The next Zeteo event is just a day away! We are gearing up for a night of praise and worship, followed by a teaching given by Michael Chiasson. And we hope to see many of you there. If you have not already marked it on your calendars, please do! You will not regret taking two hours to come spend time with us, and our Lord, at Zeteo.
God bless,
Olivia Fischer
Week Four - The Daily Examen
I want to start the blog today by saying that my prayer-life is far from perfect. There are many days I forget my daily prayer, and it is a constant recommittal for me to continue reading my Bible regularly and having a personal relationship. That being said, of course I am always striving to be better, to be more structured, and to refocus.
This past week, I had made the promise to try the daily examen of Saint Ignatius Loyola in my daily prayer life. I missed a few days, but found the days that I did follow this daily examen quite fruitful.
Father Carlos mentioned the daily examen in his talk on the armour of God. He kept reiterating the importance of daily prayer, and mentioned this specific kind of prayer. Saint Ignatius Loyola is quoted with saying: if you lose all other prayer life, chose to love the daily examen.
The daily examen consists of five steps, which gives you the opportunity to pray in the four different ways outlined in the Baltimore Catechism. These are: adoration - to express our love and loyalty to God, thanksgiving, to ask pardon for our sins, petition and intercession for our needs and the needs of others. I find it easiest to incorporate petition and thanksgiving in my daily prayer life, while I often neglect to adore and intercede for others. I found it helpful to have an outline to follow that allowed me to grow in these areas; sometimes it is useful to have a structure to follow in our prayer-life to make it more mature.
The first of the steps in the daily examen is explained by Loyola Press as stillness. Think of when you felt God's presence throughout your day, and how he shows His love for you. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill your heart, and draw you into an encounter with God. I found it interesting that this week I discovered the song Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli. I spent much of the week with a line from this song stuck permanently in my head, and so I went around singing it over and over. "Holy Spirit you are welcome here, come flood this place and fill the atmosphere." As I sang this everywhere I went, it stunned me with the realization that, while I often welcome the Holy Spirit and feel His presence during Adoration or prayer at retreats, I rarely welcome His presence during my daily life. Welcoming the presence of the Holy Spirit into my time of daily prayer helped my prayer to come alive.
I have a hard time just being in stillness with God, it is difficult to drown out the noise around and inside of us. When I have been able to rest in the presence of God in silence, I have experienced a profound kind of awareness. Not that His voice has ever come booming through the silence, but in the absence of outside voices, I have been able to hear His still small voice assuring me of his blessing, of his faithfulness, of his love. This is a very valuable type of prayer to practice, and with practice, we become more capable of finding and appreciating this stillness with God.
The second step in the daily examen is to express thanksgiving. Father Carlos mentioned it in a beautiful way: we need to realize our gifts, and then see our Giver through them. Allow yourself to just open up your heart to thankfulness, and you will be surprised by the memories of the day that will spring to your mind. I remember to thank God everyday for the blessing of my marriage, and my son, but am less likely to be thankful for the gift of music, a specific song, or even the cup of coffee I enjoyed that morning.
Next, it is important to reflect on your day, to single out how you responded to God's will. These will usually be small moments in which you were called to grow in love, and charity. For me, these moments often revolve around Jerome or Tharin, as they are the people I spend most of my days with. Was I patient with Jerome, did I lovingly change his diaper, was I kind to Tharin and give him the attention he deserves when he speaks to me? The way God calls us to grow in love are sometimes a little strange, such as through changing a diaper, but as Ken Yasinski says, always do the next thing with love, this is how you will discover the fullness of purpose in your life.
Once you have reflected on your day, ask God's forgiveness for the times you failed to follow His prompts to love. I am only briefly explaining these components of the daily examen, if you would like a more in-depth look at this prayer, I suggest checking out this article on Loyola Press, as they will be able to give a more authoritative teaching.
Lastly, it is beneficial to set resolutions for the next day, in which you can endeavour to more perfectly follow God's will. It is during this time that you can petition God to help you to grow in the different areas that He has brought to your attention. Father Carlos mentioned that it is useful to have a prayer journal in which to record insights and thoughts that you may have as you pray. I have kept a prayer journal for quite a few years now, and have found it valuable to be able to look back and remember the things I have gone through, and different epiphanies I have come to over the years. It is also a good opportunity to develop an honest relationship with God.
An important thing to remember as you review your life through the daily examen is that God is not judging or grading your prayer. Do not stress over remembering everything, or doing each step the "right way". Just pray.
I have a desire to develop a more mature prayer-life, that goes beyond the bare minimum that it is easy for me to revert to. Structured prayer, such as the daily examen, can help me to be more focussed and comprehensive in my prayer. Instead of feeling like I was "done" praying after a quick five minutes, the daily examen helped me to incorporate a deeper and more profound prayer-time into my day. I encourage you to find a structured prayer schedule that helps you to grow and strengthen your prayer-life - wether it be the daily examen, or another form of structured prayer. Take a note from Saint Ignatius Loyola, and develop a daily prayer routine that you truly love. I know that is my goal.
Thank you for reading!
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