The Prayer of Examen

A few months ago I found the prayer of Examen. Originally taught by St. Ignatius, it’s more of a prayer structure than an exact prayer itself. There are lots of variations on it. I like to use the prayer occasionally at night, a little before bed, to examine my day with God.

Here’s the basic structure I like. I originally found this somewhere on the Internet but unfortunately I cannot now find where it was, so I cannot give appropriate credit. Just know that I didn’t come up with this myself.

There are five basic steps:

Centering. Come to a place of stillness and peace and recognize God’s presence with you. Ask for assistance to see yourself and your experiences as God sees.
Gratitude. Recall the gifts you have been given and be thankful.
Review. Recall the events of the day (or the period to be reflected on), noticing especially experiences that bring up strong emotions, whether positive or negative.
Sorrow. Consider any moments of regret or when you fell short. Ask forgiveness for any wrongs done.
Response. In light of your reflections, ask for grace for tomorrow and the future.

I find it helps give a nice balance to my day as a counterpoint to my usual morning God time. I’m honestly not very good at seeking forgiveness from God during the day, so this helps me to realize the times when I should do that. It also helps me to share with God the highlights or lowlights of the day that might have passed by without me including God in them. And that asking for grace at the end. Mmmm, that’s a nice warm reminder of the grace that God does give us so freely. That’s a great way to head off to bed.