I · Reflect

The long walk through the Ten.

Every commandment in turn, with the questions that belong to it. Move at your own pace; nothing is submitted, and you can stop anywhere.

Back to Reflect

“I am the Lord your God; you shall not have strange gods before me.”

Loving God above all things

Have I treated people, events, money, or possessions as more important than God?
Have I been ashamed of or denied my faith in front of others?
Have I ridiculed the teachings or practices of God and the Church?
Have I failed to tell God that I want to love Him with my whole heart, mind, and, strength?
Have I practiced various forms of superstition, such as using fortune tellers, mediums, Ouija boards, or tarot cards?
Have I been prideful or vain? Have I been a showoff?
Have I been superficial or worldly?

II.

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

Reverence in speech

Have I used God's name carelessly, in anger, or in surprise?
Have I wished evil upon anyone or anything?
Have I failed to study the truths of our faith and allow them to become more part of the way I think and act?
Have I failed to be a Christian witness to those with whom I work or associate? Have I failed to speak to anyone about the Gospel and how important it is to believe in Jesus?
Have I held any resentments toward God?

III.

“Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.”

Sunday, kept

Have I, through my own fault, failed to come to Mass each Sunday and every Holy Day of Obligation?
Have I arrived at Mass late or left early without good reason?
Have I allowed myself to be distracted at Mass?
Have I received Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin?
Have I failed to maintain a daily prayer life?
Have I failed to read the Bible or other spiritual books?
Have I failed to go to Confession at least once a year?
Have I failed to tithe, both in my finances and in my time?
Have I failed to allow the Gospel to influence my political and social opinions?
Have I ignored my conscience when it told me to do something good?
Have I deliberately omitted a mortal sin in a previous confession?
Have I failed to make a sacrifice on Fridays during the year?
Have I eaten meat on Fridays in Lent? Have I failed to fast on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday?

IV.

“Honor your father and your mother.”

Family and rightful authority

Have I disobeyed my parents or treated them with disrespect?
Have I failed to maintain a good relationship with my family, not giving them the respect they deserve?
Have I been disrespectful toward the elderly?
Have I been disobedient to reasonable civil laws or to those in authority (such as the police)?
Have I failed to use my time wisely?
Have I spent an excessive amount of time on entertainment – TV, social media, video games, YouTube, Netflix, or the internet?
Have I misused my family's finances?
Have I pouted and been moody?
Have I been selfish toward my parents, brothers, sisters, teachers, or my friends and schoolmates?
Have I failed to perform my responsibilities (without complaining), such as homework and household chores?
Have I neglected my work or my studies?
Have I failed to take school seriously and put forth my best effort?
Have I failed to care for my spouse? Have I failed to be generous with my time? Have I failed to be affectionate and loving?
Have I failed to be concerned about the spiritual well-being of my spouse?
Have I failed to listen to my spouse? Have I failed to pay attention to his or her concerns, worries, and problems? Have I failed to seek these out?
Have I allowed misunderstanding, miscommunication or accidents to cause anger and mistrust? Have I nurtured critical and negative thoughts about my spouse?
Have I physically abused my spouse?
Have I gossiped about my spouse?
Have I lied or been deceitful to my spouse?
Have I failed to care for the spiritual needs of my children? Have I failed to be a shepherd and guardian as God has appointed me?
Have I failed to pray with my children? Have I failed to teach them the Gospel and the commandments of God?
Have I failed to talk with my children to find out their problems, concerns, and fears?
Have I been impatient and frustrated with my children? Have I failed to correct them out of love in order to teach them what is right and good? Have I failed to treat them with respect?
Have I failed to be of one heart and mind with my spouse in the upbringing of the children? Have I allowed disagreements and dissension to disrupt the training, educating and disciplining of our children?
Have I undermined the role of authority in the eyes of my children by speaking negatively against God, my spouse or others who hold legitimate authority over them?
Have I failed to be a good Christian witness to my children in what I say and do? Have I demanded one standard for them and another for myself?
Have I failed to be properly generous with my children regarding money and physical and material well-being? Have I been miserly? Have I been extravagant, thus spoiling them?

“You shall not kill.”

Reverence for life

Have I physically harmed someone, such as by fighting or hitting?
Have I been prone to anger?
Have I deliberately harbored hateful, unkind, or revengeful thoughts about others?
Have I used harsh or abusive language toward another? Have I acted rudely or impolitely?
Have I been guilty of the sin of racism?
Have I fostered or nurtured hatred toward my “political” enemies, either local, national or international?
Have I been prejudiced against others because of ethnicity, gender, color, religion, or social status?
Have I been cruel to God's creation, such as the environment (littering) and animals?
Have I failed to take proper care of my body, such as by not maintaining healthy eating, sleeping, and exercise?
Have I unnecessarily endangered others' lives, such as through distracted or drunk driving?
Have I gotten drunk or abused alcohol?
Have I consumed alcohol underage? Have I helped others disobey the law in this respect?
Have I taken illegal drugs or abused prescription drugs?
Have I sold or distributed illegal drugs?
Have I mutilated my body or another’s body, or seriously contemplated suicide?
Have I had an abortion or encouraged another to have one?
Have I failed to treat other children with respect or have I made fun of them and called them names?
Have I used bad language?

VI & IX.

“You shall not commit adultery. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.”

Chastity of body and heart

Have I deliberately entertained impure thoughts or desires?
Have I read impure material, listened to music with impure lyrics, or looked at impure images, whether in photos or on television or in movies or on the Internet?
Have I aroused sexual desire in myself or another by impure kissing, embracing, or touching?
Have I had sex outside of marriage?
Have I committed impure actions alone, i.e., masturbation?
Have I committed homosexual acts?
Have I used artificial contraception whether surgical, barrier or chemical methods?
Have I been too concerned with the way I look? Have I dressed immodestly in order to attract attention?
Have I used vulgar language or told/listened to impure jokes or stories?
Have I used sexual relations solely for my own selfish pleasure? Have I been too demanding in my desire for sexual fulfillment?
Have I failed to be loving and physically affectionate in my sexual relations, or have I used sexual relations in a way that is demeaning or disrespectful to my spouse?
Have I refused sexual relations out of laziness, revenge or manipulation?
Have I refused to conceive children out of selfishness or material greed?
Is my marriage not in accordance with the teachings of Christ and the Church?
If I am legally divorced, did I seek the Church's help with getting an annulment?

VII & X.

“You shall not steal. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.”

Justice, honesty and contentment

Have I taken anything that was not my own? Have I paid it back? Have I been guilty of shop-lifting?
Have I damaged private or public property or defaced it by vandalism?
Have I accepted or bought stolen property, or helped someone to steal?
Have I borrowed something without the owner’s permission? Have I deliberately failed to return something I borrowed?
Have I cheated in games or sports?
Have I received pay for work that I did not do?
Have I been greedy or selfish?
Have I been envious of someone’s possessions?
Have I wasted money or spent it extravagantly?
Have I made of money, or any possession, a false god? Have I harbored a greed for money or worldly possessions?
Have I wasted goods or food?
Have I committed fraud or used fake documents? Have I bribed someone?
Have I failed to pay my taxes?
Have I gambled excessively?
Have I cheated on tests or schoolwork?

VIII.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

Truthfulness

Have I lied? Have I deliberately misled or deceived anyone?
Have I sworn to do something sinful or illegal?
Have I criticized anyone uncharitably?
Have I talked bad about others, spreading damaging information about them? Have I gossiped about others or listened to gossip?
Have I talked falsely about others, spreading information that was incorrect or that I had no evidence of (slander)?
Have I been quick to judge? Have I harbored false or unproven suspicions about others?
Have I betrayed someone’s trust? Have I told a secret I was asked to keep?
Have I tried to place blame on others, excusing myself?
Have I needlessly or excessively made fun of persons, places, or things?
Have I refused to forgive someone or held a grudge against him or her?
Have I failed to apologize or make amends to someone I offended?
Have I been happy at others' misfortunes? Have I been sad at others' success?
Have I exaggerated small mistakes or slights? Have I been overly sensitive?