Examination of Conscience
A gentle, honest way to look back over your life before God — what an examination of conscience is, how to make one without spiralling into fear, and a full set of questions to pray through.
Most of us go through our days without ever really stopping to look. We know, vaguely, that some things are off — a relationship that's gone cold, a habit we'd rather not name, a low hum of guilt we keep changing the subject on. An examination of conscience is simply the practice of stopping to look: of sitting still before God and letting him show us, honestly and gently, where we've drifted from love — so that we can turn back.
It is the oldest of spiritual habits. "Search me, O God, and know my heart," prays the psalmist; "see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23–24). Notice who does the searching. We don't manufacture guilt or interrogate ourselves into the ground — we ask God to show us, and he shows us the way he shows everything: in light, not in shadow, the way a parent points something out to a child they love. The point is never to feel terrible. It's to see clearly, so that what's broken can be healed.
This is the natural first step before Confession, but it isn't only for that. A short examination at the end of each day — where did I love today, and where did I fail to? — keeps a soul soft and awake.
The Text
Before You Begin
Find a few quiet minutes somewhere you won't be interrupted. Quiet your
heart and pray:
Come, Holy Spirit. Search me and know my heart; show me where I have
turned from love — gently, truthfully, and without fear — so that I may
turn back. Amen.
Then read slowly. Don't rush to tick boxes; let each question sit until
your conscience either stirs or stays still, and move on.
An Examination by the Ten Commandments
1. I am the Lord your God; you shall not have strange gods before me.
Have I made time for God, or crowded him out? Have I let money, success, a
person, an image, or my phone take the place that belongs to him? Have I
trusted in God, or only in myself? Have I neglected prayer?
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
Have I used God's name — or Jesus' — carelessly, as a swear or a joke? Have
I spoken of holy things with contempt? Have I broken a promise made to God?
3. Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.
Have I kept Sunday for worship and rest, or let it become just another day
of busyness? Have I missed Mass through my own fault? Have I given God any
real time and attention this week?
4. Honor your father and your mother.
Have I loved and respected my parents and family? Have I been patient and
kind at home — or harsh, cold, or absent? Have I cared for those who depend
on me? Have I obeyed those who hold rightful authority over me?
5. You shall not kill.
Have I harmed anyone in body or spirit? Have I held anger, hatred, or a
grudge? Have I refused to forgive? Have I been cruel with my words, or torn
someone down? Have I cared for my own health and life as gifts, or treated
them carelessly?
6 & 9. You shall not commit adultery; you shall not covet your
neighbor's spouse.
Have I been pure in what I look at, say, and do? Have I used another person
— in thought, image, or act — for my own pleasure? Have I been faithful, in
body and heart, to the person and the commitments I owe faithfulness to?
7 & 10. You shall not steal; you shall not covet your neighbor's goods.
Have I taken what isn't mine, or kept what I should return? Have I been
honest with money, work, and time? Have I been generous to those in need,
or let envy and greed close my hands? Have I been grateful for what I have?
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Have I lied? Have I gossiped, spread rumors, or damaged someone's good
name? Have I judged others harshly in my heart? Have I been honest, even
when the truth cost me something?
A Few Questions of the Heart
Beyond the particular sins, sit for a moment with the deeper currents:
- Where am I most quick to make excuses for myself?
- What am I most afraid to bring into the light?
- Who do I need to forgive — or ask forgiveness of?
- What is the one thing I most need God's mercy for today?
Whatever rises up here is usually exactly what most needs to be said.
1How to make one — without spiralling
The danger isn't taking sin too seriously; it's turning the examination into an anxious audit, digging for things to feel bad about until you're paralysed. That isn't from God. A good examination has a particular shape:
Begin by asking the Holy Spirit. This is his work before it's yours. A single honest prayer — show me, gently and truthfully — changes everything, because it means you're being shown rather than hunting alone in the dark.
Go slowly, and let things surface. Read the questions unhurriedly. You're not trying to tick every box or produce a complete catalogue. Let your conscience either stir or stay still on each one, and notice especially the things you'd rather skip past — those are usually the ones that most need the light.
Name what's real, then stop. When something genuine surfaces, name it plainly to yourself or to God. You don't need perfect wording or theological precision. And when you've named the things that are weighing on you, stop — resist the urge to keep scraping. The goal is honesty, not exhaustion.
2What to do with what you find
Seeing clearly is only half of it; the examination is meant to lead somewhere. What surfaces is meant to be handed over, not carried.
For the deeper things — the sins that weigh on you — the place to bring them is Confession, where they're not just admitted but actually forgiven, out loud, and lifted off you for good. If something you've seen calls for it, take the next step and go.
For the daily things, a quiet word is enough: tell God honestly what you've seen, thank him for his patience, and ask his help to do better tomorrow. Either way, the examination ends not in guilt but in mercy — which is the whole reason for looking in the first place.
An examination of conscience isn't a hunt for reasons to feel terrible. It's letting God's gentle light into the corners so that what's there can be named, healed, and let go.
Reflection Questions
- 1
An examination of conscience is meant to be made in God's light, not in fear (Psalm 139: 'Search me, O God, and know my heart'). What is the difference between honestly seeing your faults and simply beating yourself up over them?
- 2
Of the questions above, which one stirred something in you — and what do you think that stirring is trying to tell you?
- 3
What is one thing the light has shown you that you could bring to God — or to Confession — this week?