Examen

Date: Author: Category: Audience of One, elsewhere on the web..., Feel Good, God's Word, The Word Tags: , , ,

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I think I can safely say that I have earned the right to do a review of Bible devotionals, because I try more than a few every year. The You Version Bible app downloadable on most smart phones is a God send. Literally. There are so many cool devotionals for every one and every topic!

I recently started this Abide (a prayer app…21st century Christianity y’all!) prayer plan called the Examens, founded on the prayer style expounded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Now, Saint Ignatius has a special place in my heart because, well I went to a high school named after him! Also, a lot of his teachings are both practical and relevant today. In fact, I’ve always known and from time to time practiced bits of the Examens style of prayer. When I was about 10/11, in Junior Secondary School, I remember one of our teachers during what was called ‘Guidance and Counselling’ class encouraged us to practice a simplified form of this prayer. He said we should lie in bed and use the few minutes before we fell sleep daily to reflect on each activity in the day. We were to examine each and determine whether we had done the best we could at each point.

I regret to say I haven’t always been consistent in this- my sleep game too strong-  and so I was really pleased to find a more grown up version of this prayer through Abide. Loyola Press also has a good breakdown for anyone who’d like to try this on their own. It’s proven really useful for me so I’d advise that you to give it a shot. The excerpt below’s from a mash of info on the Loyola Press site, for the lazier amongst us. 🙂

“…Look for God’s presence in your life. More than 400 years ago St. Ignatius of Loyola encouraged prayer-filled mindfulness by proposing what has been called the Daily Examen. It is a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and to discern his direction for us.

The Examen in Five Steps

Become aware of the presence of God.

  • Relax in God’s presence in your favorite prayer place and posture. Be aware of how God shows his love for you in all his gifts to you.
  • Be thankful as you think of God the Father’s love, the love of his Son Jesus, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
  • Ask the Holy Spirit to come into your heart and to help you to look honestly at your actions this day and how you have responded in different situations. With the Spirit’s inspiration you can recognize what draws you close to God as well as what pulls you away from God.

Review the day with gratitude

  • Review your day and give thanks to God for his gifts. Try not to choose what to be thankful for but rather to see what springs to mind as you reflect.
  • Think of the concrete details of your day—the aroma of coffee brewing, a smile from a co-worker, or a beautiful rainbow. Recall the gifts that God has given you that you can share with others—your ability to help in a crisis, your sense of humor, or your patience with children.
  • Pause and express your gratitude to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Pay attention to your Emotions

  • Reflect on the feelings you experienced during the day. Ask what God is saying through these feelings.
  • Again review the events of the day and notice how you acted in the many situations in which you found yourself.
  • Recall your feelings and motives to see whether you considered all of the possibilities and freely followed God’s will.
  • Ask yourself when you were conscious of God’s presence.
  • Think about opportunities you had to grow in faith, hope, and charity. When we think about why we did or did not take advantage of these opportunities, we can become aware of how we might change our actions in the future.
  • Be grateful for the occasions when you freely chose a course to help others. Perhaps you let a shopper with a small order go ahead of you in line or did not join in a conversation critical of a co-worker. These are examples of responding freely as God wants us to. When we reflect on the times we did or didn’t act with God’s grace, we can be more sensitive to developing habits of positive responses.

Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.

  • Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to something during the day that God thinks is particularly important. It may be a vivid moment or something that seems insignificant.

Look toward tomorrow.

  • Ask God to give you light for tomorrow’s challenges.

By prayerfully reviewing your day, you will experience the difference it can make in the way you live. If you make a habit of practicing the Daily Examen, you will grow closer to God in your thoughts and deeds and will be free to choose to follow him. St. Ignatius encouraged people to talk to Jesus like a friend. End the Daily Examen with a conversation with Jesus. Ask forgiveness for your sins. Ask for his protection and help. Ask for his wisdom about the questions you have and the problems you face. Do all this in the spirit of gratitude.

Some resources for your fine selves…

 

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