The Ignatian Examen

St. Ignatius calls us to find God in all things. The examen is a technique of prayer and reflection where we recall the events of our day and note where we saw Gods presence. When fully adopted, the examen can become a way to determine how God has been at work in our lives and of the ways that we either have or have not responded to this activity of God.

While the examen can be adopted for many different situations, all examens follow a basic structure:

1. Place yourself in God’s presence. Give thanks for God’s great love for you. 

2. Pray for the grace to understand how God is acting in your life. 

3. Review your day — recall specific moments and your feelings at the time. 

4. Reflect on what you did, said, or thought in those instances. Were you drawing closer to God, or further away? 

5. Look toward tomorrow — think of how you might collaborate more effectively with God’s plan. Be specific, and conclude with the “Our Father.”

Source: jesuits.org

Some may prefer a moderator when praying the examen. Many variations of the examen can be found on sites such as Youtube. We suggest the narrated examen below by Sister Margaret:

Watch Video

• Social Media Examen - Reflect on how you relate to and through social media.
• An Ecological Examen - Discern opportunities in your day to embrace ecological justice.
• An Examen for Civic Life - Reflect on the interrelationship between Gospel values and political engagement.
• After COVID Examen -As we emerge from COVID-19, take time to reflect on both sorrow and hope.
• An Everyday Examen - No matter what kind of day you're having, you'll find God in it with this Examen.