By Mark Argent

One of the fruits of the increased interest in Ignatian spirituality in recent decades has been greater use of what Ignatius calls the General Examen. In essence, this is to look back over part of the day, and ask “Where was God in the experience?”Ignatius’ actual formula doesn’t translate so well across the centuries, but a contemporary approach can be quite useful.

• still yourself, sitting, breathing slowly and gently, perhaps using a mantra, open yourself to the presence of God
• gently think back over the day, getting in touch with the memories, as if unwinding them with God
• this isn’t a time to dwell on things that were upsetting or things that could have been done differently It is a time to consider memories with compassion
• think about how these experiences might have looked to God, seeing what was going on and witnessing your reactions
• perhaps there are significant memories of things which had a tangible sense of God about them, but they equally might be tiny moments passing so quickly that they would be easy to miss. In either case, these are memories to savour
• perhaps the sense was of the absence of God. If something was blocking the awareness, that too might be something to acknowledge with God
• sometimes, particularly when people try this at first, things are not so clear. The art is to be gentle and patient in listening for God, even when we don’t hear God

Some people find it helpful to do this every few hours, others at the end of the day. On retreat, it is often a good idea to do something to relax after a period of prayer, such as going for a gentle walk. It can be helpful to use this approach at the end of a prayer period to look back over it, and again after going for a walk to consider God’s presence in prayer and relaxation. Rather than being ‘paralysis by analysis’ this is intended to create space for new insights to emerge.

Many people who use the Examen regularly find that, getting used to looking back over parts of the day makes them more attentive in the here and now, coming to appreciate God’s presence in all times and places.