One of Brother Jordan Turano’s classmates in the Dominican order is a young man named Nicholas Lombardo. I first met Brother Nicholas when he was a student at Brown University. He entered the Dominicans shortly after graduation. A couple of weeks ago he sent me an e-mail, telling me that he had recently written a guide to confession which was now available on the Knights of Columbus web site. I decided to check it out for myself, and in the process I discovered that he had put together a great examination of conscience—one that was both challenging and thorough. I’ll share it with you today at this Mass. My purpose is to help us all prepare properly for our next confession. (On that note, next Saturday I and two other priests will be hearing confessions from 1 to 3 PM here in our church. At that time, you can happily get rid of any sins the Holy Spirit makes you aware of this morning through these questions.)

Actually it’s quite appropriate for us to examine our consciences today, given the three Scripture readings we just heard. The first was the famous prophecy from Jeremiah 31 about the new covenant God would make with his people: "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days says the Lord . . . I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more." As Christians, we know those words were fulfilled when Jesus Christ paid the price on Good Friday for the sins of the entire human race. Because of our Lord’s sacrifice, any and every sin can be wiped away. As Jesus said to the Greeks in our Gospel text from John 12: "And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself." In other words, "I will atone for the sins of every person." But God will not forgive us without our consent and cooperation. Which brings us to our second reading from Hebrews 5, where the sacred author says that Jesus became the source of eternal salvation "for all who obey him." Obedience to Jesus involves contrition, confession and a firm purpose of amendment. As our Lord commanded us at the very beginning of his ministry: "Repent, and believe in the gospel." As I now read these questions to you, make a resolution to obey Jesus by going to confession soon, and by taking to him all the sins he makes you aware of today—so that they can be washed away forever by his precious blood.

[My comments are in italics and bracketed.]

1. I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me.

Do I seek to love God with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength (Deut. 6:5)?

Does he hold the first place in my life? Do I pray daily?

Have I had any direct involvement with the occult, witchcraft, wicca, ouija boards, seances, tarot cards, new

age crystals, fortune telling, or the like? Have I put faith in horoscopes?

Have I received Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin?

Have I abused the Sacrament of Reconciliation by deliberately lying to the priest or deliberately choosing not to confess a mortal sin?

Have I publicly denied a truth of the faith out of concern for the respect or opinion of others?

2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

Have I used God's holy name irreverently?

Have I deliberately cursed or ridiculed God, the Church, Mary, the saints, or sacred places or things?

3. Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.

Do I try to keep Sunday as a day of prayer, rest, and relaxation, avoiding unnecessary work?

Have I deliberately come late or left early from Mass without a good reason? [I’m so glad Brother Nicholas put that one in here! Yes, it’s a sin!]

4. Honor your father and your mother.

Do I honor and respect my parents?

Have I deliberately harmed my parents?

Do I treat my children with love, respect and affection?

Am I concerned about the well-being of all family members?

Do I respect and obey my legitimate superiors?

5. You shall not kill.

Have I deliberately harmed anyone?

Have I had an abortion or encouraged an abortion?

Have I attempted suicide or given deliberate consent to the idea?

Have I abused drugs or alcohol?

Have I led anyone to sin through bad example or through direct encouragement?

6. You shall not commit adultery.

For the married

Am I faithful to my spouse in thought and action?

Have I used artificial contraception, or been sterilized? [I dare say, these are two serious sins which are frequently committed, but infrequently confessed.]

Was I married outside the Church without proper permission of the Church?

For the unmarried

Have I engaged in any sexual activity with anyone of either sex?

For all

Am I chaste in my demonstrations of affection?

Have I indulged in pornographic magazines, videos, or internet websites?

Have I masturbated?

Have I spoken impurely or told impure jokes?

Do I dress modestly?

7. You shall not steal.

Have I stolen or accepted stolen goods?

Have I deliberately destroyed the property of others?

Have I cheated anyone of what I owe?

Do I gamble excessively? [Please hear that, casino patrons.]

Do I share what I have with the poor and the Church according to my means?

Have I pirated materials: videos, music, software?

8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Have I lied?

Have I sworn falsely?

Have I plagiarized or been academically dishonest?

Have I gossiped?

Have I revealed secrets or confidential information without good reason?

Have I ruined the good name of others by spreading lies or maliciously revealing their faults and sins?

9. You shall not desire your neighbor's wife.

Have I deliberately and consciously entertained sexual thoughts about anyone besides my spouse?

Do I guard my imagination and senses?

Have I watched shows, plays, pictures, or movies that contain impure scenes with the deliberate intention of being aroused by them?

Am I responsible about what I read?

10. You shall not desire your neighbor's goods.

Am I envious or excessively desirous of the possessions, abilities, talents, beauty, or success of others?

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Am I concerned about the best interests of my neighbor, even if I dislike him or her? Have I wished harm or misfortune on anyone?

Do I pray from my heart for my enemies and those who have hurt me? Do I harbor hatred or grudges?

Have I maliciously ridiculed or humiliated others?

Do I seek to help others in need? Am I willing to help others when the circumstances call for it?

Do I love myself as God loves me? Do I care for my physical, emotional, and spiritual health?

Do I forgive myself for my sins after bringing them to God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation? [If God has forgiven us, we must be humble enough to forgive ourselves--as difficult as that might be at times.]

Precepts of the Church

Have I deliberately missed Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day of obligation without a serious reason (e.g., illness or lack of suitable transportation)?

Do I go to confession at least once a year when I have serious sins to confess?

Do I receive Holy Communion at least once during the year, during Eastertime if possible?

Do I ordinarily abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent (for ages 14 and over), and fast on one full meal on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday (for ages 18-59)?

Do I fast for one hour before Holy Communion (water and medicine allowed)?

Do I contribute to support the material needs of the Church?

I’d like to conclude my homily today by saying, "Thank you, Brother Nicholas. Your superb examination of conscience has given me some very good homily material (and I’m always looking for good homily material). For those of us who sincerely want to love Jesus more deeply, you’ve provided a great deal of "food for thought"—as well as plenty of matter for our next confession!"

Finally, if some of us still need motivation to receive this great sacrament, may we find it in these beautiful words of St. Maximillian Kolbe: