Mick Turner
Christian tradition has a rich and varied history of spiritual practices which, when consistently applied, bring much benefit to Christians seeking a deeper, more vital walk of faith. One of the spiritual exercises I find personally rewarding is what is traditionally called “Examen.”
Variations of Examen have gained wide-spread popularity in Christian circles over the past 20 to 30 years, although they have often been referred to by other names. The actual practice of Examen is Ignatian in origin, flowing from the spiritually creative mind of Ignatius of Loyola (d. 1556), the founder of the Jesuit Order. Over the centuries, the practice of Examen has been fundamental to Jesuits and many Catholics, both lay and clergy, and has enjoyed increasing acceptance in Protestant circles as well.
Examen is basically a method of deepening our walk with Christ by ending the day with self-examination. Although the method varies in terms of what specific themes are examined, the over-arching purpose is to discern what areas of our spiritual life are found lacking and, conversely, what parts of our Christian walk are consistently strong. Also important to understand is the fact that the true practice of Examen explores not only one’s actions, but events as well.
Ignatius used several categories to define behaviors and issues, but basically everything boiled down to two primary themes. Feelings and desires which bring us closer to God were called “consolations,” and feelings and desires which disconnected us from God were termed “desolations.” For Ignatius, the practice of Examen was a critical aspect of an aspirant’s spiritual practice. According to Ignatius, God often spoke to pilgrims through their feelings, affections, desires, and sense of comfort/discomfort. He went on to praise the Examen as the central practice that transformed him from a wild, undisciplined soldier into a “pilgrim walking barefoot to Jerusalem.
Below, I will give an overview of the Examen as I have practiced it over the past 12 years or so. There are many other ways to apply this procedure and I suggest you experiment with several approaches to see what might be the best fit for you. The Internet contains countless articles and instructions regarding this valuable spiritual practice. You might simply go to a search engine and type in “Examen, Ignatius of Loyola,” and start exploring with the results. I would just ask that you keep one principle in mind – Keep it simple!
Here is what I typically do when practicing the Examen. Feel free to find your own variation:
1. In preparation, light a candle and repeat the Lord’s Prayer.
2. Spend a few minutes gently relaxing into a quiet, receptive frame of mind. For me, this usually involves deep breathing and quiet prayer, asking for God’s anointing and presence and the guidance and protection of the Holy Spirit.
3. After this brief preparation, begin with “gratitude,” asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to you those things during the day that you are grateful for. If you could go back and relive one positive moment during the day, what moment would you choose? Why?
4. Visualize that moment taking place again and allow yourself to relive it in your imagination. Experience the sense of gratitude that arises from doing this. Express your gratitude to God in prayer.
5. As you review the day, reflect on areas where you level of disobedience to God’s will was higher than it should be. What sort of issues tend to bring out behaviors or attitudes that are disobedient or that increase your sense of disconnection from the Creator? Over time, do you notice any consistent patterns? What is the source of these areas of disobedience: the world; the enemy; or your own habitual ways of thinking, behaving, and relating?
6. Just as in Step Five, reflect on your day, but this time focus on positive events and times when you especially felt that you were operating within the parameters of God’s will. Explore what helped you maintain this positive, productive behavior. What kind of things triggered this truly Christian response on your part? Do you see any positive patterns developing in your life?
7. Express your gratitude to the Holy Spirit for helping you in those areas where your behavior was in agreement with biblical principles and ask for his ongoing help to strengthen these healthy habits. Also, confess those areas where you believed you were behaving in a manner less that what you, as a Christian, are called to. Don’t go overboard here, whipping yourself repeatedly. Simply confess your shortcomings, request God’s forgiveness, accept it, and move on.
The outline presented above is just that, an outline of how I most often apply Examen. As stated earlier, you might experiment with methods that seem more applicable to you. There have been times in my own practice where I have altered the methodology to better suit my situation.
What kind of benefits might one expect with the regular practice of Examen? My personal experience, as well as with numerous participants here at LifeBrook reveal several consistent positive results. First, as mentioned by Ignatius, the regular practice of the Examen gives us a deeper insight into our specific “consolations and desolations.” We come to see what we are doing that leads to a more profound connection with God and what consistent aspects of our thinking and behaving that creates a greater sense of disconnection. In addition, in our ongoing conversation with God, we are more likely to verbalize our painful feelings, our guilt, or our sadness. Perhaps these are emotions that we usually hide from, but in the context of the Examen, we face these negative feelings, express them to God, and put them in his hands for healing.
A pair of significant benefits from practicing the Examen, however, seems to show up on almost everyone’s list of positive results. Participants, including myself, consistently report a greater awareness of how life’s seemingly unimportant events often contain “divine guidance” from the Holy Spirit. Further, taking the time to quietly reflect on these events at the end of the day provides an opportunity to recognize how God speaks to us through the events of our lives. As a result, we develop an increasing awareness of the flow of life and we are more mindful of God’s presence in the mundane. As the great mystics of the Christian tradition often said:
Nothing is profane for those who have eyes to see.
A final benefit, so in keeping with our focus here at LifeBrook Ministries, is that participants in our programs that develop a disciplined practice of the Examen tend to become more optimistic in their outlook on life. Many sincere seekers find that it is difficult to maintain a chronic pessimistic mindset when you are spending time focusing on the positive events of life and gaining a greater awareness of a loving God that is actively involved in your life.
In closing, I would recommend that you experiment with the practice of the Examen. Work out a time at the end of the day, find a place conducive to quiet time, and set about reviewing your day. You might be surprised at what you discover.
(c) L.D. Turner
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