Description

This is the first episode of Season 2 of the Spirituality for Ordinary People Podcast and we are about to shift the focus in a big way.

For this season, we are focusing completely on a single spiritual practice - The Examen.

Below is a modified version of the Examen, a prayer practice developed by Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556). This way of going through the Examen is outlined in the book A Simple Life-Changing Prayer: Discovering the Power of St. Ignatius Loyola's Examen by Jim Manney. The text below is from chapter 1 “the examen in a nutshell”

The examen is a method of reviewing your day in the presence of God. It's actually an attitude more than a method, a time set aside for thankful reflection on where God is in your everyday life. It has five steps, which most people take more or less in order, and it usually takes 15 to 20 minutes per day. Here it is in a nutshell:

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.
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

If you have questions about the Examen, or want to share your exprience with this practice, feel free to be in touch by email matt at mattbrough.com or connect through Instagram...

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