The Examen
‘The Examen is a prayer of graced awareness, reflecting upon encountering God’s presence and action in our everyday lives: to see the day as it was through the eyes of Christ; to discern the Holy Spirit’s leading direction for us; and to respond to the Father’s loving invitation for renewal and rejoicing’
Karen Shields Wright
The Examen, also known as the prayer of consciousness or the prayer of reflection, is a prayer of gratitude and discernment developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola more than five hundred years ago. By looking back, savouring the present and looking forward with hope for tomorrow, this practice helps us see God’s hand in our daily-lived experience.
"Experience alone does not teach us much; it is when we reflect on our experience that we begin to learn and grow in awareness of God's ongoing activity in our life. It’s a simple yet profound prayer of discernment that can transform our lives of desiring and growing in holiness day by day in 'finding God in all things'" (Jesuits of South Africa).
Some Christians have called this practice ‘rummaging for God!’ We often know full well that something we seek is in a particular drawer, but we have to rummage—feel around—to find it. This is a helpful description of the Examen. We know God has been with us, and as we look back on the day and rummage through the ‘stuff’ of the day we find God and sense his love.
There are five steps to the Examen:
Become aware of God’s presence.
Review the day with gratitude.
Pay attention to your emotions.
Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
Look toward tomorrow.
A great resource to try is the 24/7 Prayer App. Night Prayers are a simple form of the Examen, and narrators guide you through the practice.