Is this a good examination of conscience

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Wow this seems intense. Yes for a bullet form examination of conscience this is pretty rigorous.

Thanks for the link
 
OP, does this help you to examine yourself? Usually in a general confession, the penitent is not expected to perform a rigorous, intensive, detailed search of their conscience, particularly when it has been many years since one has been to confession. The confessor is very understanding of this and will offer assistance that does not involve extraordinary details of sins - only the “general” overview of the past several years.

In addition, as I looked at the venial sin portion, some of the things that were called a sin may not be sinful at all, but only a human imperfection. It could make a person overly scrupulous to the point of believing it is impossible to be a good Catholic. The first thing necessary is to confess your mortal sins and be reconciled to God. With the help of the Holy Spirit over time, we gradually strive to reduce our venial sins, and ultimately focus on our imperfections. But a general confession is not the time or place to focus on all of this minutia.
 
But thats the truth. It is impossible to be a good Catholic and that is part of our humbling experience. Of course mortal sins are much more important than venial sins because mortal sins separate you from God’s grace and venial sins are given away from the Eucharist, but remember

[BIBLEDRB]psalm 137:8-9[/BIBLEDRB]

The sooner you kill sin the better. Venial sins are easy to stop, they are “infants” ,but they can turn into Goliaths and become an addiction.

We don’t confess venial sins because we have too but because if we are striving for protection and holiness than we want to get rid of them to be closer to God
 
Psalm 137:8-9

8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is the one who repays you
according to what you have done to us.
9 Happy is the one who seizes your infants
and dashes them against the rocks.

It didn’t seem to go through on top
 
Bendzi,

While it is true that venial sins may be confessed out of devotion and for strengthening to avoid them in the future, it is not required of us. But in this case, the OP is asking about a general confession. Whether or not she intends this as a devotional matter such as a few saints have written about and recommended for perfection, or whether she is returning to God after a seriously long lapse, we don’t know.

If it is the latter reason, I don’t believe the priest is going to expect the kind of details she listed in her link. I know personally of people who had the good fortune to have a priest visit them in the hospital the evening before a serious surgery, asking if they would like to go to confession. Father simply asked whether they were sorry for all the sins of their past life and wanted to be forgiven, and then gave absolution. It was not needed at a grave moment such as this to list hundreds of sins of their past life.

Again, when a person is on their death bed facing eternity, no priest is going to command an exhaustive list of sins if they haven’t been to the sacraments in many years. God is gracious and merciful and grants this wonderful grace to the dying, asking that they turn to Him for mercy and repent of all their sins. The priest will then administer extreme unction after hearing an act of contrition, as feebly as they are able to make it. God alone sees their heart.
 
I actually like this. Not so much because it is necessary to be so thorough for interim confessions, but because:

(1) The OP said she was looking for a guide for a general (comprehensive) confession

and

(2) A surprising number of Catholics do not know what comprises sins against the various Commandments, other than what is ‘strictly’ listed as the “command.” In particular, they also seem unaware of what constitutes serious sin.

and

(3) It’s thorough on the venial sins

and

(4) It’s thorough on sins of omission, as well as neglect of virtues. I think it was Fr. Larry Richards, recently, or someone else on EWTN, who said that his retort to those who claim “they don’t have any serious sins to confess”: What virtue have you practiced recently?

(5) I think this is also helpful for interim confessions, in that it helps one take inventory. No, I wouldn’t bring a long list into the confessional, but what I would do is to examine ways I’ve neglected or offended, and then name those succinctly as offenses against the ____(numbered) commandment: ‘I’ve sinned against the First Commandment by ____/ or by not _______.’

For interim confessions it is of course not necessary to be exhaustive, but I think this examen helps to look at ways we might be habitually doing/not doing things that limit us in our spiritual journeys. So I would use it later as well to examine very habitual behavior that might be so habitual I no longer ‘recognize’ it as sin, or as oppositional to a virtue. And bring the most egregious or frequent of those to confession.

Thanks for posting this.
 
Thanks to everyone for your replies. I am returning to the church after many years and want to do this. I don’t know if this examination is too detailed or not, but some of them I’ve seen seem not detailed enough and they don’t really even get me thinking much. In some ways I don’t know what is considered to be mortal or venial sin, but I do know what I feel bad about and those are probably the things I will concentrate most on.
 
I love this examination of conscience. I really like it for the distinction it makes between mortal and venial sins. So many people are confused on this area - thinking that things that are venial are mortal, suffering great anxiety and unnecessarily denying themselves Holy Communion as a result. This E of C provides a healing balm of common sense.

In the OP’s case, I think it would be best to concentrate on the mortal sins, as it is obligatory to have these absolved upon one’s return to the sacramental life. I’d leave the venial sins and other helps alone until she’s ready to concentrate on growing in virtue. If you’re restoring a house, you’re not going to polish the brass door hardware until after you’ve dragged out the dead animals, repaired the huge hole in the ceiling and restored the electricity.
 
Sure, it’s a great examination of conscience, unless one were inclined to excessive scrupulosity and despondency. I think that if I were using it for a confession after a long absence from the Church, I’d probably want to do the confession with a private appointment with the priest, and not in the posted “confessions” time in the church bulletin. Fourteen pages worth of examination of conscience is a lot of material to go through, and the “posted” times are pretty short in duration.
 
I don’t know if this is what you are looking for but [http://timhollingworth.webs.com/docs/catholic/examination.of.conscience.pdf (http://timhollingworth.webs.com/docs/catholic/examination.of.conscience.pdf)
contains a Jesuit examination, a comprehensive bullet list based on the 10 Commandments and a shorter bullet list. The comprehensive bullet list is below

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT: “I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me.”
  • Have I performed my duties toward God reluctantly or grudgingly?
  • Did I neglect my prayer life? Did I recite my usual prayers?
  • Did I receive Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin or without the necessary preparation?
  • Did I violate the one‐hour Eucharistic fast?
  • Did I fail to mention some grave sin in my previous confession?
  • Did I seriously believe in something superstitious or engage in a superstitious practice such as
  • palm reading or fortune‐telling?
  • Did I seriously dout a matter of faityh?
  • Did I put my faith in danger ‐ without a good reason – by reading a book, pamphlet, or magazine
  • that contains material contrarty to Catholic faith or morals?
  • Did I endarnger my faith by joining or attending meetins of organizations opposed to the
  • Catholic faith such as non‐Catholic services, Freemasonry, New Age cults or other religions? Did I take part in any of its activities?
  • Have I committed the sin of sacrilege such as profanation of a sacred person, place or thing?
THE SECOND COMMANDMENT]: “You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain."
  • Did I fail to try my best to fulfill the promises and resolutions that I made to God?
  • Did I take the name of God in vain? Did I make use of God’s name mockingly, jokingly, angrily, or in any other irreverent manner?
  • Did I make use of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s name or another saint’s name mockingly, jokingly, angrily or in any other irreverent manner?
  • Have I been a sponsor in baptism or participated atively in other ceremonies outside the Catholic Church?
  • Did I tell a lie under oath?
  • Did I break public or private vows?
THE THIRD COMMANDMENT: “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.”
  • Did I miss Mass on a Sunday or a holy day of obligation?
  • Did I fail to dress appropriately for Mass?
  • Have I, without sufficient reason, arrived at Mass so late that I failed to fulfill the Sunday or holy day of obligation?
  • Did I allow myself to be distracted during Mass, by not paying attention, by looking around out of curiosity, etc?
  • Did I cause another to be distracted at Mass?
  • Have I performed any work or business activity that would inhibit the worship due to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s Day, or the appropriate relaxation of mind and the body, on a Sunday or a holy day of obligation?
  • Did I fail to generously help the church in her necessities to the extent that I am able?
  • Did I fail to fast or abstain on a day prescribed by the Church?
THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT: “Honor your father and your mother.”

For parents:
  • Have I neglected to teach my children their prayers, send then to church or tive them a Christian education?
  • Have I given them a bad example?
  • Have I neglected to watch over my children, to monitor their companions, the books they read, the movies and TV shows they watch?
  • Have I failed to see to it that my child made his first comfession and first communion?
  • Have I failed to see to it that my children have received the sacrament of confirmation?
For children:
  • Was I disobedient toward my parents?
  • Did I neglect to help my parents when my help was needed?
  • Did I treat my parents with little affection or respect?
  • Did I react proudly when I was corrected by my parents?
  • Did I have a disorderd desire for independence?
  • Did I do my chores?
For adults with parents:
  • Have I supported my parents in times of need to the extent that I am able?
  • Have I ensured that my parents are adequately cared for in terms of food, clothing and shelter?
  • Have I spoken to my parents respectfully and been tolerant of their shortcomings?
  • Have I listened to their advice patiently and humbly, with an eye toward learning from their experience?
  • Have I made an effort to visit my parents and to allow them time to visit with grandchildren?
-Tim-
 
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT: “You shall not kill.”
  • Did I easily get angry or lose my temper?
  • Was I envious or jealous of others?
  • Did I injure or take the life of anyone?
  • Was I reckless in driving?
  • Was I reckless in the operation of mechanical equipment, chemicals or other potentially dangerous items?
  • Was I reckless in the use of firearms? Did I fail to keep firearms secured so that others, including children, could not access them?
  • Was I an occasion of sin for others by way of conversation; the telling of jokes which are religiously, racially or sexually offensive; dressing; inviting somebody to attend certain shows; lending of harmful books or magazines; helping someone to steal, etc? Did I try to repair the scandal done? How many persons did I lead to sin? What sins were involved?
  • Did I neglect my health?
  • Did I attempt to take my life?
  • Did I get drunk or use prohibited drugs?
  • Did I eat or drink more than a sufficient amount, allowing myself to get carried away by gluttony?
  • Did I participate in any form of physical violence?
  • Did I consent to or actively take part in direct sterilization such as tubal ligation, vasectomy, etc?
  • Do I realize that this will have a permanent effect on my married life and that I will have to answer to God for its consequences?
  • Did I consent to, advise someone about, or actively take part in an aboration? Was I aware that the Church punishes with automatic excommunication those who procure and achieve abortion? Do I realize that this is a very grave crime?
  • Did I cause harm to anyone with my words or actions?
  • Did I desire revenge or harbor enmity, hatred, or ill feelings when someone offended me?
  • Did I ask pardon whenever I offended anyone?
  • Did I insult of offensively tease others?
  • Did I quarrel with one of my brothers or sisters?
THE SIXTH AND NINTH COMMANDMENTS: “You shall not commit adultery” and “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.”
  • Did I willfully entertain impure thoughts?
  • Did I consent to evil desires against the virtue of purity, even though I may not have carried them out? Were there any circumstances that aggravated the sin: affinity (relationship by marriage), consanguinity (blood relationship), either the married state or the consecration to God of a person involved?
  • Did I engage in impure conversations? Did I start them?
  • Did I look for fun in forms of entertainment that placed me in proximate occasion of sin, such as certain dances, movies, shows, or books with immoral content? Did I frequent houses of ill repute or keep bad company?
  • Did I realize that I might already have been committing a sin by placing myself in a proximate occasion of sin, such as sharing a room with a person I find sexually attractive, or being alone with such a person in circumstances that could lead to sin?
  • Did I fail to take care of those details of modesty and decency that are the safeguards of purity?
  • Did I fail, before going to a show or reading a book, to find out its moral implications, so as not to put myself in immediate danger of sinning in order to avoid distorting my conscience?
  • Did I willfully look at an indecent picture or can an immodest look upon myself or another? Did I willfully desire to commit such a sin?
  • Did I lead others to sins of impurity or immodesty? What sin?
  • Did I commit an impure act? By myself, through masturbation (which is objectively a mortal sin)? With someone else? How many times? With someone of the same or opposite sex? Was there any circumstances of relationship (such as affinity) that could have given the sin special gravity? Did this illicit relationship result in pregnancy? Did I do anything to prevent or end that pregnancy?
  • Did I have friendships that are habitual occasions of sexual sin? Am I prepared to end them?
  • In courtship, is true love my fundamental reason for wanting to be with the other person? Do I live the constant and cheerful sacrifice of not putting the person I love in danger of sinning? Do I degrade human love by confusing it with selfishness or mere pleasure?
  • Did I engage in acts such as “petting”, “necking”, passionate kisses or prolonged embraces?
For married people:
  • Did I, without serous reason, deprive my spouse of the marital right? Did I claim my own rights in a way that showed no concern for my spouse’s state of mind or health? Did I betray conjugal fidelity in desire or in deed?
  • Did I take “the pill” or use any other artificial birth‐control device before or after new life had already been conceived?
  • Did I, without grave reason, with the intention of avoiding conception, make use of marriage on only those days when offspring would not likely be engendered?
  • Did I suggest to another person the use of birth‐control pills or another artificial method of
    preventing pregnancy (like condoms)?
  • Did I have a hand in contributing to the contraceptive mentality by my advice, jokes, or attitudes?
 
THE SEVENTH AND TENTH COMMANDMENTS: “You shall not steal” and “You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.”
  • Did I steal? How much money or how much was the object worth? Did I give it back or at least
    have the intention of doing so?
  • Have I done or caused damage to another person’s property? To what extent?
  • Did I harm anyone by decetion, fraud, or coercion in business contracts or transactions?
  • Did I unnecessarily spend beyond my means? Do I spend too much money because of vanity or caprice?
  • Did give alms according to my capacity?
  • Was I envious of my neighbor’s goods?
  • Did I neglect to pay my debts?
  • Did I knowingly accept stolen goods?
  • Did I desire to steal?
  • Did I give in to laziness or love of comfort rather than diligent work or study?
  • Was I greedy? Do I have an excessively materialistic view of life?
THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
  • Did I tell lies? Did I repair any damage that may have resulted as a consequence of this?
  • Did I unjstlyu or rachly accuse others?
  • Did I sin by detraction, that is, by telling the faults of another person without necessity?
  • Did I sin by calumny, that is by telling derogatory lies about another person?
  • Did I engage in gossip, backbiting, or tale‐telling?
  • Did I reveal a secret without due casue?
**If you remember other serous sins besides those indicated here, include them also in your confession. **

-Tim-
 
I love the detail in these examens, because I am afraid of leaving something out either on purpose or through forgetfulness and not making a good confession. I was away from the Church for over 20 years and even over the last 20, have not confessed as often as I should, so I sort of have a backlog of sins to confess! There were quite a few things I didn’t even realize were mortal sins, before I came to this forum! So having it all spelled out helps me tremendously, to know that I am truly weeding my garden of sin and not just dead-heading!

🙂
 
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