After college I spent a few years saving money to buy my first new car. When I finally went to pick it up, the saleswoman told me that I should wash and wax it once a year. Why? So that I would run my hands over every inch of the body and find any dents or scratches or rust spots that were beginning to form. We do the same thing when we prepare for the sacrament of Reconciliation. Here is a simple way to do an examination of conscience. In this order, look for i) serious sin, ii) sinful habits, and iii) minor sins. Write these down as you do your examination. God is Love Itself, so serious sins are any acts or feelings of hatred (anti-love). These include hatred of or bitterness towards any individual or groups of individuals – e.g., a political figure, a co-worker, Muslims or Jews, your mother-in-law, etc. There is no love of God when there is hatred of neighbor. Second, do you have any sinful habits that affect your ability to fulfill your vocation? An older priest once shared with me that smoking was a serious sin for him because it was an obstacle for getting close to his parishioners. Minor sins include missing Mass out of laziness, forgetting to do our household chores, snapping at someone out of a burst of anger, and so forth. The Biblical words for sin literally mean “missing the mark”. When we are aiming at love of God and neighbor but miss the bullseye, then we are committing venial, or minor, sin. But when we completely turn away from the target and point our arrows in the opposite direction, away from the God of Love, then we are committing serious sin. By a good examination of our conscience we can know the difference. – – – Fr. Jim