The Examen Prayer, (precursor)

The Examen Prayer

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 The Examen prayer is a prayer that St. Ignatius of Loyola developed as an interior journey, and a way of freeing ourselves from disordered attachments. The purpose is to be free so that we can serve and love God to our fullest, as well as develop into the fullness that we were created for. 

I am not going to try and describe the Examen prayer now, as it would be difficult to guide you through it accurately. I can guide you through it in person if you would like.

If you’re the batter, you can’t be thinking about the last strike in the middle of the game… the next one is coming. You can’t focus on your last mistake. This is your most basic fundamental: Understanding how to pray and how to discern what God is saying to you.

The unexamined / unreflected life is not worth living.  –Shakespeare

It takes emotional and mental energy to do it, but it is worth it. It requires a spiritual discipline. Watch the tape, get better at handling those plays. This is the Examen.

Kill the agreement - stop calling yourself or others a loser- accept the fact that we all are partakers of, and contributors to the sinful condition of the world. See things from His viewpoint; ask for His grace to overcome.

The Scariest thing is when God reveals you to you. How much of myself have I revealed to God? The Examen finds you. We must be able to receive correction and say I’m sorry, and just make the correction.

The Principle and Foundation: Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. He is to use all things as much as they can help him on to his end, and ought to rid himself of them so far as they hinder him as to it. (SOZO/total restoration). Desiring and choosing only what is most conducive for us to the end for which we are created.

The principle: Lord, glorify you name in this and every situation. In Health as well as sickness, riches as well as poverty, honor as well as dishonor, long as well as short life, and so I become unconcerned with myself being great, but rather to magnify Him in my life.

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 The heart of Examen is the discernment of spirits. There are human spirits, the Holy Spirit, angelic spirits, demonic/negative spirits. (C.S. Lewis – Screwtape Letters.)

Connect with others before you minister to them. You have the gift of discernment, ask for more of it, and then practice it.  Ask for the grace of desire; the desire to do it, and through that, the desire to love God more carefully, more thoroughly.

Which costs more, Opening up now, or closing off now? You can choose to push through and be vulnerable now or continue to be closed off and pay for it later. Let the Examen find you.

The examen keeps you from being controlled by your circumstances by taking it to God. We as Christians should be the stability of our times. Examen is being aware that you’re aware. What you’re thinking is who you are.

The important thing to remember is this: this either requires a lot of passion, or a lot of obedience/determination. The fruit comes only after it has become a habit. Pursue the Examen, and let it find you.

10-28

Part of the inward journey is fighting against the disconnection, depression, desolation. Alot of times this is a sign that God is working in you. Some of us still have some stuffed stuff down deep in us; and it gets pulled up because removing it is part of the process of the revelation of who you are.  (Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ.)

As you pursue this, Father will begin to show you certain disordered attachments that you’ve had. As they’re exposed, you’ll want to lash out, withdraw, but don’t take that path. Continue in the process. Sometimes He gives you a true spiritual consolation – a consolation that you can’t attribute to anything that’s been done. This is great. Become aware that He's given it to you, and give Him thanks for it. But on the other side, remember this: it’s not about enjoying His consolation, or enjoying the enjoyment. It’s about giving Him glory, and enjoying Him.

He’s after disordered attachments: performance orientation, the need to control, feelings of worthlessness- those are things He’s after. If you feel a spirit of shame or negativity, resist it- that’s where the discernment of spirits comes in, but don’t resist something just because you feel bad.

It’s ok to feel bad, sick. It’s not about living for enjoyment. There’s a certain amount of trusting the process. I can face pain, its ok, God loves me. It lets us be human, it doesn’t demand perfection. The point in doing this is- what am I attached to in the moment?

Don’t let your circumstances make you miss the sunrise. The Son is rising in you. Focus on what Christ in doing in the moment in me, around me. We have to be at rest and trust the process. Things can be a mess, in me and around me. But I can still have good self-worth and peace, because I know He loves me unconditionally.

Its not about thinking that there’s something wrong with me, He’s uncovering another layer of disorder, to bring healing. Co-operate with Him in the process. Part of the human condition is vulnerability, helplessness, and weakness. Jesus is in there. Jesus was at the deepest point for each of those when He was on the cross. Go deeper, hold it in His presence.