Our structures these days are so messed up! Many of us are working from home. We have to figure out how to organize that part of life without the usual structure of going into the office. We used to conduct our social lives around meals and parties and other public gatherings. We are trying to figure out FaceTime and Zoom. How do we structure our lives in the season of the Corona Virus?
Surprisingly we might get an idea from the 16
th
Century founder of the Jesuits, St. Ignatius (1491-1556). While recovering from a broken leg, Ignatius spent his time in study and prayer. One of the results was what has become known as the Examen.
The Examen is a method of reviewing your day in God’s presence. It is more an attitude than a method, a time set apart for thankful reflection on where God shows up in your everyday life. There are five steps. Most people take them in order. It usually takes 15 to 20 minutes per day. I have found it useful at the end of the day. It can also be a way to start your day, reflecting on the previous day and the day to come.
Briefly the steps are these:
- Ask God for Light. Invite God into your life so that you may see it through God’s eyes.
- Give Thanks. The day I have just lived is a gift from God. Experience gratitude.
- Review the Day. Carefully look at the various parts of your day, being guided by the Holy Spirit. Where was God in my morning, my lunchtime, my evening, my bedtime?
- Face Your Shortcomings I face clearly what I have done wrong today. How might I do better? What are things done and left undone?
- Look Forward to the Day to Come. Seek the places and positions where God needs you in the day to come.
Why not try this discipline as you end or start your day? Many people have found the structure of the Examen to be a useful tool to focus with gratitude on God’s purposes for our lives.
We invite you to pray...
Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favor, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, and finally, by your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer page 832
