What is the Examen? Why is it such a powerful Spiritual Practice? How do you do it it?
The examen is a particular form for prayer that is a review, or examination, of your day. It helps you, with God’s eyes, to look back on the day just lived and ahead to the next day. It can be used for a season as well (see
Great Book on the Examen
A Simple Life-Changing Prayer: Discovering the Power of St. Ignatius Loyola’s Examen by Jim Manney is a quick read and a wonderful introduction to the Examen. It is accessible for beginners in any kind of prayer but is also full of depth, and wisdom on why the Examen is so helpful.
How to Pray the Examen
The following text is from chapter one of Manney’s book “The Examen in a Nutshell”…
The examen is a method of reviewing your day in the presence of God. It’s actually an attitude more than a method, a time set aside for thankful reflection on where God is in your everyday life. It has five steps, which most people take more or less in order, and it usually takes 15 to 20 minutes per day. Here it is in a nutshell:
- Ask God for light. I want to look at my day with God’s eyes, not merely my own.
- Give thanks. The day I have just lived is a gift from God. Be grateful for it.
- Review the day. I carefully look back on the day just completed, being guided by the Holy Spirit.
- Face your shortcomings. I face up to what is wrong in my life and in me.
- Look toward the day to come. I ask where I need God in the day to come
Conversations on the Examen
Podcast Episodes on the Examen
Staying Focused While Praying The Examen
The Examen as a Way To Get Off Autopilot
The Examen in Times of Difficulty or Darkness
More Resources for the Examen
The Daily Examen page on IgnatianSpirituality.com has tons of free teaching and resources on the examen.