A Truly Useful Examination Of Conscience

Ladies and gentlemen, we have had set before us a myriad of "examinations of conscience" that are nothing more than shill pieces for some "social justice warrior" cause or another.  Here is a truly useful one.  

Political Life and the Ten Commandments

This examination of conscience is designed to help Catholics reflect on how their participation in political life aligns with the teachings of Christ and His Church. As citizens, we are called to engage in the public square while keeping God first in all things. Before going to Confession, prayerfully consider these questions, asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate areas where you may have strayed from God's will.

I. I am the Lord your God; you shall not have strange gods before Me.

Have I placed loyalty to a political party or candidate above my loyalty to God and His Church?

Have I compromised my faith or moral principles to advance a political agenda or maintain political allegiances?

Have I sought political solutions to problems while neglecting prayer and trust in God's providence?

Have I made an idol of political power, influence, or victory, placing hope in political outcomes rather than in God?

Have I supported or remained silent about policies that promote ideologies contrary to the natural law and the dignity of the human person, such as socialism that denies the right to private property, or collectivism that subordinates the individual to the state?

II. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

Have I used God's name disrespectfully or blasphemed when discussing political matters?

Have I invoked God's name to justify positions that contradict Church teaching?

Have I cursed, blasphemed, or used profane language in political debates or out of anger over political outcomes?

Have I used sacred things irreverently in political satire or mockery?

III. Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.

Have I deliberately missed Mass on Sunday or Holy Days of Obligation because of political activities or events?

Have I refused to attend Mass because of disagreement with my priest's or bishop's political views or statements?

Have I allowed political work or activism to prevent me from keeping the Lord's Day holy and set apart for rest and worship?

Have I prioritized political rallies, meetings, or media consumption over my Sunday obligation to worship God?

IV. Honor your father and your mother.

Have I shown disrespect or contempt for lawful authority, including civil leaders, even when I disagree with their policies?

Have I failed to show proper respect for my country and its legitimate governing institutions?

Have I neglected my duties as a citizen, such as voting, serving on juries, or being informed about important issues?

Have I shown excessive nationalism or patriotism that borders on idolatry, or conversely, have I failed to have reasonable love for my country and its genuine goods?

Have I caused division within my family through harsh or uncharitable political arguments?

V. You shall not kill.

Have I supported, promoted, or voted for candidates or policies that permit or fund abortion, the direct killing of innocent human life?

Have I supported candidates who oppose legal protection for unborn children, or have I minimized this grave evil by treating it as merely one issue among many of equal weight?

Have I advocated for or remained silent about euthanasia, assisted suicide, or attacks on the elderly and infirm?

Have I fomented, encouraged, or excused political violence or civil unrest?

Have I participated in or encouraged riots, destruction of property, or violent protests?

Have I used violent or threatening language in political discourse?

Have I wished harm upon political opponents or celebrated when harm befalls them?

Have I failed to speak out against violence when my political allies have engaged in or excused it?

VI & IX. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.

Have I supported or promoted policies that undermine marriage between one man and one woman?

Have I advocated for or remained silent about the legal recognition of so-called same-sex marriage, which contradicts the natural law and the Church's constant teaching?

Have I supported policies promoting sexual confusion, including transgender ideology that denies the reality of the human person as male and female?

Have I supported legislation or candidates who promote radical gender theory in schools or who support medical interventions that harm children's bodies in the name of gender transition?

Have I failed to defend the innocence of children against sexualized content in education or media?

Have I supported policies that promote contraception, undermine parental rights, or attack the sanctity of marriage and family life?

VII & X. You shall not steal. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.

Have I envied the wealth or success of others and supported political policies motivated by envy rather than justice?

Have I supported unjust taxation or redistribution of wealth that violates the right to private property?

Have I advocated for economic systems that deny human dignity, such as socialism or communism, which have historically led to poverty, oppression, and the violation of fundamental human rights?

Have I supported policies that enable or encourage government corruption, theft of public resources, or economic injustice?

Have I been willing to compromise my principles for personal financial or professional gain in the political sphere?

VIII. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Have I spread false information, rumors, or detraction about political opponents?

Have I engaged in slander or calumny against those with whom I disagree politically?

Have I shared unverified news stories or propaganda without concern for truth?

Have I judged the interior motives of others harshly while giving benefit of the doubt to those who share my political views?

Have I misrepresented the positions of my opponents or the teachings of the Church to win arguments?

Have I used harsh, demeaning, or cruel words toward those with different political views?

Have I damaged the reputation of others through gossip or rash judgment?

Act of Contrition

After examining your conscience, pray an Act of Contrition:

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.

Remember: The Church calls us to be faithful citizens who engage in political life while maintaining our primary allegiance to Christ and His Church. We must form our consciences according to truth, defend the dignity of every human person, and work for the common good while keeping God first in all things.

Your Prayers Are Requested

Two weeks ago I learned that a friend of mine from many years ago recently died.  We lost touch about 30 years ago, but knowing details of my friend's life and other details regarding the death announcement, I have reason to suspect suicide.

I am not at liberty to reveal details, but am asking prayers that this friend was granted the grace of final repentance for their eternal salvation and that purgatory time be minimized.  Rosaries would be most appreciated.

Thank you.

How To Turn Advent Into A Social-Justice Screed

I am just now seeing the Dec 18th issue of the Catholic Standard and a piece written by Auxiliary Bishop Menjivar entitled "The Closeness of God in Advent: Longing for Salvation".  I believe this article was misnamed, for I detect in it no concern whatsoever for eternal salvation.  It merely is a shill piece for social-justice-warrior talking points.  Wouldn't we expect something better from an ostensibly Catholic publication?  Not only are Catholic priorities jumbled up in this piece, but Menjivar badly botches American history.  I hope that botching isn't intentional, but those hopes aren't high.

The history-twisting occurs with his rendition of the facts surrounding Our Lady's apparitions at Guadalupe.  To quote Menjivar:"The context was an oppressive colonial system in which the native people felt crushed and insignificant. "  If anyone was making the tribe to which St. Juan Diego belonged, and other tribes as well, feeling "crushed and insignificant", it was the Aztec nation.  The Aztecs would regularly raid those tribes and seize from them victims for the Aztec's human sacrifices.  When Hernando Cortez and the Conquisadors arrived and did take the land for Spanish control, many of the victimized tribes joined forces with Cortez to defeat the Aztecs.  By and large, Cortez et al put an end to the human sacrifices, although pockets of it lingered.

Catholic priests and religious made inroad in converting the natives to the One True Faith.  Recall that when Juan Diego had his first exchange with Our Lady, he was on his way to Mass.  That is to say that Diego was already a Catholic.  As we all (hopefully) know, when the cathedral that Our Lady requested was completed and dedicated, human sacrifice was largely halted as Aztecs converted to Catholicism and found salvation.  It is worth noting that one of the attendees at that consecration was Hernando Cortez.

Then Menjivar writes, "Our Lady of Guadalupe remains a powerful sign that God sides with those who are marginalized. Immigrants and the poor today find hope in her words  "  Actually, she sides with those proclaiming the Gospel.  "Marginalized" hasn't much to do with it, seeing as how the definition of "marginalized" seems to be open for debate.  As for immigrants, Juan Diego was certainly not an immigrant, so I cannot fathom what mental gymnastics Menjivar is using to arrive at that conclusion.

In the middle of his article he writes, "The longing awakened in Advent is not only for personal consolation but for a transformed world. The biblical promise of God’s coming always had social consequences: justice for the oppressed, peace among nations, a new community under God’s reign ".  Here his priorites are precisely ass-backwards.  The "social consequences" MUST take a back seat to personal repentance from sin, such as missing Mass, contraception usage, fornication, embrace of socialism, facilitation of sexual perversions (too numerous to name here).  The repentance must involve taking the aforementioned sins (and any other sins) to the Sacrament of Confession and frequenting the Sacraments and prayer.  Not a one of these "social consequences" will happen until the bishops believe and act like they are successors to the Apostles as opposed to CEOs of business conglomerates that only serve to divert tax dollars to anti-life and anti-God socialists. 

This isn't the first time that Menjivar has used the Catholic Standard to propagate politically correct screeds and distortions of historical facts.  Sadly it probably won't be the last.