Dear Friends,
This year we will emphasize “Pray, Give, Love.” In last week’s message, I talked about the Daily Office and the resources for using it.
Besides the discipline of prayer through the Daily Office, I would like to introduce you to a way of thinking and seeing prayerfully. This type of prayer is quite simple and quite transformative. It is the Awareness Examen and comes from Ignatian forms of prayer. The Awareness Examen involves reflecting at least one time per day, perhaps at midday and/or in the evening, about when one experienced God’s love, grace, and warmth.
Here are some simple instructions from jesuits.org:
1. Place yourself in God’s presence. Give thanks for God’s great love for you.
2. Pray for the grace to understand how God is acting in your life.
3. Review your day — recall specific moments and your feelings at the time.
4. Reflect on what you did, said, or thought in those instances. Were you drawing closer to God, or further away?
5. Look toward tomorrow — think of how you might collaborate more effectively with God’s plan. Be specific, and conclude with the “Our Father.”
Let me know how this works for you. I know that if you regularly pray in this way, you will be changed. You will notice God more and more in your everyday life.
Peace and grace,
Fr. Jonathan Evans