The Power of the Examen Prayer
22
Could your prayer life use a little reviving?
“Don’t get so hung up on how to pray, just begin and pray,” said my professor who was leading a conversation in our History of Christian Spirituality class.
That professor (now my spiritual director) has given me a lot of wise, sound advice from the last few years of meeting with her. Our relationship together has also deepened and enhanced my own personal spirituality.
However, let’s take a step back to that graduate school class, shall we?
Enter in the Examen Prayer.
My class on the history of Christian spirituality was one of my favorites of all my years studying at the seminary. One of the things I most loved about it was learning about the personalities and people behind the great spiritual movements, reforms, and orders of the Catholic Church. It gave me a deeper love for the rich history of my faith.
One person I came to learn and love was Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). What I came to love about Ignatius and Ignatian spirituality was how God is present and can be experienced in things like our feelings, emotions, and desires. I started to read everything on Ignatian spirituality I could get my hands on, which is how I came to discover and love the Examen.
So what exactly is the Examen?
No, it is not the Examination of Conscience. Quite the opposite.
The daily Examen is a prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to find God’s presence and discern his personal direction for us. The Examen is an ancient practice in the Church to help us see God’s hand at work in the whole of our daily lives. It’s actually an attitude more than a method, a time set aside for thankful reflection on where God is found in your everyday life.
The Examen looks at your conscious experience. The ebb and flow of your emotions, moods, and feelings are full of spiritual meaning. Nothing is so trivial that it is meaningless to God. What do you think about while sitting in traffic or waiting in a long line at the bank? What is your frame of mind while doing boring and repetitive chores? You will be surprised at how significant such moments can be when you really look at them.
The Examen has five steps, which most people use in order, and it usually takes 15-20 minutes.
1. Become aware of God’s presence—Ask God for light. Look at the past day with the eyes of God, not merely your own.
2. Give thanks—What were all the blessings from the past day? Include the smallest to the largest.
3. Review the day with gratitude—Carefully look back on the day just completed, being guided by the Holy Spirit. Pay attention to emotions, feelings, or thoughts that come up as you walk through the day.
4. Acknowledge your shortcomings—Face up to failures and shortcomings. Ask forgiveness for your faults. Ask God to show you ways to improve tomorrow.
5. Look toward the day to come—Ask for where you need God in the day to come. Where do you need God today? What can you do today?
Why is the Examen such a powerful prayer?
Because it is a powerful way to find and experience God in your hum-drum, everyday life. In every challenge, disappointment, and joy is a place where God can be found.
The Examen is also an excellent way to be honest in prayer. We can review the past day in the light of Christ without shame or guilt, but still being honest and self-aware. It helps us bring our full self before Jesus.
I think one of the answers to the hurried, chaotic world we live in is to find God in all things—to see God in what we think, do and feel; in life with family, friends, coworkers and even strangers; in our busyness and our rest. This is exactly what the Examen does. That is why I believe it is such a powerful prayer.
If you need a way to revitalize your daily prayer life, I would encourage you to begin praying the Examen each day. It has changed my own prayer life, and for the better.
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