When you examine your conscience what do you do?

Answer 1

Most Catholics use some kind of Examen of Conscience or the Ten Commandments, the Five (Six, or Seven depending on your age) Commandments of the Church, and the Deadly Sins as way to examine their conscience. I have attached a link below to Fr. Hardon's recommended examen, and below is a list for the second. You set some time apart at the end of the day, after saying your evening prayers, you say a prayer to the Holy Spirit to inspire you to know your sins of the past day, to be sorry for them, and to list them. Then you go through the day looking to see where you have fallen. This is called General Examen. Particular Examen is when you find one glaring fault, and you make a specific resolution: At 10 a.m. tomorrow, when my neighbor comes in, I am not going to be short and sarcistic with her. Your particular examen is right before lunch when you ask yourself if you succeeded or not. And again right before supper.

Sins against the Holy Ghost


Presumption of God's mercy
Despair
Impugning the known truth
Envy at another's spiritual good
Obstinacy in sin
Final impenitence
Ten Commandments of God

Exodus XX


1. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
3. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
4. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shalt not commit adultery.
7. You shalt not steal.
8. You shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shalt not covet your neighbor's wife.
10. You shalt not covet your neighbor's goods.
Seven Precepts of the Church


1. To assist at Mass and rest from servile work on all Sundays and holidays of obligation.
2. To fast and abstain on the days appointed by the Church;
3. To go to confession at least once a year;
4. To receive the Blessed Sacrament at least once a year, and that about Easter time;
5. To contribute to the support of our pastors according to our means;
6. Not to marry within certain degrees of kindred, nor to marry with solemnity at forbidden times.
7. To join in the missionary spirit and apostolate of the Church.
Seven Deadly Sins and their opposite virtues

Pride Humility
Greed Liberality
Lust Chastity
Anger Meekness
Gluttony Temperance
Envy Brotherly love
Sloth Diligence