Rummaging for God
It’s not always easy to find God in the everyday, but we might do well to follow the example of St. Ignatius – founder of the Jesuits. He recommended spiritual exercises - contemplative practices to help people deepen their relationship with God. One of these is the Daily Examen - a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and discern his direction for us. It’s an ancient practice in the Church that can help us see God’s hand at work in our whole experience, and is a habit employed by Jesuits, and many other Christians, to this day.
There are five steps involved in the Examen:
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Become aware of God’s presence. We begin by asking God to bring clarity and understanding on our reflection on the day – to shed his light.
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Review the day with gratitude. Note the joys and delights of the day. Pay attention to the small things – the birdsong or flower, a meal, the smile. Dennis Hamm, an American Jesuit professor, referred to this stage as ‘rummaging for God’, likening the process to “going through a drawer full of stuff, feeling around, looking for something that you are sure must be there.” We rummage through the day, looking for God, knowing He is there somewhere.
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Pay attention to your emotions. Reflect on the feelings you experienced through the day. What might God be saying through these? We will likely pinpoint our failings and shortcomings, but think too about other implications – frustration might indicate we should change direction, or concern about someone might prompt us to action.
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Choose one feature from the day and pray from it. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to something during the day that God thinks is important. It could involve intercession, praise, repentance or gratitude. It may be a feeling, a significant (or seemingly insignificant) encounter or a moment of peace or pleasure.
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Look toward tomorrow. Conclude as you started – ask for God’s light on tomorrow’s challenges. Allow your feelings to turn into prayer as you seek God’s guidance and ask for help and understanding. Pray for hope.
The author of Psalm 96 urges his readers – “Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts…”. God speaks, but we need to listen if we are to hear His voice. And having heard, we need to take action, and not allow our fear, circumstances, or disbelief to harden our hearts. The Daily Examen is an opportunity to pause the noise of the day and in the stillness reflect deeply. And as a result, we might just, as St Ignatius hoped, find God in all things.
Deborah Packham