Sacrament of Reconciliation

Examination of Conscience
based on the Ten Commandments
(from Brother, Save Yourself - by Fr. James Alberione, S.S.P, S.T.D.)



I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me.

Do I give God time every day in prayer?

Do I seek to love Him with my whole heart?

Have I been involved with superstitious practices or the occult?

Do I seek to surrender myself to God's Word as taught by the Church?

Have I ever received Communion in a state of mortal sin?

Have I ever deliberately told a lie in confession or withheld a mortal sin?



[2] You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

Have I used God's name in vain: lightly or carelessly?

Have I been angry with God? Have I voiced that anger?

Have I insulted a sacred person or abused a sacred object?



[3] Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.

Have I deliberately missed Mass on Sundays or Holy Days of Obligation?

Have I tried to observe Sunday as a family day and a day of rest?

Do I do needless work on Sunday?



[4] Honor your Father and your Mother.

Do I honor my parents? Do I obey them as appropriate?

Do I care for my aged and infirm relatives?

Have I neglected my duties to my spouse and children?

Have I given my family good religious example?

Do I pray for my family and try to bring peace into my home life?



[5] You shall not kill.

Have I had an abortion or encouraged anyone to have an abortion?

Have I undergone, encouraged or condoned sterilization?

Have I physically harmed anyone?

Have I abused alcohol or drugs?

Did I give scandal to anyone, thereby leading them into sin?

Have I been angry or resentful? Have I harbored hatred in my heart?



[6] You shall not commit adultery.

Have I been faithful to my marriage vows in thought and action?

Have I engaged in any sexual activity outside of marriage?

Have I used any method of contraception or artificial birth control in my marriage?

Has each sexual act in my marriage been open to the transmission of new life?

Have I been guilty of masturbation?

Have I sought to control my thoughts?

Have I respected all members of the opposite sex or thought of some as objects?

Have I been guilty of any homosexual activity?

Do I seek to be chaste in my thoughts, words and actions?

Am I careful to dress modestly?



[7] You shall not steal.

Have I stolen what is not mine?

Have I returned or made restitution for what I have stolen?

Do I waste time at work, school or at home?

Do I gamble excessively, thereby denying my family of their needs?

Do I pay my debts promptly?

Do I seek to share what I have with those in need?



[8] You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Have I lied, gossiped, or spoken behind someone else's back?

Am I sincere in my dealings with others?

Am I critical, negative or uncharitable in my thoughts of others?

Do I keep secret what should be kept confidential?



[9] You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.

Have I consented to impure thoughts?

Have I caused them by impure reading, movies, conversations or curiosity?

Do I seek to control my imagination?

Do I pray at once to banish impure thoughts and temptations?



[10] You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.

Do I envy what other people have?

Are material possessions the purpose of my life or work?

Do I trust that God will care for all of my material and spiritual needs?