Examination of Conscience

Every night before I go to bed I always do 3 hail marys, a our father, apostles creed, and I do a Examination of Conscience.. The Examination helps me understand all my faults,sins, and where I was weak and strong during the day.. Even if you do this once a week, it's good for your soul. It helps you understand yourself and guide you to a closer relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ :)

I am posting my own special Examination of Conscience to share with you all.

1. Did I doubt that God exist?

2. Did I refuse to believe what God has revealed to us?

3. Did I deny I was Christian?

4. Did I leave the Christian faith?

5. Did I give time to God each day in prayer?

6. Did I love God with my whole heart?

7. Did I have false Gods in my life that I gave greater attention too?

8. Did I insult God?

9. Did I take God's name carelessly?

10. Did I get angry with God?

11. Did I miss mass or church service at my own fault?

12. Did I come to mass or church service on time or did I leave early?

13. Did I work on Sunday when there was no necessary?

14.Did I set aside Sunday as a day of rest and family day?

15. Did I disrespect or disobey my parents?

16. Did I neglect my duties to my husband, wife, children or parents?

17. Did I neglect to give good religious example to my family?

18. Did I fail to actively take an interest in the religious education and formation of my children?

19. Did I fail to educate myself on the true teachings of the Church?

20. Did I give scandal by what I said or did, especially to the young?

21. Did I cause anyone to leave the faith?

22. Did I cause tension and fights in my family?

23. Did I care for my aged and infirm relatives?

24. Did I give a full day's work for a full day's pay?

25. Did I give a fair wage to my employees?

26. Did I kill or physically injure anyone?

27. Did I have an abortion, or advise someone else to have an abortion? (One who procures and abortion is automatically excommunicated, as is anyone who is involved in an abortion, Canon 1398. The excommunication will be lifted in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.)

28.Did I use or cause my spouse to use birth control pills (whether or not realizing that birth control pills do abort the fetus if and when conceived)?

29. Did I attempt suicide?

30. Did I take part in or approve of "mercy killing" (euthanasia)?

31. Did I get angry, impatient, envious, unkind, proud, revengeful, jealous, hateful toward another, lazy?

32. Did I give bad example by drug abuse, drinking alcohol to excess, fighting, quarreling?

33. Did I abuse my children?

34. Did I willfully entertain impure thoughts or desires?

35. Did I use impure or suggestive words? Tell impure stories? Listen to them?

36. Did I deliberately look at impure TV, videos, plays, pictures or movies? Or deliberately read impure materials?

37. Did I commit impure acts by myself (masturbation)?

38. Did I commit impure acts with another - fornication (premarital sex), adultery (sex with a married person)?

39. Did I practice artificial birth control (by pills, device, withdrawal)?

40. Did I marry or advise anyone to marry outside the Church?

41. Did I avoid the occasions of impurity?

42. Did I try to control my thoughts?

43. Did I engage in homosexual activity?

44. Did I respect all members of the opposite sex, or have I thought of other people as objects?

45.Did I or my spouse have sterilization done?

46. Did I abuse my marriage rights?

47. Did I steal, cheat, help or encourage others to steal or keep stolen goods? Have I made restitution for stolen goods?

48. Did I fulfill my contracts; give or accept bribes; pay my bills; rashly gamble or speculate; deprive my family of the necessities of life?

49. Did I waste time at work, school or at home?

50. Did I envy other people's families or possessions?

51. Did I make material possessions the purpose of my life?

52. Did I lie?

53. Did I deliberately deceive others, or injure others by lies?

54. Did I commit perjury?

55. Did I gossip or reveal others' faults or sins?

56. Did I fail to keep secret what should be confidential?

57. Did I fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday?

58. Did I eat meat on the Fridays of Lent or Ash Wednesday?

59. Did I fail to receive Holy Communion during Eastertime?

60. Did I go to Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin? Without fasting (water and medicine permitted) for one hour from food and drink?

61. Did I make a bad confession?

62. Did I fail to contribute to the support of the Church?

Jesus wants you to love him and be his friend

"Blessed is he who appreciates what it is to love Jesus and who despises himself for the sake of Jesus. Give up all other love for His, since He wishes to be loved alone above all things.
Affection for creatures is deceitful and inconstant, but the love of Jesus is true and enduring. He who clings to a creature will fall with its frailty, but he who gives himself to Jesus will ever be strengthened.
Love Him, then; keep Him as a friend. He will not leave you as others do, or let you suffer lasting death. Sometime, whether you will or not, you will have to part with everything. Cling, therefore, to Jesus in life and death; trust yourself to the glory of Him who alone can help you when all others fail.
Your Beloved is such that He will not accept what belongs to another -- He wants your heart for Himself alone, to be enthroned therein as King in His own right. If you but knew how to free yourself entirely from all creatures, Jesus would gladly dwell within you.
You will find, apart from Him, that nearly all the trust you place in men is a total loss. Therefore, neither confide in nor depend upon a wind-shaken reed, for "all flesh is grass" and all its glory, like the flower of grass, will fade away.
You will quickly be deceived if you look only to the outward appearance of men, and you will often be disappointed if you seek comfort and gain in them. If, however, you seek Jesus in all things, you will surely find Him. Likewise, if you seek yourself, you will find yourself -- to your own ruin. For the man who does not seek Jesus does himself much greater harm than the whole world and all his enemies could ever do."
-- Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis

Prayer

Right now I am in a point in my discernment, where I needed this prayer. I am trying to find God's vocation for my life.... This prayer is my new favorite prayer..

St Alphonsus pray for us :)

Spirit of God, you made Mary full of grace and set the hearts of the apostles aflame.
You are the Spirit of God. Be my strength against evil.
You are fire. Make me bright with love.
You are light. Give me insight into what really matters.
You are a dove. Give me purity of heart.
You are a breath that is full of sweetness. Temper the storms within and around me.
You are a tongue. Teach me to praise you without ceasing.
You are a cloud. Cover me in the shadow of your protection.
You are the giver of heaven’s choicest gifts. Give them to me in abundance.
Grant that I may love you always, then, do with me as you will.
St. Alphonsus, pray for me.
Our Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for me.

“Your God is ever at your side – indeed, within you.”

Coming Home

I feel a calling,
An urge of a different kind.
The Spirit guides me to a new faith,
More loving, leave my cares behind.

An unction never known before,
A change in the wind, the opening of a new door.
The Lord and my Mother, Jesus and Mary,
Standing side by side, my heart with love adores.

I'm coming Home,
A place never known, so welcoming and sweet.
To be a Catholic Christian, a joyous life,
When finally confirmed, my new family to greet.

Prayers

Oh, my Lord and Savior,

support me in that hour

in the strong arms of Your sacraments,

and by the fresh fragrance of Your consolations,

Let the absolving words be said over me

and the holy oil sign and seal me,

and Your own Body be my food

and Your Blood my sprinkling,

and let my sweet Mother Mary breathe on me,

and my angel whisper peace to me,

and my glorious saints smile upon me;

that in them all and through them all,

I may receive the gift of perseverance,

and die, as I desire to live,

in Your Faith, in Your Church,

in Your service and in Your Love.

Amen

Lord, grant that I may always allow myself to be guided by You,
always follow Your plans, and perfectly accomplish Your holy will.
Grant that in all things, great and small,
today and all the days of my life
I may do whatever You may require of me.
Help me to respond to the slightest prompting of Your grace
so that I may be Your trustworthy instrument.
May Your will be done in time and eternity
by me, in me, and through me.
Amen.

Prayer to Christ the King

O Christ Jesus, I acknowledge You King of the Universe. All that has been created has been made for You. Exercise upon me all Your rights. I renew my Baptismal Promises, renouncing satan and all his works and pomps. I promise to live a good Christian life and do all in my power to procure the triumph of the rights of God and Your Church. Divine Heart of Jesus, I offer you my poor actions in order to obtain that all hearts may acknowledge Your Sacred Royalty, and that thus the reign of Your peace may be established throughout the universe. Amen.

Prayer of St. Ignatius Loyola

Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I have and all You have given me I surrender to You to be disposed of according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough and will desire nothing more.

I thirst for you

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock…” (Rev.3:20)
(Meditation based on the spiritual teachings of Mother Teresa of Calcutta)

It is true. I stand at the door of your heart, day and night. Even when you are not listening, even when you doubt it could be Me, I am there. I await even the smallest sign of your response, even the least whispered invitation that will allow Me to enter.

And I want you to know that whenever you invite Me, I do come always without fail. Silent and unseen I come, but with infinite power and love, and bringing the many gifts of My spirit. I come with My mercy, with My desire to forgive and heal you and with a love for you beyond your comprehension- a love every bit as great as the love I have received from the Father ( As much as the Father has loved me, I have loved you…”[John.15:9]). I come – longing to console you and give you strength, to lift you up and bind all your wounds. I bring you My light, to dispel your darkness and all your doubts. I come with My power, that I might carry you and all of your burdens; with My grace, to touch your heart and transform your life; and My peace I give to still your soul.

I know you through and through – I know everything about you. The very hairs of your head I have numbered. Nothing in your life is unimportant to Me. I have followed you through the years, and I have always loved you – even in your wanderings. I know everyone of your problems. I know your needs and your worries. And yes, I know all your sins. But I tell you again that I love you- not for what you have or haven’t done – I love you for you, for the beauty and dignity My Father gave you by creating you in His own image. It is a dignity you have often forgotten, a beauty you have tarnished by sin. But I love you as you are, and I have shed My Blood to win you back. If you only ask Me with faith, My grace will touch all the needs changing in your life; and I will give you the strength to free yourself from sin and all its destructive power.

I know what is in your heart- I know your loneliness and all your hurts- the rejections, the judgments, the humiliations. I carried it all before you. And I carried it all for you, so you might share My strength and victory. I know especially your need for love – how you are thirsted in vain, by seeking that love selfishly, striving to fill the emptiness inside you with passing pleasures- with the even greater emptiness of sin. Do you thirst for love? “Come to Me all of you who thirst…”(John 7:37). I will satisfy you and fill you. Do you thirst to be cherished? I cherish you more than you can imagine – to the point of dying on a cross for you.

I thirst for you. Yes, that is the only way to even begin to describe My love for you: I THIRST FOR YOU. I thirst to love you and to be loved by you – that is how precious you are to Me. I THIRST FOR YOU. Come to Me and I will fill your heart and heal your wounds. I will make you a new creation and give you peace, even in all your trials. I THIRST FOR YOU. You must never doubt My mercy, My acceptance of you, My desire to forgive, My longing to bless you and live My life in you. I THIRST FOR YOU. If you feel unimportant in the eyes of the world, that matters not at all. For Me, there is no one any more important in the entire world than you. I THIRST FOR YOU. Open to Me, come to Me, thirst for Me, give Me your life- and I will prove to you how important you are to My Heart.

Don’t you realize that My Father already has a perfect plan to transform your life, beginning from this moment? Trust in Me. Ask Me every day to enter and take charge of your life- and I will. I promise you before My father in heaven that I will work miracles in your life. Why would you I do this? Because I THIRST FOR YOU. All I ask of you is that you entrust yourself to Me completely. I will do all the rest.

Even now I behold the place My Father has prepared for you in My kingdom. Remember that you are a pilgrim in this life, on a journey home. Sin can never satisfy you or bring the peace you seek. All that you have sought outside of Me has only left you more empty, so do not cling to the things of his life. Above all, do not run from Me when you fall. Come to Me without delay. When you give Me your sins, you give Me the joy of being your Saviour. There is nothing I cannot forgive and heal, so come now and unburden your soul.

No matter how far you may wander, no matter how often you forget Me, no matter how many crosses you may bear in this life, there is one thing I want you to always remember, one thing that will never change: I THIRST FOR YOU – just as you are. You don’t need to change to believe in My love, for it will be your belief in My love that will change you. You forget Me, and yet I am seeking you every moment of the day- standing at bthe door of your heart and knocking. Do you find this hard to believe? Then look at the cross, look at My Heart that was pierced for you. Have you not understood My cross? Then listen again to the words I spoke there – for they tell you clearly why I endured all this for you:”I THIRST….”(John 19:28). Yes, I thirst for you – as the rest of the psalm-verses I was praying says of Me: “I looked for love, and I found none…”(Ps 69:21). All your life I have been looking for your love- I have never stopped seeking to love you and be loved by you. You have tried many other things in your search for happiness; why not try opening your heart to Me, right now, more than you ever have before.

Whenever you do open the door of your heart, whenever you come close enough, you will hear Me say to you again and again, not in mere human words but in spirit: “No matter what you have done, I love you for your own sake. Come to Me with your misery and your sins, with your troubles and needs, and with all your longing to be loved. I stand at the door of you heart and knock…Open to ME, for I THIRST FOR YOU…”
(Missionaries of Charity Fathers)


“Jesus is God, therefore His love, His thirst is infinite. He the creator of the universe, asked for the love of His creatures. He thirsts for our love…These words: I thirst- do they echo in our souls?” (Mother Teresa)

Suffering

Divine Mercy In My Soul:

In suffering, I must be patient and quiet, knowing that everything passes in time. (253)

And the Lord said to me, My child, you please me most by suffering. In your physical as well as your mental sufferings, My daughter, do not seek sympathy from creatures. I want the fragrance of your suffering to be pure and unadulterated. I want you to detach yourself, not only from creatures, but also from yourself. My daughter, I want to delight in the love of your heart, a pure love, virginal, unblemished, untarnished. The more you will come to love suffering, My daughter, the purer your love for Me will be. (279)

Once when I was suffering greatly, I left my work and escaped to Jesus and asked Him to give me His strength. After a very short prayer I returned to my work filled with enthusiasm and joy. Then, one of the sisters said to me, "You must have many consolations today, Sister; you look so radiant. Surely, God is giving you no suffering, but only consolations." "You are greatly mistaken, Sister.... for it is precisely when I suffer much that my joy is greater; and when I suffer less, my joy is also less."... I tried to explain to her that when we suffer much we have a great chance to show God that we love Him; but when we suffer little we have less occasion to show God our love; and when we do not suffer our love is neither great nor pure. By the grace of God, we can attain a point where suffering will become a delight to us, for love can work such pure things in pure souls. (303)

True love is measured by the thermometer of suffering. Jesus, I thank You for the little daily crosses, for opposition to my endeavours, for the hardships of communal life, for the misinterpretation of my intentions, for humiliations at the hands of others, for the harsh way in which we are treated, for false suspicions, for poor health and loss of strength, for self-denial, dor dying to myself, for lack of recognition in everything, for the upsetting of all my plans. ...(continued..343)

Oh if only the suffering soul knew how much it is loved by God, it would die of joy and excess of happiness! Some day, we will know the value of suffering, but then we will no longer be able to suffer. (963)

My daughter it is time to take action; I am with you. Great persecutions and sufferings are in store for you, but be comforted by the thought that any souls will be saved and sanctified by this work. (966)

Know...that your silent day-to-day martyrdom in complete submission to My Will ushers many souls into Heaven. And when it seems to you that your suffering exceeds your strength, contemplate My Wounds and you will rise above human scorn and judgment. Meditation on My Passion will help you rise above all things. (1184)

My daughter, your sufferings of this night obtained the grace of mercy for an immense number of souls. (1459)

..there is no way to heaven except the way of the cross. I followed it first. You must learn that it is the shortest way.... I am giving you a share in those sufferings because of My special love for you and in view of the high degree of holiness I am intending for you in Heaven. A suffering soul is closer to My heart. (Jesus to suffering souls -1487)

Today, during Mass, I saw the Lord Jesus in the midst of His sufferings, as though dying on the cross. He said to me, My daughter, meditate frequently on the sufferings which I have undergone for your sake, and then nothing of what you suffer for Me will seem great to you. You please Me most when you meditate on My Sorrowful Passion. Join your little sufferings to My Sorrowful Passion, so that they may have infinite value before My majesty. (1512)

1938. Today the Lord said to me, I have need of your sufferings to rescue souls. ....Almost all night I had such violent pains that it seemed all my intestines were torn to pieces. I threw up the medicine I had taken.....I thought it would be the end of me....O my Jesus, do with me as You please. Only give me strength to suffer. Since Your strength supports me, I shall bear everything. O souls, how I love you! (1613)

At eight o'clock I was seized with such violent pains that I had to go to bed at once. I was convulsed with pain for three hours..... No medicine had any effect on me, and whatever I swallowed I threw up. At times, the pain caused me to lose consciousness. Jesus had me realise that in this way I took part in His Agony in the Garden, and that He himself allowed these sufferings in order to offer reparation to God for the souls murdered in the wombs of [their] mothers (1276)

Consider how Jesus offered His suffering to God in Gethsemane. All of Christ's body suffered and died in atonement for sin. We, because we are the Body of Christ, are called to share in that suffering and dying in atonement for sin. Just as Christ's agonies opened the way for grace to pour out into the world, even so the suffering of His Body opens the way for grace to pour out into the world. We are to rise with Him; first we must die with Him, and we have the stupendous grace of suffering and dying just as He did, as sacrificial offerings.

Romans 12:1 says, "I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship."

This is what we do, in unity with Christ, for as Paul says, "This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him" (2 Tim. 2:11-12).

And again, Paul writes, "Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church" (1 Col. 1:24).


Nothing is lacking in Christ's afflictions except that His Body on Earth (for all sin is wiped away through Him) share in these afflictions, for Christ is one and if we are one with Him, we will suffer with Him, for the same reasons He suffered, just as we will rise with Him in the same way He rose.

God bless