Seek and you shall...journal?

I bought myself a Christmas gift.

I've been meaning to get back into journaling for awhile now, so I decided to put an end to my excuses. This journal's format provides space to daily record morning and evening entries. The morning entry focuses on gratitude as well as anticipated challenges and grace you need from God. The evening entry focuses on the high and low moments from your day. At the end of each week, there is a weekly reflection as well as ponder questions and space for prayer intentions.

It's incredibly simple and structured...and that makes it all the more likely I will use it (thoughtfully). I think it makes a difference to go into each day naming a challenge you anticipate so that you are aware of it when it comes and how God can help you in that situation or with those feelings.

The back of the book includes a number of Jesuit prayers. I've included a few of my favorites here:

You can read more about the journal at the Ignatian Resources website. If you think journaling may help your relationship with God and others, I recommend you look into getting one (or at least getting a blank notebook).

In other news, I saw a post on someone's Facebook or Instagram about a Saint's name generator - it's a website that randomly gives the user a Saint. The idea is that you learn more about the Saint or you invoke the Saint's help for the year (or for a time period). Lo and behold, I got St. John Bosco! Needless to say, I was pretty excited (even if it is just a random online generator). I love the Salesians - and they keep finding a way to come back into my life...

The Saints are a great way to grow closer to God and to inspire us to live each day striving to be the best versions of ourselves. Inspired by this, one of my New Year's goals is to invoke the intercession of both John Bosco and Mary, Help of Christians, each day during 2018. (I'm also trying to cook more regularly and eat more healthily this year, but that's another story for another time...)

St. John Bosco, pray for us! Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us! I hope 2018 is off to a wonderful start for you and your loved ones.

Examine the Examen

Lent has always been a much needed time to refocus my prayer life, and this season is no different. Something I started to do every night before going to bed is pray the Ignatian Examen.

As the website above explains, there are 5 simple steps* to follow in this prayer:

1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.

*In the book I am currently using (Reimagining the Ignatian Examen), it uses 5 R's to remember the steps: Relish, Request, Review, Repent, Resolve.

There are a few things I have found to be most wonderful about this routine of prayer:

1) It takes less than 15 minutes...but those 10 +/- minutes are meaningful.

2) It is easy to use, and it helps me walk through the day in such a way that I focus on the good.

3) Best of all, it allows me to wake every morning with gratitude as the first thing on my mind.


I look forward to using the variations on the Examen as laid out in the book throughout (and after) the Lenten season. I encourage you to try your hand at the Examen too, especially if you are looking for a different prayer experience.

I pray that you continue to have a blessed Lenten season. Remember to find things (both large and small) for which to be grateful and for which to give thanks to God!