March 23, 2022

Dt 4:1, 5-9 

So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 

See, just as the Lord my God has charged me, I now teach you statutes and ordinances for you to observe in the land that you are about to enter and occupy. You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!’ For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?

But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children—

New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved. 

Gaining Wisdom Through the Examen

“But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life.” This sentence speaks to me of the regular practice of the Examen. Oh, what a gift it is to take care and watch oneself closely. To know, at the end of the day, that we are not responsible for other peoples’ behaviors, actions, or choices; but that we are responsible for our own. To be prayerful, attentive, and reflective of our choices is to enable our choices to become our teacher and guide. Reflecting each day upon our choices can teach us about who we actually are, and they can guide us to become who we desire to be. Compounding the insight gleaned from the Examen day after day after day, we can (with the help of God’s grace) become true Wisdom Keepers: those who hold a lifetime of wisdom, but not only for our own benefit. We are called to “make them known to [our] children and [our] children’s children —,” indeed, all the learners in our midst!  

What wisdom from your life would you like to share today? 

—Laura Gilmartin Hancock is finishing her formation in the Seminars in Ignatian Formation with the Midwest Province of Jesuits and ministers as a spiritual care provider with Soulcare MKE LLC.

Prayer 

Steps of the Examen 

1. Ask God for light.  
2. Give thanks.  
3. Review the day.  
4. Face your shortcomings. 
5. Look toward the day to come.  

Amen.  

—Adapted from Jim Manney, at www.ignatianspirituality.com