The Monastic Practice of Examen and Self-Reflection

The practice of examen sits at the heart of monastic self-reflection, offering a daily rhythm for noticing where God has been present. Rooted in the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola, the examen has been embraced by Benedictines, Olivetan monks, and lay Christians alike as a gentle way of reviewing the day with honesty. Across centuries of cloistered life, this simple review has shaped how contemplatives discern movements of grace and the quieter pull of distraction. At Mother of the Redeemer Monastery in Plaisance, Louisiana, monks still pause at day's end to walk through their hours with the Lord, asking what stirred the heart and what asked for forgiveness.

For Australians reading from Sydney, Melbourne, or a quiet corner of the Kimberley, the practice may feel unfamiliar or even old-fashioned. Yet many people in Adelaide parishes, Perth Catholic schools, or Brisbane young adult groups are quietly rediscovering ancient contemplative tools as a counterweight to a hurried culture. The local religious landscape is shifting, with mass attendance dropping but interest in meditation, retreats, and the inner life slowly growing. Self-reflection offers a grounded way to slow down, listen, and live more attentively in a country where weekend sport, family barbies, and full calendars often crowd out stillness.

A short history of examen in the Christian tradition

St Ignatius of Loyola first formalised the examen in the sixteenth century, but the impulse behind it is far older. Desert fathers and mothers, early Benedictines, and Celtic monks all kept some form of daily review, asking themselves where faithfulness had flourished and where sin had crept in. By the time the practice reached the wider Western Church, it had been softened and broadened, becoming less a courtroom audit and more a conversation with a loving God. The Olivetan Benedictines, a reform branch of the Black monks, inherited this tradition alongside their own emphasis on silence and the chanting of the hours.

What makes examen distinctive is its positive thrust. Rather than beginning with sin and shame, the practitioner typically starts with gratitude, naming gifts received during the day. Only then does the review move to moments of consolation and desolation, the movements of the heart that brought peace or restlessness. This ordering reflects a wisdom now echoed in Australian mental health circles, where gratitude journals and mindfulness exercises have entered the mainstream. The monastic version simply widens the listener, making room for the divine voice beneath the day's chatter.

How monks review their day

At a Benedictine monastery, the day is woven around prayer, work, and rest, with the Divine Office punctuating the hours. The examen typically happens in the evening, sometimes in the chapel before Compline, sometimes privately in a monk's cell. The monk settles into stillness, asks the Lord to be present, and slowly scans the hours since morning. He notices encounters, decisions, temptations, and consolations, giving thanks for grace and asking pardon for failure. Over time this repeated review builds what the tradition calls discernment, a kind of spiritual sensitivity that can detect the movement of spirits as a surfer off Bondi reads a swell.

The classic Ignatian examen follows a fivefold shape, and most monks use a pared-back version of it:

The review itself need not be lengthy. Many monks spend only ten or fifteen minutes, sometimes writing a few lines in a journal. Others keep the examen entirely spoken, whispering the day back to God in their own words. What matters is consistency, not perfection, since the practice is less about scoring the day and more about staying in relationship. Australians familiar with the rhythm of a footy club review will recognise the principle, though here the team is the soul and the coach is the Lord.

Forms of self-reflection in monastic life

Beyond the formal examen, monastic life is threaded with smaller acts of self-reflection. Monks pause before the liturgy of the hours, check their intentions before communal work, and sit in silence after Mass. These micro-reviews keep the conscience supple and the heart attentive. In the Australian context, this kind of structured pause can feel countercultural, since the dominant pace is fast and the dominant mood often pragmatic. Yet quiet self-examination is quietly returning through school chaplaincy, parish retreats, and Catholic mental health ministries that draw on the same contemplative roots.

Several forms of self-reflection appear regularly in the life of a monk:

These forms are complementary, building on each other like the layers of a long letter from a far-off friend.

Lectio divina and the reading that shapes the soul

Closely linked to the examen is lectio divina, the slow, prayerful reading of Scripture. A monk listens first, then ponders, then responds in prayer, and finally rests in stillness. This four-fold rhythm mirrors the examen itself, turning the practice into a way of reading a single verse or an entire life. For those wanting a fuller introduction, the community has prepared a guide on spiritual reading that explains the movement from text to contemplation.

Australians exploring lectio often begin with the Sunday Gospel, letting the same passage settle over a week. Some parishes in Brisbane and Melbourne run shared lectio groups, where members swap what stirred them, often over a cuppa after Mass. The practice suits a culture that values mateship and frank conversation, since the reflection often ends in a quiet chat about how the verse landed. Like the examen, lectio assumes that the Spirit speaks in ordinary words and that the reader has time to listen.

Solitude, community, and the welcoming guesthouse

Self-reflection thrives where solitude is held by community. Monks do not practise the examen in isolation but within a rhythm of shared prayer, common meals, and mutual accountability. The same is true for lay visitors who come to the monastery seeking silence. The guesthouse offers a space apart, where guests can step out of their usual routines and spend a few days in quiet review. Details about our guesthouse ministry explain how hospitality and contemplation meet under one roof.

Many Australians carry a quiet hunger for this kind of retreat, even if they have never named it as monastic. A teacher from Hobart, a tradie from western Sydney, or a young professional in Perth may all feel the pull of a few days away from screens, sport on the telly, and the Sunday barbie. The guesthouse offers a structured space to make that possible, with daily prayer available but not imposed. Reflection, like rest, is something most people need but few schedule.

Oblates, benefactors, and sharing the contemplative life

The monastic life is not closed to those who do not enter the cloister. Oblates are lay Christians who promise to live according to the Rule of St Benedict while remaining in their own homes, jobs, and families. In Australia, oblates often gather regionally for shared prayer, retreats, and the practice of examen. They bring the contemplative rhythm into parishes, schools, and workplaces, sometimes as the only person in the parish who knows what lectio divina is. For those drawn to this way, the monastery offers a path through becoming an oblate.

Others feel called to walk alongside the community through prayer, encouragement, or material support. Benefactors help sustain the monks' prayer, fund the upkeep of historic buildings, and now assist with a planned chapel expansion. Even a small monthly gift, sent from a suburb in Canberra or a farm in the Wheatbelt, makes the daily life of the cloister possible. The monks remember their benefactors in their daily prayers, weaving each name into the rhythm that begins and ends with the examen itself.

If this reflection has stirred something in you, consider setting aside ten minutes this evening for your own examen. Begin with gratitude, walk through the day, then speak to the Lord in your own words, fair dinkum. Visit the monastery website to read more about the contemplative life, the guesthouse, and the oblate path. When you are ready, reach out, plan a retreat, or offer a prayer for the monks who keep this ancient rhythm alive in Plaisance.