I would like to share something I recently overheard in a conversation. The conversation was about sin.  One person mentioned that they struggle with a few venial sins, but rarely, if ever, commit mortal sins. Then this person went on to say that they had used the Lord’s name in vain but that this was no big deal. This made me wonder if the speaker remembered that the commandment against using the Lord’s name in irreverent and profane ways was one of the top three commandments?

            For a host of reasons, we seem to have lost our sense of the seriousness of sin. We know that there are things we should not do, we know that confession is good for the soul, but we do not seem convinced that there are temporal and eternal consequences to sin. We seem to forget the destruction that mortal sin causes to our relationship with God, and the damage our venial sins can cause this relationship. 

            This could be because we have forgotten, or even worse, never learned how to examine our  consciences. Perhaps we are not even aware of what our conscience is. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that, “Conscience is man's most secret core, and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths.”(1795) The catechism goes on to say that in this sanctuary,  each of us comes to know the distinction between right and wrong, the distinction between that which leads us to holiness and that which traps us in the realm of the ordinary. Our conscience is the tiny voice we hear, when faced with a decision, that urges us to do the good and avoid the evil.

            With the help of our parents, our pastors, our prayers, our peers we are to form our consciences to assess the moral quality of every concrete act that we face. Through practice, through habit, we attain the wisdom and the knowledge to avoid the things that cheapen us or assault our integrity as beloved children of God. Our consciences are the place where the rubber hits the road, and we find our way to holiness and extraordinariness. Ultimately, it is a well-formed conscience, a well examined conscience that will lead us to sainthood.

            That having been said we must consider what an examination of conscience is. In this case it might even be better to begin with listing what an examination of conscience is not. An examination of conscience is not an opportunity for us to “navel gaze” and come up with a long list of imperfections. It is not a time of beating ourselves up or labeling ourselves as the worst sinners in the world. Ultimately, our examination of conscience is meant to be a time of honestly analyzing our thoughts and actions to determine if and how we have made choices that have interfered with our relationship with God. We consider what we have done and what we have said to determine if we have been peacemakers, if we have continued the work of Jesus, if we have loved as Jesus calls us to love.

            Our examination of conscience is not a comparison to our neighbor, it is unique to each of us. It requires us to acknowledge our need, honestly and fearlessly, for God’s mercy. We must be willing to admit that we have missed the mark of following Jesus. Some of these sins will indeed be venial. They may be bad habits, or harsh words said without thinking. We may indeed be guilty of mortal sins. We humbly must admit that at times we give into pride or lust. We must sadly own up to the damage or death to one’s reputation that our gossip causes. We must, with sincere contrition, own up to our selfishness with our God given time, talent, and treasure.

            We ultimately examine our consciences not seeking to be punished for our transgressions but to be set free from the burden of guilt and the chains of shame. We examine our consciences so that, through the grace and mercy of  God, our relationship with God, with our neighbors, and with the Church can be restored.

An examination of conscience can be a formal thing, or it can be a simple recollection. It can involve a consideration of the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, or the great commandment of Jesus to love God and our neighbor. However, we do it, we need to remember that Jesus came to this world to save us from our sin. Jesus continues to offer mercy to those who humble themselves, through an awareness of sin, and contrition for the same, admit they need this precious gift.