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Start with what is yours to choose

The teen years can bring more freedom alongside expectations you did not choose. Begin with your own actions since your last confession. Notice when you acted freely, when you were pressured, and what you understood at the time. Those differences matter when you discuss a situation with a priest.

You do not need to confess having a personality, a strong emotion, or a question about faith. The Catechism distinguishes feelings themselves from their place in deliberate action (CCC 1767–1768). You can acknowledge anger and then consider whether you chose to threaten someone, spread a lie, or seek help.

The same person online and offline

Some wrongs are easy to overlook because they happen through a screen. Forwarding a humiliating photo, turning a private message into a joke, or joining a cruel group conversation can injure a real person. Think about what you deliberately added to a situation and whether there is a falsehood or post you can correct.

School questions include copying work and misusing AI or other tools against an assignment’s rules. The issue is honesty about what is your own work. A mistake made while learning is different from intentionally presenting someone else’s work as yours.

Relationships, dignity, and safety

The questions about your body and sexuality use restrained language. Catholic teaching calls for chastity and respect for the whole person. If you need to discuss something personal, a brief, clear description is enough to begin; you can ask the priest how much detail is needed.

Being abused, coerced, or exploited is not a sin committed by the victim. You are allowed to say no to an unsafe request, including from someone older or in authority. Seek help from a safe adult when someone’s behavior makes you unsafe. An examination should never be used to blame you for harm done to you.

Prepare without comparing yourself

Another person’s list does not tell you what yours should contain. Read the guide at your own pace and note only what applies. Keep your preparation private, especially on a shared phone, school device, or printed page. You may also use the questions without recording anything.

If you are uncertain about a repeated worry, write one question for the priest. You do not have to keep searching for a more frightening list before you go. A regular confessor can help you form a clear, realistic way to prepare.

One step you can take next

Finish with a prayer for forgiveness and help to change. A useful next step might be returning something, correcting a rumor, stopping a cruel conversation, or asking someone to support a better habit. Choose a step that is specific enough to do.

If confession feels unfamiliar, read the simple script and tell the priest that you would like guidance. You can bring an Act of Contrition with you. You are coming to receive God’s mercy and grow in freedom, with the priest’s help.

Questions for your examination

Ask God for honesty and courage. Think about your own free choices since your last confession. You do not need to describe another person’s actions as your sin. Feelings, unwanted thoughts, and pressure deserve careful understanding. Bring uncertainty to a priest rather than trying to give yourself a verdict.

Faith and worship

Consider the choices you can make about prayer and your place in the Church.

  • Have I deliberately rejected prayer because I did not want God to challenge my choices?
  • Have I freely missed Sunday Mass without a serious reason?Consider what was actually within your control, including transport, illness, family decisions, and any dispensation.
  • Have I mocked God, deliberately misused his name, or ridiculed someone for praying?
  • Have I pretended to believe something false in order to get approval?
Home and trust

Respect and honesty belong in family life. A request to do something harmful or wrong does not deserve obedience.

  • Have I deliberately spoken to family members with cruelty or contempt?
  • Have I lied about where I was or what I was doing to hide a wrong choice?
  • Have I refused a fair responsibility and left the work to someone else?
  • Have I used silence, threats, or anger to force people at home to give in?
Friendship and belonging

Consider how your choices affected classmates, teammates, and people outside your circle.

  • Have I joined in bullying or helped exclude someone to protect my own popularity?
  • Have I used someone’s weakness or private struggle as entertainment?
  • Have I pressured a friend to do something they believed was wrong?
  • Have I refused reasonable help to someone being mistreated because I wanted to fit in?
Messages, images, and life online

Online choices affect real people even when a post disappears.

  • Have I posted, forwarded, or liked something intended to humiliate another person?
  • Have I shared a private message, photograph, or rumor without a good reason or permission?
  • Have I hidden behind a username to say things I knew were cruel or dishonest?
  • Have I deliberately used online activity to avoid an important responsibility to someone?
School, work, and honesty

Learning includes being truthful about the work that is yours.

  • Have I presented copied work or AI-generated work as my own against the rules of an assignment?
  • Have I cheated on a test, falsified a result, or helped someone deceive a teacher?
  • Have I taken money or belongings that were not mine?
  • Have I lied to avoid a fair consequence or let an innocent person take the blame?
My body and other people’s dignity

Your body and every other person deserve respect. Being abused, pressured, or exploited is never a sin committed by the victim.

  • Have I deliberately sought sexual material or used another person as an object for my pleasure?
  • Have I freely chosen sexual behavior contrary to the chastity the Church teaches?
  • Have I pressured someone about their body, ignored a boundary, or shared intimate material?
  • Have I mocked someone’s body or treated a person as less worthy because of attraction, disability, or appearance?
Anger and care for life

Notice chosen actions without treating every strong feeling as a sin.

  • Have I deliberately threatened or physically hurt someone?
  • Have I taken a reckless risk that endangered other people?
  • Have I encouraged drinking, drug misuse, or dangerous behavior to impress others?
  • Have I kept planning revenge instead of seeking a safe and fair way to address a wrong?
Generosity and a fresh start

Consider one practical way to love better after confession.

  • Have I refused a reasonable chance to help someone because there was nothing in it for me?
  • Have I tried to spoil another person’s success out of envy?
  • Have I refused to return something, correct a lie, or apologize for harm I caused?
  • Have I kept making excuses for a repeated wrong instead of accepting help to change?
Use these prompts privately

Common questions

What if my family could not get me to Mass?

Consider what was within your control. Being unable to arrange transport is different from freely choosing to miss Mass. Explain your situation to a priest if you are unsure.

Can I ask a question during confession?

Yes. Say briefly what you do not understand. If you need a longer conversation, you can ask how to arrange one outside the scheduled confession time.

Sources

Keep this guide with you

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