Free Write Friday: Take some time to do a written Examen of your week. Journaling is often a significant part of the Ignatian Exercises, and the daily Examen makes space for noticing: Where have I been? What am I feeling? Where have I caught glimpses of God? Of the invitations for my own soul? Where did I have a sense of darkness or confusion? When did a moment shimmer with light or joy? When did I experience faith, joy, love? When did I feel disoriented? Take a moment to become present to the One who is attending to you now, even as you sit down to write. Ask God for a particular "grace" you are aware of desiring in this moment. What do you hope will come of this time spent journaling? Ask for that, aware that it is all gift. Then, consider your week and begin to write through exactly what it has held. You may want to enter in more deeply to one or two moments that stand out to you, exploring them with God--what you were/are feeling around them, what they bring up for you, what invitations there may be. Name the gifts and the difficulties, all with God. Name again your desire moving forward into the weekend; as you hold what has-been this week, what do you find yourself longing for in the coming days? Talk to God about that, all on the page. Try not to pause and muse for long periods of time--just keep journaling and see what comes out of you that you may not even have known was there! What do you discover in this process?

Posted by Jamie Bonilla at 2023-09-01 20:30:41 UTC