Last week, I wrote about hearing of the wonderful things that have happened in the lives of individuals who strive to listen to the Spirit. That act of listening to the Holy Spirit is often called “discernment.” Here, it isn’t the idea of “class,” refinement or discriminating taste that I am referring to. Instead, I am talking about the idea of making the effort to perceive God’s presence and will for our lives. I hesitate to jump into “churchy” words, though, because when we do, it can make things that are easy and natural seem unobtainable and far too “holy” for us “regular” folks. Hopefully, this explanation provides you with a doable technique for deepening your faith and guiding your path of discipleship.
While discernment of God’s will is helpful, dare I say, needed in making big decisions, I’d like to focus on the process of reviewing each day in the light of faith. This effort of taking time, in thankful reflection on our day, is called the “Daily Examen.” Brought to us by Ignatius of Loyola (b. Oct. 23, 1491, d. July 31, 1556), it is a lovely way of shaping our evening prayer in a way that it can positively impact our lives. The steps of the Daily Examen are: 1. Ask God for light – I want to look at my day with God’s eyes, not merely my own. 2. Give thanks – The day I have just lived is a gift from God. Be grateful for it. 3. Review the day – I carefully look back on the day just completed, being guided by the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Truth and Love). 4. Face your shortcomings – I face up to what is wrong—in my life and in me. 5. Look toward the day to come – I ask where I need God in the day to come.
Here is a short example of how you could approach the task of daily discernment: First of all, calm yourself down from the business of the day. Breathe: Take a breath and become aware that you are in the presence of God. (All creation comes from God, and our living and breathing are because of our Creator.) Say: “I am especially grateful for this, person, place, situation or thing that happened today. Think: “In reviewing my day, where have I experienced troubling thoughts, or true joy? What has challenged me? Where have I paused today to take a breath? Have I noticed God’s presence in any of this?” Respond: Take the time to come to some sort of actionable step by considering, “In light of my review, what is my response to God? Are their places where I need to change things or step up?” Finally, take a look at tomorrow. Is there something that you’d change? Is there something that you should do tomorrow to live in the light of Christ and His teachings? There you go! That’s it! If you’d like to try something new for your walk of discipleship, or you just want to spruce up your prayer life, consider giving the Examen a try.