The Daily Examen: Five Simple Steps to End Your Day with God

Some evenings, we reach bedtime carrying more than tiredness. A sharp word returns to mind. An unfinished task nags at us. We wonder whether we have given enough to the people we love.

The daily Examen offers a gentle way to bring all of this to God. Rooted in the spiritual teaching of St Ignatius of Loyola, it is a prayerful review of the day: noticing grace, acknowledging sin and preparing to begin again.

It is not a performance review or an invitation to dwell anxiously on every mistake. It is time spent with the Lord who knows us and loves us. The following five steps offer a simple way to practise it in five or ten minutes before bed.

1. Ask God for light

Find a quiet place, if you can. Put down your phone, settle yourself and make the Sign of the Cross.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see your day truthfully and gently. We can overlook both our faults and the goodness God is quietly bringing about.

Psalm 139:23–24 gives us a model for this prayer: the psalmist asks God to search the heart and lead it in the right way.

You might pray: Holy Spirit, help me see this day with your light, not only through my tiredness or worry.

2. Give thanks for particular gifts

Before examining what went wrong, remember what was given.

Perhaps someone listened patiently. Perhaps you enjoyed a meal, received help or found the strength to complete a difficult duty. Even on a painful day, there may have been a small moment of relief or companionship.

Name two or three gifts. Let them be ordinary and specific.

Gratitude does not require pretending that suffering is good or that everything feels fine. It means recognising that pain is not the whole story, and that God has not abandoned you.

3. Review the day with God

Walk slowly through the day, from waking until now. Notice your conversations, responsibilities, thoughts and reactions.

Where did you respond with love? Where did you resist it? What stirred gratitude, resentment, fear or compassion?

Feelings are not sins in themselves, but they can help reveal what needs attention. A recurring irritation might point towards exhaustion, a needed boundary or an opportunity to grow in patience.

Do not force a lesson from every moment. Simply bring what you notice into conversation with God.

4. Ask forgiveness and receive mercy

When a genuine fault becomes clear, name it honestly without making excuses or attacking yourself.

Perhaps you spoke unkindly, avoided a responsibility or withheld forgiveness. Ask God’s pardon and the grace to make amends.

The father’s welcome in the parable of the prodigal son reminds us that returning to God is a movement towards mercy, not away from love (Luke 15:11–32).

The Examen does not replace sacramental Confession. It can help prepare us for it by making us more attentive to our choices and more ready to receive Christ’s forgiveness.

5. Entrust tomorrow to God

Look ahead briefly. What will tomorrow ask of you?

Choose one small, concrete response: apologise to your spouse, listen without interrupting, ask for help or pause before answering in anger. Ask for grace rather than relying on determination alone.

Finish with an Our Father, or simply pray: Lord, thank you for staying with me today. Forgive what needs forgiving, heal what needs healing, and guide me tomorrow.

You do not need to resolve everything before sleeping. Place the unfinished day in God’s hands, and rest in his care.