How the Examination of Conscience and Consciousness Examen Orient Us to Goodness
Last year, Bishop Bonnar invited the faithful of the Diocese of Youngstown to turn to the devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In his 2025 pastoral letter, Take Heart! Do Not Lose Heart! Behold the Sacred Heart!, he calls us to the heart of the Lord. In 2024, Pope Francis released an encyclical, Dilexit Nos, which called the world to the heart of the Lord. The Pope’s calling had an additional invitation to action: to “compunction,” “consolation,” “reparation” and a mission of love in the world. These local and universal movements of the Church reflect the fundamental call to turn to the Lord, and then, a turning to the world.
We are turning and returning.
To this end, I would like to address two special kinds of turning in prayer. First is the “conversion” of our conscience in the Examination of Conscience. Second is the turning each day of our disposition through the practice of the Ignatian Consciousness Examen. In the latter, we look within at our life’s patterns each day and make continuous resolutions for gentle change.
What does it mean to “turn to the Lord” in conscience and in day-to-day living? Primarily, we desire to turn in what we do and who we are. Through the Examination of Conscience and the Ignatian Consciousness Examen, we turn our whole beings back to Jesus with the conviction to live as people conformed to Him through our Baptism—and in each of the sacraments of the Church. This “turning” is about returning to our identity as people made in the image and likeness of God, called to choose goodness over evil and to live as ones who offer up our lives as priests, teach as prophets and lay down our lives for others as servants. This is our essential identity to which we are continually called to turn … and return.
As a certified Catholic spiritual director, I accompany people along their spiritual journeys, providing them with a safe and sacred space where they can, in confidence, hear themselves speak of the movements of their hearts. Over many sessions, I am witness to the “hymn of humanity,” to the deepest spiritual desires of fellow journeyers along the road. Returning to our heart-space—wherein dwells the voice of God—is a compelling opportunity.
The Examination of Conscience
When approaching the Sacrament of Reconciliation, I remind myself—at my age of 63 years—that I need to move beyond “counting on my fingers” to “counting on my heart.” This brings our conversation to the Examination of Conscience. Perhaps left over from my childhood, I still sit in the pew counting, “How many times did I hit my sister?” “How many times did I use colorful and inappropriate language?” And so on. I act as though I am entering into some transaction where I will hand the priest a collection of my garbage and get cleaned. As I grow in the appreciation of the Sacrament, what I wish to do is turn my disposition and comportment toward conforming to the Lord. The Examination of Conscience, then, is an opportunity to reflect not so much on my doing, but on my being. I ponder, “How can I turn and return to my true identity with the Lord?”
One way this turning is facilitated is by reflecting on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-11).
As one can see, reflecting on the Beatitudes, the ethic and the “new law” by which Christ lives, invites me to turn back to Jesus and His Church as one conformed to Christ.
Through the sacramental absolution given by the priest, we are returned to our identity in Christ and His Church. With the Examination of Conscience and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we experience a turning and a returning. In the story of the Rich Young Man (Matthew 19:16-30), the well-intended one is asked by Jesus to, “Go sell what you have … Then come, follow me” (21). We learn that he is unable to turn completely to the Lord. This writer often ponders: if the Rich Young Man had only heard Jesus’ teaching of the Beatitudes, would he have discovered a roadmap or ethic by which to turn to the Lord—again not so much with the things he owned, but with his whole persona?
The Beatitudes
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”
The Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 3-11) can be used as inspiration for the Examination of Conscience.
Poor in Spirit
How attached am I to my possessions, desires or time?
How am I called to abstain from food, inordinate desire or addiction?
How have I been angry, vitriolic or vengeful in the past month?
Meek
Do I use my gifts and talents to serve the common good of others?
Am I grateful for the skills and abilities with which God has blessed me?
Am I using my time to build up or tear down the presence of God?
Mourn
When have I been intolerant in my interactions?
Can I be more compassionate–to suffer with others–in their need?
When have I looked away from another’s suffering?
Hunger and Thirst for Goodness
How committed am I to addressing the needs of those around me?
Do I fight for the justice and dignity of others?
When I am charitable, am I giving from my heart?
Merciful
Am I unconditional in my service or concern for others?
Do I expect something in return when I help another?
Do I give freely when asked to provide assistance?
Pure of Heart
How did I miss seeing the presence of God in another person this week?
Do I see the best in another person, the goodness that is there?
Is my heart distracted or do I love fully?
Peace Seekers
Is there someone with whom I need to make peace?
How have I created division over the past week, rather than unity?
With whom do I need to reach out to for forgiveness this week?
Summary
This is the Examination of Conscience seen through the lens of the Beatitudes. How am I living a life that is conformed to Christ? How can the Beatitudes become an ethic for my life as a Catholic?
Prayer
Father, to live as disposed to service, teaching, feeding, healing, helping and curing others as Christ did is the desire of my heart. Help me to live and love as Jesus. Amen.
The Consciousness Examen
Another prayerful form of turning to the Lord is in the daily practice of the Ignatian Consciousness Examen. Rather than being a reflection on our moral disposition—as is the Examination of Conscience—the Consciousness Examen is the practice of taking time, either every 12 hours or 24 hours, to reflect on the previous time period. The goal of this prayer, developed by Saint Ignatius of Loyola more than 500 years ago, is to look at one’s day and then make commitments of change. First, one should look for patterns: patterns of virtue and patterns of vice. The goal is to see and experience how often we are aligned with conscience and the call of the Lord, and when we are not. Looking back over a very brief period of either 12 or 24 hours facilitates a cadence of turning and returning to one’s heart’s desire.
The process is rather simple: find 15 minutes for reflection, have a journal ready to write brief insights and even set a timer to keep the reflection to 15 minutes. Doing all of this provides a place and time-period to actively pause.
So, how do we do the Consciousness Examen? The Ignatian Consciousness Examen is based on five Rs: Relish, Request, Review, Repent and Resolve.
Relish: Spend some time relishing all that God is doing for you. In Jesuit formal language, this is being aware of when you feel that your will and God’s call are seemingly one. See these moments and relish them.
Request: Request the presence of the Holy Spirit in your reflection time.
Review: Spend some brief time reviewing your day. What patterns do you see? Where are you virtuous? How have you acted on your vices? It’s important here to stay balanced. Do not get too high on how wonderful you are, and don’t get too down on your shortcomings. Look for the patterns. Learn from your patterns.
Repent: Repent in prayer for your shortcomings with a whole heart.
Resolve: Resolve to make changes. State the actions upon which you will focus over the next 12 to 24 hours.
The Ignatian Consciousness Examen is a means to invite the Holy Spirit into the tactical day-to-day activity of your life. Here, one is not boiling the ocean. One is simply looking back at a very brief time, looking for patterns. Over time, one may find that they are turning from those less desired patterns and returning to the person who God created.
A popular story of conversion or turning is the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). We’re all familiar with the story of the wayward son seeing the patterns of his life and then returning to His father’s home. The three movements in that story have been characterized as confessing, converting and celebrating. Three Cs! He confesses his sin (18), he turns toward home (20) and after the reconciliation, there is celebration (22).
In Pope Francis’ final encyclical, Dilexit Nos, he calls for people to make reparation, to console Christ and to join a missionary movement of service to one another. This is all built on the greater call to turn one’s heart over to the Lord, as the Rich Young Man sought to do, as the Prodigal Son did and as we are called to do each day.
This issue of The Catholic Echo helps us turn in prayer, with elaboration on myriad forms of prayer. As a people of faith—at Bishop Bonnar’s invitation—we also turn ourselves in adoration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The bishop’s hope is that “our commitment to the Sacred Heart of Jesus will enliven us to open our hearts more to one another in a spirit of empathy, compassion and forgiveness so that we ourselves embody the heart of Jesus.” Inspired by Saint Margaret Mary Alocoque’s apparitions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus between 1673 and1675, supported by the inspiring words of His Holiness, Pope Francis, and encouraged by Bishop Bonnar, we turn our hearts to return to the Lord.
May the participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, guided by the Examination of Conscience, and the daily practice of Consciousness Examen, offer you strength.
Let us always be turning and returning to the Lord.
Helpful tools
As we seek to turn ourselves to the Lord in the Examination of Conscience, here are some tools you may find useful:
“The Beatitudes as a Guide” – Spend some time with a musical reflection to make an Examination of Conscience using The Beatitudes. www.catholicecho.org/beatitudes/
“The Ten Commandments As a Guide” – The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) provides a resource for making an Examination of Conscience based on the Ten Commandments.” https://www.usccb.org/resources/Examination-of-Conscience-Ten-Commandments.pdf
The Ignatian Examen- “Reimagining the Ignatian Examen” by Father Mark Thibodeaux, SJ, provides a 34-day experience of daily reflections, expressing many of the Ignatian principles based on the 5 Rs. https://reimaginingexamen.ignatianspirituality.com/
Don Prisby is a certified spiritual director in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He accompanies individuals one-on-one on their spiritual journeys and serves with the chaplains at the Minneapolis Veterans Home, dedicating listening time with residents in long-term care. He holds a BA in philosophy from the University of San Diego and a Pontifical STB degree in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. Prisby’s two-year spiritual direction curriculum was completed through Divine Mercy University in Sterling, Virginia. Prisby and his wife, Elizabeth, have three grown sons and one grandson and reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
How to go to Confession
1. PREPARATION: Before going to confession, take some time to prepare. Begin with prayer, and reflect on your life since your last confession. How have you—in your thoughts, words and actions—neglected to live Christ’s commands to “love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22:37, 39)? As a help with this “examination of conscience,” you might review the Ten Commandments or the Beatitudes. (Ex 20:2-17; Dt 5:6-21; Mt 5:3-10; or Lk 6:20-26).
2. GREETING: The priest will welcome you; he may say a short blessing or read a Scripture passage.
3. THE SIGN OF THE CROSS: Together, you and the priest will make the Sign of the Cross. You may then begin your confession with these or similar words: “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been [give days, months, or years] since my last confession.”
4. CONFESSION: Confess all your sins to the priest. If you are unsure what to say, ask the priest for help. When you are finished, conclude with these or similar words: “I am sorry for these and all my sins.”
5. PENANCE: The priest will propose an act of penance. The penance might be prayer, a work of mercy or an act of charity. He might also counsel you on how to better live a Christian life.
6. ACT OF CONTRITION: After the priest has conferred your penance, pray an Act of Contrition, expressing sorrow for your sins and resolving to sin no more. A suggested Act of Contrition is: My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name, my God, have mercy. (Rite of Penance, no. 45).
7. ABSOLUTION: The priest will extend his hands over your head and pronounce the words of absolution. You respond, “Amen.”
8. PRAISE: The priest will usually praise the mercy of God and will invite you to do the same. For example, the priest may say, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good.” And your response would be, “His mercy endures forever” (Rite of Penance, no. 47).
9. DISMISSAL: The priest will conclude the Sacrament, often saying, “Go in peace.”
If it has been a while since your last confession, remember, “Do not fear” (Is 41:10). The priest will help guide you. And feel free to take this how-to guide with you! (For more information, visit www.usccb.org/confession.)
Copyright © 2013, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. Scripture excerpts taken from the New American Bible, rev. ed. © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Excerpts from the English translation of Rite of Penance © 1974, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. This text may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration for nonprofit educational use, provided such reprints are not sold and include this notice. To order, visit our website at www.usccbpublishing.org or call us at 800-235-8722.
