The Ignatian Examen

Some Presuppositions in doing the Examen

1. God’s creating is a continual sharing of Trinitarian life with all creation "that all may be one, as Thou, Father in me, and I in Thee, that they may be one in us." (John 17:21)

2. Thus present in creation and human history, God guides us toward the full attainment of this life with God and one another in unity and peace, justice and love.

3. We humans can discern the direction of God’s active guidance in our own daily history, and can collaborate with God to promote its realization in action.

4. The sign of God’s guidance is: what produces unity and peace among people and what instills feelings of peace, love, and integrity in us. By contrast, what produces dissension and hostility in society and selfishness and vengeance in us is a sign of the presence and activity of evil. (See Galatians 5:13-26)

Steps in Making the Ignatian Examen

1. We begin by quieting ourselves. Become aware of God’s goodness, the gifts of life and love. Be thankful. Recall that without faith, the eye of love, the human world seems too evil for God to be good, for a good God to exist.

2. Pray for the grace to see clearly, to understand accurately, and to respond generously to the guidance God is giving us in our daily history.

3. Review in memory the history of the day (week, month, etc.) in order to be shown concrete instances of the presence and guidance of God and, perhaps, of the activity and influence of evil. These can be detected by paying attention to strong feelings we experienced that may have accompanied or arisen from situations and encounters.

4. Evaluate these instances in which we have either collaborated with God or yielded to the influence of evil in some way. Express gratitude and regret.

5. Plan and decide how to collaborate more effectively with God and how, with God’s assistance, to avoid or overcome the influence of evil in the future.

Conclude with an "Our Father."