Tuesday 11/4/14

Tim and I came up with the idea of Tuesday’s Recap to help people pray. Those who missed Pizza and Prayer could look at the post and replicate it. Those who had been at Pizza and Prayer could refresh themselves on the reading and reflection and meditate on it further. Last night, we had adoration. The power of the Eucharist is not something I can replicate in a post. There is nothing I can write which will approach the grace of sitting in the presence of our Lord made flesh. Instead, I’m going to use this opportunity to introduce a new segment which will take the place of Tuesday’s Recap on weeks when our regular Pizza and Prayer is altered.


Better Know a Prayer

Better Know a Prayer will introduce you to types of prayer and discuss their history and graces. Most importantly, it will teach you how to pray the prayer, and encourage you to live a more spiritual life. Today’s prayer is: The Ignatian Examen.


The Ignatian Examen comes from Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. It was one of his spiritual exercises. Ignatius believed in the power of the Examen so much, that he made it a requirement that all Jesuits pray the Examen a minimum of twice per day; once around the middle of the day, and again at the end of the day.

Some of you may be familiar with the Examen. I remember being told once that BC High prays the Examen regularly. I think I also remember them saying that they do it in about a minute or so. That makes me sad. The Examen is a contemplative prayer, and shouldn’t be rushed. It takes time to get it right, and its rewards are greatly multiplied if you give it the time it needs.

I was introduced to the Examen at Fordham. It is a beautiful prayer, but unfortunately, I don’t pray it as often as I should. With that in mind, I am committing to praying the Examen every evening before bed from now until the end of November. I challenge you to do the same. Make the Examen part of your daily getting-ready-for-bed routine, and see how it changes your life.


The Examen

The Examen has several steps. First, prepare yourself to pray. Make sure you are comfortable. Remove any distractions from the room. If you feel it helps you pray, light a candle, dim the lights, or put on some quiet music, preferably without any lyrics to distract you. Once you are in a prayerful mood, you are ready for the first step:


Invite God in and Recognize His Presence

Begin your prayer by inviting God to come and be with you. Sometimes it helps to picture Christ or the Holy Spirit descending and coming to stand by while you pray. Ask for God to help shed light on your day and to help you process the prayer you are undertaking. When you can really feel God’s presence with you, you are ready for the next step. Don’t worry if it doesn’t happen right away. Take your time and trust in the Lord. He is with us always, it is just a matter of quieting ourselves until we can feel his presence.


Review the Day in a Spirit of Thanksgiving

Walk through your day with God. Thank Him for all the things that went right in your day. What were your blessings? What things turned out to be blessings that you didn’t realize at the time? Take your time with this. Start with waking up in the morning, and walk through your day, step by step. Try not to say “Then I went to school,” but to actually walk through your school day. Class by class is good. Moment by moment is better. With each gift you encounter, remember to thank God.


Review the Day’s Feelings

Your feelings have a profound impact on your life. They influence how open you are to others, including the Lord. Walk through your day again, and this time, ask yourself how you were feeling at each moment. What do our feelings during different activities tell us? Did you feel shame when your teacher asked you to take out your homework? Maybe you need to spend more time on it. Did you feel excited when you saw someone you haven’t spoken to in a while? Maybe that’s a friendship you should explore further. Often we don’t have time to process our feelings during the day. This is an opportunity to do that. Again, take your time. This is not a race, it is a beautiful meditation.


Pray About a Feeling

Pick a moment from your day when you had a particularly strong feeling. Pray about it. Offer thanks, ask for help, whatever comes to mind. Reflect on that moment and turn it over in your head. Why did it make you feel so strongly? Does it suggest any future action or activity? Offer the moment and the feeling up to God, and see what he gives back. Really pray. If you want, you can repeat this step a few times if you feel there were enough powerful moments in your day.


Look to Tomorrow

Think about the day to come. What are you going to need to do? What will you need God’s help with? Ask God for help. If something is making you anxious, let God know. Be specific with your requests. You will be amazed how much better it will make you feel.


And that’s it. You have just prayed the Examen. I hope you will all join me this month in praying the Examen before bed. Let’s see how it moves us!