What is the daily examen?

The daily examen is a short, structured evening prayer developed by Ignatius of Loyola in the sixteenth century. In roughly fifteen minutes it walks you through five movements — presence, gratitude, review, sorrow, and resolve — so you can notice where God was at work in the ordinary hours of your day.

How do you pray the examen prayer step by step?

Become still and acknowledge God's presence, give thanks for specific gifts, review the day hour by hour noticing consolation and desolation, confess what went wrong and receive forgiveness, then choose one concrete intention for tomorrow. Fifteen minutes is plenty; five is enough on a hard night.

When is the best time to pray the daily examen?

Traditionally at the end of the day, before sleep, so the whole day can be reviewed. Many people also pray a shorter midday examen over the morning. Fixing the time matters more than which time you fix.

Is the Ignatian examen biblical?

The method is a spiritual discipline rather than a command of Scripture, but every movement rests on biblical practice: self-examination (Psalm 139:23; 2 Corinthians 13:5), thanksgiving (1 Thessalonians 5:18), confession (1 John 1:9), and evening meditation (Psalm 63:6). Test the practice by Scripture, and keep the aim on Christ rather than on introspection.

How does the examen prayer help soul wellness?

The examen gives the mind a bounded, ordered place to process the day rather than replaying it at 2 a.m. Naming gratitude, reviewing emotions honestly, and closing with one small resolution echoes practices clinicians recognize as helpful — held here inside prayer. It is a spiritual discipline, not treatment; ongoing depression or anxiety deserves a pastor and a licensed professional too.

Daily Examen: How to Pray the Examen Prayer

Most days pass unexamined. We move from alarm to inbox to bed without ever asking where God was in any of it. The daily examen — a fifteen-minute prayer Ignatius of Loyola taught in the sixteenth century — is the simplest remedy ever devised for that forgetfulness. It does not ask you to add anything to your day. It asks you to look back at the day you already lived and notice the grace that was there the whole time.