Daily prayer

How to Pray an Evening Examen

Review your day with God through a simple evening Examen: notice gifts, consider your responses, ask forgiveness and choose one practical step for tomorrow.

Marian · · 4 minute read

At the end of a busy day, one awkward conversation can take up more space in your memory than everything else that happened. Or the whole day can feel like a blur. The evening Examen offers a way to bring that ordinary, unfinished day into prayer.

The Examen belongs to the prayer tradition of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. It invites you to notice God’s presence, give thanks, reflect on your responses and look ahead with God. The Jesuit Conference provides a short guide and several adaptations. The Ignatian Examen

You can begin with a few quiet minutes. The outline below is a suggested personal adaptation with everyday examples, not a required script or a new feature in Marian.

Choose a moment before you are too tired

Try a recognizable point in the evening: after clearing the table, before your final phone check, or just before getting ready for bed. If you regularly fall asleep halfway through, move the prayer earlier rather than assuming you need more determination.

Sit somewhere you can pause without needing to finish another task at the same time. A notebook is optional. You do not need to create a complete record of the day or write an account that anyone else will read.

Begin with God, then remember a gift

Make the Sign of the Cross and ask God to help you look at the day honestly. Before sorting out what went wrong, recall something you received: someone's patience, help with a difficult job, a meal, an unexpected moment of rest.

The Catechism places thanksgiving at the heart of the Church’s prayer and teaches that ordinary events and needs can become occasions for giving thanks. Gratitude belongs in daily prayer, not only at the end of an unusually happy day. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2637–2638

Be specific. “Thank you for the person who stayed to help me finish” gives you a concrete moment to receive again. If the day was painful, you do not need to describe it as pleasant or force yourself to feel cheerful.

Walk through the day without replaying every minute

Recall the broad shape of the morning, afternoon and evening. Notice a few encounters or decisions that stand out. Sacred Space, a ministry of the Irish Jesuits, suggests paying attention to your responses and feelings, then choosing one part of the day to bring into conversation with God. Sacred Space: The Daily Examen

You might ask:

These prompts are starting points, not a scorecard. You can leave some questions unanswered. Focus on what actually happened rather than trying to reconstruct every detail or guess what everyone else thought of you.

Bring one moment into prayer

Suppose you remember cutting someone off while they were explaining a problem. Stay with that particular moment. Tell God what you regret, ask forgiveness, and consider what a better response might look like.

Perhaps tomorrow you can say, “I interrupted you yesterday. I would like to hear the rest.” That is more concrete than promising never to be impatient again. If an apology or another act of repair is appropriate, prayer can help you prepare to make it; the reflection itself does not do that work for you.

A good moment also deserves attention. You might remember listening calmly when you expected to lose patience. Give thanks for that help and ask to respond generously again. The Examen makes room for gifts as well as failures.

Look toward tomorrow and close the prayer

Choose one realistic intention for the next day. Ask for help with a particular responsibility, relationship or decision. The Jesuit Conference’s guide ends by looking ahead concretely and praying the Our Father. Jesuit Conference: How to Pray the Examen

For example, you could plan to put your phone aside during one conversation, make a necessary apology, or pause before responding to a difficult message. Choose one action you can recognize when the opportunity comes.

Then finish deliberately. You do not have to keep reviewing until every concern feels resolved. This is personal prayer, not sacramental confession; it does not replace the sacrament. If a recurring spiritual concern is difficult to sort through, a trusted priest or spiritual director can help you approach it.

Keep the next evening simple

After trying the Examen a few times, notice whether the time and place work for you. Keep the structure light enough to remember: turn to God, give thanks, review, respond and look ahead.

You may already have a Rosary or Scripture routine. The Examen can be a short, separate moment at the end of the day rather than another long task added to it. Our daily-readings prayer guide can help with Scripture, and our guide to returning after a missed prayer time offers practical help when a routine slips.

Start tonight with one gift and one moment you want to bring before God. Let those concrete details give you a place to begin.