The Examen Prayer
In order to grow in the spiritual life, we must be aware of the responsibilities we have toward living out God’s will in our lives, particularly as He reveals it to us daily. A tool offered by the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius is the Examen Prayer. It can help us to gain a clearer vision of our spiritual state, with which comes a greater freedom to live out God’s will as well as deepen our relationship with Him. The following is a step-by-step guide to an Examen prayer, as adapted from Fr. Timothy Gallagher, OMV.
Steps of the Examen Prayer
Preparation: Take time to focus, to allow yourself to enter into this intimate conversation with God. Let yourself be aware of His great love for you. Ask what He wants to share with you in this moment. God in many ways is the primary actor in this exchange. A key point of the Examen prayer is to recognize that while your effort is very important, it is God who is guiding you…He takes the initiative to reach out to you long before you are aware of Him.
Gratitude. Consider the gifts and blessings of this day. Give thanks to God for them; be very intentional, even specific about what you are grateful for. Perhaps it is easiest to consider them in the order you received them, or to focus on one gift or blessing in particular. Take your time. This is not merely a step in a checklist; the ability to recognize His gifts to you is a central component in our relationship with Him!
Review. Look back over your day with God. As you do so, recognize His hand in your life. This does not mean we are without hardships and disappointments. Are you aware of their source? In all that you experience in your day…love, anxiety, hope, fear, desire, resistance…are you aware of God’s presence in these experiences? Where was God leading you today? Did you follow or resist? Were there thoughts and desires that did not come from God? Were you able to recognize them, turn away from them? Renounce them?
Did you use your free will the way God, in His love, wanted for you today? Growing in the ability to recognize these spiritual experiences will help you to also grow in your ability to differentiate clearly what in your experience is inspired by God and what is not. (This leads to the discernment of spirits.)
Forgiveness. Share with God your burdens of the day: sins, weaknesses, missed opportunities… Humbly ask that He take them from you, healing you. God’s tender mercy respects dignity and is a healing balm for your wounds. In this humble request, you allow God to respond, as the father did to the Prodigal Son: with a warm embrace, a welcoming kiss, a celebration of joy, the overflowing renewal of life and love that is forgiveness.
Resolution. Consider your upcoming day and with God, develop a concrete resolution for living out His will more readily. Looking toward the coming day informed by the previous day, aware of the ways God has made Himself present to you, and with an idea of what is to come, you can be more alert to His calls to growth and respond appropriately. Your lived experiences become opportunities for learning and a source for your continued spiritual growth. Allow the past to inform the future without controlling it. As your relationship with God evolves in your life, you will be more aware of where He is leading you.
Transition: Close out your prayer in peace, knowing the Lord is with you. You can use your own words, or seal this time with the Lord using the words He has taught us: Our Father…
Praying the Examen daily is a search in order to:
Recognize the activity of God’s love and where He’s leading you
Discern what in you is resisting Him
Discover how He is calling you to grow and apply it through the resolution for tomorrow
With the hope that your desire to follow Him may continually increase.
When it comes to your spiritual life, a prayer that aims to recognize God’s guidance in our daily life is irreplaceable. Faithful practice of this prayer will bring innumerable blessings to your spiritual life.