Examen

For over 500 years, people have grown closer to God through this simple, life-changing prayer. Developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola, the daily Examen invites us to pause and reflect on God’s peaceful presence, always active in our everyday life. A simple process of attentive relaxation, reflection, and resolution draws practitioners into a deeper consciousness of their unique spiritual experience.

A Prayer for Daily Life

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.

How to Pray the Examen

5 Simple Steps

God, thank you.

I thank you, God, for always being with me, but especially I am grateful that you are with me right now.

God, send your Holy Spirit upon me.

God, let the Holy Spirit enlighten my mind and warm my heart that I may know where and how we have been together this day.

God, let me look at my day.

God, where have I felt your presence, seen your face, heard your word this day?

God, where have I ignored you, run from you, perhaps even rejected you this day?

God, let me be grateful and ask forgiveness.

God, I thank you for the times this day we have been together and worked together.

God, I am sorry for the ways that I have offended you by what I have done or what I did not do.

God, stay close.

God, I ask that you draw me ever closer to you this day and tomorrow.

God, you are the God of my life—thank you.

An Online Examen

Gratitude Guidance Grace

No matter what kind of day you’re having, you’ll find God in it with this Examen.

Examen Resources