I love the daily Examen. It’s a simple, life-changing prayer, and I’m always interested in the ways people adapt it to suit their own styles. Here’s one from the blogger Catholic Sensibility:
- Exit the day and get ready.
- The simplest prayer I can muster along the lines of “God, let me see.” The fewer words the better.
- I imagine a timeline and scan the events of the last several hours, from where I left off last time.
- My attention is drawn to one or two times, and I spend more time there pondering if my behavior was “of Christ/not of Christ.”
- Silent reflection.
- Gratitude.
As one of the comments to this blog post says, “One of the Jesuit rules is that the rules should get you to God – so change them if necessary.”
This was such a big help to me! I had felt a very strong pull toward the Examen practice, yet I was overwhelmed by all the adaptations and the Puhl focus on sin. This concise explanation and direction is exactly what I need to help me begin this practice with confidence. Thank you. Kay
I make the examine daily with Jim Manney,Thankyou I am so blessed Godblessyou.Josephine
I love the advice to “exit the day” — that’s sometimes the hardest part for me.