DPD3 – The Daily Prayer of Discernment: The Examen Prayer with Fr. Timothy Gallagher

Episode 3 The Daily Prayer of Discernment: The Ignatian Wisdom of the Examen Prayer with Fr. Timothy Gallagher.
 The conversation continues on the subject of the first step in the Examen – GRATITUDE.   Why?  Because first, above all things, God is love.  So at the start of the prayer, we should recall the gift of love God has blessed us with that day and give Him thanks and praise and be concrete.  Fr. Gallagher offers examples of what that could look like.  Then the conversation begins the next step – PETITION.  Asking God to show you what see clearly the spiritual realities of that day.  

As outlined from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola
(translated from the autograph by Fr. E. Mullan, S.J.  1909 in the public domain)

METHOD FOR MAKING THE GENERAL EXAMENSt.-Ignatius-4
It contains in it five Points.

First Point. The first Point is to give thanks to God our Lord for the benefits received.
Second Point. The second, to ask grace to know our sins and cast them out.
Third Point. The third, to ask account of our soul from the hour that we rose up to the present Examen, hour by hour, or period by period: and first as to thoughts, and then as to words, and then as to acts, in the same order as was mentioned in the Particular Examen.
Fourth Point. The fourth, to ask pardon of God our Lord for the faults.
Fifth Point. The fifth, to purpose amendment with His grace.

OUR FATHER.

Father Timothy M. Gallagher, O.M.V., was ordained in 1979 as a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, a religious community dedicated to retreats and spiritual formation according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.  Fr. Gallagher is featured on the EWTN series “Living the Discerning Life:  The Spiritual Teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola”.  For more information on books and audio available for purchase from Fr. Timothy Gallagher check out his website: www.frtimothygallagher.org

 

For the other episodes in this series check out
Fr. Timothy Gallagher’s “Discerning Hearts” page

 

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