How to Make a Thorough Confession

Written By Gloria's Bookshop .

“Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Luke 13:3

“Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

1. Love of God

Faith & Worship

  • Have I doubted or denied God’s existence?

  • Have I treated God, Jesus Christ, or the Church with indifference?

  • Have I been involved in superstition, horoscopes, occult practices, or fortune-telling?

  • Have I complained about God’s will in my life?

  • Do I resist God’s will in specific areas?

  • Is there something I know God is asking of me that I am delaying?

Prayer & Sacraments

  • Have I failed to pray daily?

  • Is my prayer intentional or mechanical?

  • Do I pray only when I feel like it?

  • Do I avoid prayer when I feel dry or distracted?

  • Do I make space for silence?

  • Have I missed Mass on Sundays or Holy Days of Obligation without a serious reason?

  • Have I received Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin?

  • Have I received the Eucharist without sufficient reverence?

  • Do I prepare well for confession?

  • Do I make thanksgiving after Communion?

  • Do I approach the sacraments with expectation — or routine?

Reverence & Gratitude

  • Have I used God’s name in vain?

  • Have I failed to thank God daily for His blessings?

  • Have I grown spiritually complacent?

Desire for God

  • Do I actually want holiness, or just comfort?

  • Do I seek God Himself — or mainly His consolations?

  • When I have free time, does my heart turn toward God?

  • Do I hunger for prayer, or avoid silence?

  • Would I be content in Heaven if it were mostly prayer and worship?

2. Respect for Parents & Authority

  • Have I dishonored or disobeyed my parents?

  • Have I neglected duties toward my spouse or children?

  • Have I failed to care for elderly family members?

  • Have I shown disrespect to lawful authority?

  • (If a parent) Have I failed to provide moral and spiritual guidance to my children?

3. Love of Neighbor & the Sanctity of Life

Charity in Thought

  • Have I harbored hatred, anger, resentment, or judgment?

  • Have I refused to forgive?

  • Have I assumed bad intentions without evidence?

  • Have I taken secret satisfaction in another’s failure?

  • Have I indulged in envy or comparison?

Charity in Speech

  • Have I spoken impatiently or harshly?

  • Have I exaggerated stories to look better?

  • Have I remained silent when a kind word was needed?

Charity in Action

  • Have I deliberately harmed someone physically?

  • Have I avoided helping when it was inconvenient?

  • Have I neglected small acts of kindness?

  • Have I been inconsiderate of others’ time?

Sanctity of Life

  • Have I encouraged or supported abortion or euthanasia?

  • Have I abused alcohol or drugs?

  • Have I endangered myself or others recklessly?

4. Purity & Chastity

  • Have I engaged in sexual activity outside of marriage?

  • Have I committed adultery?

  • Have I used pornography?

  • Have I used contraception?

  • Have I entertained impure thoughts deliberately?

  • Have I failed to dismiss impure thoughts promptly?

  • Have I acted or dressed immodestly, causing temptation?

  • Have I been careless with media or entertainment choices?

5. Honesty, Justice & Truth

Justice

  • Have I stolen or damaged property?

  • Have I cheated at work, school, or taxes?

  • Have I failed to repay debts?

  • Have I wasted resources irresponsibly?

Truthfulness

  • Have I lied?

  • Have I revealed secrets without good reason?

  • Have I damaged someone’s reputation (calumny or detraction)?

  • Have I failed to stand up for the truth?

6. Interior Virtue & Spiritual Growth

Humility

  • Have I sought praise or attention?

  • Have I felt resentful when not appreciated?

  • Have I been stubborn in arguments?

  • Have I corrected others without gentleness?

  • Have I refused small humiliations?

  • How do I react to correction?

  • Do I secretly compare myself to others?

  • Am I teachable?

  • Do I bring my weaknesses honestly before God?

Patience & Self-Control

  • Have I been easily irritated?

  • Have I overindulged in food, drink, screens, or comfort?

  • Have I neglected moderation?

  • What most controls my moods?

  • What dominates my thoughts?

  • Where am I not free?

Generosity & Sacrifice

  • Have I given less than I reasonably could?

  • Have I been attached to comfort, reputation, success, or relationships?

  • What would upset me most if God asked me to give it up?

  • What would I struggle most to fast from?

Use of Time

  • How much time do I give to God compared to entertainment?

  • Have I allowed digital media to dull my interior life?

  • Do I live intentionally or distractedly?

  • Am I faithful to daily prayer even when busy?

7. Charity & Love in Daily Life

  • Has my love become conditional?

  • Do I pray for people who irritate me?

  • Do I see Christ in difficult people?

  • Do I prefer being right over being loving?

  • Do I serve quietly without being noticed?

  • Do I bring peace into rooms?

  • Do people feel heard by me?

  • Is my faith integrated into my work and relationships?

  • Am I generous when it costs me something?

8. Zeal & Witness

  • Do I speak of my faith naturally?

  • Do I avoid witnessing to Christ out of fear?

  • Do I pray for the salvation of others?

  • Does my life visibly reflect my love for Jesus Christ?

  • If someone observed my daily life, would they know I belong to Him?

9. Patterns, Resistance & Spiritual Drift

Recurring Patterns

  • What sins or weaknesses repeat most often?

  • What situations usually lead me to fall?

  • Do I prepare against near occasions of sin?

  • Have I made concrete efforts to change recurring faults?

Resistance to Grace

  • Where have I felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit and ignored it?

  • Have I delayed doing good I knew I should do?

  • Have I refused reconciliation when I could have initiated it?

  • Have I neglected spiritual opportunities (Adoration, Scripture, spiritual reading)?

Signs of Distance

  • Has my joy decreased?

  • Do I rationalize small sins more easily?

  • Has confession become routine rather than transformative?

  • Do I feel spiritually numb?

10. Interior Disposition & Growth in Holiness

Interior Dispositions

  • Do I live with gratitude or quiet complaint?

  • Do I cultivate joy?

  • Do I give in to discouragement easily?

  • Do I nurture peace, or feed anxiety?

Growth in Virtue
Instead of asking only “Where did I sin?”, also ask:

  • Am I more patient than I was a year ago?

  • Is my charity expanding?

  • Am I quicker to forgive?

  • Is my humility deepening?

  • Am I becoming more like Jesus Christ in concrete ways?

Confession is about becoming holy, not merely avoiding punishment.

Before Confession

You might also ask yourself:

  • Am I truly sorry for my sins?

  • Do I firmly intend to avoid these sins in the future?

  • Am I withholding any serious sin out of fear or shame?

  • Where have I resisted grace in small ways?

  • What recurring small fault weakens my love most?

  • Where is God inviting me to grow in virtue?

You might sit silently and imagine Christ looking at you with love.

Then ask:

  • What is He inviting me to let go of?

  • What virtue is He asking me to grow in?

  • What one concrete change would draw me closer to Him this week?

  • If I met Christ today, what area of my life would I hope He didn’t mention?

    • That question often reveals the tender place He wants to heal.

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