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Making the Examen a Lasting Habit

Michael Porwol · Last reviewed: 2026-08-30 · Reading time 1 min

In short

A spiritual habit holds when it hangs on the rhythm of your day, not on willpower. Your iPhone can help without nagging – an automation that opens the examen when your Sleep Focus begins, Siri ("Start my examen in Lumen"), a Lock Screen widget, or the Action Button. No streaks, no reminders piling up – just a quiet door that opens at the right hour.

At a glance

  1. Open the Shortcuts app Open Apple's pre-installed Shortcuts app and switch to Automation at the bottom.
  2. Create a new automation Tap New Automation and choose the trigger Focus → Sleep → When turning on. A fixed time of day, such as 9 p.m., works as well.
  3. Choose the action Choose Open App and select Lumen. To jump straight into the prayer flow, pick the Lumen action Evening Examen instead.
  4. Let it run immediately Enable Run immediately, without confirmation. From now on the examen opens when your evening begins — and you decide freely, every day, whether to enter.

Hang the habit on the evening, not on willpower

Ignatius recommends a fixed hour for the examen – not out of rigor, but so the

habit need not be re-conquered every day. What the evening bell once did, your

iPhone's Sleep Focus can do today: as your phone comes to rest, the door to the

examen opens. Whether you walk through remains your free answer – exactly as it

should be.

Four quiet paths

The automation (guide above): Sleep Focus or a fixed hour opens Lumen by

itself. Siri: one sentence is enough. The widget: a word for the day on

the Lock Screen that becomes an invitation at night – also in StandBy on the

nightstand. The Action Button (iPhone 15 Pro and later): the examen on the

side button, one movement in the dark.

None of these paths counts, none of them nags. They only lower the threshold

between the resolution and the beginning – grace does the rest.

Frequently asked

Why doesn't Lumen simply send more reminders?

Because nagging is the opposite of recollection. Lumen has exactly one, freely chosen evening reminder – everything else is deliberately left to you and your day. An automation YOU set up obeys you; a flood of pushes trains you.

What can Siri do with Lumen?

"Start my examen in Lumen", "Daily Gospel in Lumen" and "Breath prayer in Lumen" open the prayer directly – from the Lock Screen or via the Action Button on newer iPhones.

Does this work without an automation?

Yes. The Lumen widget shows a word for the day and quietly turns into an invitation in the evening – on the Lock Screen, in StandBy on your nightstand, and on Apple Watch. One tap is enough.

Does the automation record anything?

No. It runs inside Apple's Shortcuts app on your device. Lumen only learns that it was opened – as with any tap on the app icon. Your entries stay encrypted on your device.

Sources

The Examen every evening – guided

Lumen guides you through the Examen in seven steps, surfaces recurring patterns and turns them into your confession preparation. Your entries stay encrypted on your device.

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