St. Ignatius invites us to find God in all things. That means we have to pay careful attention to how the Spirit is moving in each moment of our daily lives. We have to take a magnifying glass to the seemingly ordinary, seeking to encounter the Divine.
That’s why the Examen is such a powerful prayer. In it, we’re invited to encounter God, express gratitude for the gift and gifts of each day, and to commit to make up for any mistakes we may have made.
The Examen is a flexible prayer, too, responding to the signs of the times. Below, you’ll find several variations to meet your need in this moment.
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.”
No matter what kind of day you're having, you'll find God in it with this Examen.
Examine how your actions and privileges harm our Black brothers & sisters.
Discern how you can recognize your privilege and advocate for racial justice.
Discern opportunities in your day to embrace ecological justice.
Listen in as Fr. James Martin, SJ, guides you through the daily Examen.
As we emerge from COVID-19, take time to reflect on both sorrow and hope.
Consider how to make sense of your life story using the Examen.
Reflect on the interrelationship between Gospel values and political engagement.
Recommitment to accompanying, serving and advocating for refugees.
Educate Magis offers an Examen for global citizenship, based on the Ignatian definition. (Scroll to middle of page)
Reflect on how you relate to and through social media.
Take time to reflect during a period of uncertainty and rapid change.
The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities offers an anti-racism examen.
We find ourselves in an environmental “cannonball moment,” called to live in new ways in response to “the cry of the Earth.”
