The Examen

Summary

The speaker emphasizes the importance of daily self-examination, inspired by Ignatius, to improve personal growth and spiritual connection. By reflecting on the previous day's actions and interactions, individuals can identify moments where they found or missed God's presence. This practice involves visualizing Jesus watching the day's events with them, prompting self-assessment and a desire for improvement. The speaker suggests praying for specific graces to better embody Christ's love and serve others, highlighting the need for patience, ongoing self-awareness, and hope in God's guidance.

Takeaways

• 🔍 The importance of daily reflection on one's actions and interactions to identify areas for improvement and spiritual growth.
• 🙏 The practice of examining one's day with Jesus as a metaphorical companion, reviewing actions and reactions for alignment with spiritual values.
• 🗣️ Recognizing moments where one's behavior may have been less than ideal and seeking to correct these behaviors in the future.
• 😔 Identifying instances where one might have missed opportunities to see or act upon God's presence in daily life.
• 🤔 Asking oneself why certain situations or emotions may have clouded the ability to perceive God's face in others.
• 🙌 The significance of prayer and seeking God's guidance to grow in areas of personal weakness or challenge.
• 🔄 The concept of 'examining' as a daily ritual that helps in aligning one's actions with spiritual aspirations and intentions.
• 🌱 The idea that spiritual growth requires ongoing effort, similar to practicing a sport, with a focus on self-improvement and awareness.
• 🙏 The belief that God is eager to grant the grace needed for personal growth if one prays with hope and specificity.
• 💡 The suggestion to explicitly ask God for the graces needed to improve, trusting that God will respond generously to sincere requests.

Q & A

What is the significance of the phrase 'the unexamined life is not worth living' in the context of the script?

The phrase emphasizes the importance of self-reflection and examination of one's actions and behaviors to improve and grow, which is a central theme in the script.

How often does the speaker recommend reflecting on one's day?

The speaker suggests reflecting on one's day at least once a day, with the possibility of doing it twice a day for more thorough introspection.

What is the metaphor used by the speaker to describe the process of self-reflection?

The speaker uses the metaphor of playing the day's events on a VCR with Jesus sitting next to you, reviewing your actions together.

What does the speaker mean by 'who wore God's face' in the context of the day's events?

The speaker refers to 'who wore God's face' as a way to identify the people who represented God or acted in a way that reflected divine qualities during the day.

Why is it important to identify moments where one did not see God's face, according to the speaker?

Identifying moments where one did not see God's face is important for self-improvement, as it allows for recognizing and addressing the barriers that prevent one from recognizing divine presence or acting in a God-like manner.

What does the speaker suggest doing after reflecting on the day's events?

After reflection, the speaker suggests praying through the emotions and experiences of the day, considering personal growth, and planning how to better recognize and act upon opportunities for God's presence the next day.

How does the speaker relate the practice of self-reflection to the idea of 'examining the conscience'?

The speaker equates self-reflection with examining the conscience, suggesting it as a spiritual exercise to identify areas of improvement and to align one's actions with spiritual values.

What role does patience play in the speaker's discussion on self-improvement?

Patience is presented as a virtue that may need to be cultivated through prayer and self-awareness, especially for those who struggle with impatience, to better embody Christ-like qualities.

Why does the speaker compare the process of self-improvement to practicing a sport?

The speaker compares self-improvement to practicing a sport to illustrate that, like sports, spiritual growth requires deliberate effort, practice, and the willingness to learn from mistakes and receive guidance.

What does the speaker suggest as a method for explicitly asking for God's help in self-improvement?

The speaker suggests praying explicitly for the specific graces or qualities needed, such as patience, with the belief and hope that God will respond to these prayers.

How does the speaker view the importance of self-reflection in one's spiritual and personal growth?

The speaker views self-reflection as crucial for spiritual and personal growth, as it allows for learning from experiences, making resolutions for improvement, and aligning one's actions with divine will.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Reflecting on Daily Life for Spiritual Growth

The speaker emphasizes the importance of daily reflection, akin to watching a video of one's day with Jesus by your side. This practice allows for self-examination, identifying where one found or missed God's presence. The speaker suggests looking back on the last 24 hours to assess actions and attitudes, considering how one might have acted differently to better align with spiritual values. The process involves recognizing moments of sorrow or sadness that may have clouded one's ability to see God's face and praying through these emotions. The goal is to grow spiritually by identifying missed opportunities to help others and preparing to be more attentive and compassionate the next day. The speaker likens this practice to athletic training, requiring patience, practice, and a conscious effort to improve.

05:00

🙏 Seeking God's Grace Through Prayer and Self-Improvement

In this paragraph, the speaker discusses the concept of praying for specific graces to improve oneself, such as patience. They suggest that by explicitly asking God for these gifts and maintaining hope, one can receive an abundance of the desired virtue. The speaker reflects on their experiences as a teacher, recognizing the value of kindness and guidance in shaping better outcomes. They stress the importance of learning from experiences, making resolutions for self-improvement, and the necessity of examining one's conscience. The speaker concludes by encouraging the adoption of daily reflection, even if it doesn't naturally fit one's personality, as a means to spiritual and personal growth.

Keywords

💡Examination of Conscience

Examination of Conscience is a practice of self-reflection where one reviews their actions and thoughts to identify areas of moral improvement. In the video, it is described as looking back over the day to find where one found God or missed opportunities to do so. This practice is central to the theme of personal growth and spiritual development, as it encourages individuals to recognize their mistakes and strive for improvement.

💡Reflection

Reflection, as used in the video, refers to the act of thinking deeply about one's experiences, particularly to understand oneself or to explore personal feelings and thoughts. It is integral to the video's message as it is through reflection that one can identify areas for growth and better align their actions with their values and beliefs.

💡Ignatius

Ignatius likely refers to Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, known for his spiritual exercises that include practices like the examination of conscience. In the context of the video, Ignatius's teachings are used to emphasize the importance of self-examination as a means of spiritual growth.

💡God's Face

The term 'God's face' is used metaphorically in the video to represent the presence or actions of God in everyday life. It is about recognizing divine intervention or influence, often through other people or events. The video encourages viewers to look for 'God's face' in their interactions and to consider how they might embody it themselves.

💡Christ

Christ, referring to Jesus Christ, is mentioned as a companion in the process of self-examination. The video suggests imagining Christ sitting next to you while reviewing your day, providing a moral perspective on your actions. This concept is used to illustrate the guidance and support one can find through their faith.

💡Sorrow and Sadness

Sorrow and sadness are mentioned as potential barriers to recognizing God's presence. The video suggests that these emotions can cloud one's judgment or perception, making it difficult to see the divine in everyday situations. Acknowledging these emotions is part of the self-reflection process and can lead to spiritual growth.

💡Missed Opportunities

Missed opportunities are moments where one might have acted differently or more compassionately but failed to do so. The video encourages viewers to identify these moments in their day and consider how they can change their behavior in the future to better align with their spiritual values.

💡Prayer

Prayer is presented as a means of communication with the divine, a practice to seek guidance, express gratitude, or ask for strength. In the video, prayer is recommended as a way to process emotions, seek forgiveness, and request the grace to improve.

💡Grace

Grace, in the context of the video, refers to the unmerited favor or assistance from God. It is something that one can pray for to help overcome personal shortcomings or to enhance their spiritual life. The video suggests that by explicitly asking for God's grace, one can receive the strength to change and grow.

💡Patience

Patience is highlighted as a virtue that one might need to develop, especially when facing challenges or dealing with difficult situations. The video uses the example of needing patience and how one can pray for it, illustrating the idea that spiritual growth often involves cultivating specific virtues.

💡Practice

Practice, as discussed in the video, refers to the repetition of actions with the goal of improvement or mastery. It is likened to practicing a sport, suggesting that spiritual growth requires consistent effort and self-correction, much like honing a skill.

Highlights

The importance of examining one's life to improve and grow.

Reflecting on daily events to identify where God was present and where one might have missed His presence.

The metaphor of playing back the day with Jesus as a way to reflect on actions and behaviors.

The concept of 'wearing God's face' and recognizing God in others.

The need for daily self-examination to align one's actions with spiritual growth.

Prayer as a means to process emotions and experiences from the day.

Identifying missed opportunities to see or be God's presence in daily interactions.

The practice of daily check-ins to assess one's spiritual progress and setbacks.

The value of explicitly asking God for the graces needed to improve.

The belief that God is eager to grant the graces requested through prayer.

The necessity of patience and ongoing practice in spiritual growth, similar to practicing a sport.

The idea that self-correction is possible through conscious awareness of one's actions.

The challenge of seeing God's face in others, especially those we struggle with.

The need for generosity and ongoing listening in one's spiritual journey.

The transformative power of examining one's conscience and making resolutions for improvement.

The significance of learning from experience and the importance of self-reflection in personal and spiritual development.

Transcripts

[Music]

the unexamined life is not worth living

yes that's it exactly examination

conscience and Ignatius called it having

us look back over the day you can't hope

to become better at anything unless you

reflect on your mistakes too many of us

are like Bulls in the china shop and go

around uh breaking a lot of furniture or

China or whatever and if we don't

reflect we're we're just going to keep

on messing up other people I'm really

looking at the last 24 hours or maybe

even the last 12 hours if I do it twice

a day uh but I'm looking at the last day

and saying okay what were the events of

my life where did I find God in those

events where did I get in the way of

finding God in those in the events and

you look over your day it's kind of like

putting Jesus next to you on sofa put

your day in the video machine or the VCR

the DVD and play it with Jesus sitting

next to you and so both you and Jesus

are looking at you say look at did you

see that did you like how I acted there

or that was tough I know I'm not being

I'm not being nice there I'm being cruel

there actually I feel bad about that and

shees is saying it's okay did you do

your best try again tomorrow where was

Christ in in in my day I like to say who

wore God's face who wore God's face for

me today so each I want to become more

the person I want to become and look at

the person I am becoming sometimes those

two don't match and then and then trying

to find the places where I didn't see

God's face and then I asked myself why

you know what was it that didn't allow

me what lenses were were I wearing at

the time that didn't allow me to see

God's face at that moment sorrow sadness

uh what moved me this day and pray for

pray through that and how is that how

have I grown in that during this day and

then to begin to look at the next day

and where there missed opportunities

might God have been reaching out to you

through somebody who really needed some

help or somebody who could have used a

kind word and maybe you were too

preoccupied with what you were doing and

you sort of missed it and now you can

think about it well that's really

important that we uh take time like that

for me it's really the kind of

day-by-day

check-in okay

okay I did these good things about my

relationship with the Lord today or in

the last day and I really got in the way

of the Lord in these ways over the last

day so for me the examine is very

important h i put everything that of the

of the day pass into the hands of the

Lord during the examine and say this is

yours do something about it you know and

let me reflect in it and in your

presence and and see what see how we

should go the next day near the end of

the examin or at the end of the examine

you should be propelled to go out there

and uh and and then ask yourself you

know how do I find God tomorrow in the

places where I didn't see him today easy

to say it's not so easy to do because it

requires generosity

and um ongoing listening and knowing

yourself and and all those kinds of

things what would it be for me to wear

God's face what would it be uh for me to

be the Hands of Christ tomorrow for this

person maybe even specifically for the

very people that we had trouble seeing

God in that the day before uh it's and

it's going to take some work it's going

to take a a great deal of patience and

uh and U prayerful practice you know

just and I mean practice in the same way

that you practice for a sport uh if you

were going to try to improve your golf

game well you you either go to a pro and

you say hey look what I'm doing point

out to me where I'm making mistakes

there's there got to be something I'm

doing wrong and once you get that and

you're conscious of what some of the

things are you can self-correct a bit we

know usually what it is that's keeping

us what lens we've put over our eyes

that's keeping us from seeing God's face

in the day and so Ignatius say is to

State explicitly what gift do you need

from God today so if I'm an impatient

person then I need to pray for that

Grace of of patience and pray with a

great deal of hope that God God is is

longing to fulfill those wishes to

fulfill those Desires in me because he's

the one who put the desires in me for

the from the first place um but if I

pray explicitly for those Graces that

Lord I need more patience uh I need the

grace of of patience Ignatius says that

the Lord will run to you with that gift

and and your cup will be overflowing

with patience uh provided that you you

keep praying for it and you believe in

it and you pray and you uh you have hope

you always have hope that the Lord

really loves you enough to give you that

Grace and I think in in my years as a

teacher when you realize oh gee if I had

been a little Kinder in this situation

or have given a kind of direction that

way

uh it would have been a better thing to

do well if you don't do that you might

as well hang it up in not just in

spiritually but in your Humanity uh

you've got to learn by experience and uh

make resolutions to do it better and it

cannot be done without some uh

examination of conscience but it's good

for everybody whether it fits your

personality or doesn't and if it doesn't

fit your personality you should learn to

U make it

[Music]

fit