Lumen
DE EN PL

Guides & FAQ

All help guides from the app settings. Tap a topic to expand the steps.

This guide helps you pray the 7-step flow calmly and concretely, even on busy days.

Preparation

  1. Open Today and tap Start Examen.
  2. Choose a quiet place and reserve around 10 to 15 minutes.
  3. If helpful, turn on the music in the top-right corner.

During the Examen

  1. Move step by step and answer honestly with short, concrete sentences.
  2. For gratitude and review, a few bullet points are enough when time is short.
  3. In the transgressions step, you can add multiple items or skip the step.
  4. Use the microphone icon whenever you prefer dictation over typing.
  5. Impulses are optional and can be enabled or disabled in Settings.

Finish and Save

  1. In the last step, you see a summary and the closing prayer.
  2. Tap Amen to save the entry.
  3. After that, the entry appears in Journal and transgressions in Confession.

When it feels hard

  1. Keep your answers short instead of aiming for perfect wording.
  2. If you are overwhelmed, a short Examen with a few keywords is enough today.
  3. If a burden remains for longer, speak with a priest, pastor, or therapist.

Use these steps to configure reminders so they actually support your real daily rhythm.

Setup

  1. Open Settings and enable Evening Reminder for your daily Examen.
  2. Optionally enable Resolution Push and choose a morning time.
  3. If needed, also enable Backup Reminder and choose 7, 14, or 30 days.

Understand Resolution Push

  1. Resolution Push uses the resolution from your Examen on the previous day.
  2. The text is shortened automatically so the notification stays concise.
  3. If no resolution was saved yesterday, no resolution push is sent in the morning.

Choose a realistic time

  1. Pick a time when you usually have a quiet moment.
  2. With changing schedules, a later evening time is often more reliable.
  3. Test the setting for a few days and adjust if needed.

Common issues

  1. If reminders do not arrive, check system notification permissions for Lumen.
  2. Also check Focus modes, Do Not Disturb, or battery saving restrictions.
  3. Browser notifications can be limited by platform. On mobile, the installed app is usually more reliable.

Using Backup Reminder well

  1. Backup Reminder counts days since your last successful backup export.
  2. After export, the date updates automatically.
  3. If a banner appears, create a new backup and verify the saved file.

This guide shows how to document transgressions clearly and prepare them for confession.

How entries are created

  1. Transgressions are captured in step 5 of the Examen.
  2. For each entry, choose cardinal sin, subcategory, and optionally a note.
  3. After Amen, new transgressions appear automatically in Confession.

Read and filter the list

  1. The list is grouped by cardinal sin and ordered by date within each group.
  2. Use search to find terms from sin, subcategory, or note.
  3. Use the date link to jump directly to the related Journal entry.

Edit and delete

  1. Tap Edit to enable delete mode.
  2. Delete single entries only when you truly no longer need them.
  3. If content is inaccurate, editing in Journal is often the better fix.

Mark all as confessed

  1. Use All confessed to mark all open items as completed.
  2. This action is best used right after confession.
  3. Items disappear from the confession list but remain traceable in context.

Add a note after confession

  1. After tapping All confessed, a dialog opens with an optional note field.
  2. Capture a short advice, phrase, or impulse from the priest conversation.
  3. Later, the note appears in Journal and can be found quickly with the With confession note filter.

In the transgressions step, local word detection helps you assign categories faster. You always keep full control over the final category.

How detection works

  1. As soon as you enter a short description, Lumen looks for matching terms and shows up to three suggestions.
  2. When you tap a suggestion, cardinal sin and subcategory are filled automatically.
  3. Detection runs locally on your device; your text is not sent to a server for this feature.

How to get better matches

  1. Describe what happened concretely instead of using only generic words.
  2. One or two short, clear sentences are usually enough.
  3. Some typos are tolerated, but a quick review is still recommended.

If no suggestion fits

  1. Tap Doesn't fit? Choose manually, or go straight to manual selection.
  2. Select cardinal sin and subcategory yourself, then save the entry.
  3. In Journal edit, you can later add, remove, or reassign transgressions.

Limits and interpretation

  1. Word detection is an organizing aid, not a moral judgment.
  2. In unclear cases, decide consciously which category truly fits.
  3. For confession, your honest conscience matters more than perfect technical categorization.

Create a discreet PDF list for confession or personal preparation.

Preparation

  1. Open Confession and tap Export as PDF.
  2. Decide whether to include the confession process in the PDF.
  3. Quickly verify that all relevant transgressions are visible.

Export PDF

  1. Tap Export PDF to generate the file.
  2. In the browser, download starts automatically. On iOS app, share sheet opens.
  3. Save the file to a trusted location before sharing.

Print PDF

  1. In the browser, use Print to open the print dialog directly.
  2. On iPhone or iPad, choose Print from the share sheet.
  3. If you cancel the share sheet, nothing is sent.

PDF privacy

  1. The PDF contains sensitive personal notes and should be handled confidentially.
  2. Remove unnecessary copies from Downloads, Files, or messenger chats.
  3. Share the file only through channels you trust.

In Journal, you can revisit past Examen entries and update them when needed.

Overview

  1. Journal shows all Examen entries in descending date order.
  2. Each row shows date, time, and a short preview.
  3. Above the list, you see how many entries are currently found.

Open an entry

  1. Tap an entry to see all details.
  2. You will see gratitude, review, resolution, and related transgressions.
  3. From Confession, you can jump directly to the matching Journal day.

Edit and delete

  1. In detail view, tap Edit to update the texts for that day.
  2. Use Delete to permanently remove the journal entry.
  3. Use deletion sparingly and ideally create a backup first.

Use search

  1. Search filters terms in gratitude, review, resolution, and transgressions.
  2. More specific search terms help you find the correct day faster.
  3. Clear search to return to the full history.

Find confession notes

  1. Use the With confession note filter in Journal to show only matching days.
  2. When opening a day, find the note in the Confession conversation section.
  3. Search also includes content from these confession notes.

Patterns help you see development over time. They are a tool for honest self-reflection.

Prerequisites

  1. Enable Patterns & Reflection in Settings.
  2. Analysis improves when you save Examen entries regularly.
  3. All calculations remain local on your device.

What you see

  1. You see recurring resolutions with count, timeframe, and trend.
  2. Lumen also shows transgressions across 30-day, quarter, and year periods.
  3. These numbers are orientation aids, not judgments about you.

Interpret spiritually

  1. For frequent patterns, ask what situations trigger them most.
  2. Derive one concrete and small resolution for the next day.
  3. Discuss strong recurring themes with a spiritual mentor if needed.

Limits of analysis

  1. With few entries, trends can be distorted and should be read carefully.
  2. Statistics never replace conscience formation or personal guidance.
  3. If analysis creates pressure, disable the feature for a while.

Voice dictation helps you capture thoughts faster, especially when you are on the go.

Activate

  1. Open a field with a microphone icon, for example note in transgressions step.
  2. Tap the microphone and allow microphone access if prompted.
  3. Speak at normal speed and wait briefly until text is inserted.

Use during Examen

  1. Dictate short sentences instead of long paragraphs for better recognition.
  2. Quickly review the text and adjust manually if needed.
  3. For longer content, dictate in multiple short parts.

If microphone does not appear

  1. Not every browser supports speech recognition. Then the button is hidden.
  2. Check in device settings whether Lumen has microphone permission.
  3. If needed, restart browser or app and check permissions again.

Privacy note

  1. After saving, notes are stored encrypted in Lumen.
  2. Speech recognition itself may run through system services, depending on platform.
  3. Use dictation in a protected place when content is especially sensitive.

Lumen uses AI to create the daily impulse from the Gospel of the day. Here you can learn how it works and why your data is safe.

What does the AI do?

  1. The daily impulses (Impulse, Takeaway, and Deeper Reflection) are automatically generated from the Gospel of the day using AI.
  2. The AI is Magisterium AI — a system trained on the teaching of the Catholic Church (Catechism, Church Fathers, Magisterium).
  3. The Bible text comes from Bolls.life and uses public domain translations: King James Version (English), Elberfelder 1871 (German), and Biblia Gdańska 1881 (Polish).

How does it work technically?

  1. Once daily at midnight, a central server generates the impulse for the new day.
  2. Only the Gospel of the day is sent to the AI — no personal data, no user data, nothing from your device.
  3. The result is stored as a public file and is available to all users equally.
  4. Your device only fetches this finished file — like a daily newspaper that is the same for everyone.

What stays on your device?

  1. All your entries (Journal, Confession List, Resolutions) remain encrypted on your device.
  2. The personal connection (Personal for you) is calculated locally — your device matches the impulse with your own patterns without any network request.
  3. Your device never sends personal data to a server.

Can I turn off the AI?

  1. Yes. Open Settings and disable AI Impulses in Daily Gospel.
  2. Then only the Gospel and your resolution are shown — without AI-generated impulses.

This guide helps you reset the app safely and use sample data in a controlled way.

Before deleting

  1. Create a current backup in Import & Export first.
  2. Verify that both file and password are really available.
  3. Only then run Delete All Data.

Delete all data

  1. Open Settings and scroll to the red Delete All Data section.
  2. Confirm consciously because this action cannot be undone.
  3. Afterwards, the app restarts in onboarding.

Load sample data

  1. In Import & Export, use the Load Sample Data option.
  2. This adds 30 days of demo entries without overwriting existing data.
  3. Use demo data to test Journal, Patterns, and Confession quickly.

Clean restart

  1. After testing, you can delete again and then import your own backup.
  2. Then verify Journal, Confession, and Settings for completeness.
  3. If something is missing, import the same backup file again with the exact same password.

Use this guide to safely export your data and fully restore it whenever needed.

Important note: By default your entries live encrypted on your device only, not on a server of ours. That also means: if the device is lost, everything is lost without a backup. In the browser there is more: cleared browser data or a private window take the data with them. If you switch on the cloud backup, an encrypted copy additionally rests with us – we cannot read it.

Preparation

  1. Open Settings, go to Data, and tap Import & Export.
  2. Choose a safe storage location for the file, such as Files, iCloud Drive, or a local folder.
  3. Pick a strong password and store it carefully. Without this password, the backup cannot be restored.

Create a backup

  1. Tap Export Backup.
  2. Enter your backup password and confirm the dialog.
  3. The share sheet opens on your phone. This is where you choose the destination: on iPhone and iPad via Save to Files, on Android for example Google Drive or Files. If you dismiss this sheet, no file remains that you can reach.
  4. In a browser, a file named lumen-backup-YYYY-MM-DD.json is downloaded automatically.
  5. Then verify that the file exists and that your password is stored safely.

Where the backup should live

  1. The share sheet is the moment of decision: you choose whether the file goes to a cloud (iCloud Drive, Google Drive) or stays on the device only.
  2. If it stays on the device only, it is gone with the device. In case of theft, loss or a broken screen, a backup that sits next to the original is no backup at all.
  3. So keep at least one copy off the device: iCloud Drive or Google Drive, a folder on your computer, a USB stick, or send it to yourself by email. The file is encrypted with your password, it is safe to keep there.
  4. On iPhone and iPad the iCloud backup includes your Lumen data, provided it is switched on: Settings, your name, iCloud, iCloud Backup. Under Apps using iCloud Backup, check that Lumen is not switched off.
  5. On Android, Google backup deliberately does not include Lumen: your entries never leave the device on their own. There, exporting from the app is the only way to get a backup.

Cloud backup (MAGIS)

  1. Open Settings, Data, Cloud backup and tap Set up backup.
  2. The app shows your backup key once: five blocks of five characters. Keep it somewhere other than your phone – write it down, print it, or put it in a password manager.
  3. From then on the app backs up by itself: every time you open it, and after you finish an examen. How often at most is up to you under Back up automatically — after every entry, once a day, or once a week. Every backup is fetched again straight away and checked; only then does it count as done.
  4. On a new device tap Restore backup and enter the key. Upper and lower case, spaces and mixed-up characters like O and 0 are sorted out by the app.
  5. If you lose the key, the data does not come back. We hold no copy of it and cannot open the backup – that is the price for nobody else being able to either.

Restore a backup

  1. Open Settings, Data, and Import & Export again, then tap Import Backup.
  2. Enter exactly the same password that you used during export.
  3. Select the saved backup file with the .json extension.
  4. Wait for the success message. After that, journal entries, transgressions, intentions, and settings from the backup are active.
  5. Important: Importing replaces the data currently stored in the app with the backup content.

If something does not work

  1. If import fails, the password is usually incorrect. Enter it again exactly as before.
  2. If no file can be selected, confirm that it is a .json backup file and that it was saved completely.
  3. If data is missing, restore an older backup copy or create a fresh backup from the current app state.

Security notes

  1. Backups are encrypted with AES-256 in the app.
  2. Store the file and the password separately.
  3. Create new backups regularly, especially before browser updates, data cleanup, or device changes.