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Views from the Choir Loft

General and Particular Examen

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · December 12, 2013

NE OF MY FAVORITE spiritual books is Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard’s The Soul of the Apostolate.

In company with countless writers, Chautard strongly recommends the “particular and general examinations of conscience,” but seems to assume that the reader simply knows what this is all about. One doubts that many laypeople, especially after the Second Vatican Council, would have a clue about how to carry out this double examination. And one hesitates to google about it, for fear of finding random and superficial material.

When I first came across this passage, I consulted a venerable priest whose opinion has never failed me, and he explained it as follows.

The distinction between general and particular examinations of conscience is made by Saint Ignatius in the first week of his Spiritual Exercises. Put simply, the general examination surveys all the morally significant actions of the day, so far as we can recall them, while in the particular examination we focus our attention on one particular fault against which we are struggling and the corresponding virtue we are trying to cultivate (because the positive cultivation of a virtue is the most effective way of fighting against the vice that is opposed to it). Saint Ignatius tells us that we should make the particular examination three times a day—morning, after lunch, and after dinner; the general examination, in contrast, is best done just before we go to bed.

This is a simple and lucid template for self-awareness and continual conversion of life. We are all in danger of forgetting or even being totally ignorant of the areas of our lives in which we stand in need of conversion; we are all, in the best of circumstances, notoriously lacking in self-knowledge; we can all use more humility and even humiliation to get the point across that we are far from perfect and yet capable of improvement, with God’s help. The particular and general examinations provide a kind of spiritual scaffolding around the day that can help us pay attention to our defects and make progress in correcting them. There does not need to be anything fussy or time-consuming about it: a few concentrated moments of reflection may suffice. But what an opportunity we are missing when we do not pay any attention to how the day has gone and what we might have done differently or better!

Is it fanciful to see, in Pope Francis’s numerous recent course corrections, the outward signs of a Jesuit who, in the best tradition of his founder, is serenely accustomed to making these examinations and has discovered in himself certain faults or at least areas of improvement? We will never have a sinless or a perfect pope, but we can have a holy one who sets us a good example of continual conversion.

Further recommended reading:
Fr. John Hardon, S.J., “Examination of Conscience”

URL for course corrections:
Even the Pope Critiques Himself. And Corrects Three Errors.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Pope Francis Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Dr. Peter Kwasniewski

A graduate of Thomas Aquinas College (B.A. in Liberal Arts) and The Catholic University of America (M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy), Dr. Peter Kwasniewski is currently Professor at Wyoming Catholic College. He is also a published and performed composer, especially of sacred music.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“As liturgical art, church music is obliged to conform to ecclesiastical law. But to construct artificial polarities here, between legalistic order and a dynamic church music, demanded by the alleged needs of the day, would be to forsake the foundation of a music rooted in liturgical experience. What is in fact the pastoral value of the shoddy, the profane, the third-rate?”

— Dr. Robert Skeris (1996)

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