Another Good Examination of Conscience

This one comes from Father John A. Kane. I will share the ones not often found in other Examination of Conscience books or booklets.  It is taken from his How to Make a Good Confession and published by Sophia Institute Press.  I highly recommend this little book.

1.  Have I been ungrateful to God for His benefits?

2.  Do I try to hide from God because I love my sin or because I do not have strength of will to make sacrifices for His sake?

3.  Have I failed to give God the respect, the love, and the simplicity of a child toward his Father?

4.  Am I unwilling to cast out and destroy everything that makes my soul unworthy to be the dwelling place of the three divine Persons?

5.  Have I grumbled against God's will?

6.  Do I refuse to accept troubles that come to me as a means of salvation?

7.  Do I trouble others with my grievances?

8.  Have I ignored Christ's voice within my soul when He has asked me for some sacrifice?

9.  Do I lack peace of soul because I don't trust God?

10.  Have I been too proud to accept well-merited correction, even from my confessor?

11.  Do I rely solely on myself and not on God?

12.  Do I rely solely on myself and not on God?

13.  Do I neglect my duties as a creature to my Creator?

14.  Do I have an exaggerated fear of death?  Do I trustfully abandon my past to God's mercy and my future to His love?

15.  Have I abandoned the Catholic Faith?

16.  Have I joined a non-Catholic church?

17.  Have I refused to believe any truths of the Faith or any teachings of the Church?

18.  Did I fail to profess or defend the Faith when required to do so?

19.  Did I read materials or associate with people who  might endanger my faith?

20.  Have I attended or taken part in the marriage of a Catholic in a wedding not approved by the Church.

21.  Have I been unfaithful to daily prayer?

22.  Have I received Holy Communion without reverence?  Have I neglected to make a proper thanksgiving after receiving?

23.  Do I neglect to read Scripture?

24.  Do I let my religious practices annoy others?

25.  Do I neglect to try to correct myself, remembering that I should always strive for perfection?

26. Have I evaded an opportunity to enlighten someone on religious truth?

27.  Do I use God's name carelessly, in anger, or in surprise?

28.  Am I disrespectful, impolite, or discourteous toward my family?

29.  Do I mistreat belittle, or abuse my children?

30.  Am I disrespectful toward the elderly?

31.  Do I endanger my health by eating too little or sleeping too little?

32.  Am I too concerned about my health or my appearance?

33.  Have I attributed bad motives to others, when I could not be certain of their motives?

34. Have I used harsh or abusive language toward another?

35.  Am I rude, impolite, or inconsiderate?

36.  As a husband or wife, have I failed prudently to make an effort to prevent the sins of my spouse?

37.  Have I neglected my duty of preventing those in my charge from committing sin, or correcting them after they have failed?

39.  Am I dating someone who is civilly divorced but is still bound by a valid marriage?

40.  Do I waste money or spend it extravagantly?

41.  Do I waste goods or food?

42.  Have I been stingy with my time, money and talents?

43.  Have I criticized anyone uncharitably?

44.  Am I greedy?

45.  Am I selfish?

46.  Do I indulge in self-pity?

48.  Am I proud?

49.  Am I vain?

50. Do I desire to be praised?

51.  Do I show off?

52.  Have I exaggerated my success?

53.  Have I minimized or explained away my failures?

54.  In my spirituality, do I seek mere personal excellence?

55.  Am I touchy and hypersensitive?

56.  Do I magnify the least oversight or thoughtlessness into an insult or deliberate slight?

57. Am I envious of someone's possessions, talents, or blessings?

Ida, Night and Christian Martyrs

Spoiler Alert.

The annual Academy awards brought interest in the foreign film Ida. I must admit that the movie had been sitting in our Netflix queue for awhile before we finally felt a push to watch it.

It has been my experience that European movies with Catholic themes have not treated Catholicism with much reverence or respect. Maybe it is the culture, but I have found that a movie such as the one on Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Vision, offended my sensibilities. An example is the common occurrence of men and and women, more specifically, nuns and priests, kissing each other full on the mouth. Therefore, before watching Ida, I checked out Steven D. Greydanus' review. You can watch the quick review here.

Short summary, this movie is about a young sister about to take her vows.  She contacts her only living relative, an aunt and soon learns that she was in fact a Jewish girl.  She and her very promiscuous aunt, a Communist prosecutor, go on a journey to find out what happened to Ida's family.

They find out the very horrific fact that her family had been murdered.  She alone survived the killing. The aunt finds out her son had also been murdered.  And, the movie continued.

The movie itself was very interesting from the beginning.  Based on what I could find by Catholic reviews, I trusted that the movie would not offend.  But offend it did.   I could understand why the aunt went to men for comfort or why she drank.  It wasn't surprising that she ended up taking her own life.  But what I really had trouble with was that this young nun, sheltered practically her whole life in a convent, leaves the convent as she is about to take her vows and starts experiencing life.  She dresses in her dead aunt's high heels and tight dress, she goes to a nightclub and she ends up losing her virginity to an admirer.  At the end, she leaves the man, puts her habit back on and apparently goes back to the convent.

I am not sure why I chose to read Elie Wiesel's Night during Lent.  It is a difficult and dark book to read.  What it very troubling is the loss of faith and the loss of hope by the writer.  He was a young and self-described devout Jewish teen when his family was forced from their home and taken to the concentrations camps.

It is the lack of courage by the Jews, the trust they have in the tormentors, they way they turn on each other, and Wiesel's anger with God that makes this book a poor read.  I was hoping that in the middle of their suffering and persecution, he would have held on to hope.  But the anger, the rebellion towards God was just too much.  I am not through with the book yet (almost done) so I hope by the end of the book, I would have been wrong about Wiesel.

Finally, there is the almost daily reporting of Christians being killed simply for professing a faith in Jesus Christ.  They die with Jesus on their lips.  They give me hope.

Ash Wednesday - Meditation

The following is from Holy Hours by Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey, S.S.C.C..

 Jesus: "Alas! There is still worse:  some among them have become wretched apostates, who have for me nothing but hate...They have betrayed Me for a creature, for they have preferred to Me wealth, pleasures, a position,...all things which tomorrow will be changed into a handful of ashes in a tomb...and then there will be the hour of terrible and eternal justice!... And these are My children, brought to life by My power and by My blood, who behave thus!..."

..."Weep, O weep with Me, My fervent friends, zealous apostles!... Is there not in your home, at your own hearth, one of those ungrateful ones?...Perhaps it is a son, a brother, a husband, a father who is far, very far from the altar of his First Communion. The Holy Hour is an act of reparation for their sins, and this reparation will be the beginning of their salvation.  Courage! ... let us save those dear ones in spite of themselves...And as they do not weep, let us weep in their stead; let us pray for them."

This Lent...

How can we make this Lenten journey more spiritually fulfilling?

The following are 33 suggestions that you can use, one for each year that our dear suffering Lord was alive.

These are taken from my spiritual journal.

The purpose or goal is to grow more in selfless love and less in self-love.

THIS LENT I WILL...

1.  Consult God in everything with the simplicity of a child like St. Augustine did.

2.  Listen daily and at every moment to God's small voice and do not let noise keep me from hearing Him speak to me.

3.  Keep a holy and interior silence by keeping my thoughts, opinions, juicy news, gossipy stories to myself.  I will especially try to keep this silence during times of adversity.

4.  Perform acts of mercy and charity when the situation presents itself and not going out of my way to look for opportunities in order to know I am doing God's will.

5.  Avoid those things that keep me from hearing the Holy Spirit's guidance such as:  talking, TV, computer, iPad, worrying, thinking about things that do not concern me.

6.  Give my full attention to the moment at hand, be it a duty, activity or someone talking to me.  I will pray close attention to the present moment.

7.  Leave all in God's capable hands.

8.  Never talk bad about another person.

9.  Fast at least once a week, not only from food, but drinks (other than water) and frivolous entertainment.

10.  Let others speak.  I will give them my undivided attention without interrupting them with my own thoughts and opinions.

11.  Be kind and merciful.

12.  Not be curious.  I will not ask unnecessary questions.

13.  Conquer my desire to say no when asked to do something for someone.

14.  Stop giving advice especially when someone hasn't even asked me for my advice, and especially not if I haven't prayed about it first.

15.  Say at least 40 aspirations daily, especially to our suffering Lord and his sorrowful mother.

16.  Do what I don't want to do, joyfully.

17.  Make sacrifices and mortifications for those who are suffering persecution.

18.  Imitate our lady's virtues:  meekness, silence, humility, gentleness, acceptance, calmness

19.  Stop being so hard on myself when I commit the same sins.  I will trust in God's mercy and love.  

20.  Refrain from asking anyone for favors.

21.  Accept what comes my way, be it good or bad and I will trust that God knows what is best for me.

22. Conquer my knee-jerk reaction to respond defensively when I am criticized or corrected and will remain silent.

23.  Respect my family more and criticize their faults less.

24.  Imitate St. Benedict Menni's virtues of:  Praying, working, suffering, forbearing, loving and keeping silence.

25.  Remember that it is humility and obedience that make us saints.

26.  Not using humor as an excuse to belittle someone, especially family and friends.

27.  Not be distracted when praying.

28.  Spend at least 15 minutes of quality time really reading the Gospels and the writings of St. Paul.

29.  Use the social networks to share the Good News and to give God praise.

30.  Not spend money unless it is necessary.  Instead, I will donate the alms to those who are in need, especially the persecuted Christians.

31.  Try very hard to conquer my pride.

32.  Be patient especially with those who seem to vex me.

33.  Be kind, gentle and patient with my family.

Our Lady of Lourdes Prayers

Picture source

First Prayer

Blessed, Immaculate Virgin, by your

appearance in the Grotto of Lourdes,

many have been cured of their

infirmities, both spiritual and physical.

Mother of Mercy, healer of the sick,

comforter of the afflicted, you know my

needs and my sufferings.  

Look upon me with compassion.  

I come to you with confidence in your maternal intercession.

Obtain for me, from your Divine Son,

O loving Mother, this special request...

(Mention your needs here)

Our Lady of Lourdes, prayer for me.

Amen.

Oblate Missions

Second Prayer

O glorious Mother of God,

so powerful under your special title of

Our Lady of Lourdes,

to you we raise our hearts and hands 

to implore your powerful intercession

in obtaining from the gracious Heart of Jesus all the helps and graces

necessary for our spiritual and temporal welfare 

and for the special favor we so earnestly seek.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

Association of the Miraculous Medal

An Examination of Conscience that really hits home

I found a copied booklet of an old Examination of Conscience in the things I save for later use.  If anyone can identify the author, please let me know.  The help given to examine one's conscience with regards to loving our neighbor is invaluable, as you can see:

- Have I been unkind towards others?

- Have I hurt others by my flare-ups of anger or impatience?

- Have I made cutting, sarcastic remarks to others?

- Have I permitted uncharitable talk to go on in my presence without an effort to change the subject?

- Have I insisted upon my own opinion, to the offense of others?

- Was I bent on "getting even" and taking petty revenge?

- Have I been inclined to throw the blame on others?

- Have I told my friends the unkind remarks others made about the, thus fomenting ill-will?

- Have I allowed myself to give in to uncharitable thoughts and suggestions?

- Have I attributed bad motives to others when I could not be certain of their intentions?

- Have I harbored suspicions of others for a long time?

- Have I nursed resentment against others, even though I did make an effort at forgiveness?

- Have I allowed my sensitive towards to others around me?

- Have I failed to try to make others happy and comfortable by giving in to morose, gloomy, selfish moods?

- Have I contributed to the venial sins of others by unreasonably teasing or annoying them?

- Have I lessened the fear of sin in others by thoughtlessly making light of some sin?

- Have I always shielded the good name of others?

- Have I led others into venial sin by suggestion or bad example?

- Because I did not like others, did I refuse to cooperate with them in work we were given to do?

Sufficient matter for mortal sin:

- Have I persistently refused in my heart to forgive a person who has injured me?

- Have I, over a considerable period of time, refused to talk to or acknowledge someone who has wronged me?

- Do I live in enmity and hatred of someone?

- Have I grievously slandered others, i.e., attributed serious sins to them which they did not commit, or of which I had no evidence?

Meekness:

- Have I taken part in petty quarrels and bitter arguments?

- Have I given in to sudden spurts of anger by harsh words, by calling names, by abusive language?

- Have I shown dislike or antipathy for others by snubbing them, by being sarcastic toward them, or by unkindness?

- Have I given in to moods of sullenness and moroseness towards others?

- Have I shown sensitiveness and hurt feelings over trifling matters?

- Have I talked back peevishly when justly corrected?

- Have I teased others until I made them angry?

- Have I, through jealousy of others, deliberately tried to destroy a good work that they were doing or to hamper it seriously?

Humility:

- Have I been guilty of the form of pride called vanity, by considering myself more intelligent, more learned, more handsome, even more charitable than others?  Have I thought highly of my own "humility"?

- Have I bragged about my accomplishments, my virtues, my abilities?

- Have I given in to anger against others because I thought myself better than they and that they should show better than to cross me?

- Have I shown my pride in the form of sensitiveness, resentment, pouting, peevishness?  Have I been envious of others?

- Have I shown my pride in constant disobedience in small things or by stubbornness and disrespectful language to those who had a right to my obedience?

Spiritual Guidance - Self-Love

The Sacrament of Confession

Picture source

First, I hope God blesses abundantly all the priests who hear confessions day in and day out. Even though it is their duty, they bring so much peace into the heart of the penitent and for this we are eternally grateful.

The Confessional is a place where people let God’s love win.  The Confessional is the most joyful, humbling, and inspiring place in the world. - Father Mike Schmitz

Please read the following article by Father Mike Schmitz. It is a powerful statement for the sacrament of reconciliation. Inside the Confessional: What it is like for a Priest .  I would also ask that you take the time to pray the following prayer from the heart.  Surprisingly, it was written by Saint John Neumann, whose feast day we celebrated the other day.

"My Lord, Jesus, behold me defiled by sin.  Again I have stained the holy garment of grace in my soul that Your blood has cleansed so often.  O , Father of mercy, hear my prayer.  Give me a true spirit of penance that through the humble supplication of a contrite heart I may again receive pardon.

Since my last confession I have fallen more frequently than usual.  My Jesus, I have gone back.  But do not forsake me, though I richly deserve to be rejected as obstinate and incorrigible.  Behold me prostrate before You, O my God.  My sinfulness weighs me down.  Alas, Jesus my God and Savior, I dare not raise my eyes to You.  How can I who have so often violated my past resolves presume to ask pardon again?

O my soul, crushed by the load of sin, take courage; your Redeemer will console you in your desolation.  Reject me not, though I have miserably broken my promises of amendment.  Cast not off your wretched child or I shall be forever lost.  From my heart I grieve for having offended You.  O holy Mother of God, my guardian angel, my holy patrons, intercede for me with my judge and obtain for me the pardon of my sins.  O Jesus, grant me a true spirit of penance.  My Jesus, have mercy on me.

From the January 5, 2015 Magnificat

The Most Holy Name of Jesus - Prayer of Petition

"Whatever you ask in my name, I will do." 

- (John 14:13)

Prayer of Petition

O Divine Jesus,

Thou hast promised that anything we ask of the eternal Father in Thy name shall be granted.

O Eternal Father.  

In the name of Jesus, for the love of Jesus,

in fulfillment of this promise, 

and because Jesus has said it,

grant us our petitions for the sake of Jesus,

Thy Divine Son.

Amen.

The Prayer Book, The Catholic Press, Inc.

Epiphany Blessing for the Home - 2015

by Henry Siddons Mowbray

This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany.  Traditionally, the Church celebrated it on January 6th.

The following is the blessing for the home.

Epiphany Blessing of the Home & Household - 2015

The traditional date of Epiphany is January 6, but in the United States it is celebrated on the Sunday
after Christmas, between January 2 and January 8. The whole of the Christmas season, especially on
the feast of the Epiphany, is a traditional time to bless homes, including passageways and doorways.

Often related to these blessings is a ritual of “chalking” the doors of the home with the numbers of the year separated by the initials, CMB. The letters traditionally refer to the legendary names of the three kings: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar (Scripture neither names them nor says there were three of them). Another tradition refers to it as the abbreviation of the Latin phrase, Christus mansionem
benedicat, translated as “May Christ bless this house.”

Here is one form of an Epiphany House Blessing:
V. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
A. Amen
V. Peace be to this house and: to all who dwell here, in the name of the Lord.
A. Blessed be God forever.

V. A reading from the holy gospel according to St. John
A. Glory to You, O Lord.
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the
beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be….. And
the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only
Son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3.14)
A. Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ

After the prayers of the blessing are recited, each room of the home is sprinkled with holy water. The
year and initials of the Magi are inscribed above the doors with the blessed chalk (Casper, Melchior
and Balthasar with the first two numerals of the year preceding the C and the last two numerals of the
year placed after the B).

20 + C + M + B + 15

As you inscribe the initials say: “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” which means “May Christ bless this house”.)

V. Lord God of heaven and earth, you revealed your only begotten Son to every nation by the guidance of a star. Bless this house and all who inhabit it. May we be blessed with health, goodness of heart, gentleness and the keeping of your law. Fill us with the light of Christ, that our love for each other may go out to all. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

A. Amen.

 Source