Examination of Conscience

Before confessing, a penitent looks honestly at their life against the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes and the duties of their state, asking the Holy Spirit for light. This is the examination of conscience, and the Catechism lists it as the necessary preparation for the sacrament of Penance. St Ignatius Loyola made a daily version — thanking God, reviewing the day, asking forgiveness and resolving to do better — the backbone of his spirituality, and Night Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours opens with a brief one. Done gently, it is less a self-audit than a nightly conversation with God about the day.