I like Phil Fox’s Rose’s column on practical spirituality on BustedHalo.com. Recently he wrote an article about the Examen in which he quoted this advice about self-scrutiny from a Jewish commentary called the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch:
It is proper for a person who fears God to examine all his actions of the previous day before he goes to sleep. Should he discover that he committed a sin, he should express his regret, confess and wholeheartedly resolve not to commit the sin again. One should pay special attention to sins which are frequently committed, e.g., flattery, falsehood, mockery and slander. Also, a person should forgive any colleague who wronged him, so that no other person will be punished because of him”¦ Finally, one should repeat three times: “I release all those who caused me distress.”
I particularly like the last bit. Release the people associated with our distress. Pray for them. Wish them well. Our distress is our problem.
Image by Raul Tejero from Flickr Commons
this was so good for me. Releasing one who is causing me distress is something I never thought about, but will reflect on over and over again. how much distress am i causing others?
I’m three days late, but still appreciate this!
This has been so helpful.
Thank you!
Oh, that was a good thing for me to read this morning.
Yes… I like this morning’s reading too.. Pax!