The following is taken from this website (have no idea what authority this website has but it seemed clear and basic). Italics is the summary of the "prayer of examen". My thoughts come after the italicized section.
http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen/how-can-i-pray/
How Can I Pray?
A great way to pray is to look for God’s presence in your life. More than 400 years ago St. Ignatius Loyola encouraged prayer-filled mindfulness by proposing what has been called the Daily Examen. The Examen is a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and to discern his direction for us. Try this version of St. Ignatius’s prayer.
1. Become aware of God’s presence. Look back on the events of the day in the company of the Holy Spirit. The day may seem confusing to you—a blur, a jumble, a muddle. Ask God to bring clarity and understanding.
2. Review the day with gratitude. Gratitude is the foundation of our relationship with God. Walk through your day in the presence of God and note its joys and delights. Focus on the day’s gifts. Look at the work you did, the people you interacted with. What did you receive from these people? What did you give them? Pay attention to small things—the food you ate, the sights you saw, and other seemingly small pleasures. God is in the details.
2. Review the day with gratitude. Gratitude is the foundation of our relationship with God. Walk through your day in the presence of God and note its joys and delights. Focus on the day’s gifts. Look at the work you did, the people you interacted with. What did you receive from these people? What did you give them? Pay attention to small things—the food you ate, the sights you saw, and other seemingly small pleasures. God is in the details.
3. Pay attention to your emotions. One of St. Ignatius’s great insights was that we detect the presence of the Spirit of God in the movements of our emotions. Reflect on the feelings you experienced during the day. Boredom? Elation? Resentment? Compassion? Anger? Confidence? What is God saying through these feelings?
God will most likely show you some ways that you fell short. Make note of these sins and faults. But look deeply for other implications. Does a feeling of frustration perhaps mean that God wants you consider a new direction in some area of your work? Are you concerned about a friend? Perhaps you should reach out to her in some way.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to something during the day that God thinks is particularly important. It may involve a feeling—positive or negative. It may be a significant encounter with another person or a vivid moment of pleasure or peace. Or it may be something that seems rather insignificant. Look at it. Pray about it. Allow the prayer to arise spontaneously from your heart—whetherintercession, praise, repentance, or gratitude.
5. Look toward tomorrow. Ask God to give you light for tomorrow’s challenges. Pay attention to the feelings that surface as you survey what’s coming up. Are you doubtful? Cheerful? Apprehensive? Full of delighted anticipation? Allow these feelings to turn into prayer. Seek God’s guidance. Ask him for help and understanding. Pray for hope.
St. Ignatius encouraged people to talk to Jesus like a friend. End the Daily Examen with a conversation with Jesus. Ask forgiveness for your sins. Ask for his protection and help. Ask for his wisdom about the questions you have and the problems you face. Do all this in the spirit of gratitude. Your life is a gift, and it is adorned with gifts from God. End the Daily Examen with the Our Father.
1. So, first off... I was put on to this subject by a book that I'm reading titled, Transformed Into Fire by Judith Haugen. It is very thoughtful and integrates lots of good sources (from Ignatious to Buechner) towards the end of guiding the reader into a fuller life in Christ.
In today's chapter about living intentionally, she encourages the reader, presumably a Christian, to learn to appreciate the present and know God in all the present moments. She goes on to say that the prayer of Examen has been helpful to her and recommends Sleeping with Bread if you want to try this same prayer/approach to the end of the day with your children (reflecting on our greatest moment of consolation and our greatest moment of desolation.) A friend of mine said her psychology-based family does "high-lows" with their 6 year old. I've been hearing lots of people talking about gratitude this year and I think the premise of the practice includes gratitude and joy, but I like that it also acknowledges failures, fears, desolations. I think the gist is that you take time to notice when you've been fully alive and attentive to God's goodness and presence in your life and the world, but also take time to notice when you really didn't see/feel/know God's presence in your life.
2. So, I'll try to report back sometime if I have tried this with the kids (and myself) . It does resonate as a practical way that I can grow in self-awareness/fullness of spirit, but also as a way that I can help the kids process their moments of consolation and desolation.
1. So, first off... I was put on to this subject by a book that I'm reading titled, Transformed Into Fire by Judith Haugen. It is very thoughtful and integrates lots of good sources (from Ignatious to Buechner) towards the end of guiding the reader into a fuller life in Christ.
In today's chapter about living intentionally, she encourages the reader, presumably a Christian, to learn to appreciate the present and know God in all the present moments. She goes on to say that the prayer of Examen has been helpful to her and recommends Sleeping with Bread if you want to try this same prayer/approach to the end of the day with your children (reflecting on our greatest moment of consolation and our greatest moment of desolation.) A friend of mine said her psychology-based family does "high-lows" with their 6 year old. I've been hearing lots of people talking about gratitude this year and I think the premise of the practice includes gratitude and joy, but I like that it also acknowledges failures, fears, desolations. I think the gist is that you take time to notice when you've been fully alive and attentive to God's goodness and presence in your life and the world, but also take time to notice when you really didn't see/feel/know God's presence in your life.
2. So, I'll try to report back sometime if I have tried this with the kids (and myself) . It does resonate as a practical way that I can grow in self-awareness/fullness of spirit, but also as a way that I can help the kids process their moments of consolation and desolation.
I do hope you'll share if/how this works for you. We do "best and worst moments" of the day around the table at dinner and a quiet examination of conscience before bedtime (did I disobey, hit someone, exclude someone, etc.--answer silently to God) with our kids. They take it very seriously, which always touches me.
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