What Disciples Do – An Introduction to The Examen

Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025
written by Rev. Erik Khoobyarian

This season at Pinnacle our sermons are looking to scripture to see What Disciples Do. One of the things we’ve been learning is that discipleship isn’t just a set of beliefs we carry in our heads. It’s a way of life. It’s about practices that help us see God’s presence and respond faithfully in the everyday. Living deliberately and seeking God in all aspects of our lives is not easy. For me, I’ve found a practice that has been an important part of my life and journey and I’d like to share it with you. It is called the Examen and has shaped Christians for nearly 500 years!

If you’ve never heard of it, the Examen is a prayer that grew out of the life and experience of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the 16th-century founder of the Jesuits. Ignatius lived a colorful life - a soldier who loved adventure, who also carried his share of pride and ambition. After a serious battlefield injury left him bedridden, he found himself with little to do but read. The only books available were a life of Christ and a collection of stories about the saints. At first he read them just to pass the time, but then he noticed something striking: when he imagined living for God, he felt alive and peaceful. When he imagined chasing glory and power, he was left restless and empty.

That observation changed everything. Ignatius discovered that God often speaks through the movements of our hearts - what he called consolation (those feelings that draw us toward God: peace, joy, love) and desolation (those feelings that draw us away: fear, selfishness, despair). Out of this discovery came the spiritual tradition we now call Ignatian spirituality. And at the very center of it, Ignatius placed the Examen.

In fact, he thought it was so essential that he urged his fellow Jesuits to pray the Examen every single day, no matter how busy they were. Even if they had to skip other prayers, the Examen should remain. Why? Because it is a simple, repeatable way to recognize God’s presence in the middle of real life - not just on retreat, not just in the quiet of a sanctuary, but in the everyday mess and beauty of our lives.

What is the Examen?

At its simplest, the Examen is a prayerful reflection on the day that has passed. It’s not about harsh judgment or self-congratulation, but about honest noticing: Where was God in my day? Where did I sense grace? Where did I resist it? Where do I need God’s help as I look ahead?

Fr. James Martin, a contemporary Jesuit writer and spiritual guide, often reminds us that God is found in “the messy and ordinary.” The Examen helps us believe that. It shows us that God is not far off, waiting for us in holy places only, but already present in conversations with friends, in our work, in our fatigue, in our laughter, even in our frustrations. Martin also stresses that the Examen is a prayer of hope, not guilt. It is not meant to leave us weighed down by what went wrong, but to remind us of God’s mercy and to open us to new beginnings.

A step-by-step guide to the Examen

Here’s a simple way to begin. Try setting aside 10-15 minutes at the end of your day.

1. Invite God’s presence.
   Begin with a moment of stillness. Take a breath. You might pray, “God, be with me now. Open my eyes.”

2. Give thanks.
   Look back over your day and name a few things you’re grateful for - large or small. Gratitude shifts our focus and helps us see God’s generosity.

3. Review the day.
   Gently walk through the events of your day, hour by hour. Notice your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Where did you feel alive and connected? Where did you feel closed off or burdened?

4. Face what’s hard.
   Be honest with God about the moments you regret, the times you fell short, or the places where you resisted grace. Ask for forgiveness. Ask also for healing and wisdom.

5. Look toward tomorrow.
   Imagine the day ahead. What do you anticipate? Where might you need God’s strength? Ask for the grace to respond differently, to love more freely, to notice God’s presence more fully.

6. Close in prayer.
   End with a short prayer - perhaps the Lord’s Prayer, or simply: “Thank you, Lord, for this day. Be with me tomorrow.”

That’s it. Six steps. Simple, but over time, deeply transformative.

Why this matters for discipleship

The Examen is more than just a spiritual exercise. It’s a way of living out discipleship in real time. Each time we pause to review our day with God, we’re training our hearts to notice and respond. We learn to see that faith isn’t abstract — it’s woven into how we speak to a coworker, how we treat a stranger, how we respond to stress, how we savor joy.

When Ignatius urged his companions to make the Examen a daily habit, he wasn’t adding one more burden to an already full life. He was offering them a tool to become more awake, more honest, more alive to God. And isn’t that what discipleship is all about? To follow Jesus with open eyes, open hearts, and open hands?

Getting started

A few practical tips if you want to try the Examen:

• Keep it short. Five minutes is enough to begin. Don’t overcomplicate it.

• Jot down a note. A sentence in a journal can help you see patterns over time.

• Try different times. Some people pray the Examen at night before bed. Others pause at midday. Find what fits.

• Be gentle. Remember Fr. Martin’s reminder: this prayer is about hope, not guilt.

An invitation

I want to encourage you to give the Examen a try. Choose one evening. Find a quiet corner. Walk through the steps slowly. See what you notice. You might be surprised at how quickly the Spirit speaks when we take the time to listen.