Examen de Conciencia

Examination of Conscience and Guide to the Sacrament

The examination of conscience is a prayerful reflection on our actions in light of our faith to identify sin, patterns of sin, or ways in which we fall short of who God calls us to be. Once we acknowledge our sins, we can ask God for forgiveness and healing. (See the end of this article for other ways to explain to your children why we go to confession.)

A good examination of conscience considers all areas of our life: our thoughts and words, what we have done and what we have not done. It usually consists of questions in three categories: the call to love God, the call to love others, and the call to love yourself. Most forms of self-examination are based on the Ten Commandments.

You can find many forms of self-examination in various prayer books. An examination of conscience is the act of prayerfully looking into our hearts to ask how we have damaged our relationships with God and other people through our thoughts, words, and actions. We reflected on The Ten Commandments and the teachings of the Church. Questions help us in our examination of conscience.

The basic requirement for a good confession is to have the intention to return to God with all your heart, like the prodigal son, and to acknowledge your sins with real pain before the priest, who is there to remind you of Christ.

Modern society has lost the sense of sin. An examination of conscience helps us to do just that. In order to make a good examination of conscience and live a life in a correct relationship with God, his laws and the happiness that He desires for us, it is also essential that each one of us develop a well-formed conscience.

An examination of conscience is a review of the thoughts and words of the past. In other words, an examination of conscience helps you identify the moments in your life when you have pleased God with your virtue—the good things you have done or said—or when, on the contrary, you have fallen into sin. If you examine your conscience to discover and reflect on your sins, then you can bring those discovered sins before God in the Sacrament of Confession and ask for His forgiveness.

Examine your conscience well first, then tell the priest the specific type of sins you have committed and, to the best of your ability, how many times you have committed them since your last good confession. You are obliged to confess only mortal sins, since you can obtain the forgiveness of your venial sins through sacrifices and acts of charity. If you have doubts about whether a sin is mortal or venial, mention your doubt to your confessor. Remember also that the confession of venial sins is of great help to avoid sin and move towards Heaven.

By this term is meant a review of one's past thoughts, words, and actions for the purpose of determining their conformity or inconsistency with the moral law. Directly, this examination deals only with the will, that is, with the good or bad intention that inspires thoughts, words and actions.

In the hearts of all men, the voice of conscience is sometimes heard that urges them to seek their moral perfection, not so much for the dignity and happiness that it confers on them, but for respect for the sanctity of the Supreme Author of the moral law. This precept of a rational nature has been imposed by the voice of revelation.