Examination of Conscience

The Crucifixion

A Reflection Drawn from Lk 23:33-43

The sins of the Chief Priests and elders, the Scribes and the Pharisees

 

Have I been jealous of someone else’s magnetic personality or tremendous popularity?
Have I been envious of someone else’s talents and abilities?
Have I been resentful of someone else’s achievements and successes?

 

Do I harbor evil thoughts in my heart toward someone else?
Have I plotted the downfall of a good and decent person? (Lk 22:2a)
Have I aligned myself with someone who I knew was up to no good? (Lk 22:6).
Have I conspired with others to bring down someone we dislike? (Lk 22:2a).

 

Have I caved into peer pressure or the negative influence of others? (Lk 22:2b).
Have I asked anyone to sell out on their friend? (Lk 22:4).
Have I provided money or favors to someone as a reward for doing something wrong? (Lk 22:5).

 

Have I twisted rules or policies to get things to go badly for someone else?
Am I part of a group that wants to keep tight control over everything, and allows no one else to have a voice?

 

Have I used intimidation or physical force on someone? (Lk 22:52).
Have I used the cover of darkness or the secrecy of closed doors to commit an evil deed? (Lk 22:53).

 

Have I refused to pay attention to someone who is speaking the truth? (Lk 22:67).
Have I lied or twisted the facts to discredit someone? (Lk 23:2,5).
Have I been harsh or mean or accusatory to someone? (Lk 23:10).

The sins of the Roman Soldiers.

 

Have I taken pride in the fact that I am tougher and meaner than other people?

 

Have I obeyed orders from my superiors that I knew were wrong or harmful? (Lk 23:25).

 

Have I taken sadistic pleasure in watching someone suffer physical or emotional pain? (Lk 23:11).
Have I mocked or taunted someone?  (Lk 23:11).
Have I treated someone with cruelty?  (Lk 23:11).
Have I inflicted bodily harm on someone? (Lk 23:16,22).

 

Have I unfairly forced someone to do a task that is not their responsibility? (Lk 23:26).
Have I forced someone who is sick or ailing to continue a task when they deserved relief?

 

Have I torn open old wounds to make someone who has suffered a great deal suffer yet more?

 

Have I driven the nails of my hatred into someone? (Lk 23:33).
Have I pinned someone to a terrible fate? (Lk 23:33).
Have I jeered at someone who was languishing? (Lk 23:36).
Have I looked forward to someone’s death so I could inherit something of theirs? (Lk 23:34).

 

The sins of the Crowd.

Have there been times when I have been so strongly influenced by the crowd or public opinion that I have failed to think or act for myself? (Lk 23:18).
Have there been times that I have gone with the flow, only to do something against Christian values? (Lk 23:18).
Have I allowed someone to escape responsibility for a serious misdeed? (Lk 23:18).

Have I gone back on a previous good relationship (Lk 19:38), and when the political tide shifted, gone against someone who is really a decent person? (Lk 23:18,21,23).

 

Has there been an instance when my loud and persistent voice prevailed over calmer, more reasonable voices, so someone who was undeserving received poor treatment? (Lk 23:23).
Have I asked someone in charge to punish someone who was innocent of wrongdoing? (Lk 23:24,25).
Have I helped a guilty person get off Scott-free? (Lk23:25).
Have I stood by at a tragic event, watching,
  and done nothing to help the suffering person? (Lk 23:35).

The sins of the Unrepentant Criminal.

Do I have a long history of misbehavior or wicked deeds? (Lk 23:33).
Have I insulted Jesus with my disrespectful speech? (Lk 23:39).
Do I try to escape the consequences of my previous evil doing? (Lk 23:39).
Do I have no real fear of God? (Lk 23:40).
Am I so hardened that I have little or no remorse for my sins? (Lk 23:40).
Are my habitual sins so deeply ingrained that, when given a chance to be forgiven, I would prefer to stay stuck in the rut of my bad attitudes and sinful patterns?