One of the spiritual legacies St. Ignatius of Loyola left his Society, the order of the Jesuits, is the Examen, or the Examen of Consciousness. The Examen is intended as a short daily period of reflection, a "method" or way to seek and find God in all things and to gain the freedom to let God's will be done on earth.
Use this adapted form of the Examen to invite your family to participate in an Examination of Consciousness.
- At the end of each day, as your family is gathered for dinner or before bedtime, recall that you all are in God’s presence, that you are created in God’s image, and that God loves each one of you profoundly. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you recognize God’s presence with you and to help you to pray together in these or similar words:
Spirit of God, open our minds and hearts to God’s presence with us here. Enlighten us with your wisdom that we may lovingly recall the blessings and challenges of this day.
- Then invite each family member to say “Thank you” to God for a blessing they received that day, and then say “Thank you” to any other family member for a blessing they received from that person. For example, “Thank you, God, for helping me to remember what I have studied so that I could do well on my test. Thank you, sister, for helping me pick up my room.”
- After each person has had an opportunity to give thanks, have each family member ask forgiveness for something they may have done that hurt God or another family member. For example, “Forgive me, brother, for hitting you when I was angry with you.”
- Pray together an Act of Contrition, such as this one that is taught in preparation for first Reconciliation:
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.
Or pray the Confiteor that we pray in the Eucharistic Liturgy:
I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
- End your prayer by asking God to continue to guide you in all that you say and all that you do. Then bless one another by making the Sign of the Cross on one another’s foreheads.
Of course, feel free to adapt this method to fit your family’s personality and schedule.
For more on St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Examen and spiritual exercises, check out
- http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/prs/stign/ignatian_spirit.html
- http://www.jesuit.org/Spirituality/default.aspx
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_Exercises_of_Ignatius_of_Loyola
