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Christianity: added ws to [Catholic] wikilink in refs and deleted new advent link

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{{Short description|Concept in Catholic theology}}
{{For|the 2018 Netflix release|Examination of Conscience (miniseries)}}
[[File:Examination of conscience (La Ravoire Morrow - My Catholic Faith, 1949).png|thumb|A man making an examination of conscience mentally lists his [[Christian views on sin|sins]].]]

'''Examination of conscience''' is a review of one's past thoughts, words, actions, and omissions for the purpose of ascertaining their conformity with, or deviation from, the moral law. Among Christians, this is generally a private review; secular intellectuals have, on occasion, published '''autocritiques''' for public consumption. In the [[Catholic Church]], penitents who wish to receive the [[Sacrament of Penance (Catholic Church)|sacrament of penance]] are encouraged to examine their conscience using the [[Catholic doctrine regarding the Ten Commandments|Ten Commandments]] as a guide, or the [[Beatitudes]], or the [[Seven heavenly virtues|virtues]] and [[Seven deadly sins|vices]]. The doctrine of examination of conscience is taught in [[Lutheranism|Lutheran Churches]], where penitents who wish to receive [[Confession in the Lutheran Church#Private Confession|Holy Absolution]] are asked to use the [[Ten Commandments#Catholic and Lutheran Christianity|Ten Commandments]] as a guide before confessing their sins to the priest (pastor).

"The excellence of this practice and its fruitfulness for Christian virtue," preached Pope [[Pius X]], "are clearly established by the teaching of the great masters of the spiritual life."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius10/p10haer.htm|title=HAERENT ANIMO|website=www.papalencyclicals.net|date=4 August 1908 |at=4|access-date=2017-05-19}}</ref> St. [[Ignatius of Loyola]] considered the examination of conscience as the single most important spiritual exercise.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} In his ''[[Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola|Spiritual Exercises]]'' he presents different forms of it in the particular and general examination (24-43). Of the general examination he writes; "The first point is to give thanks to God our Lord for the favors received" (43). This point has become a highly developed part of [[Ignatian spirituality]] in modern times, and has led to many more positive practices, generally called '''examen of consciousness'''. In twice-daily "examens" one might review the ways God has been present through one to others, and to oneself through others, and how one has responded, and to proceed with one's day with gratitude, more aware of the presence of God in one's life.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen/consciousness-examen|title=Consciousness Examen by George Aschenbrenner, SJ - IgnatianSpirituality.com|work=Ignatian Spirituality|access-date=2017-05-19|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://marriageretreats.webs.com/exercises/Daily%20Examination%20of%20Consciousness.htm|title=A SIMPLE WAY|website=marriageretreats.webs.com|access-date=2017-05-19|archive-date=2016-09-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160906145320/http://marriageretreats.webs.com/exercises/Daily%20Examination%20of%20Consciousness.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.loyolapress.com/our-catholic-faith/prayer/personal-prayer-life/different-ways-to-pray/prayerfully-reviewing-your-day-daily-examen|title=Prayerfully Reviewing Your Day: Daily Examen|website=www.loyolapress.com|language=en|access-date=2017-05-19}}</ref>

In general, there is a distinction between the '''particular examen''', which aims to change one particular feature or defect in one's behavior, the '''examen of consciousness''', which is a more nuanced reflection, and the general '''examination of conscience''' as used before the sacrament of penance.” This last method is called examination of conscience because it is a review of one’s actions from a moral point of view, reflecting upon one’s responsibility and looking at one’s sins and weaknesses in preparation for repentance, in contrast with the examen of consciousness which does not focus on morality even if sins will emerge during the review of the day.<ref>These forms of the Examination are presented in the chapter [http://marriageretreats.webs.com/Manual/firstbeginning.htm "The method and the First Exercise: existential experience of the history of salvation"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414032951/http://marriageretreats.webs.com/Manual/firstbeginning.htm |date=2017-04-14 }} of the [http://marriageretreats.webs.com/manualfortheretreat.htm Spiritual Exercises for Married Couples: Finding Our Way Together with St. Ignatius] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804120842/http://marriageretreats.webs.com/manualfortheretreat.htm |date=2009-08-04 }} - Manual for the Retreat</ref><ref>Cf. in the online text of [http://www.nwjesuits.org/JesuitSpirituality/SpiritualExercises.html The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619025201/http://www.nwjesuits.org/JesuitSpirituality/SpiritualExercises.html |date=2012-06-19 }}</ref>

==Christianity==
Examination of conscience was commanded by the Apostle [[Paul of Tarsus|St. Paul]] to be performed by the faithful each time they received [[Holy Communion]]: "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself.... For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged." ({{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|11:28-31}}, [[KJV]]). And, as the early Christians received Holy Communion very frequently, examination of conscience became a familiar exercise of their spiritual lives. In many cases, this became a daily practice of the lives of early members of the clergy and those living a monastic life, such as the hermit [[Anthony the Great|St. Anthony]], who was said to have examined his conscience every night, while St. [[Basil of Caesarea]], St. [[Augustine of Hippo]], St. [[Bernard of Clairvaux]], and founders of religious orders generally made the examination of conscience a regular daily exercise of their followers. Lay members of congregations were encouraged to take up the practice as a salutary measure to advance in virtue.<ref name=Coppens>{{Catholic|wstitle=Examination of Conscience|last=Coppens|first=Charles|volume=5|year=1909|inline=1}}</ref> St. Bernard had taught: "As a searching investigator of the integrity of your own conduct, submit your life to a daily examination. Consider carefully what progress you have made or what ground you have lost. Strive to know yourself. Place all your faults before your eyes. Come face to face with yourself, as though you were another person, and then weep for your faults."<ref>Meditationes piissimae, c. V, de Quotid. sui ipsius exam</ref>

[[Image:Ignatius Loyola.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Ignatius Loyola]] described a five-point system of examining conscience]]
St. Ignatius of Loyola described a five-point devotional examination method in his 1524 work ''[[Spiritual Exercises]]''. In the first point, followers thank God for the benefits received; in the second, they ask grace to know and correct their faults; in the third, they pass in review the successive hours of the day, noting what faults they have committed in deed, word, thought, or omission; in the fourth, they ask God's pardon; in the fifth, they consider amendment.<ref name=Coppens/>

The devotional examination of conscience is distinct from that required as a proximate preparation for the [[Confession (religion)|Sacrament of Reconciliation]] which is intended specifically to identify all sins requiring repentance. Various more elaborate methods might be used in the examination for confession, using the Ten Commandments of God, the Commandments of the Church, the Seven Capital Sins, the duties of one's state of life, the nine ways of partaking in the sin of others.<ref name="Coppens" />

The Lutheran [[Luther's Small Catechism|Small Catechism]], on the examination of conscience, implores penitents to reflect on the following prior to receiving the [[Confession (Lutheran Church)|sacrament of confession and absolution]]:<ref name="Luther"/>
{{quotation|Consider your place in life according to the Ten Commandments: Are you a father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife, or worker? Have you been disobedient, unfaithful, or lazy? Have you been hot-tempered, rude, or quarrelsome? Have you hurt someone by your words or deeds? Have you stolen, been negligent, wasted anything, or done any harm?<ref name="Luther">{{cite web |author1=[[Martin Luther]] |title=Confession |url=https://catechism.cph.org/en/confession.html |publisher=[[Concordia Publishing House]] |access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref>}}

==Autocritique==
Among secular intellectuals, particularly [[Marxists]], the term ''autocritique'', borrowed from [[:wikt:autocritique#French|the French]], is used. This is particularly applied to a public "methodological attempt to step away from themselves through a process of self-objectification," and was popular in France following the [[Algerian War]].<ref>Le Sueur, James D.; ''Uncivil War: Intellectuals and Identity Politics During the Decolonization'', [[University of Pennsylvania]] press, 2001</ref> [[Edgar Morin]]'s questioning of his own motives as a defender of Algeria popularised the term; other well-known examples include [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]'s anonymous dissection of his own personality and drive in the [[Modern Review (Calcutta)|Modern Review]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links==
*[https://synodresourcecenter.org/theo/faith_issues/0003/0001/exam_conscience.html An Examination of Conscience Based on Faith Practices - NE Ohio Synod Resource Center]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Christian prayer]]
[[Category:Catholic spirituality]]
[[Category:Lutheran liturgy and worship]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic prayers]]

Examination of conscience - Revision history

imported>ArbieP: /* Christianity */ added ws to [Catholic] wikilink in refs and deleted new advent link