Your Guide Your Guide

to a good to a good
Examination of Conscience

• Have I received communion or other sacraments in

the state of mortal sin? Have I intentionally failed to
confess some mortal sin in my previous confession?

Confession • Have I seriously doubted my faith or put myself in

danger of losing my faith through readings hostile
to Catholic teachings or involvement in non-Catho-
Confession
lic sects? Have I engaged in superstitious practices:
palm-reading, fortune telling, etc.?
This pamphlet is meant to help you to prepare for and
make a good confession. It includes an examination of • Have I taken the name of God in vain? Have I cursed,
conscience and all the steps involved in the Sacrament of or taken a false oath? Have I dishonoured God’s holy
Penance and Reconciliation. Feel free to bring this pam- creation and not behaved as a good steward in my
phlet with you into confession. treatment of the environment?
The most basic requirement of a good confession is to • Have I missed Mass on Sundays or holy days of obliga-
have the intention of returning to God like the prodigal tion through my own fault, without any serious reason?
son and to acknowledge your sins with true sorrow be- Have I kept the required fast and abstinence on Ash
fore his representative, the priest. Wednesday, Good Friday and other prescribed days?
• Have I disobeyed my parents and just authority in im-
The text in this brochure is adapted from: ‘Guide for a Good
portant matters?
Confession,’ in Handbook of Prayers: A Complete Treasury of Prayers
and Order of Mass, by Fr Charles Belmonte. Four Courts Press, • Have I hated anyone, or sought revenge? Have I re-
Dublin, 1993. Freely available as an e-Book, downloaded from: fused to forgive? Have I injured anyone?
http://fsubelmonte.weebly.com/e-books.html
• Have I deliberately become drunk? Have I taken drugs?
• Have I looked at indecent images or watched porn-
ographic movies? Have I wilfully dwelt on impure
thoughts or fantasies? Have I committed impure acts,
alone or with others?
• Have I failed to protect life at any point between con-
ception and natural death? Have I used contraception?
• Have I wasted excessive time browsing the web or play-
ing video games? Have I used social media to bully or
harass others?
• Have I stolen or deliberately damaged another per-
son’s property? Have I made reparation for the dam-
age? Have I been dishonest in my business relations?
• Have I told lies? Have I sinned by calumny or detrac-
tion — repeating the faults of others without just
cause, even if they are true? Have I rashly judged oth-
ers in serious matters?
If you remember other serious sins besides those indicated here,
mention them in your confession.
 Before Confession Dur ing Confession After Confession

• Be truly sorry for your sins. 1. Start with the sign of the cross: “In the name of the Fa- • Be willing to do the penance as soon as possible. Your
The most important act of the penitent is contrition, which ther, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” penance will diminish the temporal punishment due
is ‘heartfelt sorrow and aversion for the sin committed to sins already forgiven.
along with the intention of sinning no more.’ ‘We can only
2. The priest will encourage you to have confidence in
approach the Kingdom of Christ by metanoia. This is a pro- God saying: “May the Lord be in your heart and help • Give thanks to God for forgiving you your sins.
found change of the whole person by which one begins to you to confess your sins with true sorrow.”
• If you recall some serious sin you forgot to confess,
consider, judge, and arrange one’s life according to the
holiness and love of God, made manifest in his Son in the
3. Then, accuse yourself of your sins. You may begin, rest assured that it has been forgiven with the others.
last days and given to us in abundance.’ The genuineness “Bless me Father, for I have sinned. My last good Just be sure to mention it in your next confession.
of penance depends on this heartfelt contrition. For con- confession was . . .” (however many weeks, months or
• Resolve to make your next confession at a set time.
version should affect a person from within so that it may years) Confess the sins that you remember. Start with
progressively enlighten him and render him continually the one that is most difficult to say; after this, it will The Church directs us to confess our serious sins once
more like Christ. be easier to mention the rest. At the end, indicate you a year, but an annual confession is the bare minimum.
– Introduction to the Rite of Penance (1974). are finished by saying: “I am sorry for these and all A monthly confession is commendable; those who re-
the sins of my past life, especially for . . .” (mention in ally wish to grow in virtue and holiness might consider
Heartfelt contrition does not mean that you must never
general any past sin for which you are particularly sorry.) fortnightly or weekly confession. Pray before the tab-
again fall into sin. A resolution to avoid the near occa-
ernacle and seek the Lord’s counsel.
sions of sin suffices. If you sincerely intend to rectify 4. The priest may offer advice to help you to be a bet-
your life and correspond with God’s sanctifying grace, ter Christian. He will assign you some penance, and
you will receive the strength to resist and overcome invite you to make an act of contrition. You may say
temptation. for example: “My God, I am sorry for my sins with all
my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do Everyone say to yourself: “When was the last time I
• You may have the choice of confessing your sins behind went to confession?” If it has been a long time, don’t
good, I have sinned against you whom I should love
a grille or screen, or face to face with the priest. Both above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to lose another day! Go! The priest will be good. And Je-
options are legitimate and offer different benefits. do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever sus is there, and Jesus is better than the priests — Jesus
BEHIND A SCREEN leads me to sin. Our Saviour Jesus Christ suffered
receives you. He will receive you with so much love! Be
Confessing behind a screen safeguards your anonymi- and died for us. In his name, my God, have mercy.”
courageous, and go to confession.
ty, and it can also remind you that you’re approaching 5. The priest gives you absolution. Listen to these words Perhaps you reply, “But Holy Father, I am embar-
Jesus Christ and confiding in the Lord himself, not the attentively: “God, the Father of Mercies, through the
priest. Speaking behind a screen is not a natural thing rassed!” Even embarrassment is good. It does us good,
death and resurrection of his Son, has reconciled the
to do, but then again, confession isn’t natural. The Sac- world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us because it makes us more humble.
rament of Reconciliation is profoundly supernatural, for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Do not be afraid of confession.
because the priest acts in persona Christi — in the per- Church, may God give you pardon and peace, and I When someone is in line for
son of Christ. absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, confession they feel embarrass-
FACE TO FACE and of the Son, X and of the Holy Spirit.”
ment, fear, even shame —
You might prefer a face to face encounter if you’d 6. At the end, when the priest is blessing you, make the but then, when they finish
appreciate some human reassurance. After you have sign of the cross and answer: “Amen.” confessing, they leave
confessed your sins, the priest will likely give you some
7. The priest may continue: “May the Passion of our feeling free, great,
encouragement and advice, which can take the form of
Lord Jesus Christ, the intercession of the Blessed Vir- beautiful, forgiven,
a conversation.
gin Mary, and of all the saints, whatever good you do
clean, happy!
• If you do not know how to confess your sins, or if you and suffering you endure, heal your sins, help you to
feel uneasy or ashamed, ask the priest to assist you. He grow in holiness, and reward you with eternal life. Go
in peace.” Pope Francis,
will help you make a good confession. Answer his ques- Homily on 19th
tions simply, without hiding anything out of shame or 8. You reply, “Thanks be to God.” Then thank the priest February, 2014.
fear. Place your trust in God. and take your leave.