Dear Friends,
Hello! How are you today? Having the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day all in one week can lead to either euphoria or dismay, depending, so we hope that today’s ho-hum return to “just a Wednesday in February” without any social, romantic, or athletic pressure attached is good to your heart today.
Last week we started a conversation about awareness of our purpose, noting that to live from our purpose—to love God, self, and others from the fullness of our unique humanness—we need to cultivate awareness. We need know ourselves as we are known by God.
In our culture, the word “knowing” conjures up synonyms like “understanding” and “intelligence” and “insight.” But what about the knowing that is in our bones? What about knowing that is grounded in experience, in relationship, in trust patterns, and in healing journeys?
Practicing awareness cultivates this deeper knowing of both self and God. Awareness moves our knowing from our heads to our hearts, from our intellect to our gut.
One of the best prayer practices for awareness is the Ignatian Examen. It helps us to see ourselves in God’s presence over the course of a day, day after day.
Along these lines, David Benner recommends: “Make your prayer the prayer of St. Augustine, ‘Novem te, novem me’ (May I know you, may I know myself.) This is a profoundly Christian prayer, because it takes us to the heart of the Christian transformational journey. Watch for opportunities to advance both knowings each and every day.” (The Gift of Being Yourself, p. 103)
Spirit-led awareness through the Examen points us toward these “knowings,” taking us more deeply into our purpose–into living a life of love out of the fullness of who we are, and into a life of knowing ourselves as fully loved by the God who made us in love, by love, and for love.
For Reflection:
Take the time to practice the Prayer of Examen three days this week, as it is led by Lissy from Contemplative at Home or as it is led via video from Fuller Studio.
If you are curious about the Examen, you can flip through this slide show from Ruth Haley Barton or this simple overview from Peter at The Sabbath Life.
Perhaps take time to listen to this reading of Psalm 139 from Emily P. Freeman.
Finally, we are beginning our Lent Contemplative Circle on Ash Wednesday, next week! Part of our practice each week will be to do the Examen together. We would love for you to join us either on Wednesday mornings or Thursdays at noon, or to practice on your own via a YouTube link we send each week!
Gratefully,
The Kaleid Team