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PREPARING FOR AN EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE AND THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

Preparation for the Sacrament:

• Prayer to The Holy Spirit (whom you ask to be with you and help you to examine your conscience well and to make a good confession)
• Examination of Conscience (the guide below will help as you reflect on your sins)
• Sorrow for sins. (It helps to reflect on how much Jesus suffered for our sins)
• Desire to make up for our sin. (The intention to be sorry is most important. If we know that our sin - a wrong action, word or thought or a failure to do good -has offended God or neighbour, even though we do not completely understand why, it is only right that we should apologise, learn from our error, and have the intention not to do this again)

During the Sacrament (those confessing) or Blessing

• Confession of sins to the priest (see below for format)
• Penance which is given to you by Father (acceptance of the Penance is part of the Sacrament and needs to be completed for the Sacrament to be valid. Just as a person would be mad to go to a physician but refuse to take the medicine he prescribes, so a penitent should do the prescribed penance in order to become spiritually healthy.)
• Absolution (the Priest pronounces God's forgiveness for all your sins)
• For Catholics who are confessing - please tell Father how long it has been since your last confession. Then confess your sins. Remember, all serious sins must be confessed for the Sacrament to be valid. The act of confessing something to someone else has, in everyday life, a medicinal effect. In the Sacrament of Penance, it has an even greater effect because in confessing to a Priest, you are confessing to God who has the power to heal and forgive sins.

• For non-Catholics (and those not confessing) - please ask Father for a blessing and feel free to have a general chat with Father. 

The following are some steps, which can be taken to dispel students' fears and to highlight God's Mercy and love for them.

STEP ONE

DISPELLING THEIR FEARS

1. Students choose their image of God - judge , merciful, indifferent
2. Go through the following Scripture readings and the question is " What are these readings telling us about God's Mercy and His image?

GOD'S MERCY

Please read the following. What are they saying about God's mercy?

MATTHEW 8

8:1

2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them.

3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them,

4 they said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery.

5 now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"

6 they said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.

7 when they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

8 and once again he bent down and wrote on the ground.

9 When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.

10 Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

11 She said, "No one, sir." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life."

LUKE 15

11 Then Jesus said, "There was a man who had two sons.

12 The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.' So he divided his property between them.

13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living.

14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country and he began to be in need.

15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs.

16 He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything.

17 But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger!

18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;

19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands."'

20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.

21 Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

22 But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly, bring out a robe--the best one--and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;

24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate.

25 "Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.

26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on.

27 He replied, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.'

28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him.

29 But he answered his father, 'Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.

30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!'

31 Then the father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'"

JOHN 20

19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."

20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."

27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe."

28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

1. speak about the fact that this is the image of God we should keep in mind when approaching the Sacrament of Penance - God is our Father, who loves us and accepts us back whenever we sin, if we want his forgiveness. Yes, God is our judge for He knows us better than anyone else, but He is also all merciful and we should trust in His mercy.
2. This is the God we will be meeting in the Sacrament of Penance.

The Examination of Conscience which follows should not be used in isolation but should be preceded by a detailed look at God's Mercy and love and the fact that God understands
that we are weak and don't always measure up to doing and being our best. God understands that we commit sin as we all have faults and failings. Students should also be reminded of Church teaching regarding the essential goodness of each person, made in the Image and likeness of God.

Also, this will need to be modified for Lower School students, as this is intended especially with Upper School students

HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE COMMITTED A SERIOUS SIN?

• The action, thought, word, attitude or omission must involve serious matter that is objectively wrong;
• The action, thought, word, attitude or omission must be committed with full knowledge ( an understanding that it is against Jesus' and the Church's teaching )
• The action, thought, word, attitude or omission must be committed with deliberate consent ( with free will )

BUT HOW CAN I KNOW THIS IN A SIMPLE WAY?

An easy way to see whether the matter is serious is to consider the following question.

Have I given control to any of the main sins (the root sins of each commandment), so that I allowed them to dictate my actions and thoughts?

OR

Have I sinned in the following ways?

• Anger/hatred which reaches the point of desiring to seriously harm or kill another
• Blasphemy - Uttering words of hatred, defiance, or ill intent aloud or in the heart against
  God or anything holy (the Eucharist, the Church, the saints, etc.). Failing to respect God in one's speech, misusing God's Name, (Lord, Jesus, God), swearing by God to cover up a lie
• Envy/Greed - this is serious when it leads you to want to harm someone -- or to actually followthrough and harm him/her by word or deed.
• Malice -Malice is a deliberate choice to be cruel or mean in word or action
• Lust - by its nature, any act or thought, with self or others, which results from a deliberate, self-serving enjoyment of sexual pleasure and is outside the totally committed love and devotion of marriage, is a serious sin in itself -- masturbation, viewing pornography, having sexual relations outside marriage (which covers premarital sex, homosexual sex, and adulterous sex). We should be aware that an immodest style of dressing can lead people into sexual sin. God has created sex as a means for husband and wife to express their committed love and to share in His work of continuing the human race. Its pleasures are a reward for their faithful union, and are not to be taken by those who want the pleasure without the commitment or the responsibility.
• Actions/Attitudes - when these result in rejecting God, even when it does not seem a rejection of God. This 'rejection' is seen in occult/satanic practices and some new age practices, or by not giving God what he is due - such as worship by being present at Mass, on Sundays or the Vigil Mass on Saturday night). It is also seen when you reject the care of your own body and harm yourself - taking drugs, self-mutilation and in committing suicide.

BASICALLY TO SIN IN THIS WAY IS TO SIN AGAINST LOVE

BOY, IT LOOKS LIKE I HAVE BEEN SINNING SERIOUSLY FOR AGES!!!!

If you feel this way, consider the following!

Before you panic, remember that you need THREE things before you can sin seriously. Keep these in mind when you consider the sins outlined above. The matter must be serious, you must have chosen to commit the sin with your free will and you were free to do it.

Given this understanding , the Church tells us the following:

• In all the above, your moral responsibility is lessened before God if YOU GENUINELY DID NOT KNOW and had never heard this mentioned to you. (That is, you did not commit a serious sin on that occasion. However, you should still confess them in the Sacrament of Reconciliation). If we unintentionally offend someone we love,whether by word or deed, we may not have consciously offended that person. But if we are loving people we will apologise, learn from our experience, and make it a point not to say or do that offensive word/action again. It is the same with sin; it is better to confess, even if we didn't fully understand or consent to the offensive word/action,so that we can grow with the help of God's grace and avoid this sin in the future. Once you do know, you become responsible.

• Circumstances, habits, psychological condition, fear, ignorance --among other things-- weigh heavily in trying to determine a person's culpability. Murder, for example, is objectively wrong. But there's a difference in killing intentionally, and killing accidentally, or when not in control of one's mind or ability to choose-think-decide. This means that it is possible that on rare occasions, you may not be seriously responsible even if the sin itself is serious. However, you should still confess these occasions because of their nature and must seek help from God to give you the strength and healing you may need. Between you and God, after praying sincerely and informing your conscience, you will know if you have committed a serious sin or not.

AND THIS 'MASS' IDEA? DO I REALLY HAVE TO GO EACH WEEK?

• Every meal we eat is not Christmas or Easter dinner. Most of our meals are quite ordinary and forgettable. But if we don't eat the ordinary ones, we will not survive for the festive and really good ones! And so, no one is saying that every Mass is exciting; but Jesus said, "If you do not eat My Flesh and drink My Blood, you have no life in you." We must eat to live, physically AND spiritually.

• Sometimes we only go to Mass out of a sense of obligation. That's okay; God accepts that, if that's all we can give Him as our gift that weekend. Most parents aren't exactly thrilled about getting out of bed in the middle of the night to tend to a screaming baby or a sick child; but they do it. Most parents who work during the day are tired and don't want to cook meals for their families in the evening; but they cook. Most students don't jump out of bed in the morning all excited about going to school; but they go. Why should we think that Mass should always be an Oscar-winning event, when family life, work, and school aren't? Yet the interesting thing is that every Mass, even if it doesn't touch US that particular Sunday, DOES touch SOMEONE. If we are regular about going to Mass, we will find that one Sunday it will touch us, too.
• When we were small, we depended upon our parents to bring us places, including church. But we can't use that excuse forever. We manage to find a way to weekend parties, to the shopping centre, or to the movies -- so we can manage to find a way to Mass, too, even if our parents don't go. And it would be good for us to go to Mass to pray for our parents, in
  gratitude for all their sacrifices for us! Perhaps we could get a friend or two and go to Mass together.
• God only asks us to spend one hour with Him on His special day - a day of rest and family and leisure and of friends - as well as Mass.

To miss Mass with no good reason is a serious matter, especially if we consider what occurs at Mass. The Church knows how difficult this may be for some students, especially whose families may not practise their faith by going to Mass, even though they practise it in others ways.

For those of you who have the means to get to Mass, the answer is a simple yes, you do need to continue going and to miss out would be serious and this would need to be confessed. At Mass, you are with Jesus at the foot of the Cross, in the room of the Last Supper, and at his tomb where he rose again. When you receive Communion you are receiving all of Heaven. If Mass is boring, it may be because youth have not gotten involved. Youth are the future of the Church and what will make this world a better place. At Mass, you pray with others and gain as much as you give. Just remember, that whilst youth participation could make the Mass more lively, the purpose of Mass is not to entertain but to share in the story of Christ and the Christian community and to receive Jesus in the readings, in Holy Communion and in the love of the people present.

Now, there are some good reasons why some Catholics cannot get to Mass. These could depend on the person's age, family circumstances, availability of transport (especially in country areas) and so on. For those people, the following should be remembered. You are not fully responsible if you don't have the 'freedom' to get to Mass each week. If this is truly your situation, then you are not responsible for committing a serious sin and when a Mass is held at school, (and you haven't committed any other serious sin) then you should receive Communion, if you want to and you believe the teaching about the Eucharist. However, students who cannot attend Mass for a good reason must, nevertheless, attend Mass when they are able to. If you feel you would be able to attend if you tried, for example, by asking your parents, you need to try. Once you are able to and are free to be present at Mass, you are responsible for your actions. Now that you know this, it is between you and God and your informed conscience.

Teachers please note: paragraphs 2168 - 2188 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, outlines in clear detail the significance of the Mass and the Sunday Mass obligation. It may be helpful to look at it before discussing it with your students.

Now, it is important that you look deeply into your heart. Consider all that has been presented to you. Inform your conscience so that you can make the right decision for your life, now that you are fully aware.

Following is a more full examination of conscience to help you with your preparation.

1. journal activity - What have I learned about sin, God and Reconciliation and spend some time examining conscience

Further Exploration - steps to take your students through

• explain that evil clearly exists - ask students if they can briefly give examples of evil.
• pose the question down deep - do most people want peace and goodness or evil in their lives?
• Jesus wants to save us from this unhappiness and evil and sadness and that is why He came into the world and instituted the Sacrament of Penance.
• explain that it is because of this evil and our own personal sin that Jesus died on the cross and it is important that we think about this suffering He went through to help us be sorry. (Here would be a good time to speak about the sufferings of Jesus and the nature of Roman persecution).
• tell the students, "I would like you to really think about everything we have shared with you. Think about the fact that we all need healing of some sort that we all fail and that it not only affects others but ourselves as well. We know what sin does - it causes division and this is a chance for us to say that this needn't be the case. We can overcome it and try to reach perfection with God's grace. Think about the chance to wipe the slate clean completely or the Grace you will receive from God just for going to ask Father for a blessing."
• Now we would like all of you to go outside, find a spot after your teacher has directed you and to use the examination of conscience sheets that you have to really begin examining your conscience. But first I would like us all to pray together in silence.

Lord, help us all to come to you with peace, true sorrow and a desire to change our lives for the better. Give us the courage to be honest with ourselves and with you, knowing that you forgive us.

• Jesus died for our sins.
• If you feel you can't confess a serious sin of some type let Father know that you are having difficulty confessing something serious and ask Father to pray for you.
• God loves you - when the Priest says " You are forgiven" then you are truly forgiven. You can start all over again.
• Father has heard many terrible sins in his life - what you confess to him will not shock him.
• Any sin will be forgiven by God if we are truly sorry.
• Father is not permitted to relate what anyone says in Confession to anyone else.
• If you are not Catholic the Priest is not able to give you absolution but he can definitely give you a special blessing.
• If you have any objects at home that you would like blessed please bring them to Father . I am sure that he would be more than happy to bless them for you.

Also remind students that;

• All serious sin, remembered after a careful Examination of Conscience, must be confessed, otherwise another serious sin is committed.

• FORMAT FOR INDIVIDUAL CONFESSION

 The Priest's words are only an indication of what he may say.

1. Make the sign of the Cross

The priest may welcome you and also share a passage of Scripture with you.
If he does not, begin this way -

2. Tell the Priest how long it has been since your last confession

1. Father I am not a Catholic but I would like to ask for your blessing OR
2. Father , it has been _____________ ( years or months or weeks ) since my last confession. (If you do not wish to confess, please tell Father).

3. Confess your sins and talk to Father about how you can be a better Christian
4. The Priest will give some advice and an act of Penance
5. Father will give you a penance; something you can do in order to help you make up for your sins and help you focus on an area of importance in your life.
6. Father will then ask you to express your sorrow with an ACT OF CONTRITION

" Dear Jesus , I am very sorry that I have sinned against you because you are so good, and with your help I will not sin again "

7. The dismissal follows.

Join in the Perpetual Crusade for Peace, Conversion of Hearts and Deliverance from Evil, through prayer and fasting