A prayer of awareness, gratitude, and honest reflection

A brief history of the Examen

The Examen prayer comes from the spiritual tradition of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the 16th-century founder of the Society of Jesus. Ignatius believed that God is not encountered only in formal prayer or church, but is constantly present and active in the ordinary moments of daily life.

Rather than being a prayer of self-criticism or moral accounting, the Examen was designed as a prayer of noticing, noticing where God has been present, where our hearts have stirred with consolation or desolation, and how we are being gently invited to grow in freedom and love.

Ignatius considered the Examen so central to spiritual life that Jesuits were instructed to pray it daily, even when all other prayers had to be shortened or omitted.

For an excellent overview of Ignatian spirituality and prayer, see the Jesuits’ official introduction here.

The basic technique of the Examen

The Examen is traditionally prayed once a day, often in the evening, and usually takes 5–15 minutes. It is not rushed, but it is also not meant to become heavy or overwhelming. The posture is one of honesty, gentleness, and trust.

A classic structure includes five movements:

1. Become aware of God’s presence

Begin by settling yourself. Take a few slow breaths. Acknowledge that God is already present and attentive to you. This is not about inviting God in, but about waking up to the presence that is already there.

2. Review the day with gratitude

Look back over the day and name moments of gratitude, even very small ones. Gratitude is the foundation of the Examen, it shapes the entire reflection that follows.

3. Pay attention to your interior movements

Notice where you felt drawn toward life, love, peace, courage, or clarity (often called consolation), and where you felt drained, anxious, resistant, numb, or closed off (desolation). The goal is not judgment, but awareness.

4. Choose one moment and pray with it

Rather than reviewing everything, gently linger with one moment that stands out. Ask what was happening beneath the surface. Where was God present? What was stirring in you?

5. Look toward tomorrow

End by looking ahead. Ask for the grace you need for what is coming next, wisdom, patience, courage, rest, or openness. Close with trust.

For a traditional written outline of the Examen, this page is especially helpful:

Making the Examen flexible and personal

While the five-step structure is classic, the Examen is meant to be adapted to your season of life. Ignatius himself expected this prayer to be responsive to real circumstances, not rigid.

Here are some ways people often adapt it:

• Seasonal Examen
  During Advent or Lent, the Examen might focus on waiting, repentance, or hope. In Eastertide, it might center on resurrection moments, joy, and surprise.

• Emotion-focused Examen
  In times of grief, anxiety, or burnout, you might simply ask, When today did I feel most alive? When did I feel most depleted? That may be enough.

• Body-aware Examen
  Especially for people living with chronic pain, illness, or exhaustion, the Examen can include noticing where the body felt supported or strained, and where gentleness was needed.

• Justice-oriented Examen
  Some people reflect on how their day intersected with power, privilege, compassion, or indifference. Where did love show up? Where was it resisted?

The Examen is not about “doing it right.” It is about cultivating a habit of attentiveness and trust.

Using an app to support the practice

For many people, especially those new to the Examen or living with busy schedules, using an app can make this prayer far more accessible. It removes the pressure of remembering the steps and offers gentle guidance.

One particularly excellent option is the Examen App, which offers daily guided Examens in both text and audio formats.

You can learn more about the app here:
(https://www.examenapp.com)

This app is inspired by Reimagining the Ignatian Examen, a modern and deeply pastoral approach to the prayer.

Resources by Mark Thibodeaux, SJ

Father Mark Thibodeaux has written some of the most accessible and compassionate contemporary resources on Ignatian spirituality. His work is especially helpful for people who feel intimidated by traditional prayer language or structure.

Highly recommended titles include:

• Reimagining the Ignatian Examen

• God’s Voice Within

• Reimagining the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises

• Armchair Mystic

You can find a full list of his books and resources here:

A final word

The Examen is not a performance, a checklist, or a moral scorecard. It is a prayer of relationship, a way of learning to see your own life with greater tenderness, honesty, and hope. Practiced over time, it gently reshapes how we notice God at work in the ordinary, unfinished reality of our days.