Volume I, Treatise VII, Chapter VII

How We Ought to Make Our Particular Examen

Tue second thing of importance, which I proposed to treat of, is the manner we ought to observe in our particular examen. There are three times for this examen; and of these three, there are only two in which we can examine ourselves. The first is in the morning when we awake; at which time we have nothing else to do, but to make a firm purpose to abstain, during the day, from what vice or imperfection we aim at correcting. The second time is at noon before dinner; when we are to make our first examen, which is reduced to three points. The first is, to beg grace of God, to know how often we have fallen into the vice or defect we have taken for the subject of our examen; the second is, to bring ourselves to an exact account, by revolving in our mind what has happened to us from the moment of our awaking and making the last resolution to the present moment; to see how many times we have offended; marking down upon a paper or table-book so many points as we find we have committed faults. The last is, to conceive a deep sorrow and regret for the faults we have fallen into, to beg pardon of God, and to make a firm resolution, by the assistance of his divine grace, not to fall any more into them during that day. The third time is at night, before we go to bed; and then we must renew the examen we made at noon, keeping the same order, and running over the time from that examen to this we are about; and noting upon a different line from the former, so many points as we find ourselves to have failed in, since that time. But to root out still more readily any vice or defect, which we wish to free ourselves from, St. Ignatius gives us four excellent instructions, which he calls Additions. The first is, that every time we fall into the defect or vice, we presently make an act of repentance, laying our hand upon our breast; for though we should be in company, this may easily be done without any one taking notice of it. Secondly, that afer the examen of night, we compare the points we have noted, with those noted in the morning; to sec if after dinner there be any amendment. The third and fourth, that in like manner we compare, for the same end, the points of the day with those of the day before, and those of that week with those of the week before.

This whole doctrine is taken from the writings and practice of the saints. Ecclesiastical history states, that St. Anthony counselled his religious, in their examen, to note down in writing those faults they found themselves guilty of; that on reading them afterwards they might conceive greater confusion, and endeavour to correct them with more fervour. St. John Climacus would have us imitate a good merchant, who, as soon as he has bought or sold anything, presently notes it down in

VOL. 1. 4 2B his day-book, that he may forget nothing, and be better able to make up his accounts at night; even so, he says, as soon as we have committed any fault, we should presently note it down, to ‘be able to make our examen at night with greater facility. St. Basil and St. Bernard expressly counsel us, to compare one day with another, that we may the better see how far we advance or go back in virtue, and that we may be more zealous in our efforts to live better every day; and be so more like unto the angels. St. Dorotheus is also of the same opinion, that we should compare week with week, and month with month.

As for the method prescribed by St. Ignatius for the correcting any fault—which is, that we should undertake this amendment by degrees at different times, and for some hours only at a time; it is a method that St. Chrysostom, St. Ephrem, and St. Bernard approve of as being efficacious to root out any vice whatsoever. And even Plutarch recommends the same as very profitable, and relates an example very much to the purpose, of a man who, being naturally of an exceeding choleric temper, and finding it difficult to overcome his passion, imposed the task upon himself to remain a whole day without flying out into anger, and he succeeded; when, seeing he was able so long to refrain, he resolved the day following to keep the same guard over himself, and this enterprise succeeded as well as the former; wherefore, doing the same for several days he, by this means, so entirely overcame himself that he at length became of a very sweet temper. Behold here the very method St. Ignatius would have us observe in our particular examen, thereby to render the combat and victory the more easy. When a sick person is disgusted with all sorts of meat, and still needs something for his nourishment, we set not before him the whole of what we would have him to eat, because the sight of so much would give him still a greater repugnance, and it is to prevent this that we give it but by little and little, and thus induce him to take so much as is necessary for his sustenance. st. Ignatius acts in the same manner. In the affair of our particular examen he treats us as patients; he wishes that we should propose to ourselves only one thing at a time, and that for ashort space, for some few hours only. For if we should undertake many things, or one thing for a long time together; if we should, for example, keep silence for a whole year together, or keep guard on our eyes during our whole lite, the bare idea thereof would, perhaps, dispirit us, and induce us to believe that it is impossible to overcome ourselves so far as to subject ourselves to such reserve and such restraint, and, perhaps, we would conclude that such a life would be too melancholy and too painful. But when wethink that it is but for amorning, we look upon it as a small matter, and there is no one who is not able to overcome himself so far as to keep guard on his eyes and tongue for so shorta space. In the afternoon we make the same purpose till night, for God will take care and provide for the next day; and how do we know whether we shall live to see it? But suppose we do, it will be but another day, and on rising in the morn, we shall feel no regret at having spent the preceding day in so Christian a manner, nor shall we feel what we had imposed on ourselves to be a constraint; but, on the contrary, we shall experience a greater facility, and perceive ourselves better disposed to continueit. When I reflect upon this, I think that many are wrong in not fixing their resolution at half a-day only, for that would conduce much to the efficacy of their resolutions.

It is related in the Chronicles of St. Francis that brother Juniper, notwithstanding he was always very sparing of his words, and, therefore, needed not to restrain himself, once kept silence for six months together, adopting the following method: He resolved to keep silence the first day, in honour of God the Father, the second in honour of God the Son, and the third in honour of God the Holy Ghost, the fourth in honour of the Virgin, and so every day following to the end of the six months in honour of some particular saint or other. Going on thus by degrees we shall be not only more excited to correct the fault, whose correction we aim at, but on relapsing into it we shall feel more shame and confusion when we perceive we cannot overcome ourselves for even so short a time. So that we must needs think it very good and profitable to put this method in practice.

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