The Examen with Fr. James Martin, SJ

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 4th Week of Lent. New reflections will be added every Monday.

Lent is drawing to a close. For Christians, that means not only is there some anticipation for the celebration of Easter, but also some inevitable disappointment about your Lenten spiritual practices. Maybe you resolved to do something that you didn’t do--like pray more. Or you resolved not to do something that you did do--like gossip less. So maybe you feel a bit stuck. That’s really common in the spiritual life. Everyone feels disappointment. The key is, simple as it sounds, not giving up. God gives you a new opportunity for spiritual growth every day.

And that’s not some generic offer from God. I mean that God give you, personally, a new invitation for you to grow spiritually every single day. That’s something to think about as you do your examen. Where did you respond to that invitation?

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 4th Week of Lent. New reflections will be added every Monday.

Lent is drawing to a close. For Christians, that means not only is there some anticipation for the celebration of Easter, but also some inevitable disappointment about your Lenten spiritual practices. Maybe you resolved to do something that you didn’t do--like pray more. Or you resolved not to do something that you did do--like gossip less. So maybe you feel a bit stuck. That’s really common in the spiritual life. Everyone feels disappointment. The key is, simple as it sounds, not giving up. God gives you a new opportunity for spiritual growth every day.

And that’s not some generic offer from God. I mean that God give you, personally, a new invitation for you to grow spiritually every single day. That’s something to think about as you do your examen. Where did you respond to that invitation?

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 4th Week of Lent. New reflections will be added every Monday.

Lent is drawing to a close. For Christians, that means not only is there some anticipation for the celebration of Easter, but also some inevitable disappointment about your Lenten spiritual practices. Maybe you resolved to do something that you didn’t do--like pray more. Or you resolved not to do something that you did do--like gossip less. So maybe you feel a bit stuck. That’s really common in the spiritual life. Everyone feels disappointment. The key is, simple as it sounds, not giving up. God gives you a new opportunity for spiritual growth every day.

And that’s not some generic offer from God. I mean that God give you, personally, a new invitation for you to grow spiritually every single day. That’s something to think about as you do your examen. Where did you respond to that invitation?

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 4th Week of Lent. New reflections will be added every Monday.

Lent is drawing to a close. For Christians, that means not only is there some anticipation for the celebration of Easter, but also some inevitable disappointment about your Lenten spiritual practices. Maybe you resolved to do something that you didn’t do--like pray more. Or you resolved not to do something that you did do--like gossip less. So maybe you feel a bit stuck. That’s really common in the spiritual life. Everyone feels disappointment. The key is, simple as it sounds, not giving up. God gives you a new opportunity for spiritual growth every day.

And that’s not some generic offer from God. I mean that God give you, personally, a new invitation for you to grow spiritually every single day. That’s something to think about as you do your examen. Where did you respond to that invitation?

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 4th Week of Lent. New reflections will be added every Monday.

Lent is drawing to a close. For Christians, that means not only is there some anticipation for the celebration of Easter, but also some inevitable disappointment about your Lenten spiritual practices. Maybe you resolved to do something that you didn’t do--like pray more. Or you resolved not to do something that you did do--like gossip less. So maybe you feel a bit stuck. That’s really common in the spiritual life. Everyone feels disappointment. The key is, simple as it sounds, not giving up. God gives you a new opportunity for spiritual growth every day.

And that’s not some generic offer from God. I mean that God give you, personally, a new invitation for you to grow spiritually every single day. That’s something to think about as you do your examen. Where did you respond to that invitation?

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 4th Week of Lent. New reflections will be added every Monday.

Lent is drawing to a close. For Christians, that means not only is there some anticipation for the celebration of Easter, but also some inevitable disappointment about your Lenten spiritual practices. Maybe you resolved to do something that you didn’t do--like pray more. Or you resolved not to do something that you did do--like gossip less. So maybe you feel a bit stuck. That’s really common in the spiritual life. Everyone feels disappointment. The key is, simple as it sounds, not giving up. God gives you a new opportunity for spiritual growth every day. And that’s not some generic offer from God. I mean that God give you, personally, a new invitation for you to grow spiritually every single day. That’s something to think about as you do your examen. Where did you respond to that invitation?

We'll continue to use the same reflection and examen for the rest of the 4th Week of Lent. New reflections will be added every Monday.

Lent is drawing to a close. For Christians, that means not only is there some anticipation for the celebration of Easter, but also some inevitable disappointment about your Lenten spiritual practices. Maybe you resolved to do something that you didn’t do--like pray more. Or you resolved not to do something that you did do--like gossip less. So maybe you feel a bit stuck. That’s really common in the spiritual life. Everyone feels disappointment. The key is, simple as it sounds, not giving up. God gives you a new opportunity for spiritual growth every day. And that’s not some generic offer from God. I mean that God give you, personally, a new invitation for you to grow spiritually every single day. That’s something to think about as you do your examen. Where did you respond to that invitation?

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

Lent is drawing to a close. For Christians, that means not only is there some anticipation for the celebration of Easter, but also some inevitable disappointment about your Lenten spiritual practices. Maybe you resolved to do something that you didn’t do--like pray more. Or you resolved not to do something that you did do--like gossip less. So maybe you feel a bit stuck. That’s really common in the spiritual life. Everyone feels disappointment. The key is, simple as it sounds, not giving up. God gives you a new opportunity for spiritual growth every day. And that’s not some generic offer from God. I mean that God give you, personally, a new invitation for you to grow spiritually every single day. That’s something to think about as you do your examen. Where did you respond to that invitation?

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

Lent is drawing to a close. For Christians, that means not only is there some anticipation for the celebration of Easter, but also some inevitable disappointment about your Lenten spiritual practices. Maybe you resolved to do something that you didn’t do--like pray more. Or you resolved not to do something that you did do--like gossip less. So maybe you feel a bit stuck. That’s really common in the spiritual life. Everyone feels disappointment. The key is, simple as it sounds, not giving up. God gives you a new opportunity for spiritual growth every day. And that’s not some generic offer from God. I mean that God give you, personally, a new invitation for you to grow spiritually every single day. That’s something to think about as you do your examen. Where did you respond to that invitation?

A new reflection will be added on Monday.

We’re deep into Lent now, a time of spiritual preparation. Many of us give things up in order to prepare ourselves spiritually for Easter. But how many of us actively do things to prepare? In other words, how many of us choose to do something positive? It’s great to give up chocolate—if it helps you spiritually, reminds you of your control over your body, and maybe if you give the money to the poor. But what about doing something positive?

How about this: Call someone in your family or circle of friends who is lonely. Give something to your favorite charity. Forgive someone against whom you hold a grudge. As you do the examen, you might consider what other things you might be invited to do, things that God might be inviting you to do.