EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCEFrom: " Brother, save yourself "by very Rev. James Alberione, S.S.P, S.T.D.

[1] I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me. Do I give God time every day in prayer?

Do I seek to love Him with my whole heart?

Have I been involved with superstitious practices or have I been involved with the occult?

Do I seek to surrender myself to God's Word as taught by the Church?

Have I ever received Communion in a state of mortal sin?

Have I ever deliberately told a lie in confession or have I withheld a mortal sin from the priest in confession?

[2] You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

Have I used God's name in vain: lightly or carelessly?

Have I been angry with God?

Have I wished evil upon another person?

Have I insulted a sacred person or abused a sacred object?

[3] Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.

Have I deliberately missed Mass on Sundays or Holy Days of Obligation? Have I tried to observe Sunday as a family day and a day of rest? Do I do needless work on Sunday?[4] Honour your Father and your Mother.

Do I honour and obey my parents? Have I neglected my duties to my spouse and children? Have I given my family good religious example? Do I try to bring peace into my home life? Do I care for my aged and infirm relatives?[5] You shall not kill.

Have I had an abortion or encouraged anyone to have an abortion? Have I physically harmed anyone? have I abused alcohol or drugs? Did I give scandal to anyone, thereby leading them into sin? Have I been angry or resentful? Have I harbored hatred in my heart? Have I mutilated myself through any form of sterilization? Have I encouraged or condoned sterilization?[6] You shall not commit adultery.

Have I been faithful to my marriage vows in thought and action? Have I engaged in any sexual activity outside of marriage? Have I used any method of contraception or artificial birth control in my marriage? Has each sexual act in my marriage been open to the transmission of new life? Have I been guilty of masturbation? Have I sought to control my thoughts? Have I respected all members of the opposite sex, or have I thought of other people as objects? Have I been guilty of any homosexual activity? Do I seek to be chaste in my thoughts, words and actions? Am I careful to dress modestly?[7] You shall not steal.

Have I stolen what is not mine? Have I returned or made restitution for what I have stolen? Do I waste time at work, school or at home? Do I gamble excessively, thereby denying my family of their needs? Do I pay my debts promptly? Do I seek to share what I have with the poor?[8] You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Have I lied? Have I gossiped? Have I spoken behind someone else's back? Am I sincere in my dealings with others? Am I critical, negative or uncharitable in my thoughts of others? Do I keep secret what should be kept confidential?[9] You shall not desire your neighbor's wife.

Have I consented to impure thoughts? Have I caused them by impure reading, movies, conversations or curiosity? Do I seek to control my imagination? Do I pray at once to banish impure thoughts and temptations?

[10] You shall not desire your neighbor's goods.

Am I jealous of what other people have? Do I envy the families or possessions of others? Am I greedy or selfish? Are material possessions the purpose of my life? Do I trust that God will care for all of my material and spiritual needs?

Examination of Conscience

Prayer Before Confession

O Lord, grant me light to see myself as Thou dost see me and the grace to be truly and efficaciously contrite for my sins. O Mary, help me to make a good confession.Preliminary

Besides telling the NATURE of our sins, we must also recollect, as far as possible, the NUMBER of times we have committed them, telling also (and only) those CIRCUMSTANCES which at times may either make a venial sin mortal or a mortal sin notably worse.

1. Have I ever failed to confess a serious sin or disguised it?

2. Have I been guilty of irreverence for this sacrament by failing to examine my conscience carefully?

3. Have I failed to perform the penance given me by the confessor or disobeyed any of his directions?

4. Have I neglected the Easter duty of receiving Holy Communion or failed to confess my sins within a year?

5. Have I any HABITS of serious sin to confess first (impurity, drunkenness, etc.)?

First Commandment

1. Am I ignorant of my catechism (Act of Contrition, Apostle's Creed, Ten Commandments, Seven Sacraments, the Our Father)?

2. Have I willfully doubted or denied any of the teachings of the Church (heresy)?

3. Have I taken active part in any non-Catholic worship?

4. Am I a member of any anti-Catholic or any secret society?

5. Have I knowingly read any anti-Catholic literature?

6. Have I practiced any superstitions (horoscopes, fortune tellers, etc.)?

Second Commandment

1. Have I used God's name in vain by way of profanity?

2. Have I murmured or complained against God (blasphemy)?

3. Have I maligned priests or others consecrated to God?

4. Have I sworn by God's name (oath) either falsely or rashly?

5. Have I broken any private vow?

Third Commandment

1. Have I missed Mass on Sundays or holydays through my own fault?

2. Have I been late for Mass through my own negligence?

3. Have I been inattentive at Mass or otherwise failed in reverence for the Most Blessed Sacrament?

4. Have I done unnecessary servile work (physical labor) or shopping on Sunday?

Fourth Commandment

1. Have I been disrespectful to my parents or neglected them?

2. Have I failed in obedience or reverence to others in authority?

3. Have I mistreated my wife or children?

4. Have I been disobedient or disrespectful to my husband?

5. Regarding my children:

Have I neglected their material needs?

Have I failed to care for their early Baptism or their proper religious instruction?

Have I allowed them to neglect their religious duties?

Have I otherwise failed to discipline them?

Have I given bad them example?

Have I interfered with their freedom to marry or follow a religious vocation?

Fifth & Eighth Commandments

1. Have I quarreled with any one?

2. Have I cursed anyone or otherwise wished evil on him?

3. Have I taken pleasure in anyone's misfortune?

4. Is there anyone to whom I refuse to speak or be reconciled?

5. Have I lied about anyone (calumny)?

6. Have I rash judged anyone of a serious sin?

7. Have I engaged in gossip (detraction) or spread scandal?

8. Have I lent an ear to scandal about my neighbor?

9. Have I been jealous or envious of anyone?

Sixth & Ninth

1. Have I denied my spouse his or her marriage rights?

2. Have I practiced birth control?

3. Have I abused my marriage rights in any other way?

4. Have I committed adultery or fornication?

5. Have I touched or embraced another impurely?

6. Have I sinned with others of the same sex?

7. Have I committed masturbation or otherwise sinned impurely with myself?

8. Have I harbored lustful desires for anyone?

9. Have I indulged in other impure thoughts?

10. Have I failed to dress modestly?

11. Have I done anything to provoke or occasion impure thoughts in others?

12. Have I read indecent literature or looked at indecent pictures?

13. Have I watched suggestive films or programs?

14. Have I permitted my children or others under my charge to do these things?

15. Have I used indecent language or told indecent stories?

16. Have I willingly listened to such stories?

17. Have I boasted of my sins?

18. Have I sinned against chastity in any other way?

Seventh & Tenth Commandments

1. Have I stolen anything?

2. Have I damaged anyone's property through my own fault?

3. Have I cheated or defrauded other?

4. Have I refused or neglected to pay any debts?

5. Have I neglected my duties or been slothful in my work?

6. Have I refused or neglected to help anyone in urgent necessity?

7. Have I failed to make restitution?

OTHER SINS

1. Have I knowingly caused others to sin?

2. Have I cooperated in the sins of others?

3. Have I sinned by gluttony?

4. Have I become intoxicated?

5. Have I used narcotics?

6. Have I been motivated by avarice?

7. Have I indulged in boasting or vainglory?

8. Have I received Holy Communion or another sacrament in the state of mortal sin?

9. Is there any other sin I need to confess?

Prayer for a Good Confession

O my God, by my grievous sins I have re-crucified Thy divine Son to myself and have deserved Thy everlasting wrath in the fires of hell. Even more, I have been most ungrateful by my sins to Thee, my Heavenly Father, Who have created me out of nothing, redeemed me by Thy Son, and sanctified me in the sacraments by Thy Holy Spirit. But Thou hast spared me to make this confession. Receive me back as Thy prodigal son and grant me to confess myself well, that I may begin anew to love Thee with my whole heart and soul, henceforth keeping Thy Commandments and suffering patiently whatever temporal punishment for my sins may remain. I hope by Thy goodness and power to obtain everlasting life in paradise. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.How To Build a Hedge Around an Unfaithful Partner

"I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge...that I should not destroy..." (Ez.22:30)

A certain man discovered that his wife was secretly seeing another man. She would meet him on business trips and spend long hours after work with him. For months she had neglected her home responsibilities, such as making any meals for her husband.

He learned about the "hedge of thorns" that he could claim in prayer for his wife, and one day he used it. That evening when he got home from work, his wife was in the kitchen making their first meal in four months!

A wife learned that her husband was spending time with a younger woman. She learned further that he was planning to leave her and marry this younger woman. She was told how to pray for a "hedge of thorns" around her husband. The next evening he received a phone call from the young woman telling him that she wanted to break off their relationship.

The wife of a young pastor left him and began working in a bar. She was planning to marry the barkeeper. The grieving husband learned how to pray for a "hedge of thorns" around his wife, and three days later, his wife called him up and was ready to return home.

These are only a few of the many illustrations which Christians are experiencing as a result of building a "hedge of thorns" or "hedge of protection" around their loved ones. However, there is far more to the story than just praying a certain prayer.

The Scriptural basis for the "hedge of thorns" is found in several passages. First of all, God looks for an intercessor to make up a "hedge" of protection. (Ez.22:30). Job is an example of such a man in the O.T. (Job 1:5-12)

He prayed for God's protection over his family - including his sons and daughters whom he feared cursed God in their hearts. The result was that God "made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that He had on every side".

By building a "hedge" around an unfaithful partner, his/her "lovers" lose interest and Satan is no more able to take your partner captive "at his will". Satan must get clearance from God for whatever he does, and his actions become God's dealings in love. II Timothy 2:25-26; II Corinthians 12:7; Job 1:5-10)

A further illustration of the hedge is found in Hosea. God promised to make a hedge of thorns around Hosea's adulterous wife so that her lovers would lose interest in her. (Hosea 2:6-7)

After God built a hedge of thorns around Hosea's unfaithful wife, and her lovers left her, she decided to return to her husband. However, if she was to remain under his authority and protection, there were several things that he had to do. These are listed in Hosea 2:14-16.

The NT counterpart to this truth is illustrated in Christ's interecession for Peter (Lk.22:31-38) and for his disciples (John 17:12 - the hedge of prayer - none lost but the son of perdition). It is also illustrated in Paul's prayer for those under his spiritual care.

The basic teaching of Scripture on the hedge is found in II Cor. 10:4-5 "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds."

This emphasizes the fact that Satan is able to have powerful holds on our mind, will, and emotions, but that through God we can and must pull them down.

The purpose of "binding Satan" (Matt.12:29) and building a "hedge of protection" around your partner is so that you can proceed "casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

(II Cor.10:5).

There are a number of cases in which a husband or wife build a "hedge of thorns" around an unfaithful partner through prayer, saw the return of that partner, and then failed to follow up on the victory. Soon Satan regained a foothold in that partner's life. Thus, the following steps are very essential.

1. MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE A GENUINE CHRISTIAN.God only hears the prayers of His own children. We become a child of God only through putting our full faith and trust for salvation in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, in dying for us and being raised from the dead.

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us..." (Titus 3:5).

"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Romans 10:9)

2. CLEANSE YOUR LIFE OF ALL SINGod delighted in building a hedge of protection around Job and all his family and possessions, because Job was "a perfect and an unpright man, one that feareth God, and...(hateth) evil,"

(Job 1:8)

We can claim the righteousness of Christ as Christians by confessing our sins and cleansing our mind, life, and home of anything that grieves the Spirit of God and hinders His work in our life.

"...Make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof." (Romans 13:14)

3. BUILD A "HEDGE OF THORNS" BY PRAYERThe following prayer is an example of building a hedge of thorns around an unfaithful marriage partner:

"Heavenly Father, I ask You in the name and through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, to build a "hedge of thorns" around my partner. I pray that through this hedge, any other lover will lose interest and depart. I base this prayer on Your Word which commands that what You have joined together, let not man put asunder." ((Matthew 19:6)

4. RESTORE A SPIRIT OF ONENESSFollow through on your prayer by getting alone with your partner (..."I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness.."), using gentle, kind, and loving words ("...speak comfortably unto her..."_, committing yourself to your partner's needs and visualizing hope ("I will give her her vineyards...for a door of hope"), restoring your partner's happiness ("...and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth..."), and restoring a spirit of deep friendship ("...thou shalt call me ish (my husband) and shalt call me no more baali (my lord)). (Hosea 2:14-16)

5. CAST DOWN WRONG REASONINGSIn the spirit of friendship and fellowship, cast down false reasonings in the mind of your partner by wisely using God's Word. Together, bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (I Cor. 10:4-5)

GOMER

Gomer was the wife of the prophet Hosea.

She was an adulterous wife.

In this account, God gives us a graphic illustration of how the "hedge of thorns" works

Hosea 2:6-16

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PUT A "HEDGE OF THORNS" AROUND AN UNFAITHFUL PARTNER?1. He/she will lose direction.

"...I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths."

2. Any other "lovers" will leave.

"...she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them."

3. Troubles will prompt a return

"...then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband: for then was it better with me than now."

Hosea 2:6-16

A "hedge will be ineffective if you have not resolved all past offenses, or if you do not follow through with Scriptural steps of actions.

THE PRAYER FOR A "HEDGE" INVOLVES THREE PARTS

1. YOUR SPIRITUAL 'CREDENTIALS'

We are able to approach a holy God through the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ's death and resurrection have already defeated Satan's power. "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Cor. 15:57)

2. YOUR REQUEST

When we pray, we must be specific; the more precise we are in our prayer, the more able we are to judge its Scriptural basis and the more alert we will be in seeing His answer to it. "...Ye have not, because ye ask not" (James 4:2)

3. YOUR SCRIPTURAL AUTHORITY

Every request must be based on the will of God as revealed in His Word. God's Word is the sword of the Spirit (Ep.6:17). Christians are able to overcome Satan "..by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony." (Rev. 12:11).

GOD GIVES FIVE STEPS TO WIN BACK A WAYWARD PARTNER(Hosea 2:14-16)

1. Allure him/her away from ungodly influences.

2. Speak gently and lovingly.

3. Reestablish responsibility and by it restore hope.

4. Cause him/her to sing for joy.

5. Build an intimate friendship.