Natalie and I have recently integrated the practice of the examen into our nightly routine. It started when she cracked open one of her texts for next term's Spiritual Formation class at Rochester College. In Sleeping with Bread: Holding What Gives You Life, we encountered a contemporary model of the ancient practice of the examen. Each night, we reflect on our days. We think about what Ignatius of Loyola called our consolations and desolations. These are basically our high and low points of the day, the things that either gave of life or stole life away from us. There are several ways to ask the question, each with slightly different emphases, but with the same general tenor to the question. Some of their suggestions are:
For what moment today am I most grateful?
For what moment today am I least grateful?
When did I give and receive the most love today?
When did I give and receive the least love today?
When did I feel most alive today?
When did I most feel life draining out of me?
When today did I have the greatest sense of belonging to myself, others, God, and the universe?
When did I have the least sense of belonging?
When was I happiest today?
When was I saddest?
What was today’s high point?
What was today’s low point?
This simple, nightly reflection has already helped me grasp a better understanding of myself, my calling and ministry, and my relationships with God and others, as well as helped me to enter into Natalie’s life and experiences more fully. I would highly encourage all of you to begin examen-ing your lives with those you love and trust.
Last night, as a part of that reflection time, Natalie talked about how invigorated she was by a gathering of about 20 people at Lake Orion last night. In October we started a ministry we call the Tools of the Carpenter. There are two basic incarnations, the Hands of the Master (oversimplified, it is a manual labor outreach to those who need assistance in our community) and our Go! Groups (groups that, well, go to minister to, encourage and visit people in our community). Last night around twenty people from our Go! Groups gathered in the fellowship hall to dream and plan about the upcoming year. We talked about what needs different people knew of in the greater community or with families and individuals in our own community of faith. We laughed about funny things that have happened during the past three months. (Someone tried to light candles on the cupcakes we took to residents at a nursing home. Not too smart when there are oxygen tanks attached to wheel chairs scattered around the room!) We shared updates on families who have been caught in the middle some really trying times lately. We prayed.
Although reflecting on our planning gathering was Natalie’s consolation (or high point) last night, I decided to steal it from her sometime during the final minutes of the Texas-USC game last night and make it one of my high points too. She reminded me of the great blessing it was to sit with a group of people who desperately long to embody the presence of Christ in the community. What greater blessing can you have than that?
God, bless our hands, as we open them to the community around us. Bless our feet, as we walk into the lives of others. Bless our eyes, that they may see where your Spirit is moving ahead of us. Bless our lips, that we may give your words of hope and peace, Good News to a hurting world.
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