Michelle's Lenten Examen Prayer:
​Grow in Awareness and Love ​

1. Enter into the presence of God.
Take a moment to adjust your body so that you are in a comfortable yet prayerful position. Take a few deep breaths, slowly breathing in through your nose and then out through your mouth. Feel your heartbeat slow to a nice, steady rhythm. Recognize and acknowledge the presence of God through each of your senses.

2. Share with God your gratitude.
Slowly review your day, noting things for which you are grateful. Pay special attention to those gifts God has given especially to you: the family and friends whom you love; the activities you love to do to relax and unwind; the foods, flowers, weather patterns, and any of God’s other creations that brighten your day and make you smile.

3. Share with God your joy.
Review your day again, this time noting and rejoicing in those times when you were able to be God’s love incarnated. What events (large or small) jump out at you. Maybe it was a meal you cooked for people you love, an interruption in your day that gave you the opportunity to show compassion for others, or a conversation with someone who needed a friendly ear. Using your imagination, enter back into those experiences; note how your body responds and how you feel.

4. Share with God your sorrow.
Review your day one last time. Note those times where you failed to love extravagantly. Offer God your sorrow for those times when you chose not to be God’s love in the world.

5. Looking forward, ask for God’s grace.
What activities or to-do list items do you have on your schedule over the next 24 hours? How can God help you be a more loving person as you go through those tasks? Or, how can God help you to love when your plan for your day does not go as expected. Ask God for the grace you need to love more generously.

As you close out of this examen experience, thank God for spending this time with you and for opening your heart to God’s presence throughout your day. 

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