Next week we'll have a new spiritual discipline to practice, I hope that the prayer of examen has proven useful to you this week. If you really like it, its a good one to keep long term.
As a closing reflection on this Spiritual discipline, I thought that I would reflect on the meaning of prayer. In some ways, the prayer of examen is an outlier. The beginning and end are traditionally prayer like, but the self reflection in the middle is somewhat less 'God-focused' than most prayers.
Common categories of prayer include
thanksgiving-giving thanks for blessings
praise-celebrating God as God
petition-asking God for things we need
intercession-praying for other people in need
confession/forgiveness-acknowledge our sinfulness.
The prayer of examen does not fit neatly into these categories. While there is thanksgiving, and there is confession, most of the prayer is self-reflection, which is why it is a little difficult to frame it in usual 'prayer language.'
I think this is the strength of the discipline: it is useful to remember that everything in our lives is worth holding in prayer, from our most dramatic acts of faithfulness to the most banal parts of our days. Whatever we do, we engage the divine core of reality. So often we pray, "God your will be done" or "may your spirit guide us here" it is worth asking after we are finished, "God, was your will done?"
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