An evening examination of conscience: a simple prayer

A suggested five-minute evening prayer

Choose a quiet point before bed or another dependable evening moment. Five minutes is a practical starting point, not a required length. You can shorten this when you are tired. The following prompts are Via’s suggested exercise, rather than an official prayer formula.

1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross. Ask God to help you look at the day truthfully and with hope.
2. Give thanks for one specific gift: someone’s kindness, a task you completed, a meal, or a moment of beauty.
3. Recall a few moments in order. Where did you act with love? Where did you choose to avoid a responsibility or hurt someone?
4. Acknowledge a wrong choice without making excuses. Ask for forgiveness and help; you can pray an Act of Contrition.
5. Choose one realistic response for tomorrow. Ask for the grace to take that step, then bring the review to an end.

An example from an ordinary day

Suppose you helped a classmate in the afternoon but snapped at a family member that evening. Begin by thanking God for the chance to help. Then acknowledge the sharp words without pretending that tiredness made them someone else’s fault.

A concrete response could be to apologize and to take a short pause before the next difficult conversation. You might pray in your own words:

Lord, thank you for the good I received today. I am sorry for the words that hurt someone. Help me to repair that harm and to speak with patience tomorrow.

Three questions when you do not know where to begin

Use one question if that is enough. You do not have to reconstruct every minute of the day or answer a long questionnaire.

• What did I receive today that I can thank God for?
• How did I treat the people and responsibilities actually placed before me?
• What good step can I take tomorrow with God’s help?

Is this the same as the Ignatian Examen?

The practices overlap. The Ignatian Examen is a broader prayer of noticing God’s presence in daily life; gratitude, an attentive review, prayer about what you notice, and looking toward tomorrow all have a place. It includes more than listing faults.

Loyola Press offers an introduction and several ways to pray the Examen in the linked source. The short exercise here is an introductory evening review. If you want to explore the Ignatian practice, begin with that resource and allow more time as your circumstances permit. [3]

How it differs from preparing for confession

An evening review focuses on this day and your next response. Before confession, you examine your conscience over the time since your last confession and prepare to confess your sins. A daily habit can help you notice patterns, but it does not replace that preparation or sacramental confession.

For that purpose, use the examination of conscience before confession. If a recurring question about sin leaves you uncertain, bring it to a priest rather than repeatedly extending the nightly review. [4]

End the prayer and rest

The aim is an honest conversation with God and a workable next step. After making the review, close with an Our Father or the Act of Contrition, and let the prayer end. Keep any note brief and private; this website does not ask you to enter your answers.

Place the routine beside something you already do in the evening. If you miss a night, begin again the next night. Our daily prayer habit guide offers ways to choose a time you can return to.

Daily morning and evening prayer belong to the Church’s wider rhythm of worship. This personal exercise can support that rhythm; it is not the liturgical office of Evening Prayer or Night Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. [2]