Guide · Pillar

Ten Commandments Examination of Conscience

A commandment-by-commandment examination drawn from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2052–2557). The questions below are not exhaustive — no examination is — but they are the ones the Church has historically asked Catholics to consider before walking into the confessional.

How to use this examination

Set aside fifteen to thirty minutes (an hour if it has been a long time). Begin with a brief prayer to the Holy Spirit asking for honesty. Walk each commandment slowly. For each, ask: what have I done in thought, word, deed, and omission since my last confession? Note specific failings, not categories.

The questions are starting points. The Catechism citations point to the relevant section if you want to read more. For background on what makes a sin mortal vs. venial, see mortal vs. venial sin.

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

(CCC 2084–2141)

Have I made anything — money, career, a relationship, an addiction, a political cause — more important than God?
Have I prayed daily? Have I attended Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation?
Have I taken seriously the formation of my own faith — reading Scripture, learning what the Church teaches?
Have I dabbled in the occult, fortune-telling, astrology, tarot, or New Age practices (CCC 2116)?
Have I despaired of God's mercy? Have I presumed on it as a license to sin?
Have I deliberately doubted, disbelieved, or denied articles of the Catholic faith?

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

(CCC 2142–2167)

Have I used God's name, Jesus's name, or the name of Mary or the saints irreverently — in anger, as a curse, casually?
Have I sworn falsely — taken an oath I did not intend to keep?
Have I broken a vow or a solemn promise?
Have I blasphemed — spoken contemptuously of God, the Church, or sacred things?
Have I used vulgar or profane speech in front of others, especially children?

3. Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day

(CCC 2168–2195)

Have I missed Sunday Mass through my own fault (CCC 2181)?
Have I been late to Mass, distracted during it, irreverent in receiving the Eucharist?
Have I done unnecessary servile work on Sundays, neglecting rest, family, and worship?
Have I observed the holy days of obligation?
Have I received the Eucharist while in a state of mortal sin (CCC 1385)?
Have I broken the Eucharistic fast (one hour before receiving, water and medicine excepted)?

4. Honor your father and your mother

(CCC 2196–2257)

Have I shown disrespect to my parents in word, deed, or attitude?
Have I cared for my parents as they age — visited, listened, supported them?
If I am a parent: have I provided for the religious formation of my children? Have I been a model of Christian life to them?
Have I disciplined my children in love rather than anger? Have I been present to them?
Have I been obedient to lawful authority — civil, ecclesiastical, professional — in matters that do not require disobedience?
If I am married: have I cherished my spouse, been faithful in body and mind, supported them in their faith?

5. You shall not kill

(CCC 2258–2330)

Have I procured, supported, paid for, or counseled an abortion (CCC 2270–2275)?
Have I considered or attempted suicide? Have I encouraged or assisted in another's suicide (CCC 2280–2283)?
Have I harmed myself through substance abuse, dangerous behaviors, or neglect of health?
Have I held grudges, refused to forgive, or harbored hatred?
Have I been physically violent toward anyone, including in anger or "discipline"?
Have I scandalized others — by my actions led them into sin (CCC 2284)?
Have I detracted from the dignity of others through cruelty, bullying, or contempt?
Have I voted for, supported, or actively promoted public policies that gravely violate human life?

6. You shall not commit adultery

(CCC 2331–2400)

Have I committed adultery, fornication, or any sexual act outside of marriage (CCC 2353–2356)?
Have I viewed pornography (CCC 2354)?
Have I masturbated (CCC 2352)?
If married: have I used or accepted contraception (CCC 2370)?
Have I been unfaithful in thought, look, or imagination?
Have I dressed or behaved in ways meant to provoke lust in others?
Have I engaged in flirtations, emotional affairs, or relationships that crossed appropriate lines?
Have I respected my spouse's body and dignity in our intimate life?

7. You shall not steal

(CCC 2401–2463)

Have I stolen money, goods, or property of significant value? Have I returned what was stolen, or made restitution (CCC 2412)?
Have I cheated on taxes, exams, expense reports, or in business dealings?
Have I taken time, supplies, or attention from my employer that I was paid for and did not give?
Have I damaged property and failed to repair it or pay for it?
Have I been unjust in wages, contracts, or treatment of those who work for me?
Have I given of my time, money, and skills to those in need (CCC 2447)?
Have I respected the goods of creation — living within my means, avoiding excessive consumption?

8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor

(CCC 2464–2513)

Have I lied? Have my lies harmed others?
Have I gossiped — revealed faults of others without serious reason (CCC 2477)?
Have I detracted — spoken truly of another's faults to those who had no right to know?
Have I calumniated — spoken falsely of another, damaging their reputation?
Have I judged rashly — assumed without sufficient reason a moral fault in another (CCC 2477)?
Have I broken promises or kept secrets I should have kept?
Have I been honest in my work, my finances, my relationships?

9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife

(CCC 2514–2533)

Have I willfully entertained impure thoughts or desires?
Have I deliberately looked at others with lust, on the street, online, in entertainment?
Have I cultivated impurity through what I read, watched, listened to, or imagined?
Have I worked at the discipline of custody of the eyes and the imagination?
Have I sought purity of heart through prayer, the sacraments, and concrete avoidance of occasions of sin (CCC 2520)?

10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods

(CCC 2534–2557)

Have I been envious of others' possessions, achievements, looks, relationships, or status?
Have I been ungrateful for what I have?
Have I let greed shape my decisions about work, money, possessions?
Have I given to the poor proportionate to my means (CCC 2447)?
Have I been driven by ambition or status-seeking in ways that hurt others?
Have I cultivated detachment — the freedom that allows generosity?

Confess. presents this same examination as an interactive flow on your phone — with severity hints, Catechism citations, and private notes for each item, all encrypted and on-device.

Download Confess.