The Examen

While talking to my Spiritual Director, I realized in our discussion about my daily examen, it was too focused on the negative – on sin.

Pages and pages in my journal centred on the negative. As I reflect on this, I realize my focus on sin stems from my strict Protestant upbringing. Sin and hell bent fire sermons expounding again and again human shortcomings and redemption through Jesus. My spiritual journey will look also at the positive – the goodness of God, and his amazing grace for me.

I did a little search online for a deeper and more effective way to do my Daily Examen, and share it with my readers on this post.

As I am working daily with St. Ignatius Spiritual Direction, it is normal I will share the Examen:

From: https://www.jesuits.org/spirituality/the-ignatian-examen/

The Ignatian Examen

St. Ignatius invites us to find God in all things. That means we have to pay careful attention to how the Spirit is moving in each moment of our daily lives. We have to take a magnifying glass to the seemingly ordinary, seeking to encounter the Divine.

That’s why the Examen is such a powerful prayer. In it, we’re invited to encounter God, express gratitude for the gift and gifts of each day, and to commit to make up for any mistakes we may have made.

The Examen is a flexible prayer, too, responding to the signs of the times. Below, you’ll find several variations to meet your need in this moment.

How to Pray the Examen

1. Place yourself in God’s presence. Give thanks for God’s great love for you.

2. Pray for the grace to understand how God is acting in your life.

3. Review your day — recall specific moments and your feelings at the time.

4. Reflect on what you did, said, or thought in those instances. Were you drawing closer to God, or further away?

5. Look toward tomorrow — think of how you might collaborate more effectively with God’s plan. Be specific, and conclude with the “Our Father.”

God Bless your journey with him. Please pray for me as I pray for you. 💕🙏

Luke 1.39-45

Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

I love reading and rereading the Gospel of Luke as we head into Christmas. There is much joy resounding from these passages. The birth of Jesus is our greatest gift from God. As I meditate on the union of Mother Mary and Elizabeth, I think about their Spirit filled inner joy and blessings from our Almighty God. It also brings to mind all the blessings and gifts from God in my life. I may not always recognize God’s blessing amidst the din in my busy life. It is often when I take the time during the end of the evening when I do my Daily Examen that I see the beauty of God’s hand in my life.

I would like to invite all of you to think about the beauty of God’s hand and gift in your life. How can we give back to God? How can we be like Jesus? Sometimes, all it takes is a smile. Praying for those around us – our family, friends, to the sick. Praying for the homeless, those we don’t know in need, and for souls in purgatory. At other times, it is leading a hand to those around us. It may be helping our neighbors, or volunteering. I found today’s homily by Fr. Anthony inspiring – casting our eyes not upon ourselves, but upon another with love and the joy of giving: