Examination of Conscience

"The greater the sinner, the greater the right to My mercy."

— Our Lord to St. Faustina

Read slowly

Each commandment lists grave matter first, then lesser faults. Read every line as a question put to you.

Mark what applies

Tick anything you recognise. Your marks stay only in this browser and gather into a dated checklist you can print, save as a PDF, or take into the confessional.

Then go

The steps of a good Confession and the Act of Contrition are at the end. Clear your checklist once you have been absolved.

Begin here

Before You Begin

This examination is not merely a checklist to run through before Confession. Its purpose is to help you recognize which actions and attitudes are sinful, and how grave they are, so that this knowledge may keep you from sin and prepare you to confess honestly and well. Read through it slowly and prayerfully, asking the Holy Spirit to show you your heart.

Do not be afraid

The priest is bound by an absolute and inviolable seal; no matter how grave the sin, he can never reveal what is said in Confession. This sacrament is an act of honesty and courage that restores you to the mercy of a loving Father. Be courageous, and go to Confession.

What makes a sin mortal

For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must be present at the same time:

Grave matter. The act itself is seriously wrong: the kinds of things listed under “Grave matter” below.
Full knowledge. You knew, or firmly believed, that the act was seriously wrong before doing it.
Full consent. You freely chose it; you were not forced, asleep, or deprived of the use of reason.

If any one of these is missing, the sin is venial rather than mortal. If you did not know an act was seriously wrong, or did not freely will it (for example, if you were forced, or it occurred in a dream), you are not guilty of mortal sin.

Confessing mortal and venial sins

All mortal sins committed since your last Confession must be confessed by kind and number: what they were and about how many times. A mortal sin honestly forgotten is forgiven with the rest, but should be mentioned at your next Confession once you recall it. Deliberately concealing a mortal sin is itself a grave sin and invalidates the absolution.

It is not strictly required to confess venial sins, but doing so is a holy and fruitful practice: it makes the soul more sensitive to God and more faithful in loving Him. Below, each commandment lists grave matter first, then lesser faults, venial sins, and imperfections.

Prepare for the Sacrament of Penance

A Prayer Before the Examination

Set aside a few quiet minutes. Begin by asking the Holy Spirit for light:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.
Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created,
and You shall renew the face of the earth.

Lord, search my heart and bring to my mind
the sins and failings of my life,
that I may confess them honestly,
receive Your forgiveness,
and amend my life by Your grace. Amen.

I–X

The Ten Commandments

Three commandments concern our duties to God; seven, our duties to our neighbour. Each lists grave matter first, then lesser faults.

The second commandment · Love of God

You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain.

Examine your reverence in speech toward God, Our Lady, the saints, and all sacred things.

Grave matter

Mortal sin when done with full knowledge and consent. Have I…

Used God’s name as a curse, or with hatred, reproach, or defiance (blasphemy).
Seriously wished evil upon another, or gravely mocked, insulted, or slandered a sacred person or object.
Committed perjury: lied or broke an oath under oath; sworn a false oath; made an oath in a secret society.
Broken a solemn vow or promise made to God (mention which in Confession; the priest can remit rash or unjust vows).
Spoken of God, the Faith, the Church, the saints, or Scripture with grave irreverence, hatred, or defiance.

Lesser faults

Venial sins and imperfections. Have I…

Used the Lord’s name lightly, in surprise or anger, out of habit; cursed thoughtlessly.
Used the names of Mary, a saint, or the Pope irreverently; told bad jokes about sacred persons or things.
Used vulgar, suggestive, or obscene language; spoken badly of the Church; used Scripture irreverently.
Failed to correct others (for example, my children) who misuse God’s name in my household.

Capital sinsWrathPride CultivateReverenceTruthfulnessHumility

The third commandment · Love of God

Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.

Examine how you keep Sunday and Holy Days, and how you worship God in the Mass.

Grave matter

Mortal sin when done with full knowledge and consent. Have I…

Missed Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation through my own fault, without a serious reason.
Done unnecessary servile work or business for a long time on Sunday, or required employees to do so without need.
Intentionally failed to fast or abstain on the days appointed by the Church.
Received Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin, or without keeping the one-hour Eucharistic fast.

Lesser faults

Venial sins and imperfections. Have I…

Habitually arrived late to Mass or left early without serious reason; not paid attention or participated; been irreverent in church.
Done unnecessary work or shopping on Sunday; let sports or other schedules dictate the Lord’s Day.
Failed to keep Sunday for rest, family, prayer, and study of the Faith.
Failed to take my children to Mass or to instruct them in the Faith; eaten or drunk within one hour of Communion (apart from medical need).

Capital sinsSlothAvarice CultivateDiligenceReverenceTemperance

The ninth commandment · Love of neighbour

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.

Examine the purity of your thoughts, desires, and imagination.

Grave matter

Mortal sin when done with full knowledge and consent. Have I…

Viewed pornography in any medium, or read sexually explicit material, for the sake of arousal.
Deliberately dwelt on impure thoughts or fantasies for the purpose of arousal.
Willfully lusted after another: “lust in the heart” (“if I could, I would”).
Entertained and consented to thoughts of infidelity.

Lesser faults

Venial sins and imperfections. Have I…

Told or listened to impure or vulgar jokes and stories.
Briefly entertained impure thoughts without consenting; made no effort to control my imagination.
Indulged curiosity that plays with temptation; sought out immodest persons or images.
Compared my spouse unfavorably to others; failed to keep appropriate boundaries, in person or online.

Capital sinsLust CultivatePurity of heartCustody of the eyes and mind

The tenth commandment · Love of neighbour

You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

Examine your contentment and trust in God, against envy and greed.

Grave matter

Mortal sin when done with full knowledge and consent. Have I…

Given in to serious, willful greed or avarice.
Formed the firm intention to steal, defraud, or destroy the goods of another.
Indulged grave envy: sorrow at another’s good that led me to wish him harm.

Lesser faults

Venial sins and imperfections. Have I…

Felt envy (sadness or anger at another’s good fortune) or jealousy (inordinate desire for what others have).
Given in to greed, materialism, or attachment to riches and possessions.
Failed to trust that God will provide for my needs; failed in gratitude for what I have.
Taken part in a culture of consumerism and excess.

Capital sinsEnvyAvarice CultivateGoodwillGenerosityGratitudeTrust in Providence

✦

Further Examination

The Church’s precepts, the duties of your state in life, the Beatitudes, and the seven roots from which other sins grow.

Further examination

The Seven Capital Sins and Their Remedies

The capital sins are the roots from which other sins grow. Each is overcome not merely by resistance but by cultivating the opposing virtue.

Capital sinRemedyAsk yourself

PrideHumilityHave I sought praise or admiration, exalted myself over others, or refused to admit my faults and ask forgiveness?

Avarice (greed)GenerosityHave I hoarded wealth, been reluctant to share, or set my heart on possessions over God and neighbor?

LustChastityHave I respected the dignity of every person, or objectified or used others, even in my thoughts?

EnvyBrotherly loveHave I rejoiced in the good of others, or let resentment at their gifts grow in my heart?

GluttonyTemperanceHave I practiced moderation in food, drink, and entertainment, or overindulged for its own sake?

Wrath (anger)Patience / MeeknessHave I been patient and forgiving, or let anger rule my words and actions?

Sloth (acedia)DiligenceHave I embraced my duties, especially toward God, or neglected them out of laziness or comfort-seeking?

✦

Preparing for Confession

What to say, what to pray, and why there is nothing to fear.

Preparing for Confession

How to Make a Good Confession

Nine steps, from the examination to the penance. The point is not perfect technique but a humble and honest heart.

Examine your conscience using a guide such as this one. Pray for true sorrow and a firm purpose of amendment: the resolve to avoid sin and its near occasions.
Enter the confessional. At a screen, kneel. The priest begins, often with the Sign of the Cross.
Begin: Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been since my last confession. These are my sins.
Confess all mortal sins by kind and number: what they were and roughly how many times. You may also confess venial sins, which is a holy and recommended practice.
Conclude: For these and all the sins of my life, I am sorry, or For these and all my sins, I ask forgiveness of God and absolution from you, Father.
The priest may offer counsel and will give you a penance.
Pray an Act of Contrition (one is usually posted in the confessional).
The priest gives absolution; make the Sign of the Cross. He may conclude, Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace, and you respond, Thanks be to God.
Leave and fulfill your penance as soon as possible.

If you have been away from the sacrament for a long time, simply tell the priest so at the start; he will gently help you.

Preparing for Confession

The Act of Contrition

Either traditional form may be prayed.

First form

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. And I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

Second form

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.

A Closing Word of Encouragement

Our Lord gave His Church the power to forgive sins in His name: whatever is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven (cf. Matthew 16:19; John 20:23). The Catechism calls this sacrament the “second plank of salvation after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace.”

Do not let shame keep you silent. As St. Augustine wrote, the confession of evil works is the beginning of good works; and in failing to confess we hide God from ourselves, not ourselves from God. Whatever you carry, bring it into the light.

Leave the confessional in peace, forgiven, clean, and free, and resolve, with God’s grace, to begin again today.

This examination is compiled from the Ten Commandments, the Precepts of the Church, and the Beatitudes, the Roman Catechism, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and traditional Catholic examinations of conscience. It is offered as a catechetical aid for the faithful.

Sources

Catechism of the Catholic Church: the Examination of Conscience and the Sacrament of Penance.
Catechism of the Catholic Church: Life in Christ, the Ten Commandments.
Catechism of the Catholic Church: the Precepts of the Church.
Roman Catechism (Catechism of the Council of Trent), Part III, the Decalogue.
Douay-Rheims Bible (1899 Challoner revision).

Read slowly

Mark what applies

Then go

Before You Begin

What makes a sin mortal

Confessing mortal and venial sins

The Ten Commandments

I am the Lord your God; you shall not have strange gods before Me.

You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain.

Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.

Honor your father and your mother.

You shall not kill.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

Further Examination

The Precepts of the Church

Attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days, and rest from servile labor.

Confess your sins at least once a year.

Receive Holy Communion at least during the Easter season.

Observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.

Contribute to the support of the Church.

Concerning marriage (a fundamental obligation)

An Examination by Your State in Life

As a spouse

As a parent

As a son or daughter

As a worker or employer

As a citizen

In the spiritual life

An Examination by the Beatitudes

“Blessed are the poor in spirit”

“Blessed are those who mourn”

“Blessed are the meek”

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”

“Blessed are the merciful”

“Blessed are the pure in heart”

“Blessed are the peacemakers”

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake”

The Seven Capital Sins and Their Remedies

Preparing for Confession

How to Make a Good Confession

The Act of Contrition

First form

Second form

Sources

Related Reading