Make More of what God has Given to You
Have you spent SIGNIFICANT time recently reflecting on the gifts and blessings that God has given you? We do such reflecting at various times in life. We come in touch with it easily when something really good happens to us, like winning an important game, getting a good grade, receiving a new job or career opportunity, falling in love with someone special, receiving a raise or pay increase or feeling the depth of another’s love for us.
Often such good news motivates us with new energy. Working harder or embracing life with renewed enthusiasm seems to come easily.
Such reflection is much more difficult when things are not going well for us.
The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola encourages us to REGULARLY reflect on ALL of life— the good, the bad and the in-between. This type of reflection is a concrete example of what Ignatius calls Finding God in all things.
Another example of such reflection is what Ignatius calls The Examen. This is a simple exercise designed to review each day so as to come in touch with graces, blessings and challenges.
Please download the FREE App called Reimagining the Examen. This App contains almost 40 variations of the traditional Examen that Ignatius wrote 500 years ago. I have paraphrased the steps of the Examen before as a matter of review. Here they are again:
1. Get comfortable, relax, take a deep breath or two, ask God to make His presence known in and around you, feel His presence soaking into you; 2. Ask God to reveal all of the graces and gifts of the day and thank God for them all, large and small; 3. Ask God to lead your prayer rather than brooding over mistakes; 4. Review your day hour by hour using your imagination to relive the significant ones and glance over the less important ones; 5. Continue in gratitude, pause at any of the difficult moments, pay attention to missed opportunities, ask God for forgiveness for any times you were not the person God called you to be, let God’s healing mercy and forgiveness wash over you; 6. Ask God to show you concretely how to be the person He is calling you to be tomorrow; 7. Ask yourself if there are any last words you wish to say to God; 8. End with any simple gesture such as a bow, the sign of the cross, the Our Father, or a gesture that you create.
The Examen and other suggestions from Ignatius of Loyola and our Be More Spiritual Fitness program can provide some insight into this week’s Gospel passage – The Parable of the Talents.
The Master (God) gives three servants (us) varying levels of cash (blessings in life). One is given a lot and they capitalize on and make more of what has been given them. The second is given some, but also capitalizes and makes more. Both of these servants bring joy to the source of the blessings (God).
The third misses an opportunity. They cannot appreciate the blessing they have. They are gripped with fear and that fear blinds and stunts them.
I can’t help but feel that if the third servant just took some time to reflect, their fear would be lessened. The third servant sees God as mean and unfair. When life deals us setbacks it is easy to share such a perception of God.
I appreciate Ignatian spirituality because it encourages a regular discipline of reflection that can easily help us identify with the three servants in the parable at various times in our lives.
Try doing the Examen regularly. Make more of what God has given you. Realize your blessings and work to capitalize on them—make MORE of them. I believe that will bring a smile to God’s face.
Word, World and Worship
Look for my podcast beginning on the first week of Advent in a couple of weeks. I hope to offer brief connections between our everyday experiences (World) the Sunday Scriptures (Word) and The Eucharist (Worship).
Anne Madsen, Lynn James and
the Edmundites
Two of our parishioners, Anne Madsen and Lynn James, were really touched and motivated by last year’s Holy Family Lenten Social Justice Project of renovating The Casey Center to house college students sharing in the mission of the Edmundites in Selma, Alabama.
Anne and Lynn visited Selma recently and they have updates on the project that so many of you generously supported. They want to eagerly share photos and experiences with you and we are working on sharing some of their photos on our website. Stay tuned, and many thanks, Anne and Lynn!