Examination of Conscience

Confession Prayers

Download the printable examination of conscience (PDF, 2 pages)

Use these questions to prepare for confession with honesty and hope. They are prompts for reflection, not a scorecard or a declaration that every difficulty is a mortal sin.

Begin with prayer

Holy Spirit, help me see my choices truthfully. Give me sorrow for my sins, confidence in God’s mercy, and courage to change. Amen.

This opening prayer and the questions below are original wording prepared for this guide.

God and prayer

Have I deliberately put something before God? Have I neglected prayer or treated faith as unimportant? Have I relied on superstition as if it controlled God?

God’s name

Have I used holy names contemptuously, lied under oath, or treated a sacred promise carelessly?

Sunday and worship

Have I missed obligatory Mass through my own fault? Consider real obstacles such as illness or necessary care of others rather than assuming every absence was culpable.

Family and responsibility

Have I neglected people entrusted to me? Have I been cruel, controlling or dishonest at home? Respect for family does not require submitting to abuse.

Life and dignity

Have I harmed, threatened or humiliated someone? Have I encouraged violence or treated another life as disposable?

Chastity and fidelity

Have I been unfaithful in my choices? Have I used pornography or treated another person as an object? Distinguish an unwanted thought from deliberately entertaining it.

Property and justice

Have I stolen, cheated, exploited someone, withheld fair payment or refused reasonable restitution?

Truth and reputation

Have I lied, spread an unverified accusation, exposed private information without good reason, or damaged someone’s reputation?

Envy and generosity

Have I resented another person’s good or allowed greed to govern my decisions? Have I ignored a need I could reasonably help?

Good left undone

Where have I withheld kindness, neglected a duty, refused necessary help or failed to seek reconciliation when it was possible and safe?

Before you finish

Choose the sins you need to confess and the changes you genuinely intend. Grave matter, full knowledge and deliberate consent are all relevant to mortal sin; temptation, illness and involuntary thoughts are not automatically personal sins. Explain uncertainty to your confessor.

Do not spend hours searching for a hidden fault. If you have scrupulosity, use the method your regular confessor recommends rather than adding more examinations.

Move from reflection to confession

Follow the confession guide. You may bring brief private notes. This page does not collect or store a list of your sins.

Sources and further reading

Prepared by Catholic Repository. Sources checked 12 September 2026. A lay educational resource, not an official Church publication.