(Photo Credit Wikimedia Commons – Jerónimo Ezquerra Visitation)

By Melissa Gurash

In our Gospel for this fourth Sunday, we see Elizabeth surprised and caught off guard by Jesus. How often do we feel like Elizabeth in this passage and exclaim as she did, “Why has this happened to me, that my Lord comes to me?” It’s so easy for us to see from the outside when others have experiences of the Holy Spirit in their lives. We can find ourselves going through our lives not seeing God with us, yet he is always with us. As a spiritual director, I am keenly aware of how the spirit is moving in others, and yet, it is just as true that it often takes someone else to point it out.

It can seem like God is only there in the big ‘a-ha’ moments. We can forget that God is, in fact, present in every one of our moments, in all of the little gifts of each and every day. A good way to discover God’s activity in your life, especially if you haven’t spent a lot of time with it, is to pray the Examen prayer. This prayer from St. Ignatius walks us through a reflection of our day to see where God has been present and how he’s been walking with us through even the most mundane moments of our day. A good time to do this prayer is at the end of your day. It gives you an opportunity to reflect on the day, see all of the ways God was present, and spend time thanking him for his presence.

I recall when I first sought out a spiritual director, life was a bit challenging, and my faith was struggling simply because I couldn’t see how God was active in my life. The true gift of direction was how my eyes were opened to all the ways God was breaking into my life. Once I started to see it, it was so obvious to me, yet I had been missing it all along. To see God’s activity in our lives, we have to really practice it, and it’s a lot like muscle memory; the more you do it, the easier it becomes to see.

In our spiritual lives, we have times of desolation, times when we do not feel close to God and times of consolation, where we feel him close to us. It’s a reality of our spiritual lives that we don’t stay in one place indefinitely but move between these two spaces, sometimes daily. It’s helpful, when you find yourself not feeling God’s presence in your life, to take time to really reflect on your day. You will be surprised at how creative God is and how he’s able to break into even the most ordinary moment to provide you with his comforting presence.

As we head into this final week of Advent, it may be fruitful to take some time to be in quiet reflection with God. Pray the Examen and ask God to show you where he was in your day. The time ahead is busy with last-minute preparations, family gatherings, and activities. It will be a noisy world. At this time, it’s especially good to make sure to take some quiet time to still ourselves and see where God is amongst all of the bustle. For me, this can be a very grounding experience and provides me with the space to rest with God. Perhaps, like Elizabeth, we can find ourselves proclaiming with great and surprising joy, “Why has this happened to me, that my Lord come to me?”

Praying the Examen:

  • Awareness of God’s Presence: Reflect on your day with the Holy Spirit, seeking clarity and understanding for the events that may have felt confusing or overwhelming.
  • Gratitude for the Day: Walk through your day with thankfulness, noting big and small blessings. Recognize God in the details of your interactions, work, and experiences.
  • Emotional Reflection: Examine your emotions and consider what they might reveal about God’s guidance. Look for lessons in moments of frustration, joy, or other feelings, and explore what God may be communicating through them.
  • Focused Prayer: Choose a specific moment or experience from the day that stands out. Pray about it, allowing your prayer to flow naturally from your heart, whether for guidance, thanksgiving, or repentance.
  • Preparation for Tomorrow: Reflect on the challenges ahead for the next day. Pray for clarity, guidance, and hope, turning any feelings of doubt, excitement, or worry into prayer for God’s help.