Examination of Conscience on the Present State of the Soul

After imploring the light of the Holy Ghost, consider in the presence of God how you perform your most important actions, and how you are affected toward God, your neighbor, and the most essential virtues. In this observe the order here given.

I. DEVOTIONS.—Do I value them more highly than anything else? Do I perform them faithfully and punctually? Is my exterior deportment reverential? Am I recollected, retired, modest, keeping exact custody of the eyes? Do I neglect to prepare carefully for my devotional exercises by recollecting myself some moments before, quieting my imagination and senses, recalling the presence of God, and reflecting on what I am about to do? Do I, without anxiety or disturbance, banish distractions when perceived? or, at least, do I deny them deliberate consent, when I cannot at once rid myself of them? In spiritual dryness, am I not vexed, instead of enduring it humbly and patiently in punishment of past negligence? Do I not give way at once to discouragement?

Now go through your essential devotions separately. See how you have performed them, and what profit you have drawn from them:

Meditation.—Preparation for it; the ordinary cause of its not being successful, or of its trifling results; distractions, too great attachment to creatures.

General and Particular Examinations of Conscience.—Do I make them seriously? Are they accompanied with an earnest desire of amendment, or do I go through the work carelessly, or with a cowardly, superficial oversight? For every trivial fault that I commit do I impose upon myself a corresponding penance?

Spiritual Reading.—In this do I indulge my curiosity or satisfy the wants of my soul? Do I read regularly and perseveringly, or am I inconstant, changing at every moment my subject or my book? Do I read with a prayerful spirit? Do I honestly desire to derive profit from my reading? Do I pray to God for this grace? Do I pause to reflect when I come upon something particularly applicable to my state? When the reading is finished, do I think over it, and call again the most striking points, to impress them more deeply on my mind?

Holy Mass—Vocal Prayers—Public Services—Church Devotions.—With what attention, reverence, and devotion do I assist at them? In what sentiments do I hear the Word of God?

Confession.—Do I confess through custom, without purpose, or desire of amendment? without carefully exciting contrition? Is my accusation open, generous, clear, and void of a thousand useless narrations that serve but to perplex? Do I in every confession make a particular resolution?

Communion.—Do I abstain from it through fear? Do I desire to receive often through vanity? Do I prepare myself carefully, especially by offering some small sacrifice every time? How do I make my thanksgiving? What advantage do I derive from Holy Communion? Am I not negligent in making spiritual communions?

II. DEPORTMENT TOWARD GOD.—Do I evince toward Him due reverence, love, resignation, confidence, and gratitude? Do I try to please Him as my Lord, Father, Friend, and Spouse? Do I perform my actions all for God, and do I often renew this intention? Do I recall that I am always under the eyes of God? What care do I bestow on the purity of my conscience? Do I not lightly commit many faults, under the pretext that they are but venial? What is the nature of my love for Jesus? my devotion to the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar? to Mary? to the saints? to my patron saint? my guardian angel?

III. TOWARD THE NEIGHBOR.—Do I wish him well? Am I indulgent in my judgments, gentle and patient? or do I not sin by bitterness, jealousy, aversion, and censoriousness? Whence spring so many other faults against charity—detraction, slanders, rash judgments, slight injuries, desire of revenge, ridicule, little secret rancor, outbursts of ill-humor, emotions of violence? Do I in a spirit of faith regard my neighbor as the representative of Him who said: " As long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to Me." ¹ How easily we would bear with one another if guided by this principle of faith!

IV. Do I care for my salvation and perfection? Do I consider this care as my most important, my only affair? What progress do I make in virtue, in self-denial, in the spirit of penance? Do I love the cross? or do I at least embrace every opportunity to bear my own with resignation and without murmur? What sacrifices do I impose upon myself to please God and to atone for my sins and faults?

How far have I advanced in the most necessary virtues—in faith, whose spirit should penetrate my whole life; in hope and in confidence; in that interior peace whose foundation rests on confidence, and excludes all anxiety, faintheartedness, and discouragement; in obedience according to my state of life, the renunciation of my own will, and divestment of all earthly goods; in purity, and careful avoidance of dangerous occasions, of curiosity, levity, and a too natural love; in humility and mistrust of my own strength? Do I love or do I at least peaceably endure humiliations, contempt, being forgotten, having others preferred to myself? How do I stand in regard to vanity, self-complacency, the desire to shine and rule? Do I ever despise my neighbor?

V. How do I correspond with the grace of divine inspiration? What victories have I gained over my predominant passion? What pains have I taken to govern my temper, to detach my heart from creatures? Does not some inordinate inclination, some impediment to my perfection, reign in my heart, which I will not sacrifice, although God has long demanded it of me? What is this inclination? What must I do to remove it; for what am I waiting, in order to be able to sacrifice it to God?

In what do I employ my time—in useful things or in trifles; in idle talk, vain fancies, airy castle-building, in dreams that are so often dangerous? Every moment of time can purchase eternity. What would not a damned soul give for a single moment?

VI. Reflect, also, how you comply with the special duties of your state and office, for general duties too often lead us to forget particular ones. And yet these require attention, fervor, assiduity, punctuality, and perseverance, to overcome one's self when at times one experiences such disgust for them as to be tempted to leave them undone.

In a word, do I live by faith, like the just man who considers all earthly things in the light of eternity? or do I live according to my self-love, according to the spirit of the world, which regards all things only in relation to this earthly life?

Upon all these matters examine yourself seriously before God. Then with sincere sorrow blot out the faults you have committed. Think of the occasions in which you may be likely to relapse, renew your resolutions with humility and confidence, and start on the way again with fresh courage, placing all your hope in the Lord, being neither discouraged nor cast down at the sight of your own misery.

1. Matt. xxv. 40.