Examination of Conscience

1Duty toward God

The first and greatest commandment: to love God above all things.

• Have I neglected my daily prayers, or prayed carelessly, only with my lips?
• Did I miss Mass on a Sunday or holy day through my own fault, or come late or leave early without reason?
• Have I received Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin, or without proper reverence and thanksgiving?
• Did I doubt or deny any truth of the Faith, or expose myself to what would weaken it?
• Have I been ashamed of my Faith, or failed to profess it when I should?
• Did I take the holy Name of God, or the names of Our Lady and the saints, in vain or in anger?
• Have I dabbled in superstition, horoscopes, the occult, or put my trust in them?

2Duty toward Family

The home is the domestic church. Examine yourself according to your place within it.

For a Father

• Have I provided faithfully for my family's needs, without neglecting their souls for their comfort?
• Do I lead my household in prayer, and see that they are formed in the Faith and brought to Mass?
• Have I been the spiritual head of my home, or left the duty of religion to my wife alone?
• Was I harsh, angry, or impatient with my wife or children, or neglectful of loving discipline?
• Have I given bad example by my words, my temper, my drinking, or my use of the screen?
• Am I truly present to my family, or absent and distracted by work, phone, or my own pursuits?
• Do I love, honor, and support my wife as Christ loves the Church?

For a Mother

• Have I nurtured the faith and virtue of my children, and prayed with them daily?
• Was I patient and gentle, or impatient, resentful, and quick to complain?
• Have I neglected the care of my home or children out of laziness or vanity?
• Did I speak ill of my husband, undermine his authority, or fail to support and honor him?
• Have I gossiped, or drawn others into uncharitable talk?
• Do I set an example of prayer, modesty, and self-giving love in the home?

For a Teen / Young Adult

• Have I honored and obeyed my parents, or been disrespectful, sullen, and ungrateful?
• Did I help willingly in the home, or shirk my duties and chores?
• Have I been a good example to my younger brothers and sisters, or led them into wrong?
• Did I waste hours on my phone, games, or the internet that I owed to prayer, study, and family?
• Have I kept bad company or let friends draw me away from God and my duties?
• Do I still say my prayers and keep close to the sacraments, or have I grown cold?

For a Child

• Did I obey my parents right away and cheerfully, or was I stubborn and slow?
• Was I kind to my brothers and sisters, or did I fight, tease, or tell on them?
• Did I always tell the truth, or did I lie to stay out of trouble?
• Did I say my morning and night prayers?
• Was I selfish with my things, or did I share and help others?

3Sloth and the Use of Time

Time is a gift lent to us by God, to be spent in His service and for the good of our soul. It cannot be recovered once wasted.

• Have I been slothful and lazy, neglecting my duties to God, family, and work?
• Did I waste hours in idleness, aimless scrolling, entertainment, or distraction?
• Have I put off important duties through procrastination or fear of effort?
• Am I making any effort to better myself — to grow in virtue, to learn and live my Faith?
• Do I see my time and talents as gifts entrusted to me by God, or do I squander them on myself?
• Have I neglected the holy rest of Sunday; or, on the other hand, made an idol of work, robbing God and my family of my time?
• Have I grown lukewarm, doing the least I can rather than seeking to give God my best?

4Support of the Church

We are bound to help the Church according to our means, and to be generous with what God has given.

• Have I supported my parish and the Church according to my means, or given only grudgingly?
• Am I generous in tithing and almsgiving, or attached to money and possessions?
• Have I neglected the poor and those in need whom God has placed in my path?
• Did I support good priests, religious, and the works of the Church by my prayers and means?
• Have I been greedy, covetous, or anxious about money, forgetting God's providence?
• Do I practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy as my state allows?

5Purity and Chastity

Guard the heart, the eyes, and the body, according to your state in life. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.

For a Husband

• Have I been faithful to my wife in body, in thought, and in desire?
• Did I look at pornography or immodest images, or seek them out?
• Have I entertained impure thoughts or fantasies about others?
• Was I selfish, unloving, or contrary to the moral law in the marital act?
• Do I guard my eyes and my heart, and flee the occasions of sin?

For a Wife

• Have I been faithful to my husband in body, in thought, and in affection?
• Did I dress or behave immodestly to draw the attention of other men?
• Have I fed impure desires through romance novels, immodest shows, or wandering thoughts?
• Was I contrary to the moral law, or unloving, in the marital act?
• Do I keep custody of my eyes, my imagination, and my heart?

For a Teen / Young Adult

• Have I kept my body pure and holy as a temple of the Holy Ghost?
• Did I commit impure acts, alone or with another?
• Have I looked at pornography or immodest images?
• Did I entertain impure thoughts, jokes, or conversations?
• Have I dressed immodestly or acted to provoke impurity in others?
• Do I keep custody of the eyes and avoid the persons, places, and screens that lead me to sin?

6Charity toward Neighbor

• Have I harbored anger, hatred, or a grudge, or refused to forgive?
• Did I gossip, reveal others' faults (detraction), or tell lies about them (calumny)?
• Have I judged others rashly, or spoken uncharitably of them?
• Was I envious of others' goods, gifts, or success?
• Have I been cruel, mocking, or a cause of others' sins by my words or example?
• Did I neglect to help someone in real need whom I could have helped?

7Justice and Honesty

• Have I stolen, cheated, or kept what belongs to another?
• Did I fail to pay debts, wages, or what I justly owe?
• Have I lied, deceived, or acted with dishonesty in my work or dealings?
• Did I damage another's property or reputation, and have I made restitution?
• Have I been fair, honest, and diligent in my work and business?

8Temperance and Self-Mastery

• Have I sinned by gluttony, drunkenness, or the abuse of drugs?
• Was I intemperate in food, drink, entertainment, or gambling?
• Have I given way to pride, vanity, or the constant seeking of my own comfort?
• Did I neglect the penance and self-denial proper to a Christian?
• Have I let my passions master me, rather than mastering them by grace?