Why Pray The Examen?

Taking 5-10 minutes at the end of the day to do an examination of the how the day went can be a game changer in the spiritual life. St. Ignatius introduced this practice in the Spiritual Exercises. While he didn’t want us to become scrupulous or get lost in spiritual navel-gazing, he recognized that there was value in a temporary taking stock of my daily life. 

Obviously, if we don’t pay attention, we are probably condemning ourselves to endless cycles of the same behaviours. The Examen helps increase awareness of the originating impulses (spirits, both good and bad) behind your attitudes, thoughts and actions, in order to better discern them in the future, and order your life towards God. It also helps to show how God has been present, and to expand your sense of God’s goodness.

Tutorial

Before beginning, find a comfortable and alert position. Settle your heart and your mind and remind yourself of God’s presence. When you are ready, you can follow this simple three step process.

1. Start with gratitude for the day’s blessings. Consider a few of them: life, breath, family, friends, work, food, the conversations that were meaningful, moments of consolation, etc.

2. You can then move to sorrow for the missteps. Ask the Spirit to bring to your mind one or two of them and identify the causes. Maybe fatigue or other natural causes are at the root. Maybe there’s something more spiritual such as neglecting prayer, staying up too late, etc. Seek clarity.

3. Resolve how you will act tomorrow and ask for the graces that you want.

In short, the examen becomes the three-step dance of “thank-you”, “sorry”, and “please”, the basis of all relationships.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Examen, the booklet “Six Daily Habits for Spiritual Resiliency” by Fr. John O’Brien is a great place to start.

This article was originally published in: https://hcchaplaincy.ca/resources/examen-rule-of-life