I was just 8 years old when I had my first confession, before my very first communion. My mother made me write what I should tell the priest the night before. She told me to take time to examine my conscience.
I asked, "What's a conscience, mama? And how will I do that?"
She gave me a simple answer, "A conscience is that voice in your head that tells you never to do a bad thing. If you do what it said not to, it's a sin. As a result, you feel bad, that's guilt. You examine your conscience by asking yourself if you had done something to disobey the 10 commandments or are guilty of the 7 deadly sins."
"I had to go through all the 10 commandments and the 7 deadly sins?" I asked, wide-eyed and worried.
"I had you memorize them when you were 5," she said challenging me, "Let's hear them!"
