Practicing the Daily Examen

Four hundred years ago St. Ignatius Loyola encouraged spiritual awakening through a practice called the Daily Examen. This is a prayer practice that is used to reflect on the day in order to notice God’s presence and discern his direction for our lives. Here’s how it works:

1. Sit quietly at the day's end and contemplate the events of the day, asking God to bring clarity and understanding as you “inventory” your day. (A journal can be used if you want to jot down a question or recall an event that you might want to discuss with a mentor.)

2. Review the day with gratitude. Walk with God through your day. Notice its joys, no matter how small. Practicing gratitude builds gratitude muscles that we might need for trying times.

3. Notice your emotions. They show up to tell us stuff. Part of paying attention to our emotions during the Daily Examen is so that we can ask God to show us what our feelings are teaching us about how we might be falling short of our intentions.

4. Choose one feature of the day and pray about it. Allow the prayer to spontaneously come from your examen.

5. Look forward to tomorrow. Seek God’s guidance for the upcoming day ahead. Pray for hope.

I find that it helps me to create a prayer space dedicated for my quiet times. It changes seasonally. Yesterday was my first day in my fall space - a cozy fire, a scented candle. The vanilla candle of summer has been replaced with pumpkin spice! My summer journal, adorned with summer flowers that now look kind of worn from use, has been replaced with a leather bound wood grain journal that Scott gave me as a gift. These sensory things matter. They help our brain encode the experience of conscious contact with God. (All these things can be ordered online; even an electric fireplace!)

Today, consider thinking about how you might transition into fall with a new prayer intention and a new set up to encourage your practice.