Examen Practice During Lent
Wednesday evenings at 7pm, join us here for a short practice of the Prayer of Examen. We will be guided through this prayer of discernment by Pastor Seth, Glory Johnson, and Tracy Caruso, each week.
Practicing the Daily Examen
You can practice the Examen daily. Download and print the card below, or use the following prompts to guide your practice.
The Daily Examen
The Daily Examen is a practice of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to tune in to God’s presence and discern God’s direction for us.
Pray through the following sequence of prompts to review and
attune to God’s presence.
Become aware of God’s presence
Look back on the events of the day in the company of the Holy Spirit. Ask God for open eyes, an open heart, and understanding.
Review the day with gratitude
Look back on your day and note it’s joys and delights. Focus on the day’s gifts. Pay attention to the small things — God can be found in it all.
Pay attention to your emotions
Reflect on the feelings you experienced during
the day. Boredom? Elation? Grief?
Compassion? Anger? Confidence?
What is God saying through those feelings.
Choose one feature of the day and pray from it
Ask the Spirit to lead you to something that God wants to highlight.
Look at it. Listen to it. Pray about it.
Allow the prayer to arise from your heart —
whether it be intercession, praise, repentance, or gratitude.
Look toward tomorrow
Ask God to give you light for tomorrow’s challenges. Pay attention to the feelings that surface as you survey what’s coming up. Allow these feelings to turn into prayer. Seek God’s guidance.
Close
Speak to Jesus like a friend. End the Examen with a conversation with Jesus. Ask for protection, help, forgiveness, and wisdom. Do this all with gratitude. Your life is a gift, blessed by God.
—
The Examen can be practiced in a personal daily rhythm and in community.
Join us Wednesdays at 7 pm for a weekly practice of the Examen throughout the season of Lent at http://www.saintjamespres.org/lent