I – PREPARING THE SOUL

First, ask God for the help of the Holy Spirit to make a good examination of conscience. In a prayerful spirit, review all your actions in the light of the Ten Commandments and the example of Christ. The following questions are intended to suggest and assist in making a careful examination of conscience.

Confess to the priest specifically the sins you have committed, if possible, stating the number of times you have committed them since your last confession. Avoid making a general confession, and avoid giving long accounts, especially about others, as if to justify yourself.

Sin is a word, action or desire that is contrary to God’s law, that offends God, and that harms oneself and others. There are two kinds of sin: mortal sin and venial sin. Mortal sin is intentionally breaking important things in God’s law after thinking about it. Mortal sin causes us to lose friendship with God.

Venial sin is the breaking of a minor commandment or of something important without thinking it through or without full consent. Venial sin makes us less loving toward God and inclines us toward evil.

It is obligatory to confess mortal sins, since venial sins are forgiven through good works, sacrifices, prayers, and other acts of piety. However, it is helpful to confess venial sins as well, since it helps us to avoid sin and to advance on the path of holiness.

Tell the priest who confesses you your state of life: married or single, or religious…

II – EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

Examining oneself according to the Ten Commandments has been one of the most helpful means of preparing for confession for Catholics for centuries. In a prayerful spirit, penitents are encouraged to reflect on their actions in light of these Commandments.

Commandment I

“I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex 20:2-3).

• Do I truly love God above all else? Or do I put other things – such as work, money, drugs, television, fame, pleasure, or people – above God?

• Do I spend time in prayer with God every day?

• Have I acted contrary to my faith, not fully trusting in God by engaging in the occult, magic, Ouija boards, fortune telling, mediums, charms, time-telling, auspicious dates, etc., or by reading, watching, or playing games that are contrary to faith and morality?

• Do I fully accept and follow God’s will, or do I only select and observe the “pleasant” parts of His teachings? Do I strive to deepen my understanding of my faith, or am I indifferent to the truths that God has taught?

• Have I deliberately doubted or denied revealed truths, resulting in heresy, apostasy, or separation from the Church? Am I willing to affirm, defend, and practice my faith in public and not just in private?

• Do I despair or doubt God’s mercy?

Commandment II

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” (Ex 20:7).

• Do I love and respect the Holy Name of God?

• Have I used the name of God to testify to crimes such as false oaths and perjury?

• Have I blasphemed, cursed God, or used His name disrespectfully?

• Do I try my best to keep the promises and commitments I have made to God, especially the promises I made at Baptism and Confirmation?

• Have I offended, blasphemed or disrespected the Virgin Mary, the saints, the Church, consecrated persons, holy places and sacred objects?

Commandment III

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Ex 20:8).

• Have I missed Mass on Sundays or holy days of obligation without a good reason (being sick, caring for someone who is sick, not being able to find the church…)?

• Do I participate in Mass actively and consciously, or do I just go through the motions?

• Do I pay full attention to God’s Word, or do I easily allow myself to be distracted?

• When attending Mass, do I intentionally arrive late or leave early without a valid reason?

• Did I fast for a full hour before receiving communion?

• Can I receive communion in a state of mortal sin?

• Do I realize that Sunday is the Lord’s day to worship God, to give love to family and the poor, or is it just a “weekend”?

Commandment IV

“Honor your father and your mother” (Ex 20:12).

• Have I neglected my duties to my wife (husband), children, parents, or siblings?

• Am I ungrateful for the sacrifices my parents have made for me?

• Have I been disrespectful to my parents, treated them badly, or reacted arrogantly when they corrected me?

• Am I causing tension and arguments in my family?

• Do I care for elderly and infirm relatives?

• Do I pay attention to educating my children according to Christian doctrine, urging them to go to church, attend Mass, attend catechism classes…? Do I set a good example for my children with my virtues, or do I cause them to be bad examples with my shortcomings?

• When I discipline my children, do I do it in love and wisdom?

• Do I encourage my children to pray so that they can understand why God created them, as well as to discern whether they have a vocation to the priesthood or religious life?

• Do I respect and obey Church leaders and legitimate superiors?

• Have I incited anyone to oppose the Church and its superiors?

Commandment V

“You shall not murder” (Ex 20:13).

• Have I intentionally killed or intentionally harmed anyone?

• Have I attempted or attempted suicide, or cooperated in it?

• Have I had an abortion, or advised or assisted another to have an abortion? Have I participated in abortion directly or indirectly (through silence, financial support for abortionists or for pro-abortion organizations)?

• Have I participated in artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization? Have I participated in fetal diagnosis with the intention of abortion if the results are not as expected? Have I had an IUD inserted or taken medication to kill the fetus? (Note: Anyone who intentionally has an abortion or intentionally participates directly in an abortion knowing that he or she will be excommunicated from the Church for this crime is excommunicated. In the Archdiocese of Hanoi, usually only parish priests are granted the authority by the Bishop to lift this excommunication).

• Do I participate in, or support, the “euthanasia” of terminally ill or terminally ill patients (euthanasia, assisted suicide)?

• Have I abused my children or others in any way?

• Have I cut or harmed my body? Have I been sterilized?

• Do I harbor hatred, thoughts of revenge, or unforgiveness toward others?

• Have I operated a vehicle in a manner that put my life or the lives of others in danger?

• Am I intentionally harming my health?

• Do I set a bad example through drug abuse, excessive use of alcohol, tobacco, etc., and fighting?

• Do I often get angry or lose my temper or hit others?

• Have I manufactured, collaborated in the manufacture or sale of counterfeit goods, counterfeit medicines or used toxic substances in foods or products that are harmful to the health or life of others?

• Do I respect the dignity of others? Do I bully or oppress others? Do I help others in need when I can?

Commandments VI and IX

“You shall not commit adultery” (Ex 20:14).

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife” (Ex 20:17).

• Do I remember that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?

• Do I enjoy entertaining lustful thoughts and desires?

• Do I intentionally view pornographic movies, pictures, books, newspapers, websites, etc.?

• Do I use obscene or innuendo language and disseminate pornographic films or books?

• Have I committed acts of impurity with myself (masturbation) or with others such as adultery (sex with a married person), fornication (sex before marriage) or homosexuality?

• Did I sexually abuse a minor?

• Am I faithful to my spouse in thought and action?

• Am I committing a sin by using birth control methods contrary to the natural cycle, sterilization or artificial insemination?

• Have I touched or kissed others in a lewd manner when I was not married to them? Have I treated other people, in action or thought, as objects?

• Have I given others an opportunity to sin by my obscene actions or immodest dress?

• Am I married according to Church law?

• Do I encourage or facilitate religious people to marry outside of Church law?

Commandments VII and X

“You shall not steal” (Ex 20:15).

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods” (Ex 20:17).

• Am I greedy or covetous of other people’s possessions?

• Do I take other people’s property? Am I overly attached to worldly possessions?

• Have I stolen, defrauded, aided or abetted others in stealing or in keeping stolen property? Have I accepted stolen property? Have I returned or made restitution for stolen property?

• Have I damaged someone else’s property without accepting responsibility and making reparation for the damage?

• Am I defaulting or committing fraud?

• Have I cheated others? Have I worked for what I was paid? Have I paid my employees fairly? Have I kept my promises and agreements? Have I bribed or accepted bribes?

• Do I respect human rights? Do I take care to fulfill my duties to God and my family?

• Do I gamble away money meant for my family’s living? Do I gamble large sums of money out of greed or for pleasure instead of using the money to help the poor?

• Do I generously share my wealth with the poor?

• Do I serve the Church generously? Do I contribute my time, talents, and treasure to the apostolic and charitable work of the Church and to the activities of my parish?

• Am I harming the environment by littering and using natural resources indiscriminately?

Commandment VIII

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Ex 20:16).

• Have I lied? Does what I have said cause harm to another person’s spirit or property?

• Have I made up false accusations against others?

• Have I damaged the reputation of others by false testimony or maliciously revealing their faults or sins?

• Have I sworn falsely? Have I refused to testify for the innocence of others out of fear or selfishness?

• Do I engage in gossip or criticism of others?

• Do I set a bad example for others?

• Am I committing fraud of any kind?

• Do I insult or tease others with the intention of harming them?

• Do I flatter, adulate, or cajole others for personal gain?

• Do I judge others rashly, speak ill of them, and defame them?

• Have I revealed a secret that I am obliged to keep?

Other Crimes

• Have I intentionally concealed serious sins from my previous confession?

• Have I fulfilled my duty to confess my sins and receive Holy Communion at least once during the Easter season?

• Do I fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday?

III – CONFESSION & PENANCE

The penitent enters the confessional and the priest begins by making the sign of the cross and together says: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The confessor invites the penitent to place his trust in God with the following words (or similar words):

May God reign in my heart (OBACE) so that I may confess my sins with sincere repentance.

The penitent replied: Amen.

Then the penitent began to speak:

Father, please absolve me because I am a sinner. I confessed my sins…. .(specify the time [weeks or months, years] from my last confession to this confession).

Then the penitent lists the sins he has committed. For the confession to be valid, the penitent must list all the mortal sins he has consciously committed since the last confession, must repent of those sins, and must have the determination to reform and try not to commit those sins again.

After the confession, the priest advises the penitent and prescribes penance. He then invites the penitent to express his or her contrition. The penitent may express his or her contrition by reading one of the following forms for the priest to hear (read the short form A when there are several confessors):

A. Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner (Luke 18:13).

B. Have mercy on me, O God, in your kindness; in your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me clean from all my iniquity; cleanse me from my sin (Ps 50: 3-4).

C. O Lord, You are infinitely good and perfect. You created me, and sent Your Son to suffer and die for me, and I have rebelled against You with all my heart. I am sad and in pain, and I hate all my sins above all things. I am determined to repent, and by Your grace I will avoid the occasion of sin and do penance worthy of my sins. Amen.

Then the penitent bows his head and listens to the priest read the words of absolution as follows (this absolution is essential to be absolved of sin. If the penitent leaves the confessional before the priest reads the words of absolution, the penitent will not be absolved of sin):

“God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. Through the ministry of the Church, grant me forgiveness and peace. SO FORGIVE ME YOUR SINS IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON + AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.”

The penitent makes the sign of the cross (when the priest confesses: In the name of the Father and of the Son…) and then says : AMEN.

The priest continued: Give thanks to God, for He is merciful.

Repentant: For his mercy endures forever.

Priest: God has forgiven you, go in peace.

Penitent: Thank God. Thank you, Father.

Remember to do penance immediately or as soon as possible to repair the damage caused by sin or to heal the wounds of sin and practice the path of virtue.