Prayer of Examen: Be Grateful

With the transformative practice of the Prayer of Examen, pause and welcome God's presence into your everyday life. Take this time to reflect on the past 24 hours and welcome gratitude into the ordinary moments. Through mindful breathing, scriptural reflection, and emotional awareness, you'll learn to identify precious instances of God's loving presence and welcome them fully through life's highs and lows.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:01

Hi, this is Whitney and you're listening to Exploring Peace Meditations. I welcome you to this time of guided prayer and meditation today, as we enter into listening with the prayer of examine. This is a spiritual exercise developed by St Ignatius of Loyola is a spiritual exercise developed by St Ignatius of Loyola, and today we will focus on the theme of gratitude and choose to be grateful as we reflect. I invite you, if you haven't Find a quiet place to sit, rest, be comfortably. Consider closing your eyes. Take a deep breath in and a long exhale out. Relax, relax. Allow yourself to become aware of God's loving presence with you right now. God is here. Feel God's love surrounding you Now. Quiet your mind and open your heart as you listen to Psalm 118, 24. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. This very day, god created this very day.

Speaker 1 1:49

I invite you to think back over your past 24 hours. Consider this day, the people, the events, the experiences you encountered. Now ask yourself where did I feel God's presence today? What moment brought me joy or peace? Who or what am I thankful for from this day? Take a moment and welcome gratitude to fill your heart as you pause and breathe. So so let's pay attention to our emotions. Specifically, think about a time when you felt really alive, fulfilled, connected to God, close to God. Recall that moment in your mind's eye, hold on to it as you breathe. Now notice when you felt disconnected from God, out of sync, distant apart from yourself. Recall that, observe it, acknowledge this desolation without any judgment.

Speaker 1 5:05

Now I invite you to ponder one moment from your day that really stands out. It might be something you've already considered or something that rises up now. This may be a moment that was joy-filled. It might be a moment that was a challenge, an experience or an encounter with another person. Consider one moment that stands out from your day.

Speaker 1 5:35

Hold this moment in your heart as we bring it to God in prayer, in the next few moments of quiet, ask God to show you why is this moment significant? What does God want you to notice about this moment? Ask for God's guidance or clarity, or simply be with your moment, be present, hold space and offer it to God. I invite you now to look toward your next 24 hours into your tomorrow. Ask God to give you a heart full of gratitude, to help you recognize blessings throughout the day, to help you notice moments of consolation and desolation, times when you feel close to or far away from God. Pause now and pray for God's guidance, companionship and trust that, as you move into the next 24 hours the day ahead, that God is with you 24 hours the day ahead that God is with you.

Speaker 1 8:14

Creator. God, thank you for this time of reflection, to pause, to notice, to be present, to be grateful. We thank you for your presence in our lives. Help us to cultivate a spirit of gratitude, of being present in all that we do and recognizing you in every moment of our day. Give us the grace to live, to live fully with a thankful heart. Guide us as we move into the day ahead. May we always notice you at work in our lives. Fill us with your peace, draw us close to your presence and help us be grateful. In your holy name. We pray Amen. Thank you for exploring the gift of God's peace with me. If you'd like to connect beyond this time, you can find our community at exploringpeacecom. Slash community. You can find me and my books at whitneyrsimpsoncom. Until next time, may God's peace be with you.