The Examen with Fr. James Martin, SJ

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time. New reflections will be added every Monday.

How kind are you?  That’s an important question to ask as you look back over your day. Many Christians get obsessed with following a variety of rules—Did I take the name of the Lord in vain? Did I tell any white lies? Did I make it to Mass today?—that they forget that one of the most basic requirements about the Christian life is to be kind. That’s not the only thing that is required of course, but without that the rest of the Christian life doesn’t make much sense. Are you kind and charitable and respectful to people? Or are you a jerk, talking behind their backs, putting your needs ahead of theirs, and maybe even short or rude or mean with people? Here in New York the great sin is sarcasm, and some days it seems like everyone wants to make fun or get the best of someone. So maybe today you could ask yourself: Was I kind? 

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time. New reflections will be added every Monday.

Do you pray to the saints much?  I know that this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if you don’t pray to the saints, let me encourage you to do so.  In the Catholic tradition, the saints are both our patrons and our companions.  As companions, they show us the way to live a Christian life, by their examples.  The Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner said that a saint shows us what it means to be holy “in this particular way.”  But the patron model is also an important one.  The saints pray for us in heaven.  And if you have trouble with that, like many people do, you might think about it this way: you probably ask for people on earth to pray for you—you might ask a friend for his or her prayers.  Why wouldn’t you ask for someone in heaven to pray for you too?  There’s nothing strange about that.  If you’re in trouble, or even if you need help in your spiritual life, ask the saints for help. Try it.  I do it all the time.  Besides, they’re praying for you already!

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time. New reflections will be added every Monday.

Do you pray to the saints much?  I know that this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if you don’t pray to the saints, let me encourage you to do so.  In the Catholic tradition, the saints are both our patrons and our companions.  As companions, they show us the way to live a Christian life, by their examples.  The Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner said that a saint shows us what it means to be holy “in this particular way.”  But the patron model is also an important one.  The saints pray for us in heaven.  And if you have trouble with that, like many people do, you might think about it this way: you probably ask for people on earth to pray for you—you might ask a friend for his or her prayers.  Why wouldn’t you ask for someone in heaven to pray for you too?  There’s nothing strange about that.  If you’re in trouble, or even if you need help in your spiritual life, ask the saints for help. Try it.  I do it all the time.  Besides, they’re praying for you already! 

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time. New reflections will be added every Monday.

Do you pray to the saints much?  I know that this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if you don’t pray to the saints, let me encourage you to do so.  In the Catholic tradition, the saints are both our patrons and our companions.  As companions, they show us the way to live a Christian life, by their examples.  The Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner said that a saint shows us what it means to be holy “in this particular way.”  But the patron model is also an important one.  The saints pray for us in heaven.  And if you have trouble with that, like many people do, you might think about it this way: you probably ask for people on earth to pray for you—you might ask a friend for his or her prayers.  Why wouldn’t you ask for someone in heaven to pray for you too?  There’s nothing strange about that.  If you’re in trouble, or even if you need help in your spiritual life, ask the saints for help. Try it.  I do it all the time.  Besides, they’re praying for you already!

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time. New reflections will be added every Monday.

Do you pray to the saints much?  I know that this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if you don’t pray to the saints, let me encourage you to do so.  In the Catholic tradition, the saints are both our patrons and our companions.  As companions, they show us the way to live a Christian life, by their examples.  The Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner said that a saint shows us what it means to be holy “in this particular way.”  But the patron model is also an important one.  The saints pray for us in heaven.  And if you have trouble with that, like many people do, you might think about it this way: you probably ask for people on earth to pray for you—you might ask a friend for his or her prayers.  Why wouldn’t you ask for someone in heaven to pray for you too?  There’s nothing strange about that.  If you’re in trouble, or even if you need help in your spiritual life, ask the saints for help. Try it.  I do it all the time.  Besides, they’re praying for you already! 

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time. New reflections will be added every Monday.

Do you pray to the saints much?  I know that this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if you don’t pray to the saints, let me encourage you to do so.  In the Catholic tradition, the saints are both our patrons and our companions.  As companions, they show us the way to live a Christian life, by their examples.  The Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner said that a saint shows us what it means to be holy “in this particular way.”  But the patron model is also an important one.  The saints pray for us in heaven.  And if you have trouble with that, like many people do, you might think about it this way: you probably ask for people on earth to pray for you—you might ask a friend for his or her prayers.  Why wouldn’t you ask for someone in heaven to pray for you too?  There’s nothing strange about that.  If you’re in trouble, or even if you need help in your spiritual life, ask the saints for help. Try it.  I do it all the time.  Besides, they’re praying for you already!

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time. New reflections will be added every Monday.

Do you pray to the saints much?  I know that this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if you don’t pray to the saints, let me encourage you to do so.  In the Catholic tradition, the saints are both our patrons and our companions.  As companions, they show us the way to live a Christian life, by their examples.  The Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner said that a saint shows us what it means to be holy “in this particular way.”  But the patron model is also an important one.  The saints pray for us in heaven.  And if you have trouble with that, like many people do, you might think about it this way: you probably ask for people on earth to pray for you—you might ask a friend for his or her prayers.  Why wouldn’t you ask for someone in heaven to pray for you too?  There’s nothing strange about that.  If you’re in trouble, or even if you need help in your spiritual life, ask the saints for help. Try it.  I do it all the time.  Besides, they’re praying for you already! 

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time. New reflections will be added every Monday.

Do you pray to the saints much?  I know that this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if you don’t pray to the saints, let me encourage you to do so.  In the Catholic tradition, the saints are both our patrons and our companions.  As companions, they show us the way to live a Christian life, by their examples.  The Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner said that a saint shows us what it means to be holy “in this particular way.”  But the patron model is also an important one.  The saints pray for us in heaven.  And if you have trouble with that, like many people do, you might think about it this way: you probably ask for people on earth to pray for you—you might ask a friend for his or her prayers.  Why wouldn’t you ask for someone in heaven to pray for you too?  There’s nothing strange about that.  If you’re in trouble, or even if you need help in your spiritual life, ask the saints for help. Try it.  I do it all the time.  Besides, they’re praying for you already!

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time. New reflections will be added every Monday.

Do you pray to the saints much?  I know that this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if you don’t pray to the saints, let me encourage you to do so.  In the Catholic tradition, the saints are both our patrons and our companions.  As companions, they show us the way to live a Christian life, by their examples.  The Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner said that a saint shows us what it means to be holy “in this particular way.”  But the patron model is also an important one.  The saints pray for us in heaven.  And if you have trouble with that, like many people do, you might think about it this way: you probably ask for people on earth to pray for you—you might ask a friend for his or her prayers.  Why wouldn’t you ask for someone in heaven to pray for you too?  There’s nothing strange about that.  If you’re in trouble, or even if you need help in your spiritual life, ask the saints for help. Try it.  I do it all the time.  Besides, they’re praying for you already! 

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time. New reflections will be added every Monday.

Do you pray to the saints much?  I know that this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if you don’t pray to the saints, let me encourage you to do so.  In the Catholic tradition, the saints are both our patrons and our companions.  As companions, they show us the way to live a Christian life, by their examples.  The Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner said that a saint shows us what it means to be holy “in this particular way.”  But the patron model is also an important one.  The saints pray for us in heaven.  And if you have trouble with that, like many people do, you might think about it this way: you probably ask for people on earth to pray for you—you might ask a friend for his or her prayers.  Why wouldn’t you ask for someone in heaven to pray for you too?  There’s nothing strange about that.  If you’re in trouble, or even if you need help in your spiritual life, ask the saints for help. Try it.  I do it all the time.  Besides, they’re praying for you already!