Examination used by the Community Cenacolo

1. PRIDE

Do I act like I know everything and have all of the answers?

Do I think I am always right?

Do I feel superior to others?

Do I easily judge others?

Do I tend to interpret negative motives in others?

Do I feel irritated if someone corrects me?

Do I ask for forgiveness?

Do I get annoyed when someone contradicts me?

Do I get annoyed if someone interrupts me when I am speaking?

Am I impatient when others don’t do what I want and when I want them to do it?

Do I really not believe in my need for God?

Do I have difficulty realizing on my own that I have hurt others?

Am I brusque or impolite?

Do I get irritated if I do not get the response that I want?

Do I think of myself first?

Do my needs and priorities override the needs and priorities of others?

Do I “get even” when someone hurts, offends, irritates, or embarrasses me?

Do I tend to give my opinion frequently?

Do I get offended when others don’t speak to me, thank me, or recognize me?

Do I speak about myself a lot?

Do I get offended or resentful if I am not chosen for a responsibility that I want?

2. HUMILITY

Am I silent when someone corrects me?

Am I silent when someone confronts me with a truth about myself that I
don’t like?Do I take directions from others?

Do I obey in trust?

Do I admit when I am wrong?

Do I accept criticism?

Do I get resentful of offended when others correct me or tell me that I am wrong?

Do I treat others with respect and courtesy, even if they don’t like me?

Am I willing to change my schedule, plans, or what I want to do for others?

Do I graciously change my plans for the good of others?

Do I accept difficulties, hardship, and suffering without complaining,
getting angry, or taking it out on others?

Do I see the good in others, far more than their weaknesses?

Do I see my faults?

Can I admit them to others?

3. SACRIFICE VS. SELFISHNESS

Am I attentive to the needs of others?

Do I even notice them, or do I tend to focus on my needs/wants?

Do I do the things I don’t like, simply to help others, without self-interest?

Do I practice self-denial?

Do I give up my desires for other people, or do I tend to push/manipulate/convince to get my way?

Do I stick to my prayer commitments, even if I’m tired or not feeling so good?

Do I try to put a smile on my face, even if I feel lousy, when I know that it is good for others?

Do I help others without being asked?

Do I help others, even when I have a lot to do myself?

Do I freely choose to inconvenience myself for others?

Do I complain when things don’t go how I want?

Do I serve people I don’t like?

Do I help without letting others know about it?

Do I take care of my own wants before those of others?

Do I expect others to do what I want, rather than trying to do what they want?

Do I make concrete efforts to serve my husband/wife?

Do I help my husband/wife/others when my flesh resists?

Do my needs and desires come first in daily life choices?

4. LAZINESS

 

Do I tend to look for that which is most comfortable, and requires least effort?

Do I leave my responsibilities to the last minute?

Do I avoid any mortification or self-denial?

Do I waste time easily?

Do I tend to complain when I have to do something out of my comfort zone?

Do I try to get other people to do the things that I don’t like?

Do I easily settle for mediocrity rather than pushing myself to excellence?

Do I generally take the easy way?

Do I avoid things that require a lot of effort or work?

Do I ignore things that need to be done just because I don’t like doing them?

Do I oversleep to the point of not following through with my responsibilities?

5. DISCIPLINE/SELF-CONTROL

Do I force myself to do what I should if I am tired?

Do I force myself to do what I should if I don’t want to do it/feel like doing it?

Do I only eat what I like, even if it hurts others or wastes food?

Do my feelings control my work performance?

Do my moods control how I speak to others?

Do I justify my irritability or sharp words by blaming others?

Do people around me pay the price when I’m not happy?

Do I overeat or eat things that I know are bad for me?

Do I get things done on time?

Do I set goals and do what is necessary to meet those goals?

Do I seem to want more chocolate, more coffee, and more sweets even though I know I have had enough?

Do I follow through with what I say I will do, even if it gets hard?

Do I tend to get angry when things don’t go my way?

Do I blame others for my outbursts of anger?

Do I control my tongue when I am angry?

Do I have trouble controlling what I eat or how much I eat?

6. CHARITY TOWARDS OTHERS

Do I give others the benefit of the doubt?

Do I help someone if I see they have a need?

Do I take the initiative to help without being asked?

Do I choose to think the best of someone, rather than the negative?

Do I choose to think the best of someone, even if the situation seems uncertain, until it is proven?

Do I speak well of people or say nothing, rather than speak badly of a person?

Do I feel hurt, resentful, or angry if people don’t see and appreciate what I do?

Do I tend to focus on peoples faults, rather than their good points?

Do I have a sharp tongue?

Do I tend to be the source of information about others people’s lives?

Do I gossip?

Do I speak about other people’s faults and bad behavior?

Do I give information about people’s lives or problems?

Do I criticize others with my facial expressions or body language?

Do I label people?

Do I join in negative conversation when someone is criticized?

Do I stop gossipy conversation?

Do I decide what the motives are for other people’s behavior?

Do I disguise my criticism of others, so that I won’t look like I am critical?

7. FORGIVENESS

Do I forgive those who hurt me?

Do I justify reasons for holding grudges?

Do I see the ways I hurt others as much smaller than how they hurt me?

Do I try to forgive others as Jesus has forgiven me?

Do I choose to forgive quickly?

Do I get people back?

Do I have conversations in my mind, in which I let them have it/tell them what I think of them/get them back?

Do I tend to think and rethink and rethink how someone has hurt me?

Do I verbalize forgiveness to someone who has hurt me?

Do I ask for forgiveness from the persons I have hurt?

8. TRUTH

Do I lie to cover my mistakes?

Do I try to hide what I have done wrong?

Do I use/manipulate conversations to get what I want, yet try to prevent others from realizing I am doing this?

Do I make up my own rules about what is sin and what is not sin?

Am I honest with myself about my weaknesses?

Do I present facts in a certain way to get people to do what I want?

Is the image I present to people truly who I am inside?

Do I keep a hidden life in thought or behavior?

Do I stretch, change or alter the actual reality/the truth to meet my needs or desires?

Do I hide information or behavior that leads others to think what I want?

Do I exaggerate information to achieve my goals?

Do I make excuses for myself, thus justifying my behavior?

Do I act one way with some people and differently with others?

Do I rationalize my own wrong behavior?

Do I work conversations to find out information, while trying to keep others from finding out what I am doing?

Do I deny the truth when others see behaviors, attitudes, or traits that I don’t want them to see?

Do I deny the truth when others see behavior, attitudes, or traits that I don’t want to face about myself?

Do I feel guilty when I distort the truth – when I lie – or am I so
accustomed to doing it that I hardly even realize it, much less feel
guilty?

Do I purposely hide information when I know it’s relevant, even if I have been asked about it?

Do I say part of the truth but not all of it?

Do I remain silent at times I know my silence will cause the other
person to come to the conclusion, to perceive a situation, or to behave
as I desire?

Do I present the factual truth at times when I know that it alone does not reveal the entire truth?

9. HUMAN RESPECT

Do I do certain things with the motive of getting people to admire me?

Do I find ways to let people know the good I have done?

Do I get preoccupied with my physical appearance?

Do I say or do things to fit in?

Do I speak about my accomplishments, achievements, or success?

Do I avoid speaking the truth about myself because I want them to like me?

Do I avoid speaking openly about my principles or my faith because of what others might think?

Do I put my security in what others think of me?

Do I avoid confronting others with truth that I know will help them for fear of rejection?

Do I avoid challenging a person, when I know I should, because I don’t
want to affect our relationship or don’t want them to be angry at me?

Do I not tell people truths that will help them because I don’t want them to dislike me or judge me?

Do I lie or stretch the truth to look good to others?

Do I act differently with different people?

Do I worry about what people think of me?

Do I try to present a certain image?

10. PURITY

 

Do I use sexual humor or make sexual comments?

Do I look at pornography via the internet, DVD’s, movies, books or magazines?

Am I sexually involved with anyone who is not my husband/wife?

Do I practice masturbation?

Do I look lustfully at the opposite sex, using the person in my mind?

Do I respect the human body as the “temple of the Holy Spirit?

Do I choose to entertain impure thoughts and let myself enjoy them?

Do I use others strictly for my sexual pleasure?

Do I treat others as objects, not recognizing their value as children of God?

11. ANGER

Does my tone of voice hurt others?

Do I get irritated or impatient when I am interrupted?

Do I justify my expressions of anger by blaming them on the behavior of others?

Do others tell them I hurt them with my angry outbursts?

Do I yell when people or situations are not going the way I want?

Do I react with cutting words when I am annoyed?

Do I deny that I am angry, even though others are convinced that I am?

Do I express impatience with people when they do not do what I want?

Do I get angry if people do not meet my expectations?

Does my anger negatively affect my relationships with others?

Do I hurt the people I love the most by my expressions of impatience, annoyance, frustration, and anger?

Do others tell me that I do not control my anger?

Do I have conflicts at work because of my anger?

Do I defend my hurtful behavior when others confront me about my anger?

Do I describe my anger in ways that make it acceptable to me?

Do I justify my expressions of anger by blaming them on the behavior of others?

12. PRAYER

Do I have a regular prayer time every day?

Am I committed and faithful to my prayer time?

Do I stick to my prayer commitments, even if I am tired, sleepy, or don’t feel like praying?

Do I continue with my prayer in spite of distractions?

Do I allow my moods, disappointments, or struggles to keep me from praying?

Do I pray with my wife/husband?

Do I pray with my wife/husband even when I feel hurt or angry at him/her?

Do I pray with my children?

Do I try to keep growing in my spiritual life, or do I content myself with where I am?

Has my prayer life deepened in the last 6 months?

Do I believe I need the Sacrament of Reconciliation monthly or more, or
do I tell myself I really don’t need to go that often?

Am I open, truthful, and specific about my sins when I go to Reconciliation?

Do I receive Holy Communion when I am in the state of mortal sin?

Do I take concrete steps to deepen my prayer life regularly?