Stories are amazing. Each one of us has a unique story. The facts and activities of our lives are all different. Yet there are themes that run through our story that are similar to the sacred story of others. We all have experienced happiness, joy, delight, surprise, illness, sorrow, suffering, pain, and sadness. I invite you to enter deeply into your story through Examen as you weave the Gospel story of Jesus’ passion together with your story.
Lectio Divina
First read slowly the story of Jesus (Luke 22:1-62) as he ate his last meal with his dear friends, went for an after dinner walk in the garden, prayed earnestly to God, and was arrested. The text is filled with details. Insight was given, conversation filled with wonder was shared, and ideas that surpassed “in the box thinking” about the future and the disciples’ relationship with Jesus. Within this text there is also sadness and misunderstanding, betrayal, and denial.
As you prayerfully read Jesus’ story, pause after each section and contemplate the words or phrases that speak most deeply to your heart. Imagine God whispering these words and phrases to you in your deepest heart place. Is there one segment of this story which speaks loudest to your heart? If so, that could be the focus of your Examen for today. God has a unique and specific invitation for you in this story. You may write down what you hear God whispering to your heart as you slowly pray the words of Scripture. Upon completion of this prayer-filled reading pause and give thanks to God for the out pouring of Jesus’ love through this time of sacred reading with Jesus’ dearest disciples.
Your Story
After examination of the Scripture, place any written words you may have scribed as you reflected on the Gospel story aside and rest in silence near God’s heart of prayer. While resting near God’s heart remember your story. You may choose to reflect upon your most recent events of life from the past twenty-four hours or you may hark back to old remembrances you have lived since last Easter. These memories may include but are not limited to crisis, family joy, or mundane routines. As you consider your personal story let it become your Lenten Examen for this year. Once you decide upon remembrances from your life that you will pray, contemplate your story and listen for God’s recollection of the events as they are informed by the insight from the Gospel story.
What emotions and words stick out in your mind and heart as you review your sacred story? How could God be inviting you to greater understanding while viewing these recollections from God’s perspective? Look beyond the surface of facts and wonder about God’s desires, presence, love, and healing empowerment for you in your memories. When you have completed your time of Examen with your sacred story, offer a prayer of thanksgiving and expression of gratitude to God.
Invitation to Contemplation
Now comes the fun moment as you weave together Jesus’ story and our own story. Where would you place your life experiences in Jesus’ story? Is your story filled with laughter, sharing a meal with family and friends? Could your story touch upon the sorrow of betrayal by a dear friend or co-worker? Possibly your story inspires your heart to earnest prayer, as Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. Or does your story lead you into personal agony like Peter who hurt and deserted a loved one in their time of need? As you pray and review your sacred story, where in this Maundy Thursday Scripture is you heart most captivated so that you may notice new insights and the “ah ha” moment of God’s shimmer grace in your life?
When you are ready, after weaving together Jesus’ story of dining, dashing and deepening prayer with your sacred story sit in silence for a few moments and soak into the heart of God.
Contemplative Experience
Please plan a two-step approach for each daily devotional. First, read the devotional and mentally review the reflection questions. This could be your morning devotional time. That way you can contemplate on the material throughout your day. The questions are simply to prime the heart’s creative imagination in preparation for writing your Love Letter to God and your imagined response from God. Your Love Letter portfolio is your gift of this process. It is to be a written record of how you and God companion one another through this season. It is the inward formational journey of these six weeks during which you may find yourself becoming God’s Love Letter to others through your daily life.
At the end of the day, center yourself before God in silence and solitude for writing your Love Letters. To begin, enter your sacred space and invite God into your awareness. This invitation may begin with the repetition of your favorite name for God silently in your mind. This may look like focusing your mind and heart upon the name Jesus: Jesus… Jesus… Jesus…Take an intentional breath slowly in through your nose as the Divine presence of the risen Christ breathes into you. Let that breath of Jesus float slowly down your throat, into your lungs and imagine it going into each cell of your body. After a moment – exhale slowly and let the air escape through your slightly parted lips. With this exhale let the stale air carry away resistances and busyness of your day, so that you may come fully into God’s presence. Repeat this breathing invitation to God several times before moving to the next step of contemplation and journaling.
Morning: In preparation for writing your Love Letters, consider the Examen of your sacred story and how it weaves through Jesus’ story from Luke.
- What word or words jump out to your heart’s attention the from the Scripture and your sacred story
- Hold this word(s) or short phrase in your heart throughout your day.
- Contemplate how could God be whispering a Word to your heart and or your communities’ heart through this word(s)?
- With whom do you most identify this year from the Gospel passion?
- Is there an action or thought which you are called to embody.
- What questions arise for you around your word from scripture as God invites you into this season of Lent?
Writing your Love Letter to God
Evening: Continue your time of prayer in the evening after a contemplative day with pen in hand and imagination open before God. Today’s Love Letter to God focuses on your word that you discerned from scripture. Consider:
- How will you address God? Maybe you will use “Dear God”, possibly something more extravagant such of “To my Heart’s Love.” Be as creative and free in expression as your soul desires as you write to God.
- What do you imagine that you could whisper to God about the scripture from Joel and your discerned word? Maybe your Love Letter to God will focus upon how you are starting this Lenten trek with God’s resounding Word. Are there fears, joys, concerns that you would like to express to God?
- How will you close your letter. Might you close in gratitude, humility, or another posture of love?
Next write the imaged response letter from God to you. This may take a leap of faith. Possibly a conversation with a spiritual director may be helpful to open imagination for how God whispers to your heart. Consider your image of God. Is God a judge, a Shepherd, inclusive Love, or perhaps the Vine to your branches? How does your image of God influence your imagined response letter from God.
What do you imagine God longs to whisper to your heart in response to your Love Letter to God?
- How does God feel about what you have written?
- How does God embrace and care for your concerns, or celebrate your joys?
- Sit silently and listen. Imagine how God desires to write a letter back to you. How does God address you in the greeting of the letter? What feelings are expressed within the letter from God to you? Try to look at yourself through God’s eyes and heart. Remember in your imagination that God looks upon the inward nature of those whom God loves. Your image of God will shape how you imagine God would respond to your Love Letter.
- How does God close this Love Letter to you?
With these two letters, the one you write to God and God’s imagined response to you, you begin your portfolio of becoming a living Love Letter to God. You may desire to create a cover page for your love letters so that you can store them in a binder or possibly create a folder upon the computer just for your Lenten love letters. Upon completion of your letters, pause for a moment of silent thanksgiving for God’s resounding Word and love in life.
After giving thanks for uncovering God’s presence through your word discovery and writing your Love Letters to God and to you from God, re-read your own words. Be gentle with yourself. You are not evaluating what is written. Simply come to the text with the wonder if God has any other wisdom or words to share with you through this archeological reading of your words. If you discover any further insight from God, you are free to add to your portfolio with additional resounding Words of wisdom.
When you have completed praying, place your Love Letter portfolio on your altar table or in the absence of a table, bring it to your heart in an embrace. Offer a prayer of gratitude for all the gifts of God’s insights. You may use this prayer or one of your own.
Dear Jesus, I turn my heart to you in Examen of my life story. Help me to notice how you have gone before me in all my experience. Gift me with insights for my current living through my sacred story. Lead me each year into an Examen of my full year to see where I am living through your Maundy Thursday experiences. Guide me through the desert wilderness so that I may truly experience your resurrection opportunity come Easter dawning. Amen.
