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It is possible for our moral conscience to remain in ignorance for a variety of reasons. Fr. Mike delves into the sources of errors of judgment in moral conduct and how habitual sin blinds our conscience. As we wrap up this article, Fr. Mike reminds us that a well-formed conscience sets us free and gives us the power to do what we ought. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1790-1802.
Click on link: https://youtu.be/OAocEcjknrc?si=uOF1oVDB9YO3do4L
Together, with Fr. Mike, we unpack the formation of our conscience. Fr. Mike emphasizes that a well-formed conscience is one that is both “upright and truthful.” He also highlights the idea that a well-formed intellect is vital to having a well-formed conscience. We cannot just say something is either right or wrong, we have to understand why we think that. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1783-1789.
Click on link: https://youtu.be/NZ1mkbVSgDE?si=aAMyUFT-VY2IzM5J
God blessed you with a conscience, but it’s not always easy to listen to it when faced with a tough decision. Ben shares his dad’s 4 tips for making great decisions.
Click on link to watch:
https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/plus/blessed/first-reconciliation-2-6.html
“For want of contrition, innumerable Confessions are either sacrilegious or invalid; the penitent so often breaks his promises to God, and falls again so easily into the same faults, and many souls are eternally lost. Contrition is that true and lively sorrow which the soul has for all the sins it has committed, with a firm determination never to commit them any more . . . Many Christians spend a long time in examining their consciences, and in making long and often unnecessary narrations to the confessor, and then bestow little or no time upon considering the malice of their sins, and upon bewailing and detesting them. Christians such as these, says St. Gregory, act like a wounded man who shows his wounds to the doctor with the utmost anxiety and care, and then will not make use of the remedies prescribed. It is not so much thinking, nor so much speaking of your sins that will procure their pardon, but heartfelt sorrow and detestation of them.”— Fr. Ignatius of the Side of Jesus, p. 289
//Catholic Company//
How can I make a good examination of conscience?
A regular examination of conscience is essential to growing in our faith and strengthening our relationship with Christ.
In their book The How-To Book of Catholic Devotions: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You, Mike Aquilina and Regis J. Flaherty explain the importance of making an examination of conscience regularly. They discuss how there are many types of examination of conscience, including one said before the sacrament of Reconciliation, and an examination of conscience said every day.
St. Paul emphasized the importance of regular daily examination of conscience, especially 1 Corinthians. St. Ignatius Loyola crafted two types of examination of conscience to be said each day: the general examination and the particular examination. When you do a general examination, you review your day and reflect on what went right and what went wrong. In a particular examination, you can focus on one specific fault of that day and brainstorm how to avoid it in the future.
You can make these examinations of consciences in the morning or evening, or both.
Before Confession, we follow an examination of conscience in preparation to confess our recent sins and seek repentance. Before you make your confession, ask the Holy Spirit to help you feel sorry for your sins. You then spend some time reflecting on the sins you have committed since you last went to Confession. A good way to identify your sins is to follow a guide with questions to ask yourself about sins you may have committed, then writing your sins down before you enter the confessional. The Daily Roman Missal provides an in-depth list of questions to ask yourself before confession.
For further guidance on making an examination of conscience either before confession or on a daily basis, check out Mike Aquilina’s and Regis J. Flaherty’s The How-To Book of Catholic Devotions, sold here.
SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 2021
“Whoever seeks the truth, that is, who practices what is good, comes to the light, illuminates the paths of life. Whoever walks in the light, whoever approaches the light, cannot but do good works. This is what we are called to do with greater dedication during Lent: to welcome the light into our conscience, to open our hearts to God’s infinite love, to His mercy full of tenderness and goodness, to His forgiveness.” Pope Francis
CHAPTER 7: EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE
In medieval castles, the night watch was effective and indeed indispensable. Is an enemy nearby? Are the gates secure? A sense of security and peace follow only when everything is put in order. The examination of conscience is like the night
watch of our personal castles. In it we correct what has to be corrected and pronounce a sincere thanks to God, thereby allowing a real peace to settle upon us.
St. Josemaria has noted: “Examination of conscience [is a] daily task. Bookkeeping [is] never neglected by anyone in business. And is there any business worth more than that of eternal life?”
Examining our conscience enables us to know ourselves better. The ancient philosopher Thales of Miletus wrote: “The most difficult thing is to know oneself, the easiest is to criticize others.” That most difficult thing is precisely what St. Paul recommends: “Let each one examine his own deeds” (Galatians 6:4).
The examination of conscience is a sign of an active interior life, for it entails an element of personal struggle. It also presupposes humility — the recognition that we have defects, that we are worth very little, that we are sinners who want to be better. Moreover, the examination of conscience shows our love of God in the desire to rid ourselves of everything that separates us from him, and in it we seek closer union in order to love him more.
This practice can be difficult for a number of reasons — weariness after the day’s work, sleepiness, the fear that we will only discover the same things over and over again, and the disappointment of our repeated failures. For all these reasons, it is the hour to “beware of the devil that ties your tongue.”
We may begin by asking: How did I pray today? How have I treated others? How did I do my work? Then we go on to examine our faithfulness to our norms of piety, and how we have dealt with our family and friends. A PLAN OF LIFE 17 HELPING YOU FIND GOD WHEREVER YOU ARE Throughout, we should be interested in examining the “how” of things. By considering how things have actually gone, we can discover how they should have gone, thus giving rise to our resolutions for the next day. The examination of conscience is not a single day’s task but a daily one; for indeed, sanctity is the work of a lifetime. In a calm nightly review of each day’s activities we may be surprised to discover that our mistakes are frighteningly ordinary, and that they persist like the squeaking of a rusty wheel.
Heavy summer storms used to prompt us to bring out the water pails. Though the rain would have evaporated on its own, and it certainly would have caused no one to drown, it was nonetheless clear that the moisture might eventually ruin the floors, and so the rain merited attention. Similarly, our mistakes may be small, but they occur every day. Keep a written record of your daily examination of conscience for a whole week, and you will discover the leaks in your life. And be mindful of the adage: “Whoever does not repair the leak will eventually have to repair the whole house.