The Sanctum Examen Companion

Carry it in the missal, the truck, the rucksack, the desk drawer. Use it nightly. Bring it to confession. Hand it to the brother who needs it.

The Five Movements of the Daily Examen

The Ignatian framework that has shaped Catholic men's spiritual lives for nearly five hundred years. Five movements, ten minutes, before sleep.

I. Gratitude — grátias agere

Begin by naming three specific gifts of the day. Not "I am grateful for everything." Three particulars. The breath you have. The bread you ate. A face that loved you. Gratitude is the doorway; it cannot be skipped.

II. Light — peto lucem

Ask the Holy Spirit for the grace to see your day as God sees it — not as your pride sees it, not as your shame sees it. Pray: "Lord, by your light show me what I cannot see by my own."

III. Review — recolligere

Walk the day from waking to this moment. Where did love rise? Where did love fall? Notice both. The Examen is not a self-prosecution; it is a walk with the Lord through the day he gave you.

IV. Repent — pæniténtia

Name what was sin — by kind, plainly. Distinguish: was it venial, or did you meet all three conditions of mortal sin (grave matter, full knowledge, deliberate consent — CCC §1857)? If mortal, bring it to the priest this week. Pray a short Act of Contrition now.

CCC §1454: "The reception of this sacrament ought to be prepared for by an examination of conscience made in the light of the Word of God."

V. Resolve — propóno

Name one specific moment that will come tomorrow. The moment of choice you can already see. Resolve, with the help of grace, to choose Christ at that moment over the easier thing. One resolution. Specific. Tomorrow's hinge.

The Rite of Confession

The penitent's part in the sacrament is three acts: contrition, confession of sins, and satisfaction (the penance) — Council of Trent, Sess. XIV; CCC §1491. The five steps below are the practical way to carry out those three acts well.

1. Examination of conscience — prayerful review of one's sins.
2. Contrition — sorrow out of love of God (perfect) or fear of his just punishment (imperfect; sufficient for the sacrament).
3. Confession — name all mortal sins by kind and number to the priest.
4. Firm purpose of amendment — sincere intent to avoid the sin.
5. Penance — accept and perform the satisfaction the priest assigns.

Act of Contrition

The Three Conditions of Mortal Sin

A sin is mortal only if all three are met (CCC §1857). If even one is missing, the sin is venial — still to be confessed for the grace of the sacrament, but not by canonical obligation.

1. Grave matter. The act itself is seriously wrong by the Church's teaching.
2. Full knowledge. You knew it was gravely wrong at the moment of choosing.
3. Deliberate consent. You chose it freely, with the full consent of the will.

CCC §1862-1863 on venial sin; CCC §1424 on the impossibility of valid confession without firm purpose of amendment.

A Closing Word

The Lord knows every thought before you have it. The watch is kept by the saints, the angels, and Our Lady, the Mother of God — who never sleeps in her vigil over the men entrusted to her Son.

If today was a day of failure, the sacrament is open. If today was a day of grace, give thanks plainly. Tomorrow, at the moment you named in your resolution — choose Christ over the easier thing. The watch begins again at dawn.