Chapter 44 of Noli Me Tangere is about the Examination of conscience. In this
chapter Maria Clara was ill and Friar Salvi advised her to confessed her sins because it
is a belief of the friars back in those days that confession is more effective than
medicine in curing the sick. And before undergoing confession, one must examine
his/her conscience first. This chapter focuses on three things, conscience, honoring
your mother and father, and lastly the truth.

Conscience can be described as the moral sense of right and wrong, and an
individual’s definition of right and wrong were usually influenced by the people around
them or by their religion. Christianity being the most dominant religion during the
Spanish colonization believes that conscience is the voice of God, that guides humans
to the right path. We all have that small voice in our minds that made us doubt our
decisions in life. And it is for us to decide whether we listen to that voice or not. The
examination of conscience is analyzing your past words and action, if they violate your
conscience or not. Nowadays, confession in churches was not as popular as before.
Why don’t we try to have some time to paused and think about your past actions and
behavior, having some time to examine yourself and your conscience can help us not
only to ask for forgiveness but also to learn from those actions. Our conscience or inner
consciousness can help us to decide and can lead us to the right path once again.
Honor thy mother and father, it is the fifth commandment in the bible. This
chapter shows how Maria Clara deeply honored her father, that she is willing to do
everything that her father orders her to do even though it caused her heart to be broken.
Maria Clara is indeed an obedient daughter that every parent wished for their child to
be, but that is not the reality of every child. Some of us choose to rebel against their
parents because they feel like their parents are controlling their lives. Accepting their
authority shows that you honor your parents. Parents aren’t always right, but most of the

time they are, some might think that our parents are limiting us from doing what we want
and preventing us from achieving our happiness but parents knows best, we should
always remember that there’s always a reason behind their disapproval and it is for our
sake. Honoring your parents means appreciating them, by giving them all the love and
respect that they deserve, these are simple things that we can do to thank them for
everything.

Truth. “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”, in this chapter, Maria Clara
learns the truth about her real father. The truth can set us free, but it is not that simple,
some of us choose to lie because the truth can mess things up and can make the
situation more complicated. In Maria Clara, Padre Damaso, and Kapitan Tiago’s
situation, everything will be messed up once everyone knows the reality. Words have
the power to manipulate the word and the driving force of telling lies is fear. The fear to
break the order that we create in our lives. Telling the truth is the hardest thing to do but
it can bridge the gap and fill the emptiness in one’s being. The truth will always prevail;
you may think that it will bring chaos but it actually creates order by fixing things up.
Always keep in mind to “Tell the truth, or at least don’t lie.”- Rule 8 of 12 Rules for Life:
An Antidote to Chaos.