Examination of conscience

[polishprincess]

Do you have to use an examination of conscience book in order to make a good confession??? Thanks! God bless you!

 

[aeroengr]

An examination of conscience is necessary for a good confession. There are many resources on the internet to assist you with this. Here is a link to one that I like to use.

ncregister.com/info/confession_guide_for_adults/

 

[Mary_Ellen]

No, you don’t *need *to use a book to do an examination of conscience, especially if you have a well-formed conscience and are well practiced in the art of the examen, but some written source material is very helpful, such as a book, Bible, pamphlet, or internet source. I’ve been going to confession every week for years and I always use written material in my weekly EOC.

 

[Glacies]

Let’s keep in mind that Confession has been around since Christ instituted it, while the printing press in the West is attributed to Johannes Gutenberg in 1450. There have been Saints who were illiterate such as St. Joan of Arc. While not required, a text may be helpful for examining through various areas of life in a systematic way, such as the Ten Commandments or the Eight Beautitudes. One may write down the sins for Confession if necessary as the Baltimore Catehichism teaches.

 

[polishprincess]

Thank you all for your helpful replies! GBU!