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More on an
examination of conscience
PRAISED BE JESUS
CHRIST!
(Now and Forever)
If you are a regular reader of this column, you will recall that last
week I focused on the examination of conscience issued as part of a
study edition of the rite of penance published in 1975.
The sacrament of penance (going to confession) should be the goal of
every Catholic during the Lenten Season. However, it is not a sacrament
that is limited to Lent. The regular utilization of the sacrament of
penance fortifies a person against evil tendencies and provides an
opportunity for Christ to both heal and lead us to holiness. The goal of
an examination of conscience is to nudge a person away from hardness of
heart and indifferentism to a clear measure of their spiritual life.
There are three sections to the “examination.” Each begins with a quote
from Scripture. Added to the first section presented last week, it is my
hope the second and third sections will be taken to prayerful reflection
during the Lenten Season and that it will be helpful in convincing those
serious about the call to holiness received in baptism to make regular
use of the sacrament of penance.
Section II. The Lord says: “Love one another as I have loved you.”
1. Do I use others for my own end, or do to them what I would not want
done to myself? Have I given grave scandal by my word or actions?
2. Have I contributed to the well-being and happiness of the rest of my
family by patience and genuine love? Have I been obedient to parents,
showing them proper respect and giving them help in their spiritual and
material needs? Have I been careful to give a Christian upbringing to my
children, and to help them by good example and by exercising authority
as a parent? Have I been faithful to my husband (wife) in my heart and
in my relations with others?
3. Do I share my possessions with the less fortunate? Do I do my best to
help victims of depression, misfortune and poverty? Or do I look down on
my neighbor, especially the poor, the sick, the elderly, strangers, and
people of other races?
4. Does my life reflect the mission I received in confirmation? Do I
share in the apostolic and charitable works of the Church and in the
life of my parish? Have I helped to meet the needs of the Church and of
the world and prayed for them: for unity in the Church, for the spread
of the Gospel among the nations, for peace and justice, etc.?
5. Am I concerned for the good and prosperity of the human community in
which I live or do I spend my life caring only for myself? Do I share to
the best of my ability in the work of promoting justice, morality,
harmony, and love and human relations? Have I done my duty as a citizen?
Have I paid my taxes?
6. In my work or profession, am I just, hard-working, honest, serving
society out of love for others? Have I paid a fair wage to my employees?
Have I been faithful to my promises and contracts?
7. Have I obeyed legitimate authority and given it due respect?
8. If I am in a position of responsibility or authority, do I use this
to my own advantage or for the good of others, in a spirit of service?
9. Have I been truthful and fair or have I injured others by deceit,
calumny, detraction, rash judgment or violation of a secret?
10. Have I done violence to others by damage to life or limb,
reputation, honor or material possessions? Have I involved them in loss,
have I been responsible in advising an abortion or procuring one? Have I
kept hatred for others? Am I estranged from others through quarrels,
enmity, insults, anger? Have I been guilty of refusing to testify to the
innocence of another because of selfishness?
11. Have I stolen the property of others? Have I desired it unjustly and
inordinately? Have I damaged it? Have I made restitution of other
people’s property and made good their loss?
12. If I have been injured, have I been ready to make peace for the love
of Christ and to forgive, or do I harbor hatred and the desire for
revenge?
Section III. Christ our Lord says: “Be perfect as your Father is
perfect.”
1. Where is my life really leading me? Is the hope of eternal life my
inspiration? Have I tried to grow in the life of the Spirit through
prayer, reading the word of God and meditating on it, receiving the
sacraments, self-denial? Have I been anxious to control my vices, my bad
inclinations and passions, e.g., envy, love of food and drink? Have I
been proud and boastful, thinking myself better in the sight of God and
despising others as less important than myself? Have I imposed my own
will on others, without respecting their freedom and rights?
2. What use have I made of time, of health and strength, of the gifts
God has given me to be used like the talents in the Gospel? Do I use
them to become more perfect every day? Or have I been lazy and too much
given to leisure?
3. Have I been patient in accepting the sorrows and disappointments of
life? How have I performed mortification so as to “fill up what is
wanting to the sufferings of Christ”? Have I kept the precept of fasting
and abstinence?
4. Have I kept my senses and my whole body pure and chaste as a temple
of the Holy Spirit consecrated for resurrection and glory, and as a sign
of God’s faithful love for men and women, a sign that is seen most
perfectly in the sacrament of matrimony? Have I dishonored my body by
fornication, impurity, unworthy conversation or thoughts, evil desires,
or actions? Have I given in to sensuality? Have I indulged in reading,
conversation, shows, and entertainments that offend against Christian
and human decency? Have I encouraged others to sin by my own failure to
maintain these standards? Have I been faithful to the moral law in my
married life?
5. Have I gone against my conscience out of fear or hypocrisy?
The goal of this comprehensive examination of conscience is not to make
anyone scrupulous. It is not a checklist to be gone over during
confession. Rather, the goal is to challenge us to be realistic about
our need for God’s grace. In spite of what the Bible says about being
perfect, we are not perfect and none of us ever will be perfect. We are
very human. However, we need to work on becoming people inspired by the
ideals of Jesus Christ, people who recognize the difference between
right and wrong and who devote their lives to minimizing selfishness. We
need to strive for holiness. That is what Jesus meant. This is not
accomplished overnight. But, with the help of the sacrament of
reconciliation, great strides are made. In the process, we become the
holy people God has called us to be. A clean heart is created in us. |
