The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life

by James Martin

The maxim of “illusory religion” is as follows: “Fear not; trust in God and He will see that none of the things you fear will happen to you.” “Real religion,” said Macmurray, has a different maxim: “Fear not; the things you are afraid of are quite likely to happen to you, but they are nothing to be afraid of.”

We try to be formed and held and kept by him, but instead he offers us freedom. And now when I try to know his will, his kindness floods me, his great love overwhelms me, and I hear him whisper, Surprise me.

Gratitude, peace, and joy are ways that God communicates with us. During these times, we are feeling a real connection with God, though we might not initially identify it as such. The key insight is accepting that these are ways that God is communicating with us. That is, the first step involves a bit of trust.

Yet no matter how happy our lives are, part of this restlessness never goes away; in fact, it provides a glimpse of our longing for God. “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you,” as Augustine wrote, 1,500 years before Peggy Lee and Bono. This longing is a sign of the longing of the human heart for God. It is one of the most profound ways that God has of calling us. In the echoes of our restlessness we hear God’s voice.

“I miss the God that inspired Italian painting and French stained glass, German music and English chapter houses, and those tumbledown heaps of stone on Celtic headlands which were once symbolic beacons in the darkness and the storm.”

Here is how I like to do the examen. It’s only slightly modified from what St. Ignatius suggests in the Exercises. Before you begin, as in all prayer, remind yourself that you’re in God’s presence, and ask God to help you with your prayer. 1. Gratitude: Recall anything from the day for which you are especially grateful, and give thanks. 2. Review: Recall the events of the day, from start to finish, noticing where you felt God’s presence, and where you accepted or turned away from any invitations to grow in love. 3. Sorrow: Recall any actions for which you are sorry. 4. Forgiveness: Ask for God’s forgiveness. Decide whether you want to reconcile with anyone you have hurt. 5. Grace: Ask God for the grace you need for the next day and an ability to see God’s presence more clearly.