Praying for The Examen

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, St. Paul tells us to "pray without ceasing." As I've grown, I've come to realize more and more deeply this means thinking about prayer not so much as something I do, but as something I am called to become. We are to become prayer. This is how, by our very being, we can pray always, without ceasing.

We can become prayer by inviting God into our thoughts, our feelings, our experiences, by asking God to live in us, with us and through us as we do each task, speak each word, think each thought. We can become prayer as we live in and with and through God while we go about our lives.

Prayer is being with God. And prayer is letting God love you.

As with any relationship, if part of prayer is speaking with God and sharing with God about the joys, difficulties and questions of our lives, part of prayer is also listening and allowing God to share with us. Since we know "We love because God first loved us," prayer is about letting God open us to receive the gift.

The Examen is a way of praying that has been transforming my life. It is an exercise written by St. Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th century and shared in his book "Spiritual Exercises," published in 1548. The founder of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, Ignatius' exercises help us to "find God in all things." The Examen helps us to let the Holy Spirit lead us in prayer and open us to recognize God's presence throughout our day, receiving the gifts God wants to give us. It is an examination of consciousness.

The general format of The Examen is to start by taking a few deep breaths and asking God to help you become aware of God's presence. Then, ask God to help you recall gifts both big and small from your day, thanking God in gratitude for each one. Next, ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind moments from your day when you experienced something negative, failed or could have loved more deeply, and ask God's healing and forgiveness for those moments.

As you give thanks and ask for healing, pay attention to your emotions, and offer anything you find within yourself to God, asking for God's wisdom as you think about and prayerfully imagine a specific moment, person or place from your day. Ask the Spirit to lead you in knowledge and understanding of how you might live tomorrow well in concrete ways.

"Reimagining The Examen" is a free app that has Examen prompts ranging from "Ask for Grace" to "Identifying Inner Wounds" to "My Relationship with God, Others, Self" and more. It is an incredible tool to pray with if you want to grow deeper in letting God lead your prayer and in becoming more aware of God's presence throughout your day.

"To make something good of the future, you have to look the present in the face," Simone de Beauvoir writes in "The Mandarins." This is essentially what The Examen does: helps us to be grateful for the gifts of the day, and in our gratitude, to be present so we can move forward with deeper love and awareness of God's presence and care. I hope you try it, and I hope that through it, your life is blessed.