Status Updates From A Simple, Life-Changing Pra...

FIRST step: pray for light

I ask god for the grace & light to do what I can’t do on my own. I do this b/c I need a constant reminder that I’m not god…that I don’t know what’s best for myself

Often don’t even want to pray- rather read book, watch tv. Begin by asking god for the grace to pray, giving up my will.

What do I really want is the question we most want to answer & reason we pray the examen.

SECOND step: give thanks

Gratitude is key to ignatian spirituality in 2 senses: the key that unlocks the door & the key in which the music is played. It’s both the context of prayer & the secret that explains everything.

You might focus your entire examen on this step for a time, esp when just begin.

“I will ponder w/great affection how much god has done for me & how much he’s given me of what he possesses

God can be found when we look at life as we actually live it.

Not how we think about it, but what actually IS…

- “rummaging”: like going thru a drawer full of stuff/everything that happened in the day- you’re searching for the couple of objects that speak especially of God’s presence & love

- review day thru a filter:
* your gifts: what have you done w/your gifts lately?
* relationships: evaluate state of them

In review, esp interested in our response to god. Examen is way to keep track of quality of our response.

We reflect on these feelings in praying the examen.

The examen is a tool not a prescribed system & like any tool can be used in many ways. You will find your own way to pray it & will likely pray it differently over time. It’s your examen & your life—learn how to use this tool w/your own unique style & flair.

Ways to review the day:
- in order: how felt when woke, any dreams & on thru out the events of day

“I should go one hour after another…the thoughts should be examined first, then the words, & finally the deeds.”

Ignatius classified spiritual feelings & emotions into consolation & desolation.

Con: feelings that move us towards god & others; exper as peace security joy
Des: takes us away from god & others; exper as anxiety restlessness self-loathing doubt self-pity meaninglessness

The examen is concerned with the real & the present but it’s not a zen-like immersion into the eternal wordless now. We pray the examen to discern the deeper truth about ourselves… The examen is guided by the Holy Spirit. We expect to see our lives through gods eyes, not our own.

The THIRD step of the examen: demand an account of my soul from the time of rising up to the present moment.

In the examine we’re talking about being real in two senses. The first is the concrete reality of everyday life this is the subject of the examen. The second sense is the reality beneath the reality. We’re looking to strip away our disordered attachments & get at what we really want.