Ignatian Resources

The Ignatian Way presentations now focuses on a single prayer that takes less than 15 minutes. In a nutshell, it is a review of your day looking for the places where we may have noticed God’s presence and how we responded. As the video states, the examen helps break down the false boundary between prayer and daily life. 

This daily review consists of 5 steps which may be freely adapted for times and circumstances. These steps are:

1. Begin with gratitude. Give thanks to God our Lord for favors received.
2. Pray for God’s light, that we may see from God’s perspective, not our own.
3. Review your day, especially looking for God’s love. Some have likened this to “rummaging” through a drawer to find what we are looking for. Look for those events that have a strong influence on our feelings, that draw us closer to God or push us away.
4. Face up to our shortcomings and failures—not to wallow in selfaccusation but to grow in freedom. Where can I make better choices?
5. Finally we ask, what do I do now? Our review should give us insights into both our strengths and weaknesses, our choices good and bad. Ask for God’s help in this particular piece of our life.

These five simple steps have been adapted in so many ways. You can see many of these adaptations on the website https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen

You can download a prayer card containing these steps at: https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/19076/examen-prayer-card

You can even download an app for your phone at: https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/23542/reimagining-examen-app

Check out the Dot Magis blog posts of additional variations for the examen at: https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/category/examen-blog.