“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. (Galatians 5:22-23)
St. Ignatius of Loyola was a proponent of spiritual reflection and review. In his Spiritual Exercises (published in 1548), Ignatius teaches the Prayer of the Examen. He encourages the supplicant to reflect back on a day, a week, or a season, and prayerfully consider areas of consolation and desolation.
Consolation includes times when you were drawn toward God’s active presence in the world. Times when the Fruit of the Spirit was evident (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…). Times when you were growing in love, mercy, and hope.
Ignatius also encourages us, not to avoid, but to also consider areas of desolation. Times when you were drawn away from God’s active presence in the world. Times of resentment, ingratitude, jealousy, enmity, and strife. Times of turning in on self. Times of leaning away from community.
In my Evening Prayer, there is a short form of Ignatius’ Prayer of the Examen that is called an Examination of Conscience. It is very simple exercise, but I commend it to you for your evening devotion. Give it a try for the next 2 weeks and let me know how it goes.
- Briefly consider your day.
- What did I do well?
- What could I have done better?
- Whom did I offend?
- Whom did I help or encourage?
- Offer a simple Prayer of Confession
- Pray the Lord’s Prayer
- Rest Well