The Examen

The Examen

   Tonight I attended a night of reflection and Father spoke of The Examen. The Examen is a prayer developed by St. Ignatius. It is reflected on at the end of the day and it involves 5 steps.  I have copied it below for you to consider. Also below is the readings for Thursday. 

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and may we always be able to reflect in the light of Jesus. 

The Examen of Consciousness

This is a prayer where we try to find the movement of the Spirit in our daily lives as we reflect on our day. This prayer can be made anywhere: on the beach, in a car, at home, in the library. Many people make the Examen twice daily: once around lunchtime and again before going to bed. There are five simple steps to the Examen, which should take 10-15 minutes to complete, and what follows is just one interpretation of these five steps in discerning the movement of God's Spirit in your day. Through this method of praying you can grow in a sense of self and the Source of self; you can become more sensitive to your own spirit with its longings, its powers, its Source; you will develop an openness to receive the supports that God offers. Read an article on the Examen by Fr. Mark Thibodeaux, S.J.

Before you start: Try to be in a place where you are least likely to be disturbed, and where there is the least amount of external noise. Perhaps you might light a candle or change the lighting when you pray to symbolise the start of this activity. Sit comfortably and still yourself; relax, be aware of your breathing, your body and how you are feeling.

1.   Recall that you are in the presence of God. No matter where you are, hilltop or valley, country or city, in a crowd or alone, you are a creature in the midst of creation. As you quiet yourself, become aware that God is present within you, in the creation that surrounds you, in your body, in those around you. The Creator who brought you forth into being is concerned for you. The Spirit of God, sent by Christ, will remind you that you are gifted to help bring creation to its fullness. Ask the Holy Spirit to let you look on all you see with love. "Love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous or boastful, it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; ... it does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the right ... Love hopes all things." (1 Cor.)

2.   Spend a moment looking over your day with gratitude for this day's gifts. Be concrete and let special moments or pleasures spring to mind! Recall the smell of your morning coffee, the taste of something good that you ate, the laugh of a child, the fragrance of a flower, the smile brought forth by a kind word, a lesson that you learned. Take stock of what you received and what you gave. Give thanks to God for favors received. Also look at your permanent gifts that allow your participation in this day. Recall your particular strengths in times of difficulty, your ability to hope in times of weakness, your sense of humor and your life of faith, your intelligence and health, your family and friends. God the Father gives you these to draw you into the fullness of life. As you move through the details of your day, give thanks to God for His presence in the big and the small things of your life.

3.   Ask God to send you His Holy Spirit to help you look at your actions and attitudes and motives with honesty and patience. "When the Spirit of truth comes he will guide you into all truth." (John 16:13) The Holy Spirit inspires you to see with growing freedom the development of your life story. The Spirit gives a freedom to look upon yourself without condemnation and without complacency and thus be open to growth. Ask that you will learn and grow as you reflect, thus deepening your knowledge of self and your relationship with God.

4.   Now review your day. This is the longest of the steps. Recall the events of your day; explore the context of your actions. Search for the internal movements of your heart and your interaction with what was before you. Ask what you were involved in and who you were with, and review your hopes and hesitations. Many situations will show that your heart was divided—wavering between helping and disregarding, scoffing and encouraging, listening and ignoring, rebuking and forgiving, speaking and silence, neglecting and thanking. Remember, this is not a time to dwell on your shortcomings; rather, it is a gentle look with the Lord at how you have responded to God's gifts. It is an opportunity for growth of self and deepening your relationship with God. Notice where you acted freely—picking a particular course of action from the possibilities you saw. See where you were swept along without freedom. What reactions helped or hindered you? See where Christ entered your decisions and where you might have paused to receive His influence. "Test yourselves," St. Paul urges, "to see whether you are living in faith; examine yourselves. Perhaps you yourselves do not realize that Christ Jesus is in you." (2 Cor.) His influence comes through His people, the Body of Christ. His influence comes through Scripture, the Word of God. Now, as you pray, Christ's spirit will help you know His presence and concern. As you daily and prayerfully explore the mystery of yourself in the midst of your actions you will grow more familiar with your own spirit and become more aware of the promptings of God's Spirit within you. Allow God to speak, challenge, encourage and teach you. Thus you will come to know that Christ is with you. Christ will continually invite you to love your neighbor as yourself and strengthen you to do this.

5.   The final step is our heart-to-heart talk with Jesus. Here you speak with Jesus about your day. You share your thoughts on your actions, attitudes, feelings and interactions. Perhaps during this time you may feel led to seek forgiveness, ask for direction, share a concern, express gratitude, etc. Having reviewed this day of your life, look upon yourself with compassion and see your need for God and try to realize God's manifestations of concern for you. Express sorrow for sin, the obscuring darkness that surrounds us all, and especially ask forgiveness for the times you resisted God's light today. Give thanks for grace, the enlightening presence of God, and especially praise God for the times you responded in ways that allowed you to better see God's life. Resolve with Jesus to move forward in action where appropriate. You might like to finish your time with the Lords Prayer.

Once you've done the Examen a few times, you will find your own rhythm and method. Cover all five points daily with freedom to dwell more on one than another, as the Spirit moves you. You might also like to add some music, candles or images to help you pray. If you would like, you may download a copy of the Examen in the form of a bookmark from our website. It is in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format and is entitled "Praying the Jesuit Examination of Conscience."

Thursday of the Third Week of Easter
Lectionary: 276

Reading 1

ACTS 8:26-40

The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip,

“Get up and head south on the road

that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.” 

So he got up and set out. 

Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch,

a court official of the Candace,

that is, the queen of the Ethiopians,

in charge of her entire treasury,

who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home.

Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.

The Spirit said to Philip,

“Go and join up with that chariot.” 

Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said,

“Do you understand what you are reading?” 

He replied,

“How can I, unless someone instructs me?” 

So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him. 

This was the Scripture passage he was reading:

Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,

and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,

so he opened not his mouth.

In his humiliation justice was denied him.

Who will tell of his posterity?

For his life is taken from the earth.

Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply,

“I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this?

About himself, or about someone else?” 

Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this Scripture passage,

he proclaimed Jesus to him.

As they traveled along the road

they came to some water,

and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water. 

What is to prevent my being baptized?” 

Then he ordered the chariot to stop,

and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water,

and he baptized him. 

When they came out of the water,

the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away,

and the eunuch saw him no more,

but continued on his way rejoicing. 

Philip came to Azotus, and went about proclaiming the good news

to all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

Responsorial Psalm

PS 66:8-9, 16-17, 20

R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Bless our God, you peoples,

loudly sound his praise;

He has given life to our souls,

and has not let our feet slip.

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare

what he has done for me.

When I appealed to him in words,

praise was on the tip of my tongue.

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Blessed be God who refused me not

my prayer or his kindness!

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Gospel

JN 6:44-51

Jesus said to the crowds:

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,

and I will raise him on the last day.

It is written in the prophets:

They shall all be taught by God.

Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.

Not that anyone has seen the Father

except the one who is from God;

he has seen the Father. 

Amen, amen, I say to you,

whoever believes has eternal life. 

I am the bread of life. 

Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;

this is the bread that comes down from heaven

so that one may eat it and not die. 

I am the living bread that came down from heaven;

whoever eats this bread will live forever;

and the bread that I will give

is my Flesh for the life of the world.”