Praying with the Examen
By the Revd Mark Wakefield
It’s a feature of our busy lives that we often don’t stop to ask some basic questions about where we are going in life and what we most value. Frustrating as it is, the lockdown surely offers us the opportunity to put this right with a bit of reassessment. A daily, spiritual exercise called “the Examen” offers a simple way of doing this by reviewing the day just gone. Aside from anything else, it’s relaxing and enjoyable and I believe that after years of doing it myself, it offers us a way of leading a more purposeful, abundant life.
If you want to give the Examen a go then simply follow these 7, easy steps.
Firstly, find a time when you are unlikely to be disturbed. Try and set aside anything from 5’ to 15’ to begin with. When to do the Examen will depend on you – for some the very end of the day is best, for others the beginning, for others some time in between.
Find yourself a chair that will give you plenty of support so that you are sitting upright, yet relaxed. A chair with arms is probably a good bet.
Begin by grounding yourself. Shut your eyes, and notice things – what do you hear in the house or outside? What’s going on in your body? Notice your breath. Notice how the seat of the chair is supporting you and what if feels like to have your feet on the ground. When you’ve stilled yourself, ask God’s to shed his light on the day that has just gone.
Then start going through the previous day as it happened. Consider these questions:
What made you glad or joyful? Relive those moments. What did they feel like? What, specifically, made you feel the way you did?
What made you feel sad or irritable? Let yourself feel this – don’t be afraid of these feelings. Again, be specific about what made you feel the way you did. If you were the cause of the event that made you feel like this then maybe this is the time to ask for forgiveness and healing.
When you’ve been through all the previous day look at it as a whole and ask what particularly stood out for you and what you are most grateful for.
Ask yourself what you most need God to do for you at this moment. Speak to God like you would a friend. Dig deep here – what’s really on your heart?
Finally, give thanks to God for the gift of life, for the day just gone and close with Lord’s Prayer.
I find one of great benefits of the Examen is that it increases my sense of gratitude such that even on a bad day I find there’s lots to be thankful for. And as we all know, a grateful heart is a loving heart, so this is an opportunity to grow in love and grace.
Why not use the extra time the lockdown is giving you and give this a try? I suggest set yourself the goal of doing this every day for a week and then review how it’s gone for you. When you’ve done that, do let me know how you’ve got on, if you think that would be helpful.
And of course, if you’ve got any questions do just drop me a line at markwakefield56@gmail.com .