APPENDIX  

Examination of Conscience through the Ten Commandments  

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

• Have I given first place in my heart and life to God or to someone/something else e.g. persons, saints, political parties, ideologies, organisations, ideals, power or position, wealth, beauty, health, children, wife, husband, parents etc.?  
• Have I worshiped any gods or goddesses of other religions?  
• Have I been embarrassed or ashamed to pray or praise God in public?  
• Have I been hungry for praise and attention?  
• Have I been in possession of any unholy, evil or occult literature or media?  
• Have I received the sacraments regularly? (daily Eucharist if possible, weekly/monthly confession if possible, weekly fasting if healthy)  
• Have I confessed without repenting of my sins?  
• Have I made a false/incomplete confession; not revealed my sins during confession?  
• Did I ever give up on prayer because I did not see results?  
• Did I leave my Catholic faith at any time?  
• Have I boasted?  
• Have I seen or treated numbers, colours or any dates as lucky or unlucky?  
• Have I worn or carried any artefact for good luck, healing, protection or blessing?  
• Have I participated in any satanic ritual or worship?  
• Have I found it hard to serve others?  
• Have I found it hard to work under others or take orders?  
• Do I have the habit of justifying myself (self-justification)?  
• Have I looked down upon others (haughty eyes)?  
• Have I been arrogant towards people under me?  
• Have I had pride in myself?  
• Have I left out the teachings of Christ which are hard for me to follow?  
• Have I avoided family prayer? Have I set a wrong example for my family members in leading a sacramental life?  
• Has my prayer time been compromised because of work, rest, laziness or family commitments?  
• Have I presumed in my own capacity to attain holiness and eternal life?  
• Have I sought praise and compliments for what I do?  
• Have I taken the forgiveness of God for granted and kept adding sin to sin?  
• Have I contributed to the Church cheerfully, or do I give under compulsion, or is it guilt-driven?  
• Have I been irresponsive to the church or my parish or its ministry by not offering my time, talents or, if able, financial support?  
• Have I deliberately neglected the community prayer in my parish or discouraged others participating in it?  
• Have I neglected my duties in maintaining holiness in the house of the Lord (Church, Retreat Centres, Monasteries etc.) and its surroundings?  
• Have I watched or listened to any ungodly shows, movies or music?  
• Am I angry at God for my sufferings or sicknesses of my family members?  
• Have I, in any way, used the gifts and charisms of the Holy Spirit for my personal or monetary gain?  
• Have I ever made fun of the manifestations of the charisms of the Holy Spirit?  
• Have I indulged in questioning /hating the Word of God, insulting the word of God, or  preventing the Word of God from being preached?  
• Have I interacted, entertained or participated in the prayer meetings of those who misinterpret the word of God?  
• Have I acted in disobedience to the will of God, after the message has been revealed to me through the Word of God, authorities, parents, wife, husband, children etc.?  
• Have I been ungrateful to God; forgetting God's miracles and kindness?  
• Have I felt ashamed to witness Jesus in front of others?  
• Have I caused hatred towards God among others?
• Have I participated in anything that is of the occult or fortune telling, astrology, palm reading, black magic? Have I worshipped the planets and stars?  
• Have I kept the days of Fasting and Abstinence appointed by the Church?  
• Have I liked or shared messages that tarnish the image of the Church, priests, missionaries etc?  
• Have I made Mother Mary my sole mediator or an object of worship, thereby denying the power of Jesus and his work on the Cross?  
• Have I spoken anything against our Blessed Mother?  
• Have I rebelled against the Pope or the Church in my thoughts, words or actions?  
• Have I shown lack of willingness to give up my evil practices and stubborn ways?  
• Have I spent enough time in prayer?  
• Have I insulted those who are serving God?

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

• All vows are for the glory of God. Have I Intentionally kept away from fulfilling such Vows?  
• Have I made Promises to God and not kept them?  
• Have blasphemed oy spoken against God?  
• Have I sworn falsely in the name of the Lord, or the Bible, or made others do so?  
• Have I used Swear words?  
• Have I misquoted and tweaked scripture to live by my own beliefs and standards?  
• Have I ever received Holy Communion without fasting for an hour?  
• Have I misled others due to my limited understanding of God?  
• Have I taken the name of the Lord in vain?  
• Have I cursed or sworn using the name of the Lord 

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

• Have I observed the Sabbath day and the days of obligation in holiness? Have I been rebellious about going to church on Sundays?  
• Have I failed or forgotten to attend Holy Mass on holy days of obligation?  
• Have I received the Holy Sacraments unworthily, without preparation or without faith?  
• Have I dishonoured the Sabbath day by unnecessarily working or making others work, or obstructed others from keeping it Holy? On such days, have I devoted enough time to God, or did I show a lack of zeal?  
• Do I have the habit of coming late or leaving early during Holy Mass?  
• Have I wilfully neglected participating in the Holy Mass; dressed or behaved inappropriately or stood in a manner so as to obstruct others' observance of the Holy Mass?  
• Have I shown a lack of zeal to grow in Holiness? 

4. Honour your Father and your Mother.  

• Have I ever verbally, physically, emotionally or mentally abused my parents?  
• Have I insulted my parents in front of others?  
• Have I raised my hand or my voice against my parents?  
• Have I attended to my parents' basic needs if they are disabled or sick? Have I cared for them without complaining?  
• Have I seen my parents as my enemies?  
• Have I cursed my parents? Have I shown anger towards my parents, or been arrogant, stubborn or rebellious towards them?  
• Have I ever blamed my parents for my missed opportunities in life?  
• Have I grieved, disrespected, insulted or troubled the authority of my parents? Have I talked back to them?  
• Have I been willing to accommodate my parents if they have no place to go?  
• Have I ever told my parents to leave the home?  
• Have I ever wished that my parents would die?  
• Do I visit my parents often if they are not living with me?  
• Have I been compassionate and considerate towards my child in his/her weaknesses?  
• Have I interfered in my child's married life?  
• Have I, at any time, seen my child as a burden?  
• Have I loved and accepted my child from the moment of his/her conception?  
• Have I, at any time, rejected my child due to a weakness or disability in them?  
• Have I had unjust or unrealistic demands and expectations of my child or spouse?  
• Does my discipline come from a place of love for my child or out of my negative personality?  
• Have I ever compared my child to other children?  
• Have I ever condemned or ridiculed my child?  
• Have I ever physically, verbally, emotionally or sexually abused my child or my spouse?  
• Have I made an effort to be present for my child and my family?  
• Have I encouraged my child to grow in his/her faith?  

5. You shall not kill. 

• Have I been the cause of the death of anyone?  
• Have I desired to kill or inflict harm to a human being?  
• Have I threatened anyone with bodily harm or death?  
• Am I addicted to toys, video games, or gadgets of violence and hatred?  
• Have I reacted badly when my mobile phone or computer was taken away from me?  
• Have I incited violence or hatred in the name of religion, race, caste etc?  
• Have I discriminated anyone based on their colour, political affiliation, caste, race, religion, etc?  
• Have I introduced alcohol, tobacco, or drugs to others and caused them to sin?  
• Have I been involved in an abortion, encouraged others to have one, had one myself, provided advice or facilitated it?
• If pregnant, have I deliberately done anything to negatively affect the health of my baby?  
• Am I always finding fault with others?  
• Do I get angry or curse when unpleasant things happen to me?  
• Do I have any unforgiveness or bitterness towards the clergy?  
• Have I laughed at or made fun of my family members or others for their faith?  
• Have I watched or do I have an interest in watching movies and shows filled with violence and horror?  
• Have I misbehaved with others in a state of drunkenness?  
• Have I unjustly used force, blackmail, or threats to recover money or other things that were owed to me?  
• Have I been unforgiving to the one who owes me money?  
• Have I condemned myself and longed to die?  
• Have I thought of or tried to commit suicide?  
• Have I tortured my body through extreme sadness, anxiety, fear, deliberate avoidance of food etc. ?
• Have I failed to accept myself?  
• Have my words, actions, or behaviour caused anyone to attempt suicide?  
• Have I refused assistance to a person in danger?  
• Have I sowed the seeds of hatred or spoken ill of others? "Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him."  
• Have I disgraced anyone through my speech or obstructed their spiritual growth? Have I wished evil of anyone?  
• Have I become restless or failed to rejoice in the progress, well-being or growth of my brothers and sisters?  
• Have I shared social media posts speaking against others without verifying the authenticity of it?  
• Have I vocally complained to others; do I have the characteristics of a negative person?  
• Have I behaved ill-manneredly or disrespectfully to my friends and family, or acted in ways that may have hurt them physically, emotionally or mentally?  
• Have I revealed or disclosed the faults, failures or secrets of others? Have I gossiped?  
• Have I thought about revenge, or decided to pay back others for the wrong they have done to me?  
• Have I held grudges against others and refused to forgive them?  
• Have I aided anyone in committing sin, e.g. through my advice, purchases etc?  
• Have I abused alcohol or drugs, or sold/given alcohol/drugs to others?  
• Have I driven or operated machinery under the influence of alcohol?  
• Have I driven carelessly, thereby putting myself and other's lives at risk?
• Have I followed all traffic rules?  
• Have I encouraged gluttony? Have I felt anger when I did not get the food I wanted? 

6. You shall not commit adultery.  

• Have I ever had a physical relationship with anyone without the sacrament of marriage?  
• Have I ever encouraged extra marital relationships?  
• Have I committed adultery by living together without the sacrament of marriage? 
• Have I committed adultery in my heart by looking at men/women lustfully?  
• Have I committed the sin of divorce or separated from my spouse without valid reason?  
• Have I ever had thoughts of separating or divorcing my spouse?  
• Have I ever encouraged premarital relationships?  
• Have I used artificial means of contraception?  
• Have I refused to conceive children out of selfishness or material greed?  
• Have I demanded sexual favours from anyone?  
• Have I supported the legalisation of homosexual unions?  
• Have I touched others or allowed others to touch me in an impure manner?  
• Have I tempted anyone to sin through my dress sense, words or actions?  
• Do I have the habit of wearing indecent and revealing clothes?  
• Have I seduced anyone through my words or actions?  
• Have I sent explicit messages or photos to others?  
• Have I engaged in any kind of phone sex?  
• Have I read pornographic literature, looked at pornographic pictures, or watched pornographic shows/movies?  
• Have I acted in pornographic movies?  
• Do I entertain thoughts about my past romantic relationships?
• Have I taken pleasure in remembering my old sins?  
• Have I sold or exchanged adult movies or materials?  
• Have I used any kind of sex toys or adult magazines or novels?  
• Have I used social media to form wrong friendships and indulge in unholy conversations?  
• Have I masturbated? Am I addicted to it?  
• Have I indulged in homosexual activities?  
• Have I refused the marital rights of my spouse?  
• Have I sexually abused anyone? Have I committed rape, or encouraged others to commit this crime?  
• Have I committed the sin of paedophilia?  
• Have I had sexual relations with animals?  
• Have I allowed misunderstandings, miscommunication or accidents to cause anger and mistrust towards my spouse?  
• Have I allowed resentment and bitterness toward my spouse to take root in my mind? Have I nurtured these?  
• Have I been unconcerned about the spiritual well-being of my spouse?  
• Have I manipulated my spouse to get my own way?  
• Do I treat my spouse as a slave? Do I ignore or neglect them?  
• Am I still living like a single person after marriage?  
• Have I withheld any of my spouse's basic rights?  
• Do I compare my spouse with others?  
• Have I failed to give up friendships, hobbies or passions that conflict with my marriage?  

7. You shall not steal.  

• Have I stolen money, valuables or anything else?  
• Have I ever shoplifted?  
• Have I stolen someone’s work and claimed it as my own?  
• Have I forged documents for personal gain?  
• Have I stolen or misused another person’s identity?  
• Have I hacked into any networks or systems to steal data or spread a virus?  
• Have I knowingly uploaded or transmitted content over the internet without permission?
• Have I lied when reporting my working hours?  
• Have I used office hours to carry out my personal work?  
• Have I wasted time at work?  
• Have I ever underperformed at work, resulting in a loss to the company?  
• Do I have the habit of imitating or making fun of my superiors behind their backs?  
• Have I misused work amenities like cars, travel allowance or other benefits?  
• Have I withheld the legal rights of my brethren and workers, e.g. drinking water, electricity, charged unreasonable interest, withheld their salary, engaged in boundary disputes, illegally annexed properties, used false scales (weights), etc.?  
• Have I accepted or given bribes, thereby robbing others of their rights?  
• Have I caused damage to another’s property due to my negligence and refused to take responsibility for it?  
• Have I been considerate to people if I have used my authority to collect debt or interest?  
• Have I flattered another person to please, or for personal gain?  
• Have I watched movies or shows from pirated or illegal websites?  
• Have I refused to help others financially even when I have had the money to do so?  
• Have I wasted electricity, food or anything else?  
• Have I been selfish?  
• Have I given my contribution to the Church regularly?  
• If the damage is irreparable or unrestorable, do I at least pray for the victims?  

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

• Have I told lies?
• Have I gossiped, or spread rumours about another person? Have I listened to such things eagerly?  
• Have I been judgemental?  
• Have I rejoiced in the downfall of my neighbour?  
• Have I slandered anyone?  
• Have I lied in a court under oath?  
• Have I falsely testified at work resulting in penalties, or the termination of my co-workers?  
• Have I made any false claims to receive coverage or benefits?  
• Have I blamed anyone for my mistakes?  
• Have I been open and honest with all of my business partners?  
• Have I done any kind of financial or business dealings without the due knowledge of my spouse?  
• Have I made unmerited or false claims about the products or services I provide? 

9. You shall not covet your neighbour's wife.  

• Have I coveted anyone's home, wife/husband, lifestyle, occupation or possessions?  
• Have I engaged in sexual fantasies? Have I looked at, touched, or thought about others lustfully or sexually?  
• Have I obstructed anyone's marriage or destroyed the family life of others?  

10. You shall not covet your neighbour's goods.  

• Have I been ambitious about worldly titles and rewards?  
• Have I encroached on another person's property?  
• Have I extracted labour from a person against his will?  
• Have I given attention to the needs of the poor and vulnerable in my community and throughout the world?  
• Do I have a history of not paying back my creditors?  
• Have I treated everyone with respect, no matter their position or class?  
• Have I been jealous or envious of others?  
• Have I carried out money laundering or accepted bribes?  
• Have I failed to pay taxes or to pay for travel tickets?  
• Have I gathered wealth in wrong ways or craved to pile up wealth without a mind of charity?  
• Have I made false documents or judgements?  
• Have I stolen anything from the institutions that I am part of, e.g. school, library, church, workplace, etc.?  
• Have I vandalised any public or private property as an act of revenge?  
• Have I made money or material possessions the sole purpose of my life?  

Capital sins : Anger, Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Pride, and Sloth