Preparing for Lent, Journey of Faith

When Socrates was on trial for impiety, he was famously quoted as having said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Words to live by as Ash Wednesday approaches.

As a child I learned how to examine my conscience before confession. Later in college, my Jesuit teachers taught me about self-examination using the discernment exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. I also had my Jewish friends telling me about the Ten Days of Repentance (Aseret Yemei ha Teshuvah) between Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Like our own traditions, these centuries-old observances are dedicated to examining our conscience—and making the necessary amends.

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