Encountering Christ in the Daily Examen

Homily, Encountering Christ in the Daily Examen
The First Sunday in Lent, Year A
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Plant City, FL

The Rev. Derek M Larson, TSSF

In the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. 

What does the devil look like? I ask because as we follow Jesus these forty days into the Lenten wilderness, I want to be on the look out. I want to be prepared. The book of First Peter says to “be watchful for your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” And if that’s the case I think it’s probably important that we know, so what does the devil look like?

I always find it interesting to see the ways that movies portray the devil. You have the classic horned figure dressed in red with a tail and pitchfork. I’m remembering Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ where the devil was portrayed as a hooded woman with a shaved head and shaved eyebrows. Then a number of years ago now the History Channel came out with a series called The Bible. You remember this? There was a little bit of a controversy with their portrayal of the devil because he had a striking resemblance to a former President of the United States. I don’t know if that was intentional or not. 

But I think my favorite portrayal of the devil comes from a movie called Last Days in the Desert. The movie reimagines the story in our gospel today of Jesus being tempted in the desert. In the movie Jesus is played by Ewan McGregor and the devil is played by….Ewan McGregor. And so throughout the film you have this eerie image of Jesus being tempted in the desert while looking at a mirror image of himself. 

And I find that fascinating because isn’t that how we typically experience temptation in our lives? Normally, when temptation comes it doesn’t come in the voice and appearance of someone else—especially not a horned figure in red with a tail and pitchfork. Normally when it comes, it comes subtly as a voice in our own head that sounds eerily like our own. 

If only it were more obvious what voices are speaking in our lives. If only it were as clear and obvious as the devil walking up to us and tempting us to sin. If only we heard the voice of God and the voice of the devil as clear and straightforward as it appears to have been in our gospel passage today and just before it when the heavens opened and a loud voice proclaimed about Jesus, “You are my Son, the Beloved.”

Alas, most of the time it’s more subtle than that. 

The voice of God speaks quietly within, amidst a hundred other voices.

How, then, can we discern the voice of God?

How, then, can we recognize the voice of temptation?

How, then can we know the difference? 

There’s an ancient prayer practice I think is helpful, called the Daily Examen. 

Today is the first Sunday of Lent, and each week in this season I’m going to introduce you to a different form of prayer. As we journey together with Jesus to the cross and empty tomb, I invite you to carve out some time in your week to try out some of these prayer practices so that we deepen our faith and connection to the ever present love of God. 

Today we begin with the Daily Examen.

While the practice has existed in some form for much longer, it was systematized and popularized by Saint Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th century, and it is a very, very simple practice. 

Essentially, it is a prayerful review of the day.

You begin by carving out a time to sit in the presence of God, and you start with gratitude. You thank God for God’s presence. For the voice of God in your life. For your blessings. 

Then you ask God to help you discern God’s voice. Where did God feel present? Where did God feel absent.

You then gently and prayerfully review all the events and encounters of the day. Some people like to start in the present moment and work backwards. Some people like to start from the moment they woke up and work forwards. The important thing is, as you are remembering the events and activities of the day, to notice where you felt most present to God and where you felt least present to God. 

Notice the patterns, the circumstances, the context for those moments. And rest with that for a while. You may want to linger over a particular moment. To repeat it over in your mind with the eye of your heart.

And as you do this, you slowly begin to notice where God’s voice showed up and where other voices showed up. You begin to notice the subtle differences. You become more aware of them. 

And the more you do this each day, whether at the day’s beginning or end, you’ll notice that you start doing it through the day as well. That you are practicing the examen in real time, noticing God’s voice and presence and other voices and presences. 

And the more you notice them, the more you are able to act in alignment with them. The more you notice them, the more you will tune your heart to hear how God is speaking to you through the very mundane, everyday moments of life. 

Which leads us to the next part of the Examen. Once we become aware of how we were present and absent to God throughout our day, we can then (A) ask God for forgiveness for our absence and (B) ask God to help us be more present the next day. It’s as simple as that. 

  1. Begin your prayer with being present to God in gratitude.
  2. Ask God to help you discern God’s voice. 
  3. Prayerfully call to mind each moment of your day and how God felt present or absent in each.
  4. Ask for God’s forgiveness and mercy for the times you were absent.
  5. Ask God to help you be more present in the next day. 

I don’t know that Jesus was practicing the Examen out there in the desert when he was tempted by the devil. But I do know that in each moment his heart was tuned towards the voice and presence of God. When the voice of the devil came, it was clear to Jesus that it was not the voice of God. And he was able to withstand temptation because he was rooted in God’s presence. 

The Daily Examen is a simple way to cultivate a habit of staying present to God, that we might recognize his voice when he is speaking, and the voice of others when they are speaking. 

You know, I don’t know what the devil looks like. And I’m not even sure I know what his voice sounds like. But I can tell you, the Daily Examen helps me know what his presence feels like. And what’s more, it helps me know what God’s presence feels like. 

And when temptation comes, that makes all the difference in the world. Amen. 

Questions for Reflection

  1. In what moments throughout my day do I feel most aware of God’s presence, and how can I create more of those moments?
  2. What voices or influences do I encounter regularly that may not align with God’s voice? How can I discern between them?
  3. Reflecting on my recent experiences, when did I struggle to feel connected to God? What circumstances contributed to that feeling?
  4. How can the practice of the Daily Examen help me to be more present to God in the coming days? What steps will I take to incorporate it into my routine?
  5. In times of temptation, how can recalling my experiences of God’s presence through the Daily Examen strengthen my ability to resist those temptations?