"Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will." Romans 8.26-27
(http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072317.cfm accessed 18th July 2017)
This passage of scripture particularly struck me when I was reading through the Gospel about the darnel and the wheat. In many cases we put in a great deal of effort into making sure that we accomplish something in our spiritual life. There is a sense that we need to get it right and line up everything in a row. In this scenario we put a lot of responsibility on ourselves and seeking God on our own terms. However, there are times when at the end of the day we struggle to make sense of what is happening in the world. Those times when we seemed to solve all the problems of the world over a cup of coffee seemed to have disappeared into the mist of the day. We look at what has happened and what is happening and we seek to make sense of it all. We want God to discover us rather than it all being about ourselves.
This is why the examen at the end of the day we need to be present to God if only for a few moments. I would propose that it can be done quite simply by seeking to discover what God wants us to be present to:
For what are we thankful?
Where did we discover ourselves becoming most alive?
What deadened us or drained us of energy?
What would we seek to be present to tomorrow?
This is not about a labouring over the day but rather seeing what floats to the surface and which God wishes us to be most aware of. The sense of being present to God in this way incarnates our faith not just based on our own abilities and insights but on how God is drawing us deeper into a relationship of life and love.
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will." Romans 8.26-27
(http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072317.cfm accessed 18th July 2017)
This passage of scripture particularly struck me when I was reading through the Gospel about the darnel and the wheat. In many cases we put in a great deal of effort into making sure that we accomplish something in our spiritual life. There is a sense that we need to get it right and line up everything in a row. In this scenario we put a lot of responsibility on ourselves and seeking God on our own terms. However, there are times when at the end of the day we struggle to make sense of what is happening in the world. Those times when we seemed to solve all the problems of the world over a cup of coffee seemed to have disappeared into the mist of the day. We look at what has happened and what is happening and we seek to make sense of it all. We want God to discover us rather than it all being about ourselves.
This is why the examen at the end of the day we need to be present to God if only for a few moments. I would propose that it can be done quite simply by seeking to discover what God wants us to be present to:
For what are we thankful?
Where did we discover ourselves becoming most alive?
What deadened us or drained us of energy?
What would we seek to be present to tomorrow?
This is not about a labouring over the day but rather seeing what floats to the surface and which God wishes us to be most aware of. The sense of being present to God in this way incarnates our faith not just based on our own abilities and insights but on how God is drawing us deeper into a relationship of life and love.
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