03/16/2023
St. Ignatius of Loyola developed a prayer called the "Examen". It is meant as a way to find God in all things.It is a time set aside for thankful reflection on where God is in your everyday life. It is often prayed towards the end of your day and may take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. The steps of the Examen prayer are as follows:
1. Begin by asking God for the light of grace to pray, to see and to understand.
2. Give thanks for your day. Look at your day in a spirit of gratitude. Everything is a gift from God.
3. Review your day. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you look back over your day. Pay attention to all the activities of the day. Look for God in them all.
4. Look at what might not have gone the way you hoped. Face up to any failures or shortcomings in your day. Ask God for forgiveness, and ask for help to show you ways to improve.
5. Look forward to the day to come! Where do you need God today? Ask God to walk with you throughout the day. Be aware of God's presence all around you.
6. A final thank you and end with the Lord's Prayer.
The Examen looks for God's presence in all the ordinary events of the day: talking on the phone with a friend; going for a walk; making supper; caring for your child or an elderly parent. Our God is not remote! God wants to be in the middle of it all, in all life's ups and downs, God wants to be there.
Maybe take some time today to pray the examen and look for God in all parts of your day.
