Examination of Conscience on the La Salette Message

Examination of Conscience According to the La Salette Message

By Marie-Veronique

Introduction: This examination of conscience was formed like a question-and-answer session with Mary, her Son, and us. First, we respond to Mary’s words at La Salette; second, we listen to Jesus speaking to us from the scriptures; and third, reflect on our response. These reflections can be used at any time in your prayer to absorb ever more deeply the beauty of the gospel message of Mary’s Apparition at La Salette. (PDF version available)

The Beautiful Lady said: “Come closer, my children, don't be afraid!”

How do I respond to her words about being afraid?

·         Am I guilty of spiritual laziness or softness?

·         Have I put off carrying out my good resolutions?

·         Do I care enough to prove my love for God through small sacrifices?

·         Do I lack generosity and confidence in God's grace, hesitant to help others in need?

Then Jesus says to me:

·         “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me” (Mark 10:21b).

·         “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9: 62).

·         “Whoever does not carry (their) cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27).

Mary said: “If my people refuse to submit ...”

How do I respond to her words about submitting myself to another?

·         Have I shied away from the sacrifices necessary to establish God's reign in me?

·         Have I sought natural satisfactions instead of seeking God's will with all my might and an upright heart?

·         Do I often allow myself to be guided by my judgment, desire to succeed, or some other human consideration rather than asking God to help me discern God’s will for me?

Then Jesus says to me:

·         “... seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides” (Matthew 6:33).

·         “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” (Luke 18:24).

·         “Whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it” (Mark 10:15).

·         “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).

Mary said: “How long a time I have suffered for you! ... And as for you, you pay no heed!”

How do I respond to Mary’s complaint?

·         Have I prayed to Our Lady like a selfish child, always asking and never giving?

·         Have I withdrawn into my sufferings, problems, and pleasures instead of opening myself to the call of the Virgin Reconciler in her message at La Salette?

·         Have I responded well to those needy people around me and others living on the periphery?

Then Jesus says to me:

·         “Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world” (John 16:32).

·         “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven ... Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven” (Matthew 5:10,12a).

·         “(…they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. Then Jesus said,) ‘Father, forgive them; they know not what they do’” (John 23:33b-34a).

Mary said: “I gave you six days to work; I kept the seventh for myself, and no one will give it to me”

How do I respond to Mary’s words about the seventh day?

·        Have I redoubled my religious motivation to repair the profanation of the Lord's Day, the impiety, indifference, or lukewarmness of superficial Christians who attend Sunday Mass only because it's under pain of sin?

·         Have I made my Sundays a Sabbath, striving to forget my worries and the week's occupations in order to celebrate life with the Lord and others?

·         Have I used Sunday rest as a pretext to indulge in distractions and pleasures contrary to Sunday's true purpose?

Then Jesus says to me:

·         “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath” (Mark 2:28).

·         “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts” (Matthew 15:8-9).

·         “ ... if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift”(Matthew 5:23-24).

Mary said: “And those who drive the carts cannot swear without throwing in my Son's name”

How do I respond to Mary’s plea concerning the name of her Son?

·         Have I been disrespectful in using the Name of Christ?

·         Have I failed to accept and love my family or close friends as they are?

·         Have I been unkind to my neighbor or mocked their deficiencies in speaking with others?

·         Have I scandalized others by my words or thoughtless conduct with those who expected me to set a good example?

Then Jesus says to me:

·         “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap ... Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34-35a,36).

·         “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

·         “If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him” (Luke 17:3b-4).

Mary said: “If the (potato) harvest is ruined, it is only on account of yourselves”

How do I respond to Mary’s warnings concerning the challenges of life?

·         When have I judged others instead of recognizing and repairing my faults?

·         Have I felt like an “innocent victim” in the face of my failures and trials instead of reacting with solid faith and actual reliance on God’s mercy?

·         When have I listened to others’ challenges and responded with love and concern?

·         When have I expressed my sorrow for hurting another?

Then Jesus says to me:

·         “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father ...” (Matthew 5:43-45a).

·         “When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost,’ they said, and they cried out in fear. At once, [Jesus] spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:26-27).

·         “Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world” (John 16:32-33).

Mary said: “Do you say your prayers well, my children?...

Ah, my children, you should say them well, at night and in the morning”

How do I respond to Mary’s warnings concerning the challenges of life?

·         Have I needed more perseverance and faithfulness in prayer, finding excuses to postpone or drop it?

·         Have I done everything possible to ward off distractions during Mass, communal prayers, and mental prayer?

·         Have I always tried to understand better what the Weeping Virgin expects of me when she recommends that I pray well?

Then Jesus says to me:

·         “This is how you are to pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:9-13).

·         “...when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the unbelievers, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:6-8).

·         “When Jesus returned to his disciples (during the agony in the Garden), he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Luke 26:40-41).

Mary said: “Well, my children, you will make this (message) known to all my people”

How do I respond to Mary’s mission for her children?

·         When have I shared the message of La Salette with another person?

·         When have I encouraged someone to visit a La Salette parish or Shrine or learn more about the La Salette Apparition?

·          When have I helped someone reconcile with God, themselves, or another person?

Then Jesus says to me:

·         “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20a).

·         “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved...” (Mark 16:15-16a).

·         “Then Jesus opened their minds to understand the scriptures. ‘Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things’” (Luke 24:45-48).

(Reprinted with permission of the La Salette publication, Les Annales, June-July 1961, pgs. 28-31, reformatted and edited by Fr. Ron Gagne, M.S.)