Evening examen
A gentle five-step evening examen
A few quiet minutes to look back on the day with God — what was given, where you turned away, and one small grace to ask for tomorrow. No typing, no score, no streak to keep.
Free in HavenThe five movements
Haven’s examen follows the classic Ignatian shape in five short movements. Each one comes with a single line of Scripture to pray with.
- Give thanks (Ps 103:2)
Look back over the day and notice what was given to you. Something small is enough: light at a window, a word from someone, a moment that went better than it looked. Stay with it a little. - Ask for light (Ps 139:23)
Ask God to show you the day as it really was. Not as you would defend it, and not as you would accuse yourself of it, simply as it was. - Walk through the day (Lam 3:40)
Go back through the hours, from waking until now. Where was there peace? Where was there restlessness, a sharp word, a turning away? Let the day come back without hurrying it. - Ask forgiveness (Ps 51:3)
Bring what went wrong to God, plainly and without dwelling on it. You are asking for mercy, not passing sentence on yourself. It has already been given. - Look to tomorrow (Ps 143:8)
Choose one thing for tomorrow. One conversation, one habit, one person to be patient with. Ask for the grace to do it, and leave the rest here.
A two-minute examen, tonight
If you only have a moment before sleep, try this:
- Name one thing from today you are grateful for. Just one.
- Ask: “Lord, show me today as you saw it.”
- Let one moment come back — a good one or a hard one — and look at it honestly.
- Say sorry for what needs it, and receive mercy rather than rehearsing it.
- Choose one small thing for tomorrow and entrust it to God.
That is a complete examen. Doing it briefly every night matters more than doing it perfectly.
How it works in Haven
- From 6 pm, the evening examen appears on the app’s Today screen — until you have prayed it that night.
- One movement per screen, with its verse. You go on when you are ready; there is no timer.
- An optional evening reminder (9 pm by default, and you can move it). It is a local notification that stays on your phone, and it is off unless you choose it.
- Nothing you pray is recorded. Only the fact that you prayed that evening is kept, on your phone.
Examen or examination of conscience?
The two sound alike but do different jobs. The evening examen is a daily prayer about the whole day — gifts as much as failures — and it ends by looking forward. An examination of conscience is a fuller, more searching review, usually along the Ten Commandments, to prepare for the sacrament of confession.
Many people pray the examen every night and a fuller examination before confession. When you are preparing for the sacrament, Haven’s guided examination of conscience walks through it at your own pace, and our step-by-step confession guide explains what happens in the confessional.
Questions people ask
- What is the evening examen?
- A short prayer at the end of the day, rooted in the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola, in which you look back over the day with God: noticing gifts, seeing honestly where you turned away, and asking for grace for tomorrow.
- How long does it take?
- Two to ten minutes. There is no timer in Haven — you move to the next step when you are ready.
- Is the examen the same as an examination of conscience before confession?
- No. The examen is a daily prayer about the whole day, the good as much as the failures. An examination of conscience is a fuller review, usually along the Ten Commandments, to prepare for the sacrament of confession. Haven has both, as separate guides.
- Is the evening examen free in Haven?
- Yes. The evening examen and its optional reminder are free. The fuller examination of conscience before confession is part of Haven Premium.
- Does Haven save what I pray?
- No. There is nothing to type, and nothing you pray is saved or sent anywhere. The app only remembers, on your phone, which evenings you prayed it, so it can stop offering it once you have.
- What if I miss a night?
- Nothing happens. There is no streak to lose and no score. The examen simply appears again the next evening.
Try tonight’s examen in Haven
Five gentle movements, one verse each, and nothing saved. Free on iPhone and Android.