A few weeks ago, I read a book called The Daily Examen by Chad Torgerson. Based on the journals of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the daily examen is a short prayer of practice at the end of each day. At first, I thought this practice referred to a daily examination of conscience, a practice I had heard about growing up. However, this is not really the same thing at all, although it may include an examination of conscience.
The daily examen rather is a practice of reflection on where grace has appeared during the day, and giving thanks for those moments. The brief evening prayer may also include looking back over one's sins (or general grumpiness, for that matter) and asking for the grace to overcome these weaknesses. The key concept is that we are looking for God's presence in our lives, however.
The practice was so simple that I started doing it immediately. Within a week, I was noticing the graced moments of the day not in the evening, but as they occurred, and giving thanks for them at the moment they occurred. One day, as my sister and I had spent the day painting the house I am trying to sell, I loaded my purse, lunch bag, and pieces of used cardboard in the car to head home, exhausted. As I crossed the railroad tracks about half a block away from the house, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten the antibiotic I was taking. I knew I could not skip 2 or 3 doses until the next day, so had I arrived home without the medicine, I would have had to make the return trip to retrieve it.
I was so grateful to my guardian angel or whoever whispered in my mind that I forgot how tired I was just being thankful. Now I find moments of joy every day, as I say to myself, "That was a graced moment!" I guess you might say this simple practice is like walking in the presence of God all day!
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