Daily Examen designed to help us recognize God in everyday life

Published: September 12, 2020

By Jeff Hines
Trinity Junior High School

A beautiful phrase sits like a smooth stone in the cascade of words that are the documents of Vatican II. The phrase is “stream of divine grace.” The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy reads, “for well-disposed members of the faithful, the liturgy of the sacraments and sacramentals sanctifies almost every event in their lives; they are given access to the stream of divine grace …” (no. 61).

I teach at a Catholic school. The ingredient that sets every Catholic school apart is the Mass. Students attend Mass together. It keeps them upright and moving forward. It keeps them in the stream of divine grace as they go about their daily life, as they learn and grow and mature.

When schools closed in March because of COVID-19, we had to find a way to keep the students in the stream of divine grace. We surveyed our parents. They told us there was not much distinction between Catholic school and public school during the shutdown. I called my theology professor on spirituality, Deacon Danny Hartnedy. Like me, Deacon Hartnedy teaches at a Catholic school. I knew he would understand our problem.

We discussed a way to turn lemons into lemonade: Teach the students a skill they can do at home every day to stay connected to God. Deacon Hartnedy recommended the Daily Examen. The Daily Examen is a method of prayer developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th century. It is simple and effective.

St. Ignatius taught that God speaks in the normal events of daily life. He speaks through the internal movements of the heart, through feelings, thoughts and imagination. The Daily Examen is designed to help us recognize God in our everyday life and discern where he is leading.

The examen is not a prayer of particular words, but rather, a process of thought: Reflect in gratitude on the events of the day. Thank God for the good things that happened, and the way he was present in the bad things that happened.

Seek understanding, asking, “How was God communicating to me in these events? How did I respond?” Ask forgiveness for the times I did not respond well to him. Recognize his grace in the times I did respond well to him. Commit to follow through on those stirrings that are from God.

I discussed the Daily Examen with our principal and religion teachers. We meet weekly on a virtual retreat called Plugged In. We taught the students to do morning prayer and the Daily Examen. Morning prayer consisted of going to usccb.org/bible/readings to prayerfully read the daily readings, planting the words in our heart as a farmer plants seeds in the ground.

The Daily Examen consisted of the steps taught by St. Ignatius to review the day and ask, “How did God reveal himself to me today, and how did I respond?”

Teachers and students attended the virtual retreat together. Students shared ways they saw God at work in their life. Teachers shared stories of how God’s plan was different than their plans for their life and how God’s plan was better than they could have imagined.

Even while physically apart, we allowed God to bind us and help us grow in spirituality, a vital task for a Catholic school no matter the circumstances. For more information on the examen, see the website ignatianspirituality.com.

Jeff Hines has a theology degree from Newman University in Wichita, Kansas and is the director of adult faith formation at Sacred Heart of Mary Church in Barling. He is chairman of the Diocesan Pastoral Council and teaches technology at Trinity Junior High School in Fort Smith. This article was originally published in Arkansas Catholic Sept. 12, 2020. Copyright Diocese of Little Rock. All rights reserved. This article may be copied or redistributed with acknowledgement and permission of the publisher.