Today, Jesus is led into the silence of the desert that he might better listen to God the Father. Our daily lives are filled with distractions. Some of these distractions are good and some are harmful. Even our prayer can be distracting. We fill our prayer with so many words that can distract us from reflecting on the words we are praying. We need to build within our day, desert time. Like Jesus, we need to escape into silence in order to better listen to God speaking within us. Quite simply, we need to shut up and just listen.
One of the most ancient forms of Christian prayer is called “centering prayer.” Centering prayer requires us to sit in silence and listen to the presence of God within us. Those who daily commit themselves to 10 or 20 minutes of centering prayer find, over time, God revealing God’s love to them, compelling them to live more fully their vocation as disciples of Jesus.
A very simple way that need not take 10 to 20 minutes, is the “Examen” prayer developed by St Ignatius Loyola. At the close of our day, St Ignatius recommends us to follow these 6 simple steps. 1) Become aware of God’s presence. 2) Review your day with gratitude. Gratitude is the foundation of our relationship with God. Walk through your day in the presence of God and note its joys and delights. 3) Pay attention to your emotions. Reflect on the feelings you experienced during the day. Ask what God is saying through these feelings. 4) Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to something during the day that God thinks is particularly important. It may be a vivid moment or something that seems insignificant. 5) Look toward tomorrow. Ask God to give you light for tomorrow’s challenges. And, 6) End the Daily Examen with a conversation with Jesus. Ask forgiveness for your sins. Ask for his protection and help. Ask for his wisdom about the questions you have and the problems you face. Do all this in the spirit of gratitude.
If we do the Examen daily, we will find ourselves less distracted and more focused on the presence of God in our lives. Isn’t that what the Season of Lent is all about?
