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EnglishHow to Pray the Daily Examen Using IgnatianSpirituality.com
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To pray the Daily Examen with IgnatianSpirituality.com, use the site's step-by-step article series, "Exploring the Examen Step-by-Step," as your guide, and follow the five movements in order: give thanks, ask God for light, review your day, ask forgiveness, and look ahead to tomorrow. The site frames the Examen as a way to "reflect on God's presence in your day," so the goal is noticing where God was active, not scoring your performance. This guide suits anyone praying alone, including beginners; the site's step articles walk through each movement in plain language.
What the Examen Is For
The Daily Examen is a short prayer of review, usually prayed near the end of the day. Its purpose on IgnatianSpirituality.com is stated simply: reflect on God's presence in your day. That means you are looking back over the hours to notice where you felt gratitude, consolation, or resistance—not building a case for or against yourself.
The Step-by-Step Series on the Site
The site publishes the Examen as a series of short articles, each covering one movement. The excerpt shows the series beginning with "Exploring the Examen Step-by-Step: Give Thanks" and continuing with "Exploring the Examen Step-by-Step: Ask God for Light." Read the articles in sequence the first time; after that, you can return to a single step when you want to go deeper.
The Five Movements
| Step | What you do | Where to find it on the site |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Give thanks | Begin by thanking God for specific gifts of the day | "Exploring the Examen Step-by-Step: Give Thanks" |
| 2. Ask God for light | Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see your day as God sees it | "Exploring the Examen Step-by-Step: Ask God for Light" |
| 3. Review the day | Walk back through the hours, noticing where you felt close to God and where you did not | The Examen section and dotMagis blog reflections |
| 4. Ask forgiveness | Name what you regret and ask for mercy | The Examen section |
| 5. Look ahead | Look toward tomorrow with God's help | The Examen section |
The site's Examen landing page ("The Examen: Reflect on God's presence in your day") is the hub for these materials; the dotMagis blog also carries Examen reflections, such as "Who Cuts Your Meat?" by Gerri Leder, that show the prayer applied to ordinary life.
How to Pray It Day to Day
- Pick a fixed time. The end of the day is the traditional slot; consistency matters more than length.
- Open the current step article if you are learning the pattern, or pray from memory once you know it.
- Move through the five steps in order, keeping each one brief—a few minutes total is enough.
- Close with the Sign of the Cross or a short prayer of your own.
- Repeat daily. The site treats the Examen as a habit, not a one-time exercise; its "An Ignatian Prayer Adventure" online retreat is a further option if you want a structured multi-day format.
Checking that it worked
You will know the prayer is taking hold if you can name one concrete moment of gratitude and one moment of difficulty from the day, and if you leave with a specific intention for tomorrow. If you finish with only vague impressions, slow down on step 3 and review the day hour by hour.
Common Snags
- Treating it as an exam. The name invites self-judgment, but the site's framing is presence, not performance. If you find yourself listing failures, return to step 1 and give thanks first.
- Skipping the light. Step 2 is easy to rush; asking for light before reviewing changes what you notice.
- Praying too long. A long review tends to collapse into rumination. Keep it short and repeat tomorrow.
- Not knowing where to start. Begin with the "Give Thanks" article, then add one step per day until you have all five.
For background on the prayer's place in the tradition, the site's "What Is Ignatian Spirituality?" and "The Ignatian Way" pages and its video introductions cover the main ideas; the Examen pages themselves are the practical entry point.