Emerging from COVID: An Examen
by Elaine Ireland
Easter, a time that calls us to rise as a new creation is so very welcomed and needed this year. We know our old sorrows have not fallen away; we may not yet have confident hearts or undoubting minds, but there are glimmers of light and signs of hope.
In his book Let Us Dream, Pope Francis writes:
I see this time as a reckoning…. To enter into crisis is to be sifted. Your categories and ways of thinking get shaken up; your priorities and lifestyles are challenged…. The basic rule of a crisis is that you don’t come out of it the same. If you get through it, you come out better or worse, but never the same.
We are living a time of trial...we are all tested in life. It’s how we grow. In the trials of life, you reveal your own heart: how solid it is, how merciful, how big or small…. You have to choose. And in making your choice you reveal your heart... When people’s hearts are tested, they become aware of what has held them down.
Each of us will emerge from this year differently as we all are different people. This is a time of sifting, retaining what is good from the past, letting go of old habits and things that no longer serve us; taking from this time of trial new thoughts and ideas for ourselves and communities.
Emerging from COVID: An Examen
Begin, as always, with thanksgiving:
Thank you, Lord, for helping me and my loved ones endure this past year. Thank you for health and peace. Thank you for being at my side as I confront loss and grief.
Thank you for all medical and essential personnel who have worked tirelessly—some, giving their very lives—to help others. I give thanks for your mercy on those who were and will be taken too soon from their loved ones. I thank you for (add your own prayers of gratitude.)
Ask the Spirit to shine a light on the past year.
This request for enlightenment is particular important as for many of us, the days all blended together. What events or stories or people stand out? Was there a particular book or prayer or sermon or webinar that spoke to you? Who or what helped you to cope? Try not to get caught up with “the best and worst” moments—remember, Jesus’ story is about how he lived in ordinary time, not just the Passion. What stood out?
Pick one thing that stands out for you.
It can be either something that gave you hope and consolation, or that caused you sorrow or grief, or something in between. (If it’s “nothing,” then pray about it.) Listen for the Spirit’s guidance. What is nudging you to prayer?
Reflect: Where the Spirit is leading you?
If it is somewhere difficult, ask the Spirit to show you what you are to learn. Are there blessings hidden behind the difficulty? Try not to relive or replay the thing on which you are praying. Look at it with new eyes.
Before you bring your prayer to a close, ask:
Lord, what would you like me to take forward into the post-pandemic world? How are you calling me to serve your creatures and creation? What is my personal vocation?
End prayer time by praying the “Glory Be...”
Elaine Ireland is a Christian writer, retreat leader, and spiritual director focused on finding God’s presence in the everyday, and on bringing the Scripture alive for our world today. She is currently the Spiritual Director for the Ignatian Volunteer Corps in Baltimore and serves as an adjunct retreat leader at Loyola on the Potomac. You can read her weekly Scripture reflections here at preacherexchange.com/comeandsee.