Pray the Ignatian Examen
The Examen is a prayer of reflection, typically prayed daily.
The pray usually lasts only a few minutes. Pause and reflect on your day, notice when God felt near to you, and then ask for the grace to love God and others a little more deeply tomorrow.
Many versions of the Examen exist, because there are no prescribed words to pray — only a series of steps. Here are the five steps as St. Ignatius described them in the Spiritual Exercises. Remember that these steps are meant to guide your prayerful reflection. They are not rules that must be followed to “pray correctly.”
Become aware of God’s presence.
Review the day with gratitude.
Pay attention to your emotions.
Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
Look toward tomorrow.
Versions of the Examen
Examen Prayer Videos
If you looking to pray the Examen in a new way, or learning to pray it for the first time, these 15-20 minute videos guide you through the prayer. Each one is unique and led by people experienced at helping others pray.
Examen for Specific Topics
The Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States has compiled list of versions of the Examen written for specific topics. Here are a few:
Examen Podcast
There is at least one Examen podcast that guides you through the prayer. Check out this one by Fr. James Martin, SJ.