Four days to go! – The Examen
The prayer of examen is a time of prayerful reflection where you think over the events of the day or week in order to detect God’s presence and discern his direction. In the ‘Ora et Labora’ we have space for you to complete a daily act of examen and a more in depth weekly act of examen.
The examen finds its roots in Ignation spirituality. St Ignatius wanted this practice to be shared as widely as possible and it became one of the very few expectations he placed on the Jesuit order – the requirement that they practice the examen daily.
The most widely used and accessible version of the prayer St Ignatius practiced is composed of the following.
1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day or week with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.
Here is how we approach this in our home. We complete the Examen on a Sunday at the end of the week.
- Firstly, we light a candle and then we say an opening prayer.
(You can find the prayer we use here, alongside other free downloadable examen resources)
- We then take some time to sit in silence, welcoming God’s presence, before reflecting on the past week.
- We reflect on the different aspects of our lives and make notes on what has struck us this week and where we have seen God. We record these reflections alongside any actions we need to take in light of what the Spirit has revealed.
- We look at our spiritual, physical and mental health, and our work, home life and relationships.
- We share what we have noticed with each other before we end our time with prayer.
The prayer of examen has been the most valuable spiritual practice I have adopted over the past few years. It has enabled me to find the faithful presence of God in my normal everyday life and I hope you will consider giving it a try.
