Lex Credendi
Your comprehensive hub for Catholic prayers, apologetics, reference, and spiritual resources.
"The law of prayer is the law of belief."
Reading Plan
Bible in a Year
Today's Scripture Passages
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Catechism in a Year
Today's Paragraphs
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The Holy Rosary
Interactive Rosary
Select a mystery set, then click any bead or press Next to pray
Welcome
Select a mystery set above, then click any bead or press “Next” to begin praying the Rosary.
Step 1
Prayers
Apologetics
Reference
Confession
Examination of Conscience
Responsibilities to God
- •Have I prayed every day?
- •Have I prayed my morning prayers and night prayers?
- •Have I prayed with my parents and family?
- •Have I been moody and rebellious about praying and going to church on Sunday?
- •Have I asked the Holy Spirit to help me whenever I have been tempted to sin?
- •Have I asked the Holy Spirit to help me do what is right?
Responsibilities to Others
- •Have I been obedient and respectful to my parents?
- •Have I lied or been deceitful to them or to others?
- •Have I been arrogant, stubborn or rebellious?
- •Have I talked back to parents, teachers or other adults?
- •Have I pouted and been moody?
- •Have I been selfish toward my parents, brothers, and sisters, teachers, or my friends and schoolmates?
- •Have I gotten angry at them? Have I hit anyone?
- •Have I held grudges or not forgiven others?
- •Have I treated other children with respect or have I made fun of them and called them names?
- •Have I used bad language?
- •Have I stolen anything? Have I returned it?
- •Have I performed my responsibilities, such as homework and household chores?
- •Have I been helpful and affectionate toward my family?
- •Have I been kind and generous with my friends?
- •Did I deny or doubt God's existence?
- •Did I refuse to believe God's revelation?
- •Did I believe in (or use) horoscopes, fortune telling, good luck charms, tarot cards, Ouija boards or reincarnation?
- •Did I deny that I was a Catholic?
- •Did I abandon the Catholic Faith for any period of time?
- •Did I despair of or presume on God's mercy?
- •Did I neglect prayer for a long time?
- •Did I fail to pray daily?
- •Did I blaspheme God or take God's Name in vain, curse or break an oath or vow?
- •Did I miss Mass on a Sunday or on a Holy Day of Obligation through my own fault?
- •Am I always reverent in the presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament?
- •Was I voluntarily inattentive at Mass?
- •Did I arrive at Mass late through my own fault?
- •Did I leave Mass early?
- •Did I do unnecessary servile work on Sunday?
- •Did I disobey or disrespect my parents or legitimate superiors?
- •Did I neglect my duties to my husband, wife, children or parents?
- •Did I fail to actively take an interest in the religious education and formation of my children?
- •Have I failed to educate myself concerning the teachings of the Church?
- •Did I give a full day's work in return for a full day's pay?
- •Did I give a fair wage to my employee(s)?
- •Did I give scandal by what I said or did, especially to the young?
- •Did I contribute to anyone's abandoning of the Catholic Faith?
- •Was I impatient, angry, envious, unkind, proud, jealous, revengeful, hateful toward others or lazy?
- •Did I give bad example, abuse drugs, drink alcohol to excess, fight or quarrel?
- •Did I physically injure or kill anyone?
- •Have I had an abortion, or advised or supported an abortion?
- •Did I participate in or approve of the grave evil known as “mercy killing,” euthanasia or doctor assisted suicide?
- •Did I attempt suicide or physically harm myself?
- •Did I willfully entertain impure thoughts and desires?
- •Did I dress immodestly or provocatively?
- •Did I use impure or suggestive words?
- •Did I tell impure stories or listen to them?
- •Did I deliberately look at impure television, internet, plays, pictures or movies?
- •Did I deliberately read or send impure material?
- •Did I perform impure acts by myself (masturbation) or with another (adultery, fornication or sodomy)?
- •Did I marry or advise another to marry outside of the Church?
- •Did I abuse my marriage rights?
- •Was I unfaithful to my marriage vows?
- •Have I kept company with someone else's spouse?
- •Did I practice artificial birth control or was I or my spouse permanently sterilized (tubal ligation or vasectomy)?
- •Did I steal, cheat, help or encourage others to steal, cheat, or keep stolen goods?
- •Have I made restitution for stolen goods?
- •Did I deliberately fail to fulfill my contracts or to pay my bills? Did I give or accept bribes?
- •Did I rashly gamble or speculate or deprive my family of the necessities of life?
- •Did I tell lies? Deliberately in order to deceive or injure others? (slander or calumny)
- •Did I commit perjury?
- •Did I vote in accordance with a properly informed conscience, in a way consistent with the teachings of the Church, in regard to the sanctity of marriage and of human life issues?
- •Was I uncharitable in thought, word or deed?
- •Did I gossip or reveal the faults or sins of others? (detraction)
- •Did I fail to keep secrets that I should have kept?
- •Did I eat meat knowingly on the Fridays during Lent or on Ash Wednesday? (Ages 14+)
- •Did I fast as required on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday? (Ages 18-59)
- •Did I fail to receive Holy Communion during the Easter Season?
- •Did I fail to confess my sins at least once a year?
- •Did I receive Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin?
- •Did I receive Holy Communion without fasting for one hour or more from food and drink? (water and medicine are permitted)
- •Did I make a bad Confession by deliberately not telling all the mortal sins I had committed?
- •Did I fail to contribute to the support of the Church?
- •Have I forgiven those who have hurt or harmed me or my loved ones?
How to go to Confession
- 1. The priest will greet you.
- 2. The penitent says: “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.” You then say how long it has been since your last Confession.
- 3. The penitent tells the priest his sins simply and forthrightly (if mortal sin, give kind and approximate number).
- 4. The priest will give you some advice and will assign you a penance.
- 5. The penitent will next pray the Act of Contrition.
- 6. The priest then gives the penitent absolution.
- 7. The priest will then say: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.”
- 8. The penitent responds: “His mercy endures forever.” The priest will then dismiss you.
- 9. The penitent carries out the assigned penance.
Meditation
Ready
The Jesus Prayer