Saint Ignatius of Loyola introduced the examine as a way for us to recall the events and see where God is leading us.
And over time,
If it's prayed,
Usually at the end of the day,
We see where God is working.
So as I guide you through this practice,
Be sure that you're comfortable,
Maybe reduce some distractions.
Take a few breaths and ask God to make his presence felt within you.
Let your body relax,
Your shoulders relax.
And breathe deep.
And so we begin by thanking God for all the gifts that he gave you.
Sometimes they're big,
Such as the gift of love,
The gift of life,
The gift of breath.
But maybe also thank him for the small one,
So maybe it is someone giving you a piece of candy.
Feel the gratitude swelling up within you for all the good things.
So as we move through the gratitude,
We also experience this sense of self compassion.
And we ask God to sort of take over at this point.
So rather than ruminating over something,
We ask God to guide us as we walk through the day.
So we walk through the day hour by hour.
So relive how you woke up,
Maybe who you encountered,
What were those interactions like?
Maybe your drive to work or to a particular place.
What did you notice?
Where did you notice God may be appearing?
What moments were significant or of note to you?
Maybe they stirred some emotional reactions,
Either in you or in others.
So try as best as possible to relive some of these moments.
Knowing that you are being held in God's mercy.
And of course as you review your day,
Thank God for those beautiful moments where your heart was touched or moved.
Maybe someone was generous,
Merciful,
Forgiving.
Or maybe you extended that hand to others.
So you continue to thank God for those moments.
But then you also take note of those difficult moments where you might have not acted in the best way.
Rather than making excuses,
Just call to mind them.
Being aware of God's mercy,
Compassion.
Be also aware of moments where you have maybe experienced some sadness and just continue to be held in God's hand.
But then we also remember those times where we might have been called to act but didn't.
We make ourselves aware of any opportunities that we missed to do good to others or ourselves.
So,
As we reflect upon our day,
We then use those defining moments.
And we ask God to show us how we can do better tomorrow.
How can we respond differently?
How can we be more of the person that God has intended for us to be?
How can we align ourselves with God's overarching love and compassion,
Mercy,
Forgiveness?
And then as we draw this time to a close,
See if there's any last words that you would like to speak.
And then to officially close the examen,
You can do some sort of gesture such as the sign of the cross,
Some sort of bow,
An amen.
You can say some sort of prayer such the Our Father or sometimes just as a matter of thank you.
