Pope Francis gives tips for preparing for confession

Friday, Feb. 05, 2016

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Last year, the Vatican publishing house released a 28-page booklet titled “Safeguard Your Heart,” meant to help the faithful become “courageous” and prepared to battle against evil and choose the good.

The booklet’s title is based on a line from one of the pope’s morning Mass homilies in which he said Christians need to guard and protect their hearts, “just as you protect your home – with a lock.”

“How often do bad thoughts, bad intentions, jealousy, envy enter?” he asked. “Who opened the door? How did those things get in?”

After a brief explanation of why people should go to the Sacrament of Penance “because we are all sinners” – the pope listed 30 key questions to reflect on as part of making an examination of conscience and being able to “confess well.”

The questions include:

– Do I only turn to God when I’m in need?

– Do I attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation?

– Do I begin and end the day with prayer?

– Am I embarrassed to show that I am a Christian?

– Do I rebel against God’s plan?

– Am I envious, hot-tempered, biased?

– Am I honest and fair with everyone or do I fuel the “throwaway culture?”

– In my marital and family relations, do I uphold morality as taught in the Gospels?

– Do I honor and respect my parents?

– Have I refused newly conceived life? Have I snuffed out the gift of life? Have I helped do so?

– Do I respect the environment?

– Am I part worldly and part believer?

– Do I overdo it with eating, drinking, smoking and amusements?

– Am I overly concerned about my physical well-being, my possessions?

– How do I use my time? Am I lazy?

– Do I want to be served?

– Do I dream of revenge, hold grudges?

– Am I meek, humble and a builder of peace?

Catholics should go to confession, the pope said, because everyone needs forgiveness for their sins, for the ways “we think and act contrary to the Gospel.”

“Whoever says he is without sin is a liar or is blind,” he wrote.

Confession is meant to be a sincere moment of conversion, an occasion to demonstrate trust in God’s willingness to forgive his children and to help them back on the path of following Jesus, Pope Francis wrote.