A while back I found a link to a website which described 99 Questions to Complete Your Examination of Conscience. I thought the wide majority of the questions were rather insightful regardless of whether you were Catholic or not. I’ve decided to go through and repurpose the ones I found the most fitting to the everyday person, rephrasing them to be more friendly to even the atheists among us.
- Have I been ungrateful to life for its benefits?
- Am I open to the flow of life?
- Do I rely solely on myself and not on external events?
- Have I abandoned myself?
- Have I been faithful to myself?
- Am I unwilling to turn away from anything that is morally wrong in my soul?
- Have I blamed someone or something else for my failure, carelessly, in anger, or surprise?
- Have I cursed myself or others?
- Have I called down evil upon anyone or anything? (Not literally hexes. More like, “I hope X gets in a car accident”. Something like that)
- Did I get angry with my life?
- Have I angered others unreasonably?
- Have I broken a vow made to someone?
- Have I murmured or complained about life?
- Have I been willfully distracted?
- Do I distract others?
- Have I done unnecessary work?
- Have I disobeyed, insulted, or shown disrespect to others?
- Did I neglect my duties to my husband, wife, children or parents?
- Did I neglect to give a good example to my family?
- Am I disrespectful, impolite, or discourteous toward my family?
- Have I failed to meet my children’s physical, emotional, and educational needs?
- Did I fail to actively take an interest in the education and formation of my children?
- Did I cause tension and fights in my family?
- Did I care for my aged and infirm relatives?
- Did I kill or physically injure anyone?
- Have I entertained thoughts of suicide, desired to commit suicide, or attempted suicide? (I know that traditionally Catholics have looked at suicide as a sort of sin/stain against God. I think the logic there is less to be angry at depressed people and more to just convince people not to commit suicide. I would think of this question the same way — not as a sin, but moreso “Do I need help?”)
- Have I placed others in harm’s way?
- Have I failed to help someone in danger or in need?
- Do I drink or smoke excessively or abuse prescribed drugs?
- Do I deliberately harbor unkind and revengeful thoughts about others?
- Have I taken revenge?
- Have I used harsh or abusive language toward others?
- Have I spread gloom through my words and actions?
- Is there anyone with whom I refuse to speak, or against whom I bear a grudge?
- Have I taken pleasure in anyone’s misfortunes?
- Have I led others into sin? (Sin in this case you can say is just morally wrong actions)
- Have I willfully entertained impure thoughts or desires? (Once again, morally wrong stuff. I don’t care if you go fully horny mode once in a while, and honestly God probably doesn’t care either.)
- Did I respect all members of the opposite sex, or have I objectified them?
- Have I read, listened to, or viewed impure things? (Porn is scientifically bad for you!)
- Have I succumbed to occasions of impurity? (Jerk off in moderation!)
- Have I stolen money or property?
- Have I cheated?
- Have I failed to make restitution for what I stole?
- Have I intentionally damaged property?
- Have I accepted or bought stolen property?
- Have I helped someone steal?
- Am I dishonest in my business dealings?
- Do I gamble excessively?
- Have I borrowed without permission? (I.e. stolen with the intent of giving back)
- Have I failed to return things borrowed?
- Did I waste time at work, school or at home?
- Have I cheated myself of an honest day’s work?
- Have I refused or neglected to help anyone in urgent need?
- Have I lied deliberately?
- Have I deliberately misled or deceived anyone?
- Did I gossip or reveal others’ faults?
- Have I failed to keep promises or oaths?
- Have I signed false documents?
- Have I failed to prevent the defamation of another’s character?
- Have I revealed secrets and betrayed trust?
- Do I make false judgments and harbor false suspicions?
- Have I failed to forgive someone or held a grudge?
- Have I failed to apologize or make amends?
- Did I fail to keep secret what should be confidential?
- Have I disclosed another’s sins without serious reason? (Like before, sins = things they did that were bad)
- Am I greedy or selfish?
- Am I envious of someone’s possessions, talents, or blessings?
- Do I indulge in self-pity?
- Am I proud, vain, or desire to be praised?
- Have I exaggerated my success?
- Have I minimized or made excuses for my failures?
- Have I measured my charity by what others have given, rather than my ability to give?
