The Examen
As Develop by Ignatius Loyola from the Jesuit Tradition

This process is designed as a way to review and bring closure to the day.

• Give Thanks to God Our Lord for the Benefits I Have Received.  First, say a prayer of thanksgiving, acknowledging the all the experiences and gifts that God has given during the day.

• Ask for Grace to Know My Sins and Rid Myself of Them.  Next, ask for the grace of God to be active in your life as you acknowledge sins and ask forgiveness.

• Ask for an Account of My Soul from the Hour of Rising to the Present Examen, Hour by Hour, or Period by Period.  Use memory and imagination to repay the events of the day.  This phase is like watching a movie of your day in your head.  The goal of this activity is twofold:  first, to identify the ways in which God was at work in the events of the day, and second, to identify your sins and shortcomings.  This phase is not meant to lead a person to “beat up” on himself or herself for sins and shortcomings.  It is simply a way to acknowledge mistakes and begin to move beyond them.

• Ask for Pardon of God Our Lord for My Faults.  Next, thank God for being present in the day and ask for God to pardon all sins.  Above all, do not wallow in your sins!  Trust that God is indeed faithful and just, that God will forgive sin, and that God will cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

• Resolve, with God’s Grace, to Amend Them.  Finally, with God’s guidance and in God’s grace, decide on one or two specific ways in which you will make amends for past sins and/or change your future behavior.