Family Prayer: The Daily Examen
Thank you for taking the Family Prayer Quiz from Catholic Sprouts. It is ESSENTIAL that your family prays – and prays – together! But prayer doesn’t just happen. Praying together as a family takes planning, commitment, and a whole lot of grace from God. So, great job on taking this important step!
According to the quiz, praying the EXAMEN each night would be an excellent way for your family to pray together. What does that mean? Keep reading to understand the Family Examen and how it might be the perfect way to pray as a family.
WHAT IS THE EXAMEN?
The Examen is a daily prayer and reflection exercise that helps people find God in their lives. It was developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). St. Ignatius went through a radical conversion as a young man. He developed the Examen and shared it with others so they might form the habit of looking for God’s work in their lives.
The Daily Examen is actually very simple. There are five steps:
1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Discover where you experienced love.
4. Bring your failures to God, and ask for forgiveness.
5. Look toward tomorrow.
The faithful can walk through these steps in private mental prayer, by writing in a journal, or through conversation as a family.
HOW TO PRAY THE EXAMEN
We published a simple, little book a few years ago that has quickly become one of our best sellers. The Family Examen features beautiful, original watercolor images of the Holy Family and invites you to walk through the five steps of the Examen as a family. Along with the image for each step, we offer a simple phrase to help your family reflect and share. God is present and active in your life! Use The Family Examen to SEE Him at work!
Various families have used The Family Examen in different ways. Some share their experiences out loud, while others simply gather and privately reflect on the questions.
HOW THE EXAMEN HAS BLESSED FAMILIES LIKE YOURS
The Family Examen has blessed many, many families (including ours!). It is especially good for families new to prayer or with young children. Here is what one family had to say:
OUR GIFT TO YOU
Catholic Sprouts is determined to help you lead your family in prayer. We have created tools to assist you in this work and want to remove all obstacles to prayer in your home. Therefore, for the next five days, you can enjoy 20% OFF any product in our Family Prayer Collection (including The Family Examen). This discount code will be sent to you via email following your completion of the Family Prayer Quiz.
Look for that discount code, and head here to stock up on family prayer items.
Once again, thank you for investing in family prayer. God called us to be parents, to raise saints, and to transform our homes into little Domestic Churches. May He bless us in this work and bring us into His glory one day.
In Christ Jesus,
Nancy