Practice guide · about 10–15 minutes
How to Pray the Daily Examen
A short prayer for reviewing your day with God.
By Robin Kencel, spiritual director · Last updated
What is the Examen?
The Daily Examen is a short prayer, usually prayed at the end of the day, in which you review the day with God. You notice where God was present, give thanks, and look honestly at what drew you closer to God or away. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes and needs nothing but a quiet moment.
St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556) held it to be indispensable. He asked the early Jesuits to pray it every day, even when they could not keep their other prayer. He describes the examen in the Spiritual Exercises (§§24–43).
How to pray it, in five steps
Become aware of God's presence
Pause, and remember that God is with you. Ask for light to see your day as God sees it.
Review the day with gratitude
Walk back through the day, hour by hour. Notice its gifts, large and small, and give thanks.
Pay attention to your feelings
Notice what stirred in you: joy, peace, boredom, anxiety, frustration. Ask what God may be showing you through them.
Choose one moment and pray from it
Let one part of the day rise up, whether a gift or a struggle, and speak with God about it simply and honestly.
Look toward tomorrow
Ask God for what you need for the day ahead. Some end with the Our Father.
Steps adapted from the five-step Examen at IgnatianSpirituality.com. Older forms also include asking for forgiveness.
What it is, and isn't
The Examen is a prayer of noticing. It is not a guilt inventory, not only an examination of conscience before confession, and not a productivity review. The point is to find God in the ordinary.
Over time you may notice patterns: the inner movements that draw you toward God or away, what Ignatius called consolation and desolation. These are defined by their direction, toward or away from God, more than by whether they feel pleasant.
Common difficulties
“Nothing happened today.” Ordinary days count. Start with one small thing you are grateful for.
“I only see my failures.” Return to gratitude first. The Examen is prayed with a loving God, not before a judge.
“I keep skipping days.” Simply begin again. This is grace, not performance.
Praying with others
Robin's Holy Listening group shares the Examen's spirit: each person looks back over the last 24 hours or so for where God showed up. If you would like a companion in noticing over time, consider spiritual direction.
Sources and further reading
- The Daily Examen (IgnatianSpirituality.com)
- St. Ignatius of Loyola, The Spiritual Exercises, §§24–43 (Ganss or Puhl translation)
- The Examen (Jesuits.org)