Greetings, spiritual Kossacks! Today is the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, and so I thought we would talk about the Ignatian Examen, a way of praying and reflecting on our day which helps us to see how God is acting in our lives, and how we are responding to Her. (Note: I am very far from being any sort of expert on the examen, so I apologize in advance to my Jesuit friends for my mistakes. ;))
Welcome to Brothers and Sisters, the weekly meet-up for prayer* and community at Daily Kos. We put an asterisk on pray* to acknowledge that not everyone uses conventional religious language, but may want to share joys and concerns, or simply take solace in a meditative atmosphere. Anyone who comes in the spirit of mutual respect, warmth and healing, is welcome.
The daily examen is not a prayer, per se, but rather an ongoing reflection which leads us to better understand and discern where God is leading us. The Jesuit Dennis Hamm calls it "rummaging for God" and suggests it's like digging in a drawer for something you know is there somewhere. We dig through the events and activities of the day to find God, knowing that She is in there somewhere!
Jesuits pray the examen twice a day, at noon and at night, but I suspect for most of us one 15 minute period of prayer is probably more realistic. It's more important to pray the examen regularly than to spend a long period of time in prayer--so once a day for 15 minutes is better than an hour once a week.
And so, let us begin. (There are many versions of the examen; I happen to like this one.)
1.Become aware of God’s presence. Begin in silence, and relax. Become aware of your breathing, and of how you are feeling. Become aware of God's presence within you and in all aspects of your life; become aware of God's deep and abiding love for you. Ask God for clarity in understanding your day.
2. Review the day with gratitude. Think through your day and give thanks for all the gifts you've received today--and be specific, and note details: an email from an old friend, coffee, chocolate (!), a new challenge. As you progress with the practice, you may find yourself finding reasons to be grateful for difficult things in your day--I was reflecting just the other day with a friend about reasons to be grateful for burnout.
3. Pay attention to your emotions. St. Ignatius believed that we see the presence of God's Spirit in our changing emotions, so reflect on your emotions throughout the day, and ask God to help you understand these feelings. Also be aware of your emotions as you reflect on the day's activities.
Some tips as you reflect on your day (stolen from paxpdx):
a. Watch your day as you’d watch a movie. This is NOT about judging yourself or judging others – take a step back and watch the day’s events.
b. Notice your thoughts and feelings as you watch your day replay in your mind. Again – don’t judge, just observe your motives, actions, reactions, and feelings.
c. Consider asking yourself these or other questions:
• When did I give love today? When did I receive love?
• When did I miss a chance to be loving toward someone?
• What habits and patterns do I notice in my day?
• In what ways was I aware of God’s presence during the day?
• When did I feel most enthusiastic, most alive?
• When did I feel drained of energy or enthusiasm for life?
• When did I feel most like I belonged?
• When did I least feel like I belonged?
• When did I feel most fully myself?
• When did I feel most scattered or fragmented?
d. As you review your day and explore those questions, let God speak, to offer insights and encouragement to you, and to show you where God was present, even if you weren’t aware of God’s presence at the time.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. One thing from your day, either positive or negative, might leap out at you. If it doesn't, ask God to show you what it most important. Spend a few minutes with this event and allow a prayer to arise from your soul.
5. Look toward tomorrow. Ask God for light and guidance as you face tomorrow's challenges. If you want, use your calendar to identify upcoming events. Pay attention to your emotions as you look at what's coming, and let your emotions lead you into prayer.
You may conclude the examen with any of your favorite prayers, or with a moment's conversation with God, or simply with silence.
As you reflect on your day, you may well become aware of your failures and weaknesses. If you feel moved to express sorrow for those weaknesses, fine, but this examen is not intended to be a catalogue of our sins. Rather, it's meant to show us God's presence in our daily lives, and to lead us ever closer to God.
Go in peace.