Why the Examen Begins with Gratitude

The first Point is to give thanks to God our Lord for the benefits received.Spiritual Exercises 43

Most of us examine our conscience the way we check a bank balance: quickly, a little anxiously, looking for what has gone wrong. St. Ignatius of Loyola, who taught the Examen to his first companions, began somewhere else.

Thanks is the lens, not the warm-up

Ignatius once wrote that ingratitude lies at the root of every sin, because it begins with forgetting what God has given. Starting with thanks changes what you see next. A day received first as a gift is a day you can look at honestly, without needing to defend it.

Then light, then looking

Only after thanks does Ignatius ask for light, and only after light does he look back over the hours: thoughts first, then words, then deeds. The order guards against two opposite mistakes, excusing everything and despairing of everything.

What you find still goes to Confession

The Examen does not replace the sacrament. Its fourth step asks pardon for what the review uncovered, and serious sins are still brought to a priest. Many people find they confess the same things as before, but see them more clearly, inside a day that was also full of grace.

Start small

Five minutes before sleep is enough. If one moment of the day holds your attention, stay with it rather than hurrying to finish. The prayer is in the noticing, not the list.