Now Is the Perfect Time to Begin a 3-2-1 Examen Journal {Free Printable}

St. Ignatius of Loyola's feast day is July 31 - a perfect time to renew or build a habit of making some sort of daily examen.

Find the FREE PRINTABLE.

In the past, my children and I have used our Five-Finger Daily Examen...

Read more here.

...with a simple craft that we made during a super fun St. Ignatius of Loyola Feast Day party.

Host a St. Ignatius of Loyola feast day party with games, activities, and food.

Then, more recently, we began using a notebook tool that my children made at a co-op.

When a simple tool helps form holy habits...

The binding on the notebooks are barely holding together, though, so I was considering making new ones with my children for St. Ignatius of Loyola's feast day. That is, until a link for the the 3-2-1 Examen at Shameless Popery popped up on my computer screen recently.

As soon as I read the quick daily examen credited to a Kansas City priest named Fr. Andrew Mattingly, my plans changed.

I simply love the simplicity of the 3-2-1 Examen:

• Turn to the Father and thank Him for at least 3 things from your day.
• Turn to the Son and ask forgiveness for at least two failings.
• Turn to the Spirit and make one concrete, measurable resolution for the next day.

What a simple, concrete, and powerful examen!

In praying this examen, we become present with God.  

Then, as we thank the Father, we review our day and find the good in it, noticing things large and small that truly highlight for us how we experience God's presence in our lives.

While reflecting on the day, we might recall places where we sinned of did something we regretted. That is where the focus on asking the Son for forgiveness comes in. We recognize our own shortcomings and our need for mercy, ask for forgiveness and feel prompted toward reconciliation.

Finally, we look toward tomorrow and think about how we might collaborate more effectively with God's plan for our lives. We specifically as the Spirit for guidance and resolve to enter tomorrow in union with God with God's will.

Beautiful.

Even better for me and mine, the 3-2-1 Examen dovetails nicely with other practices we have focused on as a family before, such as shared greatness and building habits of gratitude and greatness. These practices often turned from moments of sharing to moments of prayer and, now, will be a helpful lead in for me to introduce the 3-2-1 Examen.

So, my intent now is to turn composition notebooks into 3-2-1 Examen journals.

How?

For the cover, we will each pick one image of St. Ignatius of Loyola they like from Wikipedia to print out.  My choice will be Saint Ignatius of Loyola's Vision of Christ and God the Father at La Storta by Domenichino.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola's Vision of Christ and God the Father at La Storta by Domenichino

Alternately, if any of my children want to create their own image or color or paint a pre-drawn one, I will, of course, say, "Have at it," and will have the free coloring page offered on Brother Francis on hand.

Around the image, we'll write 3-2-1 Examen.

Then, cut out a simple free printable 3-2-1 Examen Journal Page and attach it to the inside front cover:

Find the FREE PRINTABLE here.

With that, the journal will be ready to guide us in making and journaling a simple daily examen.

Perhaps you would like to do the same thing. I would love to hear about your experience if you do.

St. Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us.

You Never Know which Habits Will Stick... and How Much Hope They'll Bring

My oldest has been in a tween-ragery stage and sometimes the blustering is still full blown at bedtime. Yet, no matter how silly or sullen he's been being, I almost always see him go out to our living room helves, grab his little blue book, and pray his bedtime prayers, which, by now, he's more or less memorized.  

So why does he grab his blue book? Why does he flip to its final page to pray an Examen and Act of Contrition?

Why doesn't he just pray his bedtime prayers from memory? 

Why is it his particular habit that has stuck for him when so few of the other habits we attempt to build here have not?  Seriously, why this one?  

Habits we have been encouraging for many more years have been rejected or are still in development.  Some of the other prayer habits that the same prayer book tool promotes have been ignore.

Other prayer habits - like morning prayers - are oft only habitual with my son when done as a family.

But the Evening Prayers ritual? It has become a strong habit.

Why?

To be honest, I just do not know, and I am no sure I ever will. I am, however, ever-grateful to his prior co-op teacher for initiating this independent prayer habit and to the Spirit for whispering to my son each night, prompting him to pray even when he's being stormy.

Bedtime prayers with his falling apart blue book. Undoubtedly, the act or praying them brings grace to my son, and, surely, witnessing my sometimes challenging tween grab his prayer book brings hope to me.

Lately, there are many nights when, by bedtime, I am spent.  Drained. Discouraged. Weary from efforts to connect, correct, redirect, reset, and, of course, love my son through the challenging phase he is going through. The glaring difficulties of the day sometimes make it hard for me to reflect upon the quieter moments of sweetness, virtue, and Spirit-led growth that are there.

Then, my boy's hand opens his blue book, his lips move silently in prayer, and the Spirit reminds me - Momma, not despair, prayer.  

What habits are helping you and your tween or teen make it through more challenging day and nights?

Celebrate St. Ignatius through Food and Fun!

This past week, some of the children and adults from our local Catholic homeschool group enjoyed learning about St. Ignatius through food and fun!

Gathering Time

We gathered at a friend's home and, while the kids got re-acquainted with some free play, I set up in the shade of the back yard.

Once all was set up, we gathered on a blanket for opening greetings and prayers, which included the Sign of the Cross and two prayers from St. Ignatius' own words, the Suscipe or the Prayer of Generosity.  We learned, too, that our host family's close friend is a Jesuit priest, which was cool, and recalled that Pope Francis is also a Jesuit. 

Then, we chatted about what a saint is, in general, and who St. Ignatius was, specifically.   I invited the children to share anything they knew about St. Ignatius, and, in doing so, we segued into the next part of our gathering: snacks and drink!

Faith (Geography and Etymology) Through Food

One of the children shared that St. Ignatius has been a soldier who laid down his sword in order to follow Christ.  That led us to the snacks (which the children were eagerly awaiting!)

We gathered around each snack, chatting about how each related to St. Ignatius.

I told the children the story of how, after deciding to follow Christ, St. Iganatius saw a vision of the Virgin and Child Jesus.  Shortly thereafter, he laid down his sword at a shrine.  Blue (blueberries) is a color traditionally associated with Mary.  White (apple and pear slices) is often associated with purity.  Sword-shaped toothpicks remind us of the sword St. Ignatius laid down (and make for a fun way of eating that was a big hit!)

Next, we talked about nachos.  The chips the nachos were made from have three sides.  These reminded some of our children of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  It reminded other children of the Holy Family.  I let them know it reminded me of the traditional hat of the Jesuits, which was triangular in shape.  Further, I asked of the children associated any part of the world with nachos.  of course, they did -- Latin America.  We talked about how Jesuit missions began in Europe but have since spread all over the world.  We also talked about the etymology of the word "nacho", which I first heard about on Catholic Cuisine.  In short, "Nacho" was a nickname for a man named "Ignacio" (or Ignatius) who is said to have created nachos.  (Whether he was named after St. Ignatius of Loyola, though, is unknown.)

We then talked about the gluten-free, casein-free pumpkin-corn bread, which a friend had adapted from a recipe at Lemons & Anchovies.  This recipe is authentic to the Basque region, where St. Ignatius was from. 

Likewise, we had cran-apple cider, which reminded us both of the region St. Ignatius was from, since there is a traditional Basque cider, and our own region, since cranberries are common here.  This connection, in turn, was to remind us that although St. Ignatius lived long ago in another part of the world, his impact affects us even today in our part of the world.

Stories and Sharing

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Once the children had served themselves snacks and cider, we gathered together to chat further.  Using small globe and  a cloth map of the world, we identified where St. Ignatius was from (the Basque region of Spain), where he traveled (the Holy Land), where he studied (France), and where he directed the Jesuits from (Rome).  I also read aloud to the children about St. Ignatius from the Loyola Kids Book of Saints, pausing the story there to add additional details and information that I'd gleaned from other sources.
 

As the children finished up their snacks, some chose to color, using markers and color sticks on images of St. Ignatius printed out from Coloring Saints and Herald Entertainment.

Child-Friendly Spiritual Exercises

Once our St. Ignatius story time was over, it was obvious the children needed "wiggles" time, so we gave the children a reason to run about the yard while practicing a child-friendly spiritual exercise.

We quickly chatted about how St. Ignatius had transformed from being a soldier who fought in battles to being a strong follower of Christ.  In doing so, I mentioned how both soldiers and followers of Christ can become stronger through disciplined training and how St. Ignatius developed Spiritual Exercises which are still used today in order to strengthen himself as a follower of Christ.  I asked the children if they'd like to learn some of these exercises, adapted to kids and, then got started on three activities that were inspired by Ignatian Spirituality for Kids.

 
For the first exercise, we talked about how St. Ignatius made a practice of finding God in all things and how we can, too.  I challenged children to spend five minutes inspecting the entire yard and treeline on their own, in pairs, or in trios, to find small, interesting things that their peers might not also find., which they should bring back to our gathering blankets.  (For the sake of our friend's gardens, I added the stipulation that said things must not be broken off the stems of anything else.)

The children then eagerly ran about collecting interesting rocks, pine cones, leaves, blades of grass, etc., which they brought back to the blankets when I called "time" and shared about.  As they did, we noticed how unique and special each object was and what it might remind us of.  We also connected a duct tape sword that one child was holding back to God:  God made people and natural things in the world.  People took the natural things and made the materials which they then made the sword with.

We thanked God for His wonderful creations and emphasized how EVERYTHING really does go back to God!

Then, we transitioned to our second spiritual exercise:  imaginative prayer.  We talked about how St. Ignatius recommended that  people read through gospel passages, placing themselves in the scene, letting it play out, interacting with the characters, and noticing senses and feelings.  We then tested this type of prayer out by having the children get comfy and close their eyes while I did a dramatic reading of Jesus Calms the Storm from A Child's First Bible, complete with added sound effects. 

Finally, we transitioned to our third spiritual exercise: children's daily examens, which we learned about by making a  5-Finger Daily Examen craft.

Life of St. Ignatius Obstacle Course

As the children finished up their 5-Finger Daily Examen crafts, they went off to a swing set to play.  Then, we called them back to introduce them to choice activities that included Gospel Dramatizations to remind us of St. Ignatius' imaginative prayer, Visions of Mary (or drawing Mary and the Child Jesus in chalk), and a Life of St. Ignatius Obstacle Course.
 

The children were most interested in the latter, so I proceeded to review key events in the life of St. Ignatius with the children as I drew quick sketches on white boards and had the kids help me set up whiteboards and props for an obstacle course.

As soon as the course was laid out, two children commenced racing through it, followed by more children and moms!  What fun we had.

At Station One, like St. Ignatius, we were "born in a castle" and, later, picked up swords to charge forth as soldiers.

At Station Two, we "were shot" and had to drag our leg to the next station, still holding our swords.

At Station Three, we tried to stretch our legs which had healed shorter than our other legs, by tying a "cannonball" to it.  As such, we went forth, sword still in hand.
 

At Station Four, as we convalesced, we picked up stories of saints and Jesus to read.  Then, carrying a copy of the Picture Book of Saints, while dragging our "cannon balls" and still carrying our swords, we went forth.

At Station Five, we finally we gave our lives to Christ, saw a vision of Mary, were healed and, then, went to a shrine before deciding to live in a cave for nearly a year to repent.  Thus, we laid down our swords, took off our canon balls, knelt by a small state of Mary to pray a Hail Mary before picking up a basket to carry forward calling out, "Alms for the poor!"

At Station Six, we went to the Holy Land to spread the Word, but did so with such enthusiasm, that we were asked to leave, for fellow Christians feared we would be kidnapped and sold for ransom or killed.  Moving forward with a cross or crucifix we enthusiastically called out, "Follow Jesus!"

At Station Seven, we joined boys in a Latin class in Paris and continued our studies for ten years, meeting the men who would form the Company of Jesus, or Jesuits.  Here, we prayed an Our Father.


At Station Eight, we saw the Jesuit order go from ten men to over a thousand spreading out in missions to Europe, India and Brazil.  We spun either a small globe or a globe ball around.

Then, after some years, sick and blind, we went to Station Nine, our death and onto Heaven.

What fun these races were and how they helped us remember highlights of St. Ignatius' life.

Wrapping Things Up

Upon the conclusion of the races, we cleaned up and the kids cooled off with free play in an air-conditioned basement.  Since then, my own children have been using their 5-Finger Daily Examen and referring to St. Ignatius and the Jesuits daily.  I hope the other children were impacted by our celebration, too, just as I pray you and yours might be if you hold a similar event!

I'd love to hear about your favorite resources and ideas for sharing about St. Ignatius and the Jesuits with children.  I'd also be delighted with anything you'd like to share in the way of food and fun as related to saints for upcoming feast days.  May we continue to bless one another and the children in our lives with enjoyable, yet meaningful study and celebration of the saints!

The 5-Finger Daily Examen

This coming week, our local Catholic homeschool group will be enjoying at St. Ignatius of Loyola celebration together.  As I have been planning for it, I have been reading and thinking a lot about Daily Examens and about how best to introduce them to the children that will be at our celebration.  What might we make or do with the children -- who will likely range in age from toddlers to preteens -- in order to help them go home and make a practice or praying a Daily Examen.

What I finally decided on was a Five-Finger Daily Examen.



After explaining a bit about St. Ignatius of Loyola and the Daily Examen, I intend to have each child trace their hand on cardstock and cut it out.  Then, on each finger, the children will draw images or write words to remind them to breathe, be grateful, feel, pray and look ahead.  On the back side of the hand, they might also glue a pre-printed image of St. Ignatius and the words of the Suscipe or the Prayer of Generosity.

Of course, we will let the Spirit lead us in actually explaining the Examen to the children and guiding them as to what, specifically, they might draw or write on each finger of their hand cut-outs.  The detail and depth of what we will go into will be largely based on the ages and abilities of the children present.  However, I imagine it will be something drawn from these notes:


1.  BREATHE 
Draw an image of wind or breath, write the word "breathe", or write a sentence or two to remind yourself to breathe in God's love and, then, breathe out, filling the space around you with that love.  Center yourself and know that God is present.  Ask for clarity and understanding.

2.  BE GRATEFUL 
Draw a smiley face or write the word "gratitude".  Or, write a few phrases or sentences to remind yourself to think about the specific joys and delights of the day, the moments you are most grateful for.  Ask yourself, what am I most grateful for today?  Or, if I could relive one moment, what would it be?  Or, which moment made me most able to offer or receive love?  Or, what little things did I see/say/hear/feel/experience that made today so good? 

3.  FEEL
Draw several faces that express positive and negative emotions or write the word "feel".  Or, write a few sentences or questions to help you look back at the day and think about what you felt at specific moments -- joy, frustration, boredom, anger, compassion, etc. -- and what God might be saying through those feelings.  Ask yourself what moment in the day you are least grateful for, a moment when you were least able to give and receive love.  Then, ask what was done or said in that moment to make it so difficult and how God might be asking you to respond.  Might you feel prompted to be forgiven for a wrongdoing or for the ability to forgive someone else?  How might you learn and grow based on the experiences of the day, deepening your knowledge of yourself and your relationships with God? 

4.  PRAY
Draw two hands together in prayer or write the word "pray".  Or write phrases or sentences to remind you to ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to pray about whatever it is that God thinks is particularly important.  You might simply choose one feature of the day and to pray from.  You might talk to Jesus about your actions, attitudes, feelings and interactions and feel spontaneously called to seek forgiveness, ask for direction, share a concern, express thanksgiving, etc.  You might discover a particular feeling, person or moment during the day, that at the time seemed insignificant, now leads you to prayers of adoration, repentance, thanksgiving or petition. 


5.  LOOK AHEAD
Draw a sunrise or write the words "look ahead" or "tomorrow".  Or, write a series of sentences or questions, such as: When I think about tomorrow, what joys or challenges come to mind?  Am I nervous?  Excited?  Worried?  Why?  How might I ask God for help and hope?  Might I ask for the forgiveness, protection, wisdom and gratitude necessary to grow closer to God in thought and deed, being free to choose to follow him?
 
Hopefully, the Five-Finger Examen will become a concrete tool that the children can use to make a Daily Examen a meaningful part of their prayer lives.

Daily Examen Inspiration 

Of course, there are many other variations of the Daily Examen that are simpler, more complex or just a bit different.  Some of the sources I drew inspiration from when praying about what to plan for our St. Ignatius of Loyola gathering were:

• Praying the Examen with Children
• Prayer is as Easy as 1-2-3
• The Examen Prayer Card
• A Daily Examen for Children and Teens
  Examen
• How Can I Pray
  Examen of Consciousness (Ignatian)
• The Examen Prayer

I'd love to hear about your experiences helping children pray a Daily Examen.

What are your favorite prayers, activities, stories, and resources for sharing about St. Ignatius or the Daily Examen with children?