The Catholic girl examines her conscience


7^ Gif^otc Gv»^

^irvfcr

41ER

C0««1BK€



Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2016

https://archive.org/details/catholicgirlexamOOgrif



The Catholic Girl

Examines Her

Conscience

By

Rev. Leo F. Griffin

Thirty-fifth Edition, 195,000

Printed and Published in U. S. A.

January 2, 1 957

By

OUR SUNDAY VISITOR PRESS
Huntington, Indiana

No. 126



Nihil Obstat:

REV. EUvVARD A. MILLER
Censor Librorum

Imprimatur:

-^^JOHN FRANCIS NOLL, D.D.
Archbishop, Bishop of Fort Wayne



Frequent Confession

What makes it so difficult for us to get
along with others? What causes so much
of our unhappiness? Generally the answer

is our venial sins. We can gradually
and completely rid ourselves of all deliber-
ate venial sins by making frequent and
earnest use of the Sacrament of Penance.

In frequent confession we come to learn
that our venial sins are not to be regarded

as though they do not matter very much.
They actually pave the way for the com-
mission of mortal sins. Therefore, they

must become a matter of concern for every
good, Catholic girl.

We can lessen the intensity and duration
of our Purgatory by frequent confession.
Moreover, the grace of this Sacrament is
poured into our lives. Thus we acquire a
steady stream of spiritual help in overcom-

ing our faults. We are given additional
strength against some powerful temptation
which could suddenly rise up and over-
come us. Finally, because of the constant
help we receive in confession, we can do
more easily the difficult things our Catholic
life requires of us.

The Retreat Confession

The backbone of a retreat is a good con-
fession. This is the time to make a general



K THE CATHOLIC GIRL

confession of the sins committed dining the
past year. This annual confession indicates

to us our spiritual progress. It shows us
whether we have advanced or gone back-
wards since our last retreat. It helps us to
prepare to do better in the year to come.

We should especially examine ourselves
in regard to those sins which we see are
threatening to become habits. We must
eliminate these before they harm our char-
acter and prepare the way for more seri-
ous sins. We should check up, too, on
those sins which we know are causing
annoyance and trouble to others.

If you have some real problem do not
hesitate to ask the priest about it in con-

fession. “Ive been having problems about
faith” or "I wish you d help me in over-
coming such-and-such a temptation which
I seem to have so often” or "I want to get
my vocation in life settled—will you tell
me how?”

Mortal Sin

In order for a sin to be a MORTAL
SIN, these three conditions must be pres-

ent:

1. The nature of the sin must be serious.

It must seriously oflFend God, ourselves

or others. If we are not sure whether it
is serious we are bound to ask our confessor.



EXAMINES HER CONSCIENCE 5

2. We must know what we are doing is
a mortal sin at the time we are doing it.

3. We must give full consent.
We must freely and deliberately choose

to commit the act. Hence, we could not
commit a serious sin if we were asleep or
partially asleep, or forced to act against

our will.

We Cannot Remain Ignorant
It is no use to argue over a period of

time “as long as I did not think it was a
mortal sin I did not commit a mortal sin.”
God gives us the responsibility of know-
ing definitely what is mortal and what is
not. Anyone who neglects to inform her-
self on this point is guilty.

Some girls excuse their going with dan-
gerous companions or to places dangerous

to their virtue on the grounds “My Mother
let me.” They excuse their wrongdoing,
with: “I know other Catholic girls who act
that way.”

We cannot fool God, and we must
not try to fool ourselves in matters of con-

science. We h*ave the duty to ask our
confessor about any doubts we might have
concerning the seriousness of our sins. We
cannot pretend that certain things are

right when they really are wrong or that
certain things pje not as bad as God knows



6 THE CATHOLIC GIRL

them to be. It is important that we learn
to judge our sins as God judges them.

Good Effects

Each time we make a good examination
of conscience, we see more clearly the
weaknesses of our own particular human
nature. How often our duties toward God
and our fellow man are neglected because
we never think of them. Our conscience is
not awake to them. Thus duties which
are new to us are disclosed and we are
moved to beg God earnestly for the super-
natural help we need to perform them well.

Prayer Before The Examination
Of Conscience

Dear God,
Who will one day be my Judge,
Help me prepare well
For Confession.
I want to see and know my sins
As You see and know them.
Help my memory
So that I will not fail
To tell anything in which
I have seriously oflFended You.
I shall try to recall how often
I have committed these sins.
Above all, dear God,
Give me true sorrow for my sins.
To acquire this I need Your help.



EXAMINES HER CONSCIENCE 7

Remind me of the Happiness of Heaven,
Which I deserve to lose by my sin,
And the terrors of Hell
Which I have merited.
I want to learn to hate sin
And to avoid it
Because You are so good and sin is so evil.

Examination Of Conscience

We have the obligation to make a serious
and not-too-prolonged examination to deter-
mine what sins we have committed. We
must try to find the words to express them
clearly and openly.

As an aid to accomplish these ends, this
examination has been prepared. It is di-
vided into certain virtues of the Christian

life. Our attention is called thereby not
only to our faults, but also to the virtues we
should develop. We are reminded in an
intimate way of tlie fundamental qualities
which every Catholic must cultivate to lead
a truly Christian life.

The penitent will find it profitable to
center her attention for one month on the
first virtue, namely faith; the second month,
hope and so on through all the virtues.

Faith

Do I accept fully and completely all the
truths God has revealed through His
Church?



8 THE CATHOLIC GIRL

Have I neglected any opportunity which
has come to me to strengthen the faith of
others, or to encourage others to learn about

our faith?

Have I endangerea my faith by reading
articles contrary to certain truths which the
Church teaches?

Have I made light of or even ridiculed
certain doctrines or laws of the Catholic

religion as if I knew more than Christ or
His Church?

Have I neglected my duty in learning
the truths of my religion and the reasons
for them so that I can ably defend them to
others?

Do I endanger my faith by associating
with companions who have no faith or an
erroneous one? I thus place myself in the

danger of accepting their rule of values
and of disregarding my own true values.
My values of life are based on faith; theirs
upon worldly considerations.

If I have doubts about certain truths at
times such as free will, existence of God,
etc., do I try to remove these doubts by
consulting those who can inform me
intelligently?

Have I been afraid to make the ordinary
public acknowledgements that I am a Cath-
olic, as for example, greeting a priest; bow-
ing as I pass a church; refusing to eat meat
in non-Catholic company on days of ab-



EXAMINES HER CONSCIENCE 9

stinence; saying grace at meals in public

places?

Have I consulted a fortune-teller or join-
ed fortune telling games in the belief that

I could learn something about the future?

Have I been irreverent in the use of
sacramentals, such as holy water, the Sign

of the Cross, medals, etc?

Hope

Do I make frequent enough use of the
Sacraments of Penance and Eucharist as my
own individual spiritual needs require? I
cannot rely solely upon my own strength
to overcome temptation.

Do I neglect my morning and evening
prayers?

Have I neglected to pray in time of
temptation?

Have I deliberately entered a serious
and unnecessary occasion of sin, thinking
that God would miraculously preserve me
from sin or graciously forgive me if I fell?
Have I said or thought that it was im-

possible for me to overcome a certain pas-
sion or sinful habit?

Have I said "iPs no use to try to be
good’’ or permitted discouragement to take

possession of my heart because of my fre-
quent faults or my lack of progress in
virtue?



10 THE CATHOLIC GIRL

Have I deliberately neglected any oppor-
tunities for prayer and devotion which
would have made me stronger in virtues?

Have I stopped praying or given up hope
of obtaining my requests just because my
prayers were not answered quickly?

Am I convinced that whatever happens
to me beyond my own deliberate action
is permitted by God for my own good,
corporal or spiritual?

Love Of God

Have I missed Mass on a Sunday or a
holyday without a sufficient reason?

Have I without reason come late to
Mass, missing the OflFertory, or have I left
before the Communion of the Mass?

Have I performed my external duties to
God, such as hearing Mass, saying my
prayers, receiving the Sacraments in a dis-

tracted, impersonal, halfhearted manner?

Have I received Holy Communion when
I knew that I had a mortal sin on my
soul, or which I did not tell in confession
because of shame or fear or plain deceit?

If I have had the misfortune to fall into
mortal sin, did I say an act of contrition
immediately afterwards and resolve to go
to confession as soon as possible?

Did I spend a reasonable amount of time
in thanksgiving after Communion, thus



EXAMINES HER CONSCIENCE n

using well these most precious moments of
tiie day?

Have I disturbed or caused annoyance to
others at Mass?

Did I make the necessary eflFort to say
my morning and night prayers in a proper
manner?

Did I knowingly eat meat on Friday or
some other day of abstinence?

Have I failed to give some of what I
earned to the church?

Have I been disrespectful towards those
whom God has placed over me and who
represent God?

Reverence For God

Have I used the name of “God” or
“Ghrist” or “Jesus” or “Lord” as a by-word,

or as an expression of impatience?

Do I use swear words?
Have I laughed at others’ profane use

of God’s name or other irreverent speech,
as if I thought it amusing?

Have I repeated the profanity of others
as something amusing and clever?

Love Of Neighbor—

I

Have I refused in my heart to forgive
a person who has injiured me?
Have I over a considerable period of



12 THE CATHOLIC GIRL

time refused to talk to or acknowledge

someone who has wronged me?
When I myself was guilty of doing evil

against my neighbor, have I refused in
word or in deed to show that I was sorry
and wished to be forgiven?

Have I said unkind and imcharitable
things about others?

Have I called others unkind names?

Have I held a grudge against others,
even though I did make an eflFort at for-
giveness?

Have I acted hurt and cool towards
others?

Have I tried to turn certain girls against
others?

Have I blamed others for my own mis-
takes or wrongdoing?

Have I given bad example, especially
to younger girls, by cursing in their pres-
ence, by quarreling, by impure talk?

Have I neglected opportunities which
came my way to perform any of the cor-
poral works of mercy?

1) To feed the hungry.

2) To give away unneeded clothing to
relief agencies or those who could
use them.

3) To visit the sick.

4) To attend the wake of some deceased
neighbor or associate or friend.



EXAMrNES HER CONSCIENCE 13

“Amen, I say to you, as long as you did
it for one of these, the least of my breth-
ren, you did it for me.” (Matt. 25, 40)

Have I neglected any opportunity I may
have had of performing the spiritual works
of mercy?

1) To admonish the sinner.

2) To instruct the ignorant.

3) To counsel the doubtful.

4) To comfort the sorrowful.

5) To bear wrongs patiently. “Two
wrongs never make a right.”

6) To forgive injuries “Forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive those who
trespass against us.”

7) To pray for the living and the dead.

Love Of Neighbor— ! I
Have I induced another to sin to satisfy

my own passion?

Have I given occasion to evil thoughts
in others by being careless about my dress;
by assuming immodest postures?

Have I permitted jealousy of another
who was preferred to me to show itself in
my conduct?

Have I told my friends the unkind re-
marks of others made about them, thus
creating more trouble?



14 THE CATHOLIC GIRL

Have I made unkind, sarcastic remarks
to others?

Have I contributed to the venial sins of
others by unreasonably teasing or annoying
them?

Have I prevented others from perform-
ing a good work by telling them not to
do it?

Have I been moody, gloomy in the
presence of others, thus making them un-
comfortable and unhappy?

Have I said or done anything to injure
the good name of my neighbor?
Have I made an eflFort to repair the

damage?

Even though my neighbor has done
wrong, she has a right to her reputation

among those who do not know of her
faults. Have I sinned in telling others of
these faults?

Have I lied in important matters?

In light matters?

Have I actually continued to steal small
amounts at regular intervals and so taken
a large sum over a period of time?

Have I wilfully injured the property of
another to a serious extent?

Have I used the property of others with-
out their permission?

Have I damaged things belonging to
others by carelessness and misuse? This



EXAMINES HER CONSCIENCE 15

includes property of the school I attend,

or the company for which I work.

Have I borrowed things from others,
such as books, articles of clothing, etc.,

and never returned them?

Have I kept lost articles of small value
when I knew or could find the owner?

Have I lied my way out of small debts
and obligations?

Have I obtained honors and prizes in
school by deceptive means such as cheat-
ing or copying, especially if in this way
I deprived others of them?

Have I been guilty of cheating in games
of chance, thus gaining by dishonesty?

Have I failed to reveal to others the
mistakes they made in giving me too
much change or more of an article than
I paid for?

Have I given full time service to my em-
ployer? To accept pay otherwise is stealing.
NOTE: Restitution is to be made upon
advice of the confessor in the above cases
concerning stealing.

Chastity

Have I deliberately taken delight in im-
pure thoughts and images in my mind
after I recognized them to be evil?

Have I been slow and half-hearted in
trying to banish bad dioughts and desires?



16 THE CATHOLIC GIRL

Have I failed to check vigorously im-
pulses and daydreams of unruly love and
affections?

Have I knowingly consented to a desire
for impure experiences, without any ef-
fort to suppress the desire?

Have I told suggestive stories?

Have I listened to suggestive stories?

Have I sought out or continued com-
panionship with others whom I knew to
be inclined to evil jests and words?

Have I read suggestive books or looked
at filthy pictures which were apt to cause
serious temptations to sins of impurity?

Have I read books or magazines that
were dangerous to my holy purity?
Have I violated my Legion of Decency

Pledge by attending movies listed as ob-
jectionable?

Have I allowed my eyes to wander in
curiosity over dangerous objects knowing
that my passions would be aroused?
Have I touched myself or others in an

impure manner?

Have I taken part in prolonged or fre-
quent kisses and embraces?

Have I permitted decent expressions of
love or friendship for another to be pro-

longed to the point of danger of lust?

In dancing have I held my partner too
tightly or allowed him to hold me too tight



EXAMINES HER CONSCIENCE 17

ly? I must never be the cause of sin in

others.

Have I been careless about my clothing,
posture, appearance, thus exposing others

to danger?

Have I exposed others to grave danger
by impure signs, actions or exposure?

Have I gone to parties or accepted dates
which I knew would be the occasions of
serious temptations against my virtue?

Have I sought the friendship of others
just to satisfy vanity or sensuality?

Have I neglected to use special oppor-
tunities of grace and prayer when I was
passing through a period of more than
usual temptations?

Have I fallen for the false opinion of
the world that God’s law in this matter is
old fashioned, impossible or harmful?

Remember that to subdue lust in the
hearts of men is the greatest human victory
that women can win over men. Such a
woman then becomes close to an angel in
the eyes of a good man.

Temperance

Have I been temperate in the use of
the following: Food, drink, dress, speech,
recreation. To use any of these too much
is sinful.



18 THE CATHOLIC GIRL

Do I seek recreation that is harmful to
my health?

Have I taken a dangerous risk or dare?

Do I frequently keep late hours? This
is harmful to my body and my soul.

Do I ignore warnings to dress accord-
ing to the weather, thus, endangering my
health?

Have I knowingly broken my fast and
then received Holy Communion?

Have I taken more intoxicating liquor
than was good for me, even though I
did not become actually drunk?

Have I taken intoxicating liquor against
my better judgment because I was urged
to by others, especially when I felt I would
be better off not to take it?

Have I kept company with someone
who drinks too much?

Have I jested about drunkenness and
so lessened others’ hatred of it as a grave

sin?

Have I ridiculed others because they
do not drink?

Have I failed to develop temperance in
myself by neglecting acts of self-denial I
could frequently perform?

Obedience

NOTE: Each of the questions below apply



EXAMINES HER CONSCIENCE 19

equally to parents, foster-parents or guard-

ians.

Have I failed to show love and gratitude
to my parents, either by neglecting oppor-
tunities to do so, or by positively hurting
them in small ways?

Have I failed in the respect due my
parents, by being openly ashamed of
them, talking harshly or angrily to them,

saying unkind things about them?

Have I disobeyed parents when they
forbade my going with bad companions,
or to bad shows and dangerous places?

Have I upset the home of my parents
by frequently disobeying the rules they

had a right to make—concerning the per-
sons to be brought into the house, con-
cerning the hours I kept at night, concern-

ing my conduct within the home?
Have I disobeyed my parents in small

things that they commanded or forbade?

Have I deliberately given in to hatred
of my mother or my father, refusing to
speak to them?

Have I been stubborn and peevish and
openly resentful against parents?

Have I lied to my parents to avoid pun-
ishment?

Have I neglected to ask or take advice
from my parents and follow it?
Have I selfishly refused to make life



20 THE CATHOLIC GIRL

more comfortable and enjoyable for my
parents when I could have done so?

Have I failed to realize in a practical
way that the authority of my parents, my
teachers, my pastors, comes from God;
that when I disobey them I disobey Him?

Have I resented justifiable corrections
by those in authority over me?

Have I, as a pupil in school, been dis-
respectful and disobedient to teachers?

Have I, as a pupil in school, seriously
undermined the authority and harmed the
work of my teacher by slander, rebellion,
etc.?

Have I given serious bad example to my
associates by laziness or disobedience?

Have I, as a citizen, disregarded laws
made for the safety and well-being of all?

Humility

Have I put up patiently with some dis-
agreeable situation at home or in school out
of humility?

Did I bear without complaint rebukes
or scoldings even though I did not deserve
them?

Do I complain, “Why does this happen
to me and not to someone else,” thus re-
fusing to accept God’s Providence on my
behalf?

Do I resent correction?



EXAMINES HER CONSCIENCE 21

Have I, with but an ordinary training
in religious teaching, presumed to make
quick judgment about doctrines I scarcely

understood?

Have I refused to forgive someone who
wronged me because I considered my honor
a more valuable thing than that of God,
Who forgave His enemies and commanded
me to forgive mine?

Have I rebelled against superiors and
the serious commands they gave because
I thought my knowledge and dignity freed
me from the necessity of obedience?

Have I failed to confess certain mortal
sins I had committed because I said they
were "my own aflFair,” that "they were
no business of the priest”?

Have I bragged about my accomplish-
ments, my virtues, my abilities?
Have I shown my pride in the form

of sensitiveness, resentment, pouting, pee-

vishness?

Have I complained about God's provi-
dence in permitting me certain trials, as
if I were deserving of better treatment
from Him?

Do I accept the trials of life in the spirit
of Christian courage?

Do I frequently resolve to do good and
remain good no matter what others do or
what happens?



22 THE CATHOLIC GIRL

Have I looked down on others who were
less wealthy, less cultured, less learned,

less prominent, less gifted than I?

Have I been too proud to take second
place in any work or activity, withdrawing
from it or hindering it because I could

not be first?

Have I neglected daily prayer as if I
were strong enough and good enough to
get along without God’s helj^



EXAMINES HER CONSCIENCE 23

A Prayer After Confession
Dear God,
I am sorry for my sins.
You have been so good to me
And I in retiun have shown You
So much selfishness and sin.
Help me to realize
That sin
Can never be an approach to happiness,
That to do what I want to do
At the cost of displeasing You
Must of necessity
Bring me misery.
The defiance of Your Will
Can never get me
Anything worth having,
Because Your Will is always good
And sin is always evil.
I acknowledge my foolishness.
My sinfulness.
Like Mary Magdalen and Saint Peter
I beg Your mercy.
I promise to make every eflFort
Never to offend You, Dear Lord, again.



24 THE CATHOLIC GIRL EXAMINES HER CONSCIENCE

Retreat Resolutions



t

i