The Examen with Fr. James Martin, SJ

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 7th Week of Easter. New reflections will be added every Monday.

A few weeks ago, I was in the Holy Land with a group of pilgrims, and together we visited the Chapel of the Ascension, in Jerusalem. The little stone chapel is right where the Gospels describe the event occurring, that is, somewhat near the town of Bethany. The building passed through many different religious hands over the centuries, thanks to the constant political changes in the Holy Land, and eventually it ended up as a mosque. But it’s open for all to see, and I’m always glad to pray there. This week we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus Christ, which the Gospels describe as Jesus being as taking up, bodily, into heaven. For me, that mysterious event has two important meanings. First, our bodies are important. Remember: after his Passion and Death, Jesus returns to the disciples with his body, still showing his wounds. And at the Ascension he wasn’t just taken up “in spirit.” It’s a reminder to all those who try to remove the body from the spiritual life. That leads to a second insight: Jesus is with the Father. At the end of his public ministry Jesus is brought into complete union with the Father. So, two questions to ask ourselves this week: What place does your body have in your spiritual life? Can you remember it during your examen?

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 7th Week of Easter. New reflections will be added every Monday.

A few weeks ago, I was in the Holy Land with a group of pilgrims, and together we visited the Chapel of the Ascension, in Jerusalem. The little stone chapel is right where the Gospels describe the event occurring, that is, somewhat near the town of Bethany. The building passed through many different religious hands over the centuries, thanks to the constant political changes in the Holy Land, and eventually it ended up as a mosque. But it’s open for all to see, and I’m always glad to pray there. This week we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus Christ, which the Gospels describe as Jesus being as taking up, bodily, into heaven. For me, that mysterious event has two important meanings. First, our bodies are important. Remember: after his Passion and Death, Jesus returns to the disciples with his body, still showing his wounds. And at the Ascension he wasn’t just taken up “in spirit.” It’s a reminder to all those who try to remove the body from the spiritual life. That leads to a second insight: Jesus is with the Father. At the end of his public ministry Jesus is brought into complete union with the Father. So, two questions to ask ourselves this week: What place does your body have in your spiritual life? Can you remember it during your examen?

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 7th Week of Easter. New reflections will be added every Monday.

A few weeks ago, I was in the Holy Land with a group of pilgrims, and together we visited the Chapel of the Ascension, in Jerusalem. The little stone chapel is right where the Gospels describe the event occurring, that is, somewhat near the town of Bethany. The building passed through many different religious hands over the centuries, thanks to the constant political changes in the Holy Land, and eventually it ended up as a mosque. But it’s open for all to see, and I’m always glad to pray there. This week we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus Christ, which the Gospels describe as Jesus being as taking up, bodily, into heaven. For me, that mysterious event has two important meanings. First, our bodies are important. Remember: after his Passion and Death, Jesus returns to the disciples with his body, still showing his wounds. And at the Ascension he wasn’t just taken up “in spirit.” It’s a reminder to all those who try to remove the body from the spiritual life. That leads to a second insight: Jesus is with the Father. At the end of his public ministry Jesus is brought into complete union with the Father. So, two questions to ask ourselves this week: What place does your body have in your spiritual life? Can you remember it during your examen?

Because today is Monday, we have a new reflection for the week.

A few weeks ago, I was in the Holy Land with a group of pilgrims, and together we visited the Chapel of the Ascension, in Jerusalem. The little stone chapel is right where the Gospels describe the event occurring, that is, somewhat near the town of Bethany. The building passed through many different religious hands over the centuries, thanks to the constant political changes in the Holy Land, and eventually it ended up as a mosque. But it’s open for all to see, and I’m always glad to pray there. This week we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus Christ, which the Gospels describe as Jesus being as taking up, bodily, into heaven. For me, that mysterious event has two important meanings. First, our bodies are important. Remember: after his Passion and Death, Jesus returns to the disciples with his body, still showing his wounds. And at the Ascension he wasn’t just taken up “in spirit.” It’s a reminder to all those who try to remove the body from the spiritual life. That leads to a second insight: Jesus is with the Father. At the end of his public ministry Jesus is brought into complete union with the Father. So, two questions to ask ourselves this week: What place does your body have in your spiritual life? Can you remember it during your examen?

Because today is Monday, we have a new reflection for the week.

A few weeks ago, I was in the Holy Land with a group of pilgrims, and together we visited the Chapel of the Ascension, in Jerusalem. The little stone chapel is right where the Gospels describe the event occurring, that is, somewhat near the town of Bethany. The building passed through many different religious hands over the centuries, thanks to the constant political changes in the Holy Land, and eventually it ended up as a mosque. But it’s open for all to see, and I’m always glad to pray there. This week we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus Christ, which the Gospels describe as Jesus being as taking up, bodily, into heaven. For me, that mysterious event has two important meanings. First, our bodies are important. Remember: after his Passion and Death, Jesus returns to the disciples with his body, still showing his wounds. And at the Ascension he wasn’t just taken up “in spirit.” It’s a reminder to all those who try to remove the body from the spiritual life. That leads to a second insight: Jesus is with the Father. At the end of his public ministry Jesus is brought into complete union with the Father. So, two questions to ask ourselves this week: What place does your body have in your spiritual life? Can you remember it during your examen?

A new reflection for the 7th week of Easter will be added on Monday.

We’ve spent a few weeks now contemplating the great mystery of Easter.  And if you’ve been to any Sunday Mass recently, you’ve heard a wide variety of Gospel readings: first, the appearances of the Risen Christ to Mary Magdalene, then to the Apostle Thomas, then to the disciples on the way to Emmaus.  Then the Gospels shifted to some beautiful imagery that Christ used to describe himself: the Good Shepherd and the True Vine. The great variety of readings over the last few weeks remind us that Easter can’t be understood in just one way.  We have to come at it from different angles, and use different stories and images just to take it in. Any profound experience in our lives is like that. We might experience the birth of a child, or suffer the loss of a loved one, or undergo a sudden illness or even have a new and exciting possibility at work open up.  So this week you might ask yourself: Is there something in my life that I need to take time to ponder, time to understand? And how is God asking me to ponder this strange thing? Can I be as patient as the church is, in its journey to understand Easter?

A new reflection for the 7th week of Easter will be added on Monday.

We’ve spent a few weeks now contemplating the great mystery of Easter.  And if you’ve been to any Sunday Mass recently, you’ve heard a wide variety of Gospel readings: first, the appearances of the Risen Christ to Mary Magdalene, then to the Apostle Thomas, then to the disciples on the way to Emmaus.  Then the Gospels shifted to some beautiful imagery that Christ used to describe himself: the Good Shepherd and the True Vine. The great variety of readings over the last few weeks remind us that Easter can’t be understood in just one way.  We have to come at it from different angles, and use different stories and images just to take it in. Any profound experience in our lives is like that. We might experience the birth of a child, or suffer the loss of a loved one, or undergo a sudden illness or even have a new and exciting possibility at work open up.  So this week you might ask yourself: Is there something in my life that I need to take time to ponder, time to understand? And how is God asking me to ponder this strange thing? Can I be as patient as the church is, in its journey to understand Easter?

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 6th Week of Easter. New reflections will be added every Monday.

We’ve spent a few weeks now contemplating the great mystery of Easter.  And if you’ve been to any Sunday Mass recently, you’ve heard a wide variety of Gospel readings: first, the appearances of the Risen Christ to Mary Magdalene, then to the Apostle Thomas, then to the disciples on the way to Emmaus.  Then the Gospels shifted to some beautiful imagery that Christ used to describe himself: the Good Shepherd and the True Vine. The great variety of readings over the last few weeks remind us that Easter can’t be understood in just one way.  We have to come at it from different angles, and use different stories and images just to take it in. Any profound experience in our lives is like that. We might experience the birth of a child, or suffer the loss of a loved one, or undergo a sudden illness or even have a new and exciting possibility at work open up.  So this week you might ask yourself: Is there something in my life that I need to take time to ponder, time to understand? And how is God asking me to ponder this strange thing? Can I be as patient as the church is, in its journey to understand Easter?

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 6th Week of Easter. New reflections will be added every Monday.

We’ve spent a few weeks now contemplating the great mystery of Easter.  And if you’ve been to any Sunday Mass recently, you’ve heard a wide variety of Gospel readings: first, the appearances of the Risen Christ to Mary Magdalene, then to the Apostle Thomas, then to the disciples on the way to Emmaus.  Then the Gospels shifted to some beautiful imagery that Christ used to describe himself: the Good Shepherd and the True Vine. The great variety of readings over the last few weeks remind us that Easter can’t be understood in just one way.  We have to come at it from different angles, and use different stories and images just to take it in. Any profound experience in our lives is like that. We might experience the birth of a child, or suffer the loss of a loved one, or undergo a sudden illness or even have a new and exciting possibility at work open up.  So this week you might ask yourself: Is there something in my life that I need to take time to ponder, time to understand? And how is God asking me to ponder this strange thing? Can I be as patient as the church is, in its journey to understand Easter?

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 6th Week of Easter. New reflections will be added every Monday.

We’ve spent a few weeks now contemplating the great mystery of Easter.  And if you’ve been to any Sunday Mass recently, you’ve heard a wide variety of Gospel readings: first, the appearances of the Risen Christ to Mary Magdalene, then to the Apostle Thomas, then to the disciples on the way to Emmaus.  Then the Gospels shifted to some beautiful imagery that Christ used to describe himself: the Good Shepherd and the True Vine. The great variety of readings over the last few weeks remind us that Easter can’t be understood in just one way.  We have to come at it from different angles, and use different stories and images just to take it in. Any profound experience in our lives is like that. We might experience the birth of a child, or suffer the loss of a loved one, or undergo a sudden illness or even have a new and exciting possibility at work open up.  So this week you might ask yourself: Is there something in my life that I need to take time to ponder, time to understand? And how is God asking me to ponder this strange thing? Can I be as patient as the church is, in its journey to understand Easter?