BEFORE CONFESSION:
1. Examination of Conscience:
Recall your sins. Calmly ask yourself what you have done wrong with full knowledge and full consent against God, against your neighbor, and against yourself.
2. Guide for the Examination of Conscience following the Commandments.
a. The First Commandment: I am the Lord your God. you shall not have strange gods before me.
• Have I performed my duties towards God unwillingly or ungenerously (my prayers, learning the Catholic doctrine; engaged in superstitious practices, joining meetings and activities of organizations contrary to the Church, lack of confidence in God, etc.)?
• Did I receive Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin? Did I miss the one-hour Eucharistic fast (not to take food or drink except water or medicines before receiving Holy Communion)?
• Did I fail to mention some mortal sin in my previous Confessions?
• Did I seriously doubt in matters of Faith, without trying to find out the truth by asking a knowledgeable person or by reading a good book?
• Have I committed the sin of sacrilege (grave violation or disrespect towards a sacred person, place, or thing)?
b. The Second Commandment: you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
• Do I try my best to fulfill the promises and good resolutions which I make to God?
• Did I make use of the name of God, the Blessed Virgin or the Saints jokingly, angrily or in any other disrespectful manner?
c. The Third Commandment: Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day.
• Did I miss Mass or arrive very late without sufficient reason on Sundays or Holy days of obligation?
• Did I allow myself to be distracted during Mass by not paying attention, looking around out of curiosity, playing, talking unnecessarily, improper posture, etc., or have I caused others to get distracted, especially when I serve in the Mass?
• Did I fail to spend some time for rest and recreation on Sundays and Holy days of obligation?
• Do I generously help the Church in her necessities to the extent that I am able?
• for those who have the minimum age: Do I fast (18 to 60 years old) and abstain (14 and above) on the days specified by the Church?
d. The Fourth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother.
• Have I been disobedient, disrespectful or unhelpful towards my parents, my parish priest, my teachers or other superiors? Do I feel hurt and react proudly when I am corrected by them?
• Do I quarrel with my brothers and sisters or with my friends?
Am I a bad example for them, or do I not help them when I know they need me (even though they do not ask me for help)?
e. The Fifth Commandment: you shall not kill.
• Did I easily get angry? Was I envious or jealous of others?
• Did I injure or take the life of anyone? Did I get drunk or take prohibited drugs? Did I allow myself to get carried away by gluttony?
• Was I an occasion for others to sin with my conversations, dirty jokes, way of dressing, actions, invitations to watch certain shows, lending them harmful books or magazines, helping them to steal or cheat, etc.? Did I try to repair the damage or offense done?
• Did I cause anyone harm with my words or actions (insults, excessive teasing, carelessness in delicate matters, etc.)?
• When someone offends me, do I desire revenge, harbor enmity, hatred or ill-feelings?
• Do I ask pardon whenever I offend anyone? Do I pardon others when they offend me?
f. The Sixth and Ninth Commandments: you shall not commit adultery. you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
• Did I entertain indecent or impure thoughts or desires?
• Did I start or engage in impure conversations (including dirty jokes)?
• Did I look for fun in forms of entertainment which put me in proximate occasion of sin (some dances, immoral movies, shows or readings, bad company, etc.)?
• Do I take care of those details of modesty and decency (way of dressing, actions, relations with other persons, etc.), which are the safeguards of purity?
• Did I commit impure acts, alone or with others?
g. The Seventh and Tenth.
Commandments: you shall not steal. you shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
• Did I steal any object or amount of money? Did I return it?
• Have I voluntarily caused damage to the things of others? Did I try my best to repair or repay for it (or at least, have the intention to do so)?
• Do I spend money unnecessarily?
• Do I give alms according to my capacity?
• Am I envious of my neighbor’s things?
• Am I diligent in my work and studies or do I waste my time or give in to laziness or love of comfort?
• Was I greedy?
h. The Eighth Commandment: you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
• Did I tell lies?
• Did I give in to pride or act like a hypocrite?
• Have I unjustly accused others or suspected others falsely?
• Did I reveal secrets or tell the faults of others without necessity?
• Did I tell lies about others or engage in gossip, back-biting, or tale-telling?
• Did I repair any damage which may have resulted from these?
3. Be truly sorry for your sins. resolve firmly in your heart to try your best in the future to avoid and fight sin, with God’s help.
4. Pray the Act of Contrition (see Appendix A).
DURING CONFESSION:
NOTE: The priest will help you if you find it difficult to confess. Tell him, “Father, I do not know how to confess well. Please help me.” You may bring this booklet along to see the gestures and phrases that correspond to you during confession (in bold letters).
1. Make the sign of the Cross.
[The priest may say some words to urge you to have confidence in God.]
2. Say: “Lord, you know all things; you know that i love you” (Jn 21:17).
3. Say: “Bless me father, for i have sinned. my last confession was…” [For example: last month, last week, five months ago, etc.]
Say: “i accuse myself of the following sins: …” [State your mortal sins, if any— including those you might have failed to mention in your last confession—saying how many times or how often you have committed them. you may also confess venial sins or little faults that you especially wish to overcome with God’s grace.]
4. Listen attentively to the priest’s advice and the penance which he asks you to do.
5. Manifest your contrition by saying:
“Lord Jesus, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” [you may also say the Act of Contrition (see Appendix A).]
6. The priest now gives you the absolution:
“God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, AND I ABSOLVE YOU FROM YOUR SINS IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.”
[Make the sign of the Cross as he says, “And I absolve you in the name of the Father…”]
Then answer: “Amen.”
7. The priest dismisses you with a short prayer, which may end with, “Go in peace.” you may now leave the place.
AFTER CONFESSION:
1. Do the penance given by the priest and thank God for having forgiven you and given you his grace.
2. Reflect upon the advice given by the priest, and ask God’s help to avoid and fight all sins and occasions of sin in the future.
3. Note that we should never hide a mortal sin in Confession, or else we commit another mortal sin, that of sacrilege, and make our Confession invalid. But if we unintentionally forgot to tell a mortal sin and are sorry for it, then it has also been forgiven; we have the obligation to mention it in our next confession.