A Simple Way to Grow This Lent

Sr. Christina shares about a tried-and-true prayer form, the Examen Prayer, which can help you as you strive for conversion and holiness.

We’re a week and a half into Lent … how’s it going?

Whether you’re feeling like this holy, yet challenging season is off to a great start, or you’ve been falling flat on your face with the penances you resolved to do, I’d like to share a centuries-old practice that I think will help.

It’s called “the Examen Prayer.”

You needn’t cringe with images of cramming for finals, or even necessarily think of the stereotypical “examination of conscience” before Confession.

I’m suggesting this practice during Lent (and, actually, year-round) because it can help us be more aware of how God is working in our lives and how we can better respond to Him. It can help us to be more grateful. All of this is beneficial during these weeks as we strive for conversion and prepare to celebrate the Lord’s Paschal Mystery.

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Lent is a great time to look into our own hearts and try to fight those habits that hurt our relationship with God and others. The daily examen prayer is the quintessential time to do this.  

When I work until 10 p.m., I end up doing this as my shift winds up, or even on my way to bed. It’s really ideal to be able to just “be,” reflecting on the day without other distractions. You have to find what works for you.

There’s quite a bit of information out there, but I’d like to share some simple steps for this powerful form of prayer. I’d also suggest that if you need a little help with The Examen Prayer, there’s a nice app called “Reimagining the Examen,” which walks you through the prayer process and offers a variety of modules to choose from – you can have it select one randomly for you as well.

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Okay … so here are the steps:

Recall you are in the presence of God.

Give thanks to God for the gifts of the day.

Ask help from the Holy Spirit.

Review your day, asking yourself:

When did I fail?
Where there was a barrier to God’s presence? 
How conscious have you been of God’s presence and actions in your life? 
When did I love? 
What habits and patterns do I notice?

One helpful way of doing this is to “walk through the day with Jesus,” according to one source.  Use the first-person plural (We had breakfast … We went to work … We cleaned house.)  Remember that “Christ lives in me.”  This exercise may help you to catch the times when “we” (Jesus and I) did not do something, the times we sinned (for example, “We did not yell at the neighbor.”) This also can help you recognize God’s presence throughout the day.

Express your sorrow and repentance: Tell Christ, who is with you, that you are sorry for the times you failed. Ask Him to help you do better in the future.

Conclusion: Again, give thanks for the blessing of the day. Look to the day ahead.  

Click to tweet:
The Examen Prayer can help us be more aware of how God is working in our lives and how we can better respond to Him. #CatholicMom

What challenges can you expect? Ask God’s help for this. Maybe plan for a time and place in the coming day when you can spend some more time in prayer.

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