[Monday Motivation]
I recall my father-in-law explaining why he could have never entered life of crime – to be sure he was a moral man – but his reason was pragmatic, he didn’t have a good enough memory. To be a successful criminal is to juggle aliases and alibis – he reckoned it would be too difficult to keep it all straight.
That’s why if I were a criminal, I’d make sure I prayed the Examen. I leave it to you to reason how I could be a criminal and a devotee to Christian meditation at the same time – but no doubt there are precedents.
Here’s the thing, it’s remarkable how our memory is sharpened in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Take me – I have a horrible memory. A sieve-like mind. I am the guy (blind as a bat mind you) who is searching for the glasses on my head.
Where’s this going?
On Friday we revisited the theme of listening to God – particularly in sacred silence – because in Sunday’s Gospel passage Jesus tells us, “my sheep hear my voice,” and sacred silence is the school of listening par excellence.
But it’s not the only school. Far from it.
Jesus is speaking to us constantly throughout the day. But it is extremely difficult to recognize the presence of God and movements of His Spirit during the hubbub of the day. Sometimes we’ll catch a glimpse or hear a whisper, but much of it slips past us.
That is where the Examen prayer comes in. This is not “examination of conscience.” This is Examen in the Ignatian context – reviewing your day (but you can also review longer or shorter periods of time) so that God can reveal where and how He has been working in your life (there’s a brief summary of the Examen in the postscript).
The intent of the Examen is to review your day in the company of the Holy Spirit – asking the Spirit to bring forward in you mind specific moments of the day that God wants to highlight. It may be a momentous event or it may be a seemingly trivial interaction. All things are available to God. It can be surprising the things you recall and that the Spirit illuminates for you.
The real power of the Examen is revealed over time, as we start recognizing patterns – the patterns of our spiritual life, and the patterns of how Christ speaks to us. This is a guaranteed taste of mysticism each and every day – experiencing the mystery of an all-knowing, all-powerful God, who is also intimately concerned in every detail of our life.
Blessings on your journey with Christ –
Steve
Steve and Karen Smith
Interior Life
Outline of the Examen (from Fr. Timothy Gallagher, The Examen Prayer)
Transitioning into the Examen prayer: I become aware of the love with which God looks upon me as I begin this examen.
Step One: Gratitude. I note the gifts that God’s love has given me this day, and I give thanks to God for them.
Step Two: Petition. I ask God for an insight and a strength that will make this examen a work of grace, fruitful beyond my human capacity alone.
Step Three: Review. With my God, I review the day – the events and interactions of the day. I look for the stirrings in my heart and the thoughts that God has given me this day. I look also for those that have not been of God. I review my choices in response to both, and throughout the day in general.
Step Four: Forgiveness. I ask for the healing touch of the forgiving God who, with love and respect for me, removes my heart’s burdens.
Step Five: Renewal. I look to the following day and, with God, plan concretely how to live it in accord with God’s loving desire for my life.
Transition out of the Examen prayer: Aware of God’s presence with me, I prayerfully conclude the examen.