The following prayer brings together a traditional Ignatian review of the day and a litany (which uses repeated verses and responses to strengthen the emotional intensity of prayer through rhythmic repetition). The specific prayers within this exercise are taken from Alexander Carmichael's Carmina Gadelica.
1. Become completely focused on this present moment and allow all other concerns or problems to dissolve from your consciousness. Become aware of God's goodness and of the many gifts that God has given to you, quietly acknowledging God's sustaining power in your life and in the world around you.
2. Consider your life. Bring to mind the times when you do not reflect God's goodness, the times when you squander or misuse the gifts God has given to you, and the times when you feel abandoned by God. Become aware of your desire to live in God's goodness and quietly affirm your desire to properly use the many gifts God has given you, asking for God's continuing guidance to help you achieve this goal.
3. Become aware of the need — both in you and in the world around you — for God's healing and redemptive presence.
• Open yourself to that divine presence as you ponder and pray the words of this traditional prayer:
I am bending my knee
In the eye of the Father who created me,
In the eye of the Son who purchased me,
In the eye of the Spirit who cleansed me,
In friendship and affection.
• Then, pray for the grace to see God's action in your life more clearly, to understand God's desires for you more accurately, and to respond to God's guidance to you more generously. Pray also that others in the world might see, understand and respond to God's guidance in their lives.
4. Now, review this day in your memory, allowing yourself to feel God's presence in its events and emotions.
• Remember waking this morning. Recall whether you awoke easily or with difficulty, calling to mind how you felt — whether you were happy, sad, relaxed or tense. Make a mental note of whether you felt God close to you or distant from you. Take a moment to consider these things, acknowledging the shaping presence of God in the beginning of the day, as you say:
I am bending my knee
In friendship and affection.
• Recall your preparations for the day. Remember whether you dressed quickly or slowly, calling to mind your thoughts and feelings. Ask yourself whether God was on your mind as you prepared for this day. Take a moment to consider any feelings that these memories evoke in you, acknowledging the shaping presence of God in them, as you say:
I am bending my knee
In friendship and affection.
• Bring to mind your morning. Recall those moments when you were alone and when you were with other people. Recall the emotions you felt during the morning hours, allowing specific feelings to connect to the things you did as well as the things about which you thought or talked. Ask yourself how God was present to you this morning. Take a moment to consider these images and feelings, acknowledging the shaping presence of God in them, as you say:
I am bending my knee
In friendship and affection.
• Call to mind what you did at midday, remembering those moments when you were alone and when you were with other people, becoming aware of any emotions associated with specific things you did or things about which you thought or talked. Ask yourself about the ways in which God was present to you or on your mind at midday. Take a moment to consider these images and feelings, acknowledging the shaping presence of God in them, as you say:
I am bending my knee
In friendship and affection.
• Remember your afternoon, recalling those moments when you were alone and when you were with other people. Recall the emotions you felt during the afternoon, particularly if they are connected to specific things you did or about which you thought or talked. Ask yourself how God was present to you this afternoon. Take a moment to consider these images and feelings, acknowledging the shaping presence of God in them, as you say:
I am bending my knee
In friendship and affection.
• Recall your evening, remembering those moments when you were alone and when you were with other people. Become aware of any emotions you felt during the evening hours as you consider the things you did as well as the things about which you thought or talked. Ask yourself how God revealed his presence to you this evening. Take a moment to consider these images and feelings, acknowledging the shaping presence of God in them, as you say:
I am bending my knee
In friendship and affection.
• Consider the present moment. Become aware of your feelings and your current sense of God’s presence. Take a moment to consider these feelings, acknowledging the shaping presence of God in this moment, as you say:
I am bending my knee
In friendship and affection.
5. Allow all the images and memories to flow freely in your consciousness, feeling God's presence in them. Make a mental note of your emotional responses to these images and memories as they ebb and flow. Then, become aware once again of your desire to live in God's goodness as you quietly affirm your desire to properly use the many gifts he has given you and ask for his continued guidance as you try to achieve this goal.
6. When you are ready, conclude with this traditional prayer:
Through your own Anointed One, O God,
Bestow upon us fullness in our need.
Love towards God,
The affection of God,
The smile of God,
The wisdom of God,
The grace of God,
The fear of God
To do in the world of the Three,
As angels and saints
Do in heaven;
Each shade and light,
Each day and night,
Each time in kindness,
Give us your Spirit. Amen.
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