(1) “Examine our conscience”; and first of all we find out how long a time it is since our last confession, and whether we made a good confession then and received Holy Communion and performed our penance.  The best method of examining is to take the Commandments and go over each one in our mind, seeing if we have broken it, and in what way; for example:  First.  “I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.”  Have I honored God?  Have I said my prayers morning and night; have I said them with attention and devotion?  Have I thanked God for all His blessings?  Have I been more anxious to please others than to please God, or offended Him for the sake of others?  Second “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”  Have I cursed?  Have I taken God’s name in vain or spoken without reverence of holy things?  Third.  “Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day.”  Have I neglected to hear Mass through my own fault on Sundays and holy days of obligation?  Have I kept others from Mass?  Have I been late, and at what part of the Mass did I come in?  Have I been willfully distracted at Mass or have I distracted others?  Have I done servile work without necessity?  Fourth.  “Honor thy father and thy mother.”  Have I been disobedient to parents or others who have authority over me—­to spiritual or temporal superiors, teachers, etc.?  Have I slighted or been ashamed of parents because they were poor or uneducated?  Have I neglected to give them what help I could when they were in need of it?  Have I spoken of them with disrespect or called them names that were not proper?  Fifth.  “Thou shalt not kill.”  Have I done anything that might lead to killing?  Have I been angry or have I tried to take revenge?  Have I borne hatred or tried to injure others?  Have I given scandal?  Sixth.  “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”  Have I indulged in any bad thoughts, looked at any bad pictures or objects, listened to any bad conversation, told or listened to bad or immodest jokes or stories, or, in general, spoken of bad things?  Have I done any bad actions or desired to do any while alone or with others?  Seventh.  “Thou shalt not steal.”  Have I stolen anything myself or helped or advised others to steal?  Have I received anything or part of anything that I knew to be stolen?  Do I owe money and not pay it when I can?  Have I bought anything with the intention of never paying for it or at least knowing I never could pay for it?  Have I made restitution when told to do so by my confessor; or have I put it off from time to time?  Have I failed to give back what belonged to another?  Have I found anything and not tried to discover its owner, or have I kept it in my possession after I knew to whom it belonged?  Have I cheated in business or at games?  Eighth.  “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”  Have I told lies or injured anyone by my talk?  Have I told the faults of others without any necessity?  It is not allowed to tell the faults of others—­even when you tell the truth about them—­unless some good comes of the telling.  Ninth.  “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.”  This can come into our examination on the Sixth Commandment.  Tenth.  “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.”  This can come into our examination on the Seventh Commandment.