Examination of Conscience - Based on the Ten Commandments

1. I am the Lord your God: you shall not have strange gods before me.  Have I treated people, events, or things as more important than God?

2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Have my words, actively or passively, put down God, the Church, or people?

3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day. Do I go to Mass every Sunday (or Saturday Vigil) and Holy Days of Obligation (Mary Mother of God, Ascension, All Saints, Immaculate Conception and Christmas)? Do I avoid, when possible, work that impedes worship to God, joy for the Lord’s Day, and proper relaxation of mind and body? Do I look for ways to spend time with family or in service on Sunday?

4. Honor your father and your mother. Do I show my parents due respect? Do I seek to maintain good communication with my parents where possible? Do I criticize them for lacking skills I think they should have?

5. You shall not kill. Have I harmed another through physical, verbal, or emotional means, including gossip or manipulation?

6. You shall not commit adultery. Have I respected the physical and sexual dignity of others and of myself?

7. You shall not steal. Have I taken or wasted time or resources that belonged to another?

8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Have I gossiped, told lies, or embellished stories at the expense of another?

9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s spouse. Have I honored my spouse with my full affection and exclusive love?

10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods. Am I content with my own means and needs, or do I compare myself to others unnecessarily?

The basic requirement for a good confession is to have the intention of returning to God with your whole heart.

History of the Sacrament of Reconciliation

“Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors their conversion” (LG11.2; CCC 1422).

The Sacrament of Penance in our tradition can be traced back to the people of Israel. The Hebrews saw the Mosaic and later Davidic covenants as constitutive of their relationship with Yahweh. In the Hebrew Scriptures, sin was an act of infidelity which alienates one from God. While sin was spoken of as a breaking of the Law of Moses, it was not so much a juridical offense as an offense against a covenant. To break the covenant was to break relationships with God and affected not only the individual but affected the whole people. In the event of such a sin, Jewish ritual and legislation provided for reconciliation of the sinner to God and to the community that was hurt by the sin. This notion of alienation and reconciliation would later be accepted into the early Christian community.

A distinctly Christian understanding of reconciliation sprang from the power of the Christ-event itself. The Death and Resurrection of Jesus was God’s definitive act of reconciliation with an alienated world. The first sacrament of forgiveness celebrated by the Christian community was Baptism. Through this sacrament of conversion, the individual was symbolically immersed into Jesus’ Death and Resurrection. It was in Baptism that the convert renounced his/her past sins. He/she died to sin and became alive before God and was embraced by the Christian community, the Body of Christ.

Eucharist was also viewed as a sacrament of forgiveness and reconciliation. In fact, it was the principal Sacrament of ongoing forgiveness for the baptized. This was only natural because Eucharist was seen as the representation of Jesus being “broken and poured out” for the forgiveness of sins. It is surprising to note that the Sacrament of Penance was not part of the normal life of the early Church. However, it is a testimony to the power of Baptism that the Christian community felt this sacrament completely freed them from the bonds of sin.

It was not long, however, before the community had to deal pastorally with those who apostasized or committed serious sin. The early Church, experiencing periodic persecution found members of their communities who had rejected the faith under pressure. Since they were already baptized, the Church needed to find some way to reconcile them with the community. What resulted was a long and intense process of reconciliation. Documents in the Second and Third Centuries attest to the practice of granting a one-time post-baptismal forgiveness which required a long period of public penance. By the Forth and Fifth Centuries this came to be known as “canonical penance” because various local councils promulgated a variety of canons to regulate its practice. The penitents were similar to the catechumens. After performing their assigned penitential works, they would be allowed to return to the eucharistic community by a rite known as the “reconciliation of the penitent”.

In the 6th and 7th Centuries, the celebration of the sacrament underwent a dramatic change largely through the influence of Irish missionaries. Primarily, Christianity was brought to Ireland by the monks from Europe. These monks already had practiced, from their life in the monastery, a form of spiritual direction, which frequently included a personal confession of specific sins. When these monks came to Ireland they naturally brought the practice with them. Soon, many of the laity in Ireland also submitted to this private penitential discipline. When the Irish returned to the continent as missionaries, they maintained the practice of this “private confession” which included absolution and the assignment of a satisfaction or “penance.” By the 10th Century the Western Church and had largely replaced public canonical penance.

Such theologians as Thomas Aquinas tried to balance the essential elements of confession, contrition and the priest’s absolution. Others, like Duns Scotus, strongly emphasized only the priest’s absolution. Scotus maintained that sins could be absolved by a priest even if the penitent had only “imperfect” contrition. Absolution itself became the essence of the sacrament.

The Protestant Reformers brought much of this theology under attack. The Church responded by correcting numerous sacramental abuses and by clarifying its theological stance in the Sixteenth Century Council of Trent. The Council taught that sacramental confession was the normal means of forgiveness for all serious sins committed after Baptism and defended the validity of the “integral” confession in which all serious sins must be detailed to the best of one’s ability. The Council also cast the sacramental action in juridical terms, with the priest as judge.

The teaching of the Council of Trent has remained the norm for the Church up to the present time. However the theological and canonical parameters set by the Council left much room for adaptation, however. The Second Vatican Council’s treatment of this Sacrament, along with the subsequently promulgated New Rite of Reconciliation (1973), has exemplified some of the new directions that the Sacrament may take.

While the individual reception of the Sacrament is still recommended (and required for cases of serious sin), provision is made for a more pastoral, face-to-face (without a confessional screen) encounter. In this context, the role of the priest is not only as a representative of Christ but also as a representative of the loving Christian community. The new rite also clearly portrays the priest as healer and guide as much as judge and reflects some of the Sacrament’s roots in monastic spiritual direction.

This restoration of the communal dimension of reconciliation reflected the Church’s appreciation of the complexity of sin. Political and liberation theologians have raised our consciousness to the reality of social sin. This sin, which has its roots in the will of individuals, becomes so imbedded in social structures that the structures themselves stand in need of transformation. As Pope John Paul II has reminded us, no concept of social sin should blind us to the reality of sin’s roots in the human person. However, we do see more clearly that while sin may begin with the individual, its effects impact the rest of the Christian community and even the whole of society.

The Sacrament of Penance has been and is still in a period of transition. Its form and theology have changed throughout the centuries. Yet the Church of Christ has claimed the power to assist in the reconciliation of sinners to God and Church. As Richard McBrien has put it, “A Church which cannot forgive the sins of others against itself is not the Church of Christ.” The “how” of reconciliation should never overshadow the presence of a reconciling Spirit in the Church of Christ.

Policies on the Sacrament of Reconciliation

It is important for all to remember that we, the faithful who have reached the age of reason are bound to confess our grave sins at least once a year. [see Canon 989]

For children preparing for this sacrament we encourage a period of time between First Penance and First Communion in order to make it clear that these sacrament are distinct and one is not simply a preparation for the other. We also emphasize the importance of parental participation in the preparation, catechesis and celebration for this sacrament.

We see the pastor as having the final responsibility to determine the readiness of a child for his or her first celebration of the Sacrament of Penance. Consultation between pastor, catechist, parent and/or child should be required only in instances where doubt exists regarding the readiness of a child.

The preparation and catechesis for the Sacrament of Penance in all parishes of the Diocese of Shreveport shall take in consideration the Revised Rite of Reconciliation. Children and adults will be taught and given opportunities to use scripture in preparation for the reception of the sacrament. They will we taught ways to look upon their lives and to examine their sinfulness. They will learn to reflect upon an Examination of Conscience in order to be open to the Sacrament of Penance.