Preparing for Confession
By: Fr. Morgan Rowsome
To prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do I love God above everything and everyone else?
- Do I live as a child of God, confident in the Father's mercy?
- Am I humble?
- Do I depend on God as I should?
- Am I prideful?
- Do I try to make the world revolve around me?
- Do I live out of a sense of self-sufficiency — imposing my will on others... acting as if I were the cause of the good in my life?
- Am I presumptuous?
- Do I think I can do whatever I want and that it will not matter to God?
- Do I yearn to know God's will and do I abandon myself to divine Providence moment by moment?
- Do I pray to God every day?
- Do I go to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day?
- Do I devote myself to growing in faith?
- Have I thanked God for His gifts to me?
- Do I express my gratitude sincerely and outwardly, especially in works of mercy?
- Do I make excuses for my faults, blame others, rationalize?
- Am I self righteous?
- Am I forgiving?
- Do I harbor grudges or resentments?
- Do I take delight in the misfortune of others?
- Do I judge others, label others, exclude others, condemn others?
- Is my life in any way ruled by anger, jealousy, envy, or impatience?
- Do I make gods of money, power, prestige, accomplishment, materialism, sensuality, vanity, pleasure, comfort, leisure, complacency, apathy, or anything else?
- Do I engage in extramarital sex such as fornication, adultery, homosexuality, or incest?
- Do I dedicate myself to knowing, loving, and living the Truth as it is taught by the Catholic Church?
- Do I live in the Truth and do I tell the truth, always and without compromise?
- Do I misuse speech through cheating, gossiping, back-biting, profanity, bad words, God's (or Jesus's) name in vain, complaining, being silent when I should speak, etc.?
- Am I true to my vows, my commitments, my contracts, my word?
- Is my mind full of thoughts that are lustful, vicious, carnal, mean-spirited, prejudicial, venal, worldly, etc.?
- Do I waste time?
- Did I give my fair share of time, talent, and treasure to God and His Church?
- Am I lazy or slothful?
- Do the priorities in my life reflect and serve the precious gift of faith God has given me?
- Do I ever life more for myself than for God and others?
- Do I live by faith, or by emotions, by worldly philosophy, by current fads, by popular ideologies, by the pressures and deceptions of media and culture?
- What important things do I omit to do?
- Do I recognize how God is present and active in every moment of my life?
- Do I live by any other standard other than the way of love revealed by Jesus Christ?
- Have I endangered my faith?
- Did I curse or give bad signs?
- Am I attentive at Mass?
- Did I disobey my parents or others?
- Did I steal or damage another person's property?
- Did I get drunk or take illicit drugs?
- Did I consent to, recommend, advise, or actively take part in an abortion?
- Did I hate or quarrel with anyone?
- Was I disrespectful?
- Did I refuse to forgive?
- Did I willfully entertain impure acts or commit impure acts, alone or with others?
- Did I sin by being greedy or selfish?
- Did I tell lies?