Examination of Conscience

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Lord, before I sleep, I want to look back over this day with you. Not to be hard on myself, not to accuse myself, but to see with your loving gaze where I walked with you and where I drifted from you.

The psalmist writes in Psalm 139, Search me, O God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. This is what I am asking now. Search me. Show me. Lead me.

St. Ignatius of Loyola taught us a simple way to examine the day. Five movements. Let us walk through them now.

First, gratitude. Lord, what am I grateful for from this day? Let me name a few things, even small ones. The morning light, the coffee that tasted just right, the text from a friend, the moment of unexpected laughter, the food on my plate, the breath in my lungs. Thank you, Lord. Every good gift comes down from the Father of lights.

Second, ask for the light of the Holy Spirit. Lord, I do not see myself clearly. I am too quick to defend, too quick to accuse, too quick to forget. Holy Spirit, illuminate this day. Show me what you want me to see.

Third, review the day. Where was I awake to your presence? Was there a moment when I sensed you speaking? A nudge to call someone? A pull toward prayer? A tug of conscience? Did I respond or did I rush past?

Where was I closed? Where did I refuse to listen? Where did I choose, even in small ways, what was easy over what was right? Lord, I bring it all to you without defense.

Fourth, ask for forgiveness and healing. Where I sinned today, I am sorry. The harsh word I should not have spoken. The truth I should have told but did not. The complaint that became a curse. The judgment I formed without all the facts. The lust of the eyes. The pride of the heart. The lack of patience.

Lord, I am sorry. I receive your forgiveness through Christ's blood. Wash me clean. Heal what I broke today, in others and in myself.

Fifth, look forward to tomorrow. Lord, what do you want me to focus on tomorrow? What is one specific way I can cooperate more fully with your grace? Maybe it is a person to call, a habit to interrupt, a virtue to practice. Show me one small thing, Lord, and give me grace to do it.

If anyone needs my apology tomorrow, give me the courage to ask. If anyone needs my forgiveness, give me the grace to extend it. If anyone needs my presence, give me the wisdom to show up.

I close this examination by handing the day to you completely: the good and the bad, the holy moments and the failures. They are yours now. I do not need to carry them into tomorrow. Tomorrow has enough of its own grace.

St. Ignatius prayed, take Lord and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will. All that I have and possess you have given me. To you, O Lord, I return it. Everything is yours. Do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace, for these are sufficient for me.

This is enough, Lord. You are enough. I sleep in peace.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.