A Guide to Confession

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I denied that I was a Catholic, or openly expressed my disbelief in any doctrine of the Catholic faith?
2. Have I affiliated myself, even for a short time, with a nonCatholic sect or religious body?
3. Have I suggested or encouraged doubts about the Catholic faith in the minds of others?
4. Have I seriously expressed the opinion that all religions are equally good or equally true or equally pleasing to God?
5. Have I neglected to settle, by reading, studying, consulting, etc., serious doubts about my faith, when such neglect was evidently leading to a loss of faith?
6. Have I, without the necessary permission, read or kept or given to others forbidden books, such as Protestant Bibles, books on the Index of Prohibited Publications, books that pretend or profess to disprove the truth of the Catholic faith or that profess to prove the truth of a religion contrary to my faith?
7. Have I, without a serious reason, associated with persons who tried to destroy my faith?
8. Have I attended meetings or listened to speeches or sermons, which I knew would destroy seriously weaken my faith?
9. Have I joined a secret society forbidden by the laws of the Church, such as the Masons, the Oddfellows, etc?
10. Have I taken part in a Protestant church service?
11. Have I contributed to the advancement of a non-Catholic religious sect or movement as such?
12. Have I consulted a fortune-teller in the serious belief that I could learn something about the future, or made others think that I could tell their future when I knew that there was no adequate natural means of so doing?
13. Have I attended a spiritualistic séance?
14. Have I planned to marry, or actually pretended to enter the state of marriage, before a minister, or a judge, or a civil magistrate? Have I approved of other Catholics doing this or stood up for them when they did it?
15. Have I, without the necessary permission or reason, sent my children to a non-Catholic grade school, or approved of other Catholics doing so? Or without serious reason approved by the diocesan authorities, to a non-Catholic high school or university? Or have I done these things without making any provision to safeguard the faith of my children?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I been irreverent in church and before the Blessed Sacrament?
2. Have I disturbed and distracted others in their prayers and devotions?
3. Have I kept others from prayer or devotions for some selfish reason?
4. Have I carefully avoided giving any sign that I was a Catholic because I might have been subjected to some ridicule if I did?
5. Have I read only such books and magazines as might be called dangerous, even though they are not strictly forbidden, e.g., books giving false and worldly views of life, novels that are frothy and barren of any principle?
6. Have I seldom, if ever, made an explicit act of faith?
7. Have I been slow in trying to banish or overcome doubts against faith?
8. Have I been careless and half-hearted in teaching my children to love their faith and to make acts of faith?
9. Have I deliberately passed up direct opportunities of informing others about the Catholic faith by going out of my way to avoid speaking of it?
10. Have I accepted the will of God and believed firmly in His providence in the sorrows of life?
11. Have I been irreverent in the use of sacramentals, such as holy water, the Sign of the Cross, etc?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I denied the necessity of God's help to attain my salvation, believing that I could win heaven by my own efforts alone?
2. Have I said or seriously thought that God was too merciful to condemn anyone to hell, and that, therefore, despite my serious sins, I would surely be saved?
3. Have I continued in a habit of mortal sin because I believed that some day I would certainly have the grace to repent and be forgiven?
4. Have I committed a mortal sin just because I expected God to forgive me in confession afterwards?
5. Have I said or thought that prayer was not necessary for one who made up his mind to be good?
6. Have I neglected saying any prayer whatsoever for as long as a month at a time?
7. Have I refused to pray in a grave temptation because I did not want God to help me overcome it?
8. Have I deliberately entered a serious and unnecessary occasion of sin, thinking that God would miraculously preserved me from sin or graciously forgiven me if I fell?
9. Have I induced others to commit a sin by telling them that God would forgive them afterward?
10. Have I said that I did not believe in eternal hell?
11. Have I said or thought that it was impossible for me to overcome a certain passion or sinful habit?
12. Have I believed that because my sins in the past were so numerous or so terrible, I could not expect God to forgive me?
13. Have I quit going to Mass or praying because of the thought, "It doesn't do any good"?
14. Have I seriously complained that God sent me more trials than it was possible for me to bear?
15. Have I stopped praying for the grace to avoid sin and save my soul because God did not grant me a certain material favor for which I prayed?
16. Have I given up trying to overcome interior temptation because God would not take the temptation away?
17. Have I encouraged others to commit sins of impurity because "they could not stop committing them anyway”?
18. Have I used poverty as a reason for committing certain serious sins, because I did not believe that God could give me any material aid?
19. Have I scoffed at the joys of heaven, saying I would prefer to have heaven here on earth?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I brooded over my past sins, giving in half-voluntarily to the fear that they might not be forgiven?
2. Have I permitted discouragement to take possession of my heart because of my frequent faults or my lack of progress in virtue?
3. Have I permitted myself to worry excessively over material setbacks and difficulties, as if God did not know them and could not help me?
4. Have I been morose, melancholy, gloomy, in the presence of others, thus making them uncomfortable and unhappy?
5. Have I been overanxious in regard to my health, over-fearful lest some terrible disease might be contracted?
6. Have I complained against God for not preventing the sins of others, which injured me in some way?
7. Have I deliberately neglected easy opportunities for prayer and devotion, which would have made me stronger in virtue?
8. Have I neglected prayer entirely for days at a time?
9. Have I given in to unreasonable fear of death and of God's judgment?
10. Have I said that I was content to avoid hell, but would not try to avoid or shorten my purgatory?
11. Have I been slothful about trying to acquire the habit of praying in serious temptation?
12. Have I neglected practicing any devotion to the Mother of God, though saints and theologians tell us her help is morally necessary for all?
13. Have I neglected receiving the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion only because I could not feel any profit from them?
14. Have I given up prayer when prayer seemed difficult and uninviting?
15. Have I become so preoccupied working for money or a reputation, or my family, that I did not give myself time to pray or think of doing anything for heaven?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I neglected to fulfill the precept of going to confession at least once a year?
2. Have I failed to observe the law, which commands me to receive Holy Communion during the Paschal season?
3. Have I missed Mass on a Sunday or a holyday without a sufficient reason?
4. Have I, as a mother or father or guardian, caused or permitted my children who are above the age of reason, to miss Mass on Sundays or holydays of obligation?
5. Have I induced others to miss Mass on Sundays, or approved of their so doing?
6. Have I without reason come late to Mass, missing the Offertory, or have I left before the Communion of the Mass?
7. Have I tried to do serious bodily injury to any person consecrated to God?
8. Have I engaged in servile work, such as gardening, building, repairing, sewing, laundering, etc., for more than two hours on the Lord’s Day, when there was no urgent reason for doing so?
9. Have I made others work on Sunday when it was not necessary?
10. Have I broken a serious vow made to God, by which I had bound myself under pain of mortal sin?
11. Have I committed a sacrilege by receiving the Sacrament of Communion, Confirmation, or Matrimony while in the state of mortal sin?
12. Have I tried to lead a person bound to God by the vow of chastity into sin against his vow?
13. Have I stolen something valuable from the House of God, whether an article used in divine service or money given to the Church?
14. Have I deliberately mocked or made fun of the Sacraments or the Mass or any of the liturgical functions?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I been unconcerned and indifferent about acquiring a strong and faithful love of God?
2. Have I performed my external duties to God, such as hearing Mass, saying my prayers, receiving the Sacraments, in a distracted, impersonal, halfhearted manner?
3. Have I seldom, if ever, made a real act of love of God, except such as were implicit in the fulfillment of other duties?
4. Have I been disrespectful to God's very presence in church, by profane and useless talking and worldly actions?
5. Have I failed to think of the passion and death of the Son of God in my own sufferings, thus permitting myself to grumble and complain instead of making an act of love and submission?
6. Have I been unfaithful to little promises made to God?
7. Have I never shown my love of God by means of gratitude for the many favors He has given me?
8. Have I given in to worldly desires, which I knew in the beginning to be inconsistent with the love of God?
9. Have I been so fond of some venial sin like petty gossip, or vanity, or exaggerating, that I have made no effort to overcome it?
10. Have I never made the good intention of doing everything for love of God?
11. Have I been disrespectful towards, or concerning those, whom God has placed over me and who represent God?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I denied any of the attributes of God, e.g., saying that He is not all-powerful, all merciful, all just, etc.?
2. Have I said that I did not believe in God's providence, either directly by denying that He watches over all who love Him, or indirectly by saying that it is necessary to sin to avoid certain hardships?
3. Have I spoken with contempt of God, or of Christ, or of the Holy Eucharist, or of the Passion of Christ?
4. Have I deliberately expressed the wish that there was no God, so that I could sin without fear of punishment?
5. Have I accused God of cruelty, injustice, discrimination against me, because of some sorrow I had to bear?
6. Have I wished evil to God—for example, that He would be forgotten by men and offended more frequently?
7. Have I spoken slightingly or contemptuously of the Mother of God, or of the saints, or of monks, nuns, and priests as such?
8. Have I ridiculed the Sacraments or the Mass or any other holy ceremony?
9. Have I said that God did not and could not have inspired the Bible, or that there are things in the Bible that need not be believed?
10. Have I said that Christ did not found the Church, or that He has not preserved it from error?
11. Have I said that God expects too much of an individual by imposing the Ten Commandments on him?
12. Have I stated that any one of the commandments of God or precepts of the Church cannot be observed by ordinary folk?
13. Have I said that I owed nothing to God and therefore did not need to go to Church or practice any religion?
14. Have I denied the miracles of our Lord, or attributed them to deceit or natural causes?
15. Have I sworn falsely at a public trial, deliberately telling a falsehood when I had taken an oath to tell the truth?
16. Have I lied about important matters to which I had to swear in drawing up a statement or answering a questionnaire, e.g., pertaining to insurance, getting a position, taxes, etc.?
17. Have I sworn to God that I would keep a certain promise or perform a certain work when I did not intend to do so at all?
18. Have I deliberately called upon God to witness the truth of a lie that I told someone in private life?
19. Have I sworn to God that I would do something gravely unjust, like defrauding a neighbor, taking revenge, hurting someone?
20. Have I deliberately cursed a human being, which means seriously wishing or asking that God condemn his soul to hell or visit some other grave misfortune upon him?
21. Have I twisted the words of Christ or of the Bible into an obscene or evil form?
22. Have I, as a parent or guardian, blasphemed or cursed or sworn falsely before my children or even to my children?
23. Have I encouraged others to commit any of the above sins?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I used the name of "God" or "Christ" or "Jesus" or "Lord" as a byword, or as an expression of impatience, or in jest?
2. Have I spoken, not maliciously, but profanely and irreverently, of any holy thing?
3. Have I sworn, i.e., called upon God to witness the truth of what I was saying, when there was no serious reason for so doing, when the matter was trivial or foolish, even though I told no lie?
4. Have I used the language of cursing against inanimate things, or against animals, or against human beings even though I did not really wish the damnation of these last?
5. Have I permitted myself to acquire the habit of using God's name profanely, or of swearing or cursing almost without realization of what I was saying?
6. Have I laughed at others' profane use of God's name or other irreverent speech, as if I thought it amusing and wanted them to continue?
7. Have I neglected to correct a child subject to me, when the child used irreverent or profane language?
8. Have I permitted my children to go about with companions who made frequent use of profanity?
9. Have I repeated the profanity of others as something amusing and clever?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I, over a long period, refused to give any alms for the relief of the needy, even though I had many opportunities and sufficient means without depriving my family or myself of the necessities of life?
2. Have I, on un-Christian principles, refused to give any aid to missionaries working for the salvation of abandoned souls, though I could have given without great sacrifice?
3. As a doctor or a nurse, have I refused to give my needed services to someone in extreme danger of death because I knew there was no hope of being paid?
4. Have I demanded gravely exorbitant and unreasonable fees from those who needed my services?
5. Have I deliberately permitted a person to die without a priest and without religious ministrations?
6. Have I, out of human respect or fear of what others might think, failed to assist the dying spiritually when I knew they needed my help?
7. Have I squandered or given away money outside my home to the extent that it left my immediate family in want of necessary things?
8. Have I refused to remind someone of the danger of his state when I knew that that person had committed a mortal sin and that my warning alone would probably awaken repentance?
9. Have I refused to warn someone subject to my influence when I knew that person was about to commit a mortal sin and that I could easily and probably prevent it?
10. As a husband or wife have I made no effort to prevent mortal sins of my partner?
11. As a superior or one in authority have I neglected my duty of preventing those in my charge from committing mortal sin, or correcting them after they had fallen?
12. Have I failed to report to someone in authority the certain sins of a neighbor, which I knew were doing harm to innocent persons or to the community as a whole?
13. Have I done nothing to prevent the circulation of obscene books and magazines when I had the opportunity?
14. As a public official, have I permitted evil persons, such as abortionists, dope-peddlers, and obscene book-dealers to continue their illegal and immoral practices?
15. Have I permitted another to suffer grave injustice or mistreatment when my authority or influence could have prevented it?
16. Have I refused in my heart to forgive a person who has injured me?
17. Have I over a considerable period of time refused to talk to or acknowledge someone who has wronged me?
18. When I myself was guilty of doing evil against my neighbor, have I refused in word or in deed to show that I was sorry and wished to be forgiven?
19. When mutual offense was given between myself and another, have I refused to make any advances toward reconciliation unless the other person made them first?
20. Have I, by silence or approval, failed to prevent the serious defamation of another's character when I could have done so?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I been miserly and grudging in giving alms for the relief of the poor?
2. Have I been careless and negligent in my care of the sick who were dependent on me?
3. Have I failed to consider the poverty of others in charging them for my services?
4. Have I complained about being asked frequently to give alms for the salvation of abandoned souls at home or abroad?
5. Have I, as a well-to-do person, given far less than I could easily have contributed for the relief of the needy?
6. Have I measured my charity only by what others gave, or by what I might receive in return, instead of my ability to give to the need of others?
7. Have I demanded publicity and praise for every alms I gave?
8. Have I been ashamed or afraid to rebuke others for evil, even though I was not bound under pain of mortal sin to do so?
9. Have I, as a parent or guardian, negligently permitted those under my care to go uncorrected in their venial faults?
10. Have I nursed resentment against others, even though I did make an effort at forgiveness?
11. Have I allowed my sensitiveness to lead to hurt feelings and coolness towards others?
12. Have I failed to try to make others happy and comfortable, giving in to morose, gloomy, selfish moods?
13. Have I rejected ready-made opportunities to comfort someone in sorrow, or to encourage someone in danger of despair?
14. Have I gone out of my way to evade an opportunity to enlighten someone on religious truth?
15. Have I permitted gossip and petty tale-bearing to go on in my presence without an effort to change the subject?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I hated others, which means actually and deliberately wishing them grave harm on earth or the loss of their souls?
2. Have I callously rejoiced over the serious misfortunes that came to others, not because they might be turned away from sin thereby, but because it pleased me to see them suffer?
3. Have I sought opportunities to revenge myself on others by inflicting serious pain on them?
4. Have I slandered others, i.e., attributed serious sins to them which they did not commit, or of which I had no evidence?
5. Have I ruined the reputation of others, telling their secret serious sins to persons who could not otherwise have known and who had no reason to know these sins?
6. Have I lied in order that I might gain from another's serious loss?
7. Have I directly desired and tried to lead another into sin, because I wanted to turn him away from religion?
8. Have I induced another to sin to gratify my own passions?
9. Have I tried to induce another person to sin seriously, even though I did not succeed?
10. Have I advised or otherwise induced persons to practice contraception, or abortion, or to get a divorce and remarry?
11. Have I taught employees or others under my supervision how to cheat in business for the sake of profit?
12. Have I sold or given away obscene magazines, bad pictures, or contraceptives, or other things designed for sin?
13. Have I destroyed or lessened the faith of others by speaking contemptuously about religion, or the Church, or priests, etc.?
14. Have I advised or encouraged Catholics not to send their children to a Catholic school?
15. Have I urged another to keep on drinking until he became intoxicated?
16. Have I sold liquor to persons when I knew they were already intoxicated and would keep on drinking, or when I knew they were about to become intoxicated?
17. Have I committed a mortal sin that did not involve others, knowing, however, that my example would probably lead others to do the same?
18. Have I given occasion to evil thoughts in others by gravely immodest dress, looks, words, or actions?
19. Have I cooperated with another in the commission of a mortal sin—for example, of stealing, by providing the necessary means or the necessary occasion?
20. Have I helped doctors perform illegal operations, or businessmen to consummate unjust transactions, or heretics to spread false doctrines?
21. Have I assisted at the invalid marriage of a Catholic before a judge or minister, or taken part in any non-Catholic religious ceremony?
22. Have I deprived an unborn child of its right to life by causing an abortion, or paying for an abortion, or cooperating in it in some other way?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I been touchy and sensitive towards those around me?
2. Have I permitted jealousy of another who was promoted ahead of me to show itself in my conduct?
3. Because I did not like others, did I refuse to cooperate with them in work we were given to do?
4. Have I engaged in petty gossip about my neighbors?
5. Have I told my friends the unkind remarks others made about them, thus fomenting ill-will?
6. Have I attributed bad motives to others when I could not be certain of their motives?
7. Have I hurt others by my flare-ups of anger and impatience?
8. Have I made cutting, sarcastic remarks to others?
9. Have I contributed to the venial sins of others by unreasonably teasing or annoying them?
10. Have I lessened the fear of sin in others by thoughtlessly making light of some sin?
11. Have I led others into venial sin by suggestion or bad example?
12. Have I prevented others from performing a good work by dissuading them from it?
13. Have I committed venial sins in the presence of children, knowing that they might possibly imitate me?
14. Have I approved the venial sins of others by providing them with justifying reasons?
15. Have I failed to remove the possibility of scandal being taken from some good action of mine when I could easily have done so?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I directly stolen anything of considerable value from another, i.e., either 1) of great value to the person involved, as one or two dollars might be to a poor person, or five dollars might be to a person of more means; or 2) of great value in itself and in the common estimation of society, so that even if it were taken from a corporation or a very rich person, it would still be considered a grave injustice?
2. Have I stolen a considerable sum of money or valuable articles from a church, which adds sacrilege to the sin of theft?
3. Have I stolen small sums from a person or corporation with the intention of continuing the practice over a period of time?
4. Have I actually continued to steal small amounts at regular intervals and so taken a large sum over a period of time?
5. Have I joined with others in stealing, each one agreeing to take a little, but the total amounting to a grave sum?
6. Have I failed to make restitution for grave thefts when I could have done so?
7. Have I accepted stolen goods from another, either as a gift or a sale, to be used by myself or sold again?
8. Have I willfully injured the property of another to a serious extent?
9. Have I refused to pay for another person's property that I have willfully and seriously damaged?
10. Have I defrauded another of something valuable, to which he had a right, by telling a lie, or giving false testimony, or secretly changing a contract or a will?
11. Have I acquired the property of another through deceit, lying, misrepresentation, etc., or sold a bad investment in the same way?
12. Have I found something of considerable value and kept it when I knew the owner, or failed to try to find the owner when there was a possibility of doing so?
13. Have I deprived my family of a decent living by keeping my money for myself or foolishly spending it?
14. Have I, as executor or official representative of another in business matters, enriched myself or others by acting contrary to his known will, or refused to carry out his express will in distributing his goods?
15. Have I given short weight or measure in selling things to others, either to the extent of a grave amount on one occasion, or by cheating in small amounts regularly and continuously?
16. Have I charged a gravely exorbitant price for something because I knew that somebody would pay that much?
17. Have I lied about the quality of something I sold or exchanged, thus cheating another gravely?
18. Have I enriched myself by paying gravely inadequate wages to those who worked for me?
19. Have I campaigned and conspired to prevent laborers from obtaining a living wage?
20. Have I cheated my employer by seriously neglecting the work I was hired to do?
21. Have I supported communists or racketeers in making unjust demands upon employers?
22. Have I cooperated in sabotage or the destruction of property because of labor disputes?
23. Have I cheated or deceived a partner in business so that there was a gravely unjust distribution of profits?
24. Have I bribed others to give me contracts to which I had no right, so that somebody was unjustly deprived of gain?
25. Have I taken bribes for the use of my authority either in business or public life, to give unjust preferences or awards to others?
26. As an official of the people, have I accepted bribes on condition that I would permit evil or allow it to go unpunished?
27. Have I cheated in gambling, or offered fixed devices for gambling to others, thus winning valuable stakes to which I had no right?
28. Have I evaded paying any just and grave debt I had incurred?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I deliberately stolen anything of small value, even though it was worth very little?
2. Have I used the property of others without their permission?
3. Have I damaged things belonging to others by carelessness and misuse?
4. Have I borrowed things from others, such as books, articles of clothing, etc., and never returned them?
5. Have I kept lost articles of small value when I knew or could find the owner?
6. Have I accepted small things from others, which I knew were stolen?
7. Have I given away small things that were not mine to give?
8. Have I lied my way out of small debts and obligations?
9. Have I been guilty of petty cheating in games of chance, thus gaining by dishonesty?
10. Have I induced people to give me things by lying about the extent of my property?
11. Have I failed to reveal to others the mistakes they inadvertently made in giving me too much change or more of a commodity than I paid for?
12. Have I neglected to make restitution for small articles I had stolen or unjustly acquired?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I deliberately taken delight in impure thoughts and images in my mind after I recognized them to be evil?
2. Have I knowingly consented to a desire for impure experiences, without any effort to suppress the desire?
3. Have I taken part in impure conversation for the express purpose of giving others bad thoughts or with the realization that they would probably consent to bad thoughts?
4. Have I gone out of my way to hear impure conversation or taken sinful pleasure in it when I heard it?
5. Have I read obscene books or looked at obscene pictures after I knew that they would cause serious temptations to sins of impurity?
6. Have I gone to places where I knew the entertainment was lewd and immoral, or attended obscene stage shows or movies?
7. Have I touched others impurely, or taken part in prolonged and intense kisses and embraces?
8. Have I caused or consented to solitary lust?
9. Have I taken part in sins of lust with others, and were they married or single, of the same sex or the opposite sex?
10. Have I sinned with someone related to me by blood or affinity?
11. Have I added sacrilege to the sin of impurity by desiring, or attempting, or consenting to sin with a person consecrated to God?
12. Have I made animals a means or an occasion of seriously sinful actions?
13. Have I forced another to submit to my lustful actions?
14. Have I encouraged others to sin against purity or told them that they could not avoid it?
15. Have I exposed others to grave danger by impure signs, actions or exposure?
16. (For married persons) Have I used contraceptive means whether natural (such as interruption) or artificial (such as instruments) in performing marriage duties?
17. Have I, without a good reason, refused or neglected to render the marriage obligation when seriously asked?
18. Have I, as a married person, committed sins of impurity with others, and were they married or single?
19. Have I failed to correct or train my children in regard to chastity when it was evident that there was need of such correction or training?
20. Have I exercised no watchfulness over the companykeeping of my adolescent sons and daughters, permitting and encouraging them to spend long hours alone and in dangerous circumstances?
21. Have I bought or sold, lent or given, obscene books or magazines or other objects to be used for impure purposes?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I, without a reason, read books or magazines that were at least dangerous, or concerned only with impassioned love?
2. Have I allowed my eyes to wander in curiosity over dangerous objects?
3. Have I been slow and half-hearted in trying to banish bad thoughts and desires?
4. Have I permitted decent expressions of love or friendship for another to be prolonged to the point of danger of lust?
5. Have I gone to shows or movies that I knew to be somewhat dangerous, at least in part?
6. Have I been careless about my clothing, posture, appearance, thus exposing others to some danger?
7. Have I shown half-deliberate interest in the evil conversation of others?
8. Have I, on the spur of the moment, uttered double-meaning words or phrases?
9. Have I sought out or continued companionship with others whom I knew to be inclined to evil jests and words?
10. Have I supported the publishers of daring and dangerous picture magazines or of borderline periodicals by buying or spreading their publications in any way?
11. Have I neglected to use special opportunities of grace and prayer when I was passing through a period of more than usual temptation?
12. Have I failed to check vigorously impulses and daydreams of unruly love and affection?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I, as a physician, nurse or attendant, deliberately given medicine or food to a sick person, which I knew would bring about their death?
2. Have I drunk intoxicating liquor to the extent that I lost control of my senses?
3. Have I sold intoxicating liquor to one whom I knew to be on the verge of intoxication?
4. Have I made my family suffer grave privation by spending most of my income on drink?
5. Have I knowingly broken my fast and then received Holy Communion?
6. Have I broken the law of abstinence by deliberately eating meat on a Friday or some other day of abstinence, unless excused or dispensed?
7. Have I without a reason of health or hard work or without a dispensation, broken the law of fast by taking more than one full meal on a day of fast?
8. Have I used drugs or narcotics, not under a doctor's orders, but for the sake of losing consciousness or with the danger of becoming an addict?
9. Have I, without serious reason, given drugs to others whom I knew to be in danger of becoming addicts?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I semi-deliberately made myself indisposed by overeating?
2. Have I given in to gluttony by nibbling almost every hour of the day?
3. Have I been indiscreet in not obeying the advice of a doctor as to my choice of foods?
4. Have I eaten slightly more than was permitted on days of fast when I had no excuse or dispensation?
5. Have I taken more intoxicating liquor than was good for me, even though I did not become actually drunk?
6. Have I run the risk of either harming my health or becoming an addict of drink by taking some form of alcohol too frequently?
7. Have I spent more than I could rightly afford on intoxicating beverages?
8. Have I jested about drunkenness and so lessened others' hatred of it as a grave sin?
9. Have I encouraged others to drink more than was good for them?
10. Have I broken a promise or pledge not to drink intoxicating liquor for a certain period of time?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I deliberately given in to hatred of my mother or my father, refusing to speak to them over a considerable period of time?
2. Have I deliberately wished serious harm to my parents, e.g., that they would die so that I might possess their goods?
3. Have I habitually treated my parents harshly, speaking contemptuously to them or of them, ridiculing them, cursing them, causing them severe pain and sorrow?
4. Have I refused to relieve the serious needs of my parents when I was able to do so, leaving them dependent on strangers for necessary food, clothing, or without medical care in sickness and danger of death?
5. Have I done nothing to insure spiritual care for my mother or father when it was needed, neglecting to provide for their receiving the Sacraments in danger of death?
6. Have I, as a lawyer or politician or influential businessman, used my power to break down or render useless just laws of the state made for the welfare of all?
7. Have I purposely struck my mother or father in resentment or deliberate bad will?
8. Have I disobeyed parents when they forbade my going with bad companions, or to bad shows and dangerous places?
9. Have I, as an official of the state, seriously failed in my duty by accepting bribes, permitting corruption, letting criminals off, etc.?
10. Have I, as a parishioner, fomented rebellion and disobedience among the people of a parish, by slander, conspiracy, etc., against my pastor?
11. Have I upset the home of my parents by frequently disobeying the rules they had a right to make make—concerning the persons to be brought into the house, concerning the hours I kept at night, concerning decent conduct within the home?
12. Have I, when earning money while living under the parental roof or while still subject to parents, refused to give them part of my earnings when they needed it or demanded it?
13. Have I, as a parent, given in to deliberate hatred of a son or daughter, by continual mistreatment, cursing, driving them out of my home without a serious reason?
14. Have I failed entirely to teach and discipline my children in serious matters such as morality and religion?
15. Have I, with deliberate and grave carelessness, endangered the life of a child, either by seriously dangerous conduct before birth, or by neglect of proper attention through the years of infancy?
16. Have I failed to have my child baptized at least within two weeks or thereabouts after birth, when there was no serious obstacle to so doing?
17. Have I given serious bad example to my children, by cursing in their presence, by serious quarreling, by impure talk, by neglecting serious religious obligations?
18. Have I failed to correct and punish my children for serious wrongs, or to forbid them to enter serious occasions of sin?
19. Have I refused to send my children to a Catholic school when I could have done so and had no permission from bishop or pastor to do otherwise?
20. Have I selfishly interfered with the vocation of a son or daughter when God seemed to be calling them to marriage or to a religious vocation and I had no serious reason for refusing to let them go?
21. Have I, as a pupil in school, seriously undermined the authority and harmed the work of my teacher by slander, rebellion, etc.?
22. Have I, as a teacher, seriously neglected my duties by failing to prepare myself in any way for my classes, by not teaching subjects I was hired to teach, etc.?
23. Have I, as an employee, failed to a grave degree in carrying out commands of an employer for which I was hired, or fomented rebellion and disobedience and sabotage among others?
24. Have I, as an employer, been seriously unjust to one or many of my employees, by driving them tyrannically, by demanding more than human nature could do, by allowing inhumane working conditions?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I failed to show love and gratitude to my parents, either by neglecting opportunities to do so, or by positively hurting them in small ways?
2. Have I failed in the respect due my parents, by laughing at them, being openly ashamed of them, talking harshly or or angrily to them, saying unkind things about them?
3. Have I disobeyed my parents in small things that they commanded or forbade?
4. Have I lied to my parents to avoid a reprimand or punishment?
5. Have I been stubborn and peevish and openly resentful against parents?
6. Have I neglected to ask or take advice from parents in matters in which their knowledge and experience are meant to guide me?
7. Have I selfishly refused to make life more comfortable and enjoyable for my parents when I could have done so?
8. Have I, in my own mature years, left my parents alone, seldom visiting them, seldom showing any gratitude or love?
9. As a parent, have I slothfully neglected the lesser duties I owed to my children, such as taking an interest in their school work, explaining difficult religious matters to them, encouraging extra habits of piety?
10. Have I given bad example to my children in venial matters, by anger, gossip, lying, etc.?
11. Have I failed to cooperate with teachers of my children by criticizing them to the children, countermanding some of their orders, etc.?
12. Have I, as a pupil in school, been disrespectful and disobedient to teachers?
13. Have I, as a teacher, given bad example to pupils, or failed to prepare well for my classes, or to fulfill minor obligations I assumed?
14. Have I, as an employee, been disobedient to just orders given by my employer, thus causing slight losses?
15. Have I, as an employer, given way to anger, partiality, and unfairness in dealing with my employees?
16. Have I, as a citizen, disregarded laws made for the safety and well being of all, or ridiculed those in authority who made the laws?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I deliberately permitted myself to become so violently angry that it destroyed my reason for a time and made me incapable of acting like a human being?
2. Have I hurt others seriously in anger?
3. Have I knowingly and deliberately made others angry to a point where they were bereft of reason?
4. Have I planned revenge against others, looking for an opportunity to do serious harm to them?
5. Have I actually taken revenge by doing serious harm, e.g., by ruining a person's business, by destroying his reputation, by stealing?
6. Have I permitted anger against others to become hatred, so that I wished them serious misfortune and refused to speak to them for a considerable length of time?
7. Have I refused to forgive others who had wronged me and who asked for forgiveness in a direct or indirect way?
8. After causing another to show signs of hatred for me, have I refused to show by any sign that I wanted to be forgiven?
9. Have I induced others to hate their neighbors by working on their anger and providing motives for continued hatred?
10. Have I, through jealousy of others, deliberately tried to destroy a good work that they were doing or to hamper it seriously?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I taken part in petty quarrels and bitter arguments?
2. Have I given in to sudden spurts of anger by harsh words, by calling names, by abusive language?
3. Have I shown dislike and antipathy for others by snubbing them, by being sarcastic toward them, or by any unkindness?
4. Have I given in to moods of sullenness and moroseness towards others?
5. Have I shown sensitiveness and hurt feelings over trifling matters?
6. Have I carried and shown a grudge against others for some time?
7. Have I talked back peevishly to superiors when I was corrected?
8. Have I, as a superior, corrected others in the heat of anger?
9. Have I shown envy of others by picking at their characters, by lessening their esteem in the eyes of others?
10. Have I teased others until I made them angry?
11. Have I approved and promoted the angry feelings of others?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. Have I considered myself capable of reading forbidden books without permission —books dealing with things contrary to my faith or destructive of morals—because I thought my judgment about these things was better than that of God and His Church, which forbids such reading?
2. Have I decided that it could do me no harm to attend nonCatholic services even though God's law and the law of His Church forbid it?
3. Have I made light of or even ridiculed certain doctrines or laws of the Catholic religion, as if I knew more than Christ or His Church?
4. Have I, with but a shallow and mediocre training in religious teaching, presumed to make quick judgments about doctrines I hardly even understood?
5. Have I shown my independence of God by missing Mass on Sunday without a reason, by eating meat on Friday, refusing to fast on days appointed?
6. Have I practically expressed the conviction that I know more than God and His Church by refusing to send my children to a Catholic school, or by saying that I do not believe a Catholic education is necessary for a Catholic child?
7. Have I drawn others into sins of impurity on the ground that God's law in this matter is old-fashioned, impossible, unimportant, or harmful?
8. Have I practiced any form of preventing conception in marriage because I maintained that God's law could not be kept, or, if kept, would result in too much hardship?
9. Have I refused to forgive someone who wronged me because I considered my honor a more valuable thing than that of God, who forgave His enemies and commanded me to forgive mine?
10. Have I slandered others because I thought revenge against them was necessary for my honor even though it is forbidden by God?
11. Have I used unjust methods in business because I deemed it more important for me to make money and "to get ahead" than to be obedient to God?
12. Have I used sinful means to attain social or political power because I would rather be above my fellow-human beings than subject to God?
13. Have I rebelled against superiors and the serious commands they gave because I thought my knowledge and dignity freed me from the necessity of obedience?
14. Have I failed to confess certain mortal sins I had committed because I said they were "my own affair," that "they were no business of the priest," that "I could get along without God's forgiveness"?
15. Have I maintained either in word or action, that it is unnecessary for a man to pray?

Original heading. Read with the explanation of grave matter, knowledge, and consent above.

1. 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?
2. Have I bragged about my accomplishments, my virtues, my abilities?
3. Have I given in to anger against others because I thought myself better than they were, and that they should know better than to cross me?
4. Have I shown my pride in the form of sensitiveness, resentment, pouting, and peevishness?
5. Have I talked about the faults of others, as if to say: "I have no faults at all"?
6. Have I complained about God's providence in permitting me certain trials, as if I were deserving of better treatment from Him?
7. Have I looked down on others who were less wealthy, less cultured, less learned, less prominent, less gifted than I?
8. Have I been too proud to take second place in any work or activity, withdrawing from it or hindering it because I could not be first?
9. Have I shown my pride in constant disobedience to my superiors in small things, or by stubbornness and disrespectful language to those who had a right to command me?
10. Have I neglected daily prayer as if I were strong enough and good enough to get along without God's help?