Sunday, August 9, 2009

Examination of Conscience During Ordinary Time -- 5 of 5 -- (St. Andrew Bible Missal - 1962)

.
Due to a groundswell of demand from folks who need to get to Confession right away, I'm going to skip ahead in these lists of Examinations of Conscience and provide the Ordinary Time version right away so [He] won't have to wait a week The examins for Christmas, Lent, Holy Week and Easter Time will follow. When I'm finished I will link them all together.

"These examens are not complete, in that they do not include the general sins and faults to which we are always exposed.

We have tried to present this examination in a positive form. Rather than ask questions that are self-diagnostic and apt to imply that we are spiritually sick, we shall show the image of the Christian who has responded to the lessons of this season."


The Sacrament of Penance During the Ordinary Time of the Year

From now on, we must think about the complete building of Christian life, of development in depth. The Christian grows in depth as he grows in charity. So we should carefully examine ourselves on charity.

First and before all, a Christian is one who has discovered the love of God, and who becomes more and more aware of it.

This will be done:
  • By constant prayer
  • By regular study to develop knowledge and understanding of the faith (books, articles, conferences, meditatiion, retreats)
  • By a true and lively participation in Mass and Communion
  • By a faithful observance of Sunday as the day of the Lord
The Christian also knows that some people received from God a special mandate to communicate love.

Therefore:
  • They have deep respect for parents and other superiors
    -- in obedience and readiness to serve
    -- in giving material and spiritual help
    -- in showing Christian affection
  • They are open and ready for evrey good suggestion and counsel
  • They accept all the circumstances in life, even those that are difficult, as signs of the presence of the Lord and His love. This is done without complaint or impatience.
  • The Christian is responsible for the gift of God's love; and this means that they must love as God loves.
This is done:
  • By letting the whole community use their gifts and capacities
  • By showing respect, honesty and justice with regard to the rights of other people
  • By pardoning easily the weaknesses of others
  • By readily suffering deficienceis, faults and injustices
  • By efforts to overcome passions of anger, hatred and disapproval
  • By refusing to consider the Church, the parish or family as a closed group of friends or a special class
  • By care to avoid an attitude of domination when and where they possess authority
  • By respect for everyone's right to truth; thus they avoid lies, backbiting or calumny
  • In learning the meaning of real love, they come to distrust false self-love
Therefore, the Christian:
  • Avoids pride, boasting; they try to be modest and humble
  • Avoids dishonest competition
  • Does not wrap their religious life in a self-centered shell of formalism
  • Avoids debaucher, gluttony, greed or excessive concern for their body
The Christian knows that marriage is a privileged situation for the express of the couple's love of God.

Therefore, the Christian:

Avoids all love of the flesh for itself
Exercises the virtue of faithfulness, which is one of the most essential characteristics of the love of God
Provides for the education of children, because the married couple are servants of the paternity of God

The Christian also knows that the occupation and work are excellent means of expression their love of God.

Therefore, they:
  • Do their job without laziness or carelessness
  • Take part , actively, in the happenings of the actual world of today
  • Assume all political, social and professional duties
  • Are careful to acquire and maintain occupational and technical competence

No comments: