An Examen
1. Place Yourself in the Presence of God
“Lord, You see me, You know me, You formed me. Grant me the grace to see myself as You see me.”
Explanation:
Prayer begins with God’s initiative, not ours. As St. Teresa teaches, recollection grounds us in humility and prevents self-focus. Psalm 139 models true recollection.
2. Give Thanks for the Graces of the Day
“Father, I thank You for every good gift today—every protection, every inspiration, every moment of grace You offered me.”
Explanation:
Gratitude opens the soul to truth. The Fathers saw ingratitude as the beginning of every fall from grace.
3. Ask for the Light of the Holy Spirit
“Holy Spirit, Spirit of Truth, reveal the movements of my heart. Let me see my sins clearly, without excuse, without despair.”
Explanation:
Without the Spirit, examen becomes mere psychology or self-criticism. With the Spirit, it becomes illumination.
4. Review the Day Hour by Hour
Ask:
Where was I faithful?
Where did I resist grace?
Were my words charitable?
Did I perform my duties of state?
Did I speak truthfully?
Was I chaste in thought, word, and deed?
Did I harbor resentment or vanity?
Did fear or comfort rule me more than charity?
Did I pray with devotion rather than mere habit?
Explanation:
The Desert Fathers insist that sin begins in the logismoi—the hidden thoughts and motivations. We examine not only actions but roots.
5. Face Your Sins With Sorrow — but Never Despair
“Jesus, meek and humble of heart, I confess my sins. I grieve not only because they offend You, but because they wound Your love.”
Explanation:
Contrition is not self-hatred; it is love awakening again. St. Ambrose: “Confession is the remedy, not the wound.”
6. Resolve to Amend Your Life
“Lord, give me the grace to do better tomorrow. Strengthen my will. Heal the wounds that make me fall.”
Explanation:
A resolution transforms examen from introspection into cooperation with grace.
7. Entrust Yourself to Mary
“O Mary, refuge of sinners, wrap me in your mantle.”
Explanation:
St. Bernard: “If she holds you, you will not fall.”
8. Act of Contrition
“O my God, I am heartily sorry…”
AN EXAMEN BASED ON THE DECALOGUE
(Rigorous. Traditional. Suitable before Confession or nightly.)
Drawing from: Roman Catechism, St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. Augustine, Scripture, and perennial Catholic moral theology.
For each commandment, I provide:
1) Core Examination Questions
2) Hidden Interior Questions (to expose roots)
3) A short patristic insight
I. “I am the Lord thy God… Thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.”
Exterior:
Have I placed anything before God—work, comfort, money, reputation, pleasure?
Have I practiced superstition, divination, horoscopes, crystals, “energy work,” occultism?
Have I trusted myself more than God?
Interior:
Do I pray as if God hears me or as if I speak into the void?
Do I seek control rather than surrender?
Patristic Insight:
St. Augustine: “Idolatry is loving what should be used, and using what should be loved.”
II. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”
Exterior:
Have I used God’s name carelessly, jokingly, irreverently?
Have I made false oaths or promises invoking God?
Interior:
Do I speak of holy things lightly, with presumption or cynicism?
Do I invoke God’s name without intending obedience?
Patristic Insight:
St. John Chrysostom: “To speak the holy Name without trembling is already a sin.”
III. “Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.”
Exterior:
Have I missed Mass on Sundays or Holy Days of Obligation?
Have I allowed unnecessary work to eclipse worship?
Interior:
Do I treat Sunday as the Lord’s or merely a weekend convenience?
Was my worship inattentive, lukewarm, distracted by trivialities?
Patristic Insight:
St. Ignatius of Antioch: “Those who live according to the Lord’s Day are the very ones who have found life.”
IV. “Honor thy father and thy mother.”
Exterior:
Have I disrespected parents, family, lawful authority, or superiors?
Have I neglected duties toward dependents?
Interior:
Do I harbor bitterness, resentment, coldness, or contempt toward family?
Do I criticize authority more than I pray for them?
Patristic Insight:
St. Basil: “The home is the first monastery.”
V. “Thou shalt not kill.”
(Includes anger, hatred, revenge, scandal, abuse of health, and despair.)
Exterior:
Have I been violent in words or actions?
Have I encouraged sin in others (scandal)?
Have I acted recklessly with my health or others’?
Interior:
Do I harbor grudges, resentment, passive aggression?
Do I wish harm or humiliation on anyone?
Do I damage others’ reputation through gossip or calumny?
Patristic Insight:
St. John: “He who hates his brother is a murderer.”
VI. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
(Includes all sins of impurity.)
Exterior:
Have I engaged in sexual sin, alone or with another?
Have I viewed pornography, immodesty, or impure entertainment?
Have I engaged in flirtation or emotional intimacy outside right order?
Interior:
Do I indulge fantasies, curiosity, or affections that lead to sin?
Do I dress or behave to provoke attention?
Do I misuse digital media?
Patristic Insight:
St. Thomas: “Nothing so blinds the mind as lust.”
VII. “Thou shalt not steal.”
Exterior:
Have I taken what is not mine—money, time, property, credit, peace of mind?
Have I wasted the time or resources of others?
Interior:
Do I envy others’ goods?
Do I rationalize small thefts or laziness as insignificant?
Patristic Insight:
St. Jerome: “He steals who withholds from another what is due.”
VIII. “Thou shalt not bear false witness.”
Exterior:
Have I lied, exaggerated, misled, concealed truth unjustly?
Have I ruined someone’s reputation through gossip?
Interior:
Do I shape narratives to benefit myself?
Do I speak more to be admired than to be truthful?
Patristic Insight:
St. Augustine: “A lie is an assault on charity.”
IX. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.”
Exterior:
Have I entertained attractions to someone’s spouse or religiously vowed person?
Interior:
Do I indulge fantasies or emotional comparisons?
Do I fail to guard my senses?
Patristic Insight:
St. Gregory the Great: “Covetousness begins where custody of the eyes ends.”
X. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.”
Exterior:
Have I been jealous, resentful, or begrudging of others’ prosperity?
Interior:
Do I measure my worth by what others possess?
Do I resist God’s will when He withholds certain goods from me?
Patristic Insight:
St. John Climacus: “Envy is the refusal to praise God for another’s blessing.”
✢ Traditional Act of Contrition (Standard)
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee,
and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell;
but most of all because they offend Thee, my God,
Who art all-good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
✢ Act of Contrition from the Baltimore Catechism
O my God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.
In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good,
I have sinned against You, Whom I should love above all things.
I firmly intend, with Your help,
to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.
Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us.
In His name, my God, have mercy. Amen.
✢ St. Alphonsus Liguori’s Act of Perfect Contrition
My God, I am sorry and beg pardon for all my sins,
not so much because I fear hell,
but because they offend You, my God,
Who are infinite goodness and worthy of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace,
never more to offend You. Amen.
✢ Short Act of Contrition (Traditional)
O my Jesus, forgive me my sins.
Save me from the fires of hell,
and lead all souls to heaven,
especially those most in need of Thy mercy.
