure speech in speaking
of another? Have I led others to impure thoughts or actions
by my bad example?
Do I avoid laziness, gluttony, idleness, and the occasions of
impurity?
7. You
shall not steal.
Have
I stolen or accepted stolen goods?
Have I deliberately destroyed the property of others?
Have I cheated anyone of what I owe? Do I pay my debts
promptly?
Have I cheated on my taxes?
Do I gamble excessively?
Do I share what I have with the poor and the Church according
to my means? Am I stingy?
Have I returned or made equal restitution for anything obtained
immorally?
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Have I lied? Have I sworn falsely? Have I gossiped?
Have I plagiarized or been academically dishonest?
Have I revealed secrets or confidential information without good
reason?
Have I ruined anyone's reputation by spreading lies or maliciously
revealing their faults and sins?
Am I critical, negative or uncharitable in my talk? Am
I sincere?
9. You
shall not desire your neighbor's wife.
Have
I deliberately and consciously entertained sexual thoughts about
anyone besides a spouse?
Do I guard my imagination and senses?
Have I watched shows, plays, pictures, or movies that contain
impure scenes with the deliberate intention of being aroused
by them? Am I responsible about what I read?
Do I pray at once to banish impure thoughts and temptations?
10. You
shall not desire your neighbor's goods.
Am
I envious or excessively desirous of the possessions, abilities,
talents, beauty, or success of others?
Have I been sorrowful over another's good fortune? Have
I been happy when someone was hurt?
Am I moody, gloomy, sad, or sour?
Do I work, study and keep busy to counter idle thoughts?
Is my heart set on earthly possessions or on the true treasures
in Heaven?
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HOW TO
GO TO RECONCILIATION (CONFESSION)
Prayer
Before Confession
Come Holy
Spirit into my soul. Enlighten my mind that I may know the sins
I ought to confess, and grant me your grace to confess them fully,
humbly, and with a contrite heart. Help me to firmly resolve
not to commit them again. O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother
of my God, intercede for me through the Passion of your Son,
that I may obtain the grace to make a good confession. All you
blessed Archangels, Angels and Saints of God, pray for me, a
sinner, that I may repent from my sins, and that my heart may
be forever united with yours in eternal love.....Amen
Rite of
Reconciliation
Priest: (When you enter
confessional) As you make the sign of the cross say... In the
name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Penitent: Bless me Father
for I have sinned. It has been (how long?) since my last confession.
These are my sins (confess all your sins)
Priest: Listens, may counsel
you or may ask you to make an appointment with him at a later
time. Gives you a penance to perform; i.e., prayers, good deeds,
reparation for theft, etc...He then asks you to make a "good
act of Contrition".
Penitent: You pray the act
of Contrition:
Oh, my God,
I am heartily sorry for my sins. Because I dread the loss of
heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend
Thee my God who art all good and deserving of all my love. I
firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace to confess my sins,
to do penance and to avoid the near occasions of sin.....Amen
Priest: Gives you absolution
taken from the Gospel of John 20:19. Then he offers you the sign
of peace and dismisses you.
Penitent: Say or do your
penance as soon as possible or at his direction.
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