End-of-Year Examen
A gentle guide to reflect on the year with God and listen for what’s next
Jeremiah 6:16
"This is what the Lord says: 'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’"
This Ignatian-inspired Examen is meant to be a slow and prayerful, reflective practice. You can work through it over several days or even weeks, allowing memories and insights to surface naturally.
The prompts and questions below can act as your guide to deepen your reflections. Let the Holy Spirit guide which ones to focus on.
You can download and print a PDF of this if you’d prefer.
1. Remember Your Year
Gather the “raw material” of your year - memories, moments, and milestones – what happened this year. Use your calendar, journals or photos to jog your memory.
What moments stand out as meaningful, surprising, or tender?
Which relationships or communities nurtured me this year, and which challenged me?
Where did I sense God’s faithfulness or guidance?
What were the moments that revealed growth, change, or learning in me?
What were the “hinge moments” - the big or small events that quietly shifted something in me?
2. Explore Your Inner Story
Notice the movement of your heart, feelings, and longings over the year. This helps to integrate your inner and outer worlds. Look back through: journal entries, sermon or podcast notes, or scripture and quotes that you collected
What emotions or desires surfaced repeatedly this year?
Where did I feel especially open to God, others, or myself?
What questions, doubts, or longings stayed with me?
What nourished my spiritual life, and what felt missing?
Where did I notice courage, resilience, or grace in myself?
Was anything missing in my journey with God this year that I’d hoped for?
3. Take a Prayerful, Big-Picture View
Invite God to be with you as you look at the year as a whole. Step back and see the patterns, themes, and invitations of the year as you integrate your inner and outer worlds.
When did I sense God’s presence most clearly, and when did God feel distant?
What rhythms, practices, or relationships helped me grow spiritually?
Where did I experience unexpected provision, comfort, or clarity?
What recurring challenges, fears, or obstacles appeared this year?
What patterns or invitations do I notice that might shape the next season?
Let these questions bring you into conversation with God. What do you want to say to God about what you notice? Pause and wait to listen for what God may want to say or show to you.
4. Respond Creatively or with Embodied Action
Integration often happens through action. This is when you can choose some way to respond in a creative or embodied way. The prompts below are a jumping-off point, but follow your own inclination here.
Write a letter to God, yourself, or your future self about your year.
Create a visual symbol or image of your year - a sketch, collage, or object.
Take a reflective walk, noticing God’s presence in creation and life.
Light a candle or hold an object to symbolise what you are releasing or carrying forward.
Mark this year with a small ritual of gratitude, lament, or celebration.
5. Listen for What Comes Next
Look ahead with openness to God’s invitations for the coming year.
What desire or hope is awakening in me for the next season?
What feels like a gentle invitation from God - something to embrace, not force?
What do I want to carry forward with intention and gratitude?
What can I release with compassion and trust?
What small step of faithfulness seems right for me now?
Let this become a prayer, not some kind of New Year's resolution, as you choose to trust that God is already moving in and with you into what comes next.
Close with this prayer taken from St Patrick’s Breastplate as you step into the new year:
"I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me,
God’s wisdom to guide me…
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me…"