APRIL 2022
Te Examen is a method of reviewing your day in the presence of God. It’s actually an attitude more than a method, a time set aside for thankful reflection on where God is in your everyday life. It has five steps, which most people take more or less in order, and it usually takes 15–20 minutes per day. Here it is in a
nutshell: •
Ask God for light. We look at our day with God’s eyes,
• not merely our own. Give thanks. We thank God for the day we have just
• lived and recognize it as a gift. Review the day. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we
• carefully look back on the day just completed. Face our shortcomings. We face up to what is
• wrong—in our life and in our self. Look toward the day to come. We ask God for the grace we need in the day to come.
(Version of the Examen from A Simple, Life-Changing Prayer by Jim Manney, Loyola Press)
Te Examen is a powerful tool in deepening our relationship with God, who wants us to become our best selves.
An Ignatian Way of Proceeding
When my wife and I visited Hawaii some years back, we were shown around one day by our dear friend Jayne Ragasa-Mondoy, the Director of the Catechetical Office for the Diocese of Honolulu. As I was doing the driving with my wife riding shotgun, Jayne sat in the back seat and played the role of tour guide and navigator to perfection. At one point, we got stuck in traffic. Jayne sensed that I was getting a little frustrated and feared that I might honk my horn at someone.
Pre-emptively, she said, “Joe, don’t blow your horn at people. Tat’s not how we do things here!” I went on to learn a number of things about the Hawaiian “way of proceeding” that are very different from the southside of Chicago “way of proceeding.”
Tis notion of a “way of proceeding” is at the heart of Ignatian spirituality and helps us to reflect on the fact that, as followers of Jesus, we should have a different way of proceeding—a different way of thinking, acting, and speaking. Trough this Ignatian “way of proceeding,” countless numbers of people over the past five hundred years have come to discover their “best self.” May you and all those whose lives you touch through the ministry of music enjoy this grace as well!
Joe Paprocki, DMin, is the National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press in Chicago, IL. He has been in pastoral ministry for over 40 years, has authored over 20 books (including his most recent, Preparing
Hearts and Minds: 9 Simple Ways for Catechists to Cultivate a Living Faith), and has presented in over 150 dioceses in North America. Joe received his Master’s Degree from the Institute of Pastoral Studies (Loyola University of Chicago) and his Doctor of Ministry Degree from the University of St. Mary of the Lake (Mundelein Seminary). Joe blogs about his catechetical experiences and insights at
catechistsjourney.com. Joe and his wife Joanne reside in Evergreen Park, IL, minutes from their two children and four grandchildren.
Summer Chant Workshop
Learn to sing English and Latin chant and incorporate it into today’s parish liturgy.
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