The Examen in daily monastic life

The practice of the Examen in daily monastic life is a quiet way of returning to God’s presence. It gathers the scattered moments of a day—prayer, work, conversation, distraction, failure and gratitude—and places them before the Lord with honesty. Rather than treating self-review as a harsh inspection, monks receive it as an act of attention shaped by mercy.

For an Olivetan Benedictine community, this practice belongs within a larger rhythm of stability, common prayer, silence, work and spiritual reading. The monk does not seek holiness in isolated experiences. He learns to recognise God in the ordinary pattern of community life, including the moments that seem repetitive or hidden.

The Examen can also serve people far beyond a monastery. A nurse finishing a shift in Melbourne, a parent travelling home through Sydney traffic, or a shopkeeper closing a business in Adelaide may need a simple way to notice where grace was present during an exhausting day. A few attentive minutes can turn an evening routine into prayer.

At the Mother of the Redeemer Monastery in Plaisance, Louisiana, this spirit is connected with a prayer-centred community, the Benedictine tradition and the welcome offered to visitors, oblates and those discerning a vocation. The method is simple, but its purpose is profound: to become more truthful before God and more available to love.

A daily return to God’s presence

The Examen begins with recollection. A monk pauses, becomes still and remembers that he is not reviewing the day alone. God has been present throughout it, even when that presence was overlooked. This first movement changes the tone from anxiety to communion.

In a monastery, such recollection may be supported by the bells, the Divine Office, meals taken in community and periods of silence. These established points help the monk return to the centre. For laypeople, a similar pattern might be linked to turning off a phone, washing the evening dishes or sitting quietly before sleep.

The goal is not to produce an impressive spiritual report. It is to become attentive. The Examen gently asks a person to see the day as God sees it: truthfully, compassionately and with a desire for conversion.

Gratitude before self-criticism

A healthy examination usually begins with thanksgiving. The monk recalls gifts received: a psalm that spoke clearly, a patient brother, nourishing food, useful work, a moment of beauty or the strength to endure difficulty. Gratitude protects the practice from becoming a list of faults.

This emphasis has a practical value in Australian life, where daily attention is often divided between the school run, commuting, online messages and the cost of ordinary necessities. Someone buying groceries at a local market in Brisbane may notice only rising prices and a crowded schedule. The Examen invites that person to recognise the people, resources and small kindnesses that also sustained the day.

Thanksgiving does not deny suffering. It gives suffering a wider setting. A monk can acknowledge fatigue, conflict or disappointment while still naming the good that God placed within the same hours.

Noticing consolation and desolation

The Examen includes careful attention to interior movements. Consolation may appear as peace, courage, love, clarity or a renewed desire for prayer. Desolation may involve resentment, spiritual dullness, fear, isolation or a persistent turning inward. These terms do not mean that every pleasant feeling comes from God or every painful feeling is spiritually harmful.

Benedictine discernment remains grounded in Scripture, obedience, humility and the wisdom of the community. A passing mood is not automatically a divine message. Instead, repeated patterns may reveal what leads towards charity and what gradually narrows the heart.

For example, a monk might notice that hurried speech repeatedly damages fraternity, while patient listening opens a path to peace. A layperson in Perth might recognise that late-night scrolling leaves him restless, whereas a brief walk and silent prayer restore attention. Such observations become useful when they lead to concrete, faithful choices.

Examining relationships and work

Community life gives the Examen a relational character. The monk considers how he received others, whether he was generous with time, and whether he allowed irritation to become judgement. He may remember a conversation in which he failed to listen or a task completed without seeking praise.

Work receives the same honest attention. Benedictine spirituality regards ordinary labour as part of a life ordered towards God. Cleaning, cooking, study, gardening, administration and practical service can all become places where patience and responsibility are learned. The question is not whether a task felt important, but whether it was performed with love and integrity.

This is especially relevant in Australia’s workplace culture, where long commutes, casual employment, shift work and digital availability can blur the boundary between labour and rest. A short examination helps a person ask whether work has become an excuse for neglecting prayer, family or health, and whether rest is being received as a gift rather than treated as wasted time.

Confession, repair and renewed intention

The examination must include sin, but it should never end in self-accusation. A monk names what was wrong, asks forgiveness and considers how to repair the harm. When serious faults are present, the sacrament of Reconciliation and guidance from a confessor provide a deeper setting for healing.

A useful examination distinguishes between responsibility and vague shame. “I spoke harshly to my brother” is specific and open to amendment. “I am a terrible person” is often too general to support conversion. The first statement can lead to an apology, a changed habit and prayer for grace.

The final movement is a modest resolution. It may be to speak less quickly, to begin the morning with Scripture, to make a needed phone call or to accept an inconvenient duty without complaint. Small resolutions are more faithful than dramatic promises that cannot survive ordinary life.

Adapting the practice outside the cloister

The Examen does not require a monastery, a long period of silence or a perfect schedule. Five to ten minutes can be enough. A person may sit in a parish church, pray in a quiet room or review the day while walking, provided the attention is directed towards God rather than mere self-analysis.

A simple sequence can help: become aware of God, give thanks, review the day, recognise movements of grace and resistance, seek forgiveness, and choose one faithful response for tomorrow. The sequence should remain flexible. A parent with young children may pray it in fragments; a nurse after a night shift may need to sleep first and examine the day later.

Australians also need to consider the boundaries of digital life. The Examen can include a review of how phones, streaming services and social media shaped attention. This is not a rejection of technology. It is a way of asking whether tools served communion and truth or encouraged distraction, comparison and anger.

A rhythm that grows through perseverance

The fruit of the Examen usually appears gradually. A monk may become quicker to recognise impatience, more willing to apologise and more grateful for hidden service. The practice does not eliminate weakness. It makes weakness easier to bring into the light before it hardens into a settled pattern.

Perseverance matters more than intensity. Missing an evening does not invalidate the practice. Beginning again is itself part of monastic wisdom. Stability teaches that spiritual growth often comes through returning to the same place, the same prayers and the same commitments with fresh humility.

For those exploring monastic life, the Examen offers a small window into the discipline of listening and conversion that supports a vocation. Those who are prayerfully discerning a call can learn more through the monastery’s vocations information, while recognising that discernment also requires time, counsel and lived contact with a community.

Sharing a prayerful way of life

The Examen becomes richer when connected with the Church’s wider life. Participation in the Eucharist, regular confession, Scripture, spiritual direction and service all help a person interpret the day faithfully. Oblates and friends of a monastery may adapt Benedictine practices while remaining committed to their responsibilities at home and work.

Visitors seeking quiet reflection can find a setting where silence is not an escape from reality but a way of seeing reality more clearly. Information about prayer, retreats, liturgical participation, community life and practical support is available through the monastery’s website. Contact with a religious community can help transform a private devotion into a shared search for God.

Those wishing to support the monastery should also approach giving with the same clarity encouraged by the Examen. In Australia, donations and tax deductibility depend on the status of the receiving organisation and the relevant Australian Taxation Office rules; religious gifts are not automatically deductible. Checking official information and keeping appropriate records allows generosity to be both prayerful and responsible.

Set aside a quiet moment tonight and place the day before God without rushing. Name one gift, one place where love was resisted, one person who needs your forgiveness or gratitude, and one small act of faithfulness for tomorrow. Through repeated attention, ordinary hours can become a school of prayer, and the heart can learn to recognise the Redeemer who has been present all along.