Examination of conscience: how to prepare for Confession

What is an examination of conscience?

An examination of conscience is a prayerful review of your life, made before the Sacrament of Reconciliation, to recognize the sins you need to confess. The Catechism asks that Confession be prepared for this way, “in the light of the Word of God”, pointing to the moral teaching of the Gospels and the apostolic Letters, such as the Sermon on the Mount (CCC 1454). In practice, most Catholics examine themselves by the Ten Commandments, which name the matter of serious sin (CCC 1858).

It is not an exercise in self-condemnation. Conscience, the Church teaches, is the place where a person is “alone with God” and hears his voice (CCC 1776). You look honestly at what you have done and failed to do so that you can bring it to the One who is waiting to forgive it. The point of the examination is not the list. It is the mercy that follows.

How to make an examination of conscience, step by step

1. 1

   Find a quiet quarter of an hour

   In a church before Confession or at home the evening before. Silence your phone. Some people write their sins down to remember them; if you do, destroy the paper afterwards.

2. 2

   Ask the Holy Spirit for light

   Pray in your own words, or: “Come, Holy Spirit, show me my sins as you see them, with truth and with mercy, and give me true sorrow for them.”

3. 3

   Go through the questions

   Read the questions below slowly and note honestly what applies since your last good confession. Do not reopen sins that were already confessed and absolved.

4. 4

   Notice what is serious

   For any sin that may be mortal, note what it was and roughly how often (its “kind and number”). If you are unsure whether something was serious, simply tell the priest.

5. 5

   Make an act of contrition

   Tell God you are sorry and resolve, with his help, to avoid these sins and what leads to them. You can use the traditional Act of Contrition.

6. 6

   Go to Confession

   Bring what you found to the priest. If you are not sure what to say, our guide on how to go to Confession gives the words.

What you must confess, and what you may

You are bound to confess every mortal sin you remember after a diligent examination, naming its kind and how many times, “even if they are most secret” (CCC 1456). A sin is mortal when three conditions are met together: grave matter, full knowledge and deliberate consent (CCC 1857). If one is missing, the sin is venial. Our guides to mortal sin and venial sin explain the difference, and our guide to sins to confess shows how to name them plainly.

Confessing venial sins is not strictly necessary, but the Church strongly recommends it: regular confession of everyday faults helps form the conscience, fight bad habits and grow in the life of the Spirit (CCC 1458). And if you sincerely forget a sin, it is forgiven with the others; if you remember a mortal sin later, mention it at your next confession.

Examination of conscience by the Ten Commandments

These questions are for adults, and follow the Ten Commandments as the Church numbers them (CCC 2052–2557). They are a mirror, not an accusation: most people will find that only some apply to them. Read each one slowly and stay with the ones that touch something.

The precepts of the Church

The precepts of the Church are “the indispensable minimum” of prayer and moral effort asked of every Catholic (CCC 2041). The Catechism lists them as: attending Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation; confessing your sins at least once a year; receiving Holy Communion at least during the Easter season; keeping holy the holy days of obligation; and observing the days of fasting and abstinence, together with the duty to help provide for the Church’s material needs (CCC 2042–2043).

The capital sins and your daily life

The seven capital sins (pride, greed, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony and sloth) are not acts in themselves but the roots that many sins grow from. Looking at them helps you see patterns, and choose the virtue to practise against each one. Our guide to the seven deadly sins explains each.

After your examination: sorrow, resolution and Confession

Contrition is “sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again” (CCC 1451). It does not have to be a strong feeling. Sorrow that comes from love of God is called perfect contrition; sorrow that comes from fear of sin’s consequences is imperfect, but it is also a gift of God and enough for the sacrament (CCC 1452–1453). Resolve, with God’s help, to avoid the sins you found and what leads you to them.

Then go to Confession and say simply what you found. If anxiety makes you go over the same things again and again, read our guide to scrupulosity and tell your confessor: he will help you find peace.

A short examination at the end of each day

Between confessions, many Catholics make a brief examination each night, often called the examen. It takes five minutes and keeps the conscience gentle and awake, so that the examination before Confession becomes easier.

1. Thank God for one good thing in the day.
2. Ask for light to see the day as he sees it.
3. Look back over the day, hour by hour: where did you love, and where did you fail to?
4. Tell God you are sorry for what was wrong.
5. Choose one thing to do better tomorrow, and ask for his help.

Sources

Cited by paragraph and verse, so you can read them in full. In the end, your priest has the final word.

• –Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1454
• –Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1776–1782
• –Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1451–1458
• –Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1857–1862
• –Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2041–2043
• –Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2052–2557
• –Exodus 20:1–17; Deuteronomy 5:6–21
• –Matthew 5–7 (the Sermon on the Mount)
• –Code of Canon Law, canons 988–989

Confession Compass is an independent educational tool, not an official body of the Catholic Church. It never absolves sins: only a priest, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, can absolve.