St Ignatius developed the motto “God in all things” and created his spiritual exercise to live out a reflective and contemplative life in the everyday and ordinary. The Examen is a contemplative prayer to reflect on the past day and to notice God in the day’s events. It can be helpful to try to see your day through the eyes of God, or to reflect on the ways that God was speaking to you.
5 Basic Steps to the Examen
- Pray for God’s Help
Fr. James Martin says to “ask for God to be with you.” You can ask God for a particular grace that you need, or just to invite Him in. It can be profound to welcome God’s presence and reflect on how you respond to Him. Pay attention to your attitude and disposition to God, without feeling the need to self-correct. How do you greet Him? How does He respond to you? What is it like to be in His presence right now?
- Express Gratitude
Fr. Martin has you reflect on two things you are grateful for. Sometimes knowing that
later on I will be expressing gratitude helps me be more grateful and aware during my
day. Having this continuous practice of thanksgiving can help reframe my perspective to be open to God in areas I may not particularly enjoy.
- Pray Over the Events that Surface as You Replay the Day
It can be helpful to start by reflecting on the events of the day, starting from when you wake up. Not every moment of every day may feel profound. Some days “I got overwhelmed and yelled at a kid” can be a starting point to opening up what is going on under the surface.
As you go through your day, reflect on whether the events of the day drew you closer to God, or further away?
- Ask for God’s Forgiveness
Repent of the areas that drew you farther from God and ask for forgiveness. This
practice is about re-orienting ourselves towards God and reconnecting. It can be a time
where you open up to God and express things that you need freedom from, even if that
freedom is a release of guilt and shame.
- Ask for the Grace to See God in the Next Day
However you choose to practice the examen, knowing that it is a daily practice can help
your awareness of God in the present. Expecting to see God, and even asking to see
Him is a practice that has challenged my own view of faith in God.
Books on Ignatian Spirituality:
The Ignatian Adventure: Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius in Daily LIfe
By Kevin O’Brien, SJ
-This is the book I am reading from today. It is heavy on application of the exercises. It is very methodical (for me overwhelming) but can be adapted as needed.
The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life
Fr. James Martin, SJ
-Father James Martin is an awesome resource for the Examen and Ignatian spirituality. This book is approachable and entertaining, and is a way of providing information that you can then apply to your life.
Podcasts:
The Examen with Fr. James Martin, produced by America media.
-This is my favorite, and follows the same format with a weekly meditation before beginning the period of prayer.
God in All Things Podcast, Andy Otto.
-Each of these podcasts is about 10 minutes or less, and I listen to them at least 2x through. These are Jesuit reflections on different topics.
-This has shorter guided Examen prayers in different formats.
Web:
God in All Things– This is also by Andy Otto. I participated in one of his discernment retreats online. He strikes a great balance between informational and experiential and I would recommend any of his courses and his podcast.
Ignatian Spirituality– This is more of a hub of everything Ignatian.
Degrees and Acronyms 