Reflection with a Year-End Examen
A yearly examen (a reflective review of the past year in the light of God’s presence) is a deeply Ignatian and fruitful way to transition into a new year. It helps you discern where God has been at work, where you’ve grown, where you’ve resisted grace, and where you’re being invited next.
🕊️ A Sacred Pause
As another year draws to a close, many of us feel the pull to pause and take stock. Not just to review accomplishments or failures, but to look more deeply:
Where have I encountered God this year? Where did I grow… or resist growth? What is God inviting me into as a new year begins?
This kind of reflection is more than a resolution-making session. It’s a spiritual practice, a holy remembering.
Inspired by the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Year-End Examen offers a sacred space to prayerfully reflect on the year behind and listen for God’s gentle invitation into the year ahead. It is rooted in the belief that God is present in all things: our joys and our sorrows, our routines and disruptions, our successes and failures.
Why an Examen for the Whole Year?
St. Ignatius encouraged a daily examen as a way of growing in awareness of God’s presence and action in everyday life. But at the end of the year, a longer, slower examen can help us:
- Notice patterns of grace or resistance
- Express gratitude for God’s faithfulness
- Name areas of hurt, failure, or need for healing
- Discern where God may be calling us next
This isn’t about judgment. It’s about attentiveness, compassion, and clarity.
🕊️ Year-End Examen
A Reflective Questionnaire in the Light of Scripture
Below is a Year-End Spiritual Examen in the Ignatian tradition, inspired by Scripture and structured for prayerful reflection. It includes five movements, with questions and Scripture passages for each. I recommend finding a quiet space, allowing at least 30–60 minutes, and journaling your thoughts.
How to Begin
- Set aside 30–60 minutes of quiet, uninterrupted time.
- Have a journal, Bible, and perhaps a candle or sacred image nearby.
- Begin with a simple prayer:
“Lord, help me see my year through Your eyes. Let me notice Your presence and receive Your guidance.”
There is no “perfect” way to do this. The only aim is to be present to God, to your own heart, and to the truth of your lived experience.
A Guided Questionnaire with 5 Movements of the Year-End Examen
This reflective questionnaire moves through five spiritual movements:
Gratitude, Illumination, Contrition, Discernment, and Hopeful Commitment. Each movement is grounded in Scripture and invites you to journal your responses, pray, and notice the stirrings of your heart.
Whether you’ve had a spiritually rich year or a dry and difficult one, God has been with you. The Examen helps you discover how.
1. Gratitude – Recognizing God’s Gifts
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
—1 Thessalonians 5:18
- What gifts, blessings, or moments of joy did I receive this year?
- What relationships, events, or quiet moments filled me with life?
- In what ways did I experience God’s love—through people, creation, prayer, or unexpected grace?
Pause to thank God for these gifts. Let gratitude fill your heart.
2. Illumination – Seeing the Year with God’s Eyes
“Search me, O God, and know my heart… lead me in the way everlasting.”
—Psalm 139:23–24
- Where did I feel most alive and free this year?
- When did I feel distant from God, myself, or others?
- What patterns—good or harmful—can I see emerging in how I lived, loved, worked, or prayed?
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal hidden truths with gentleness and clarity.
3. Contrition – Naming Wounds, Failures, and God’s Mercy
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
—1 John 1:9
- Where did I fall short of love—toward God, others, or myself?
- Are there areas I avoided, neglected, or resisted growth?
- What do I need to ask forgiveness for? Who do I need to forgive?
Let God’s mercy wash over you. Receive forgiveness with humility and hope.
4. Discernment – Listening for God’s Invitation
“Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
—1 Samuel 3:10
- What desires have grown in me this year?
- What do I sense God inviting me to let go of?
- Where might God be calling me to deeper trust, courage, or surrender?
Listen not just for answers, but for movements of the heart.
5. Hopeful Commitment – Stepping into the New Year
“Behold, I am making all things new.”
—Revelation 21:5
- What grace or intention do I want to carry into the new year?
- What spiritual practice, habit, or focus will help me stay open to God’s work in me?
- What concrete step can I take toward greater love or purpose?
Entrust your hopes, fears, and desires for the year ahead to God.
Prayer suggestion:
“Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will…”
—from the Suscipe, St. Ignatius of Loyola
