HOME SOME THEMES IN ENGLISH SPIRITUAL
EXERCISES VIA INTERNET
SIX STEPS OF PRAYING REVIEW OF PRAYER DISTRACTION EXAMINATION OF
CONSCIENCE
Giuse Phạm Thanh Liêm, S.J.
Review of prayer is not a proper part of a prayer. However for Saint Ignatius it is very important to help a retreatant to know himself and improve his prayer. If the time reserved for a prayer is one full hour [12.13] then the time suggested for review of prayer is 15 minutes [77]. For this reason, we should practice review of prayer carefully. Saint Ignatius wrote in his book entitled Spiritual Exercises on the matter of review of prayer:
“After an exercise is finished, either sitting or walking, I will consider for the space of a quarter of an hour how I succeeded in the meditation or contemplation. If poorly, I will seek the cause of the failure and after I have found it, I will be sorry, so that I may do better in the future. If I have succeeded, I will give thanks to God our Lord, and the next time try to follow the same method” [77].
Ignatius told us to do the review of prayer in 15 minutes for a prayer period of 60 minutes. If you pray for 45 minutes, then your review of prayer would take 10 minutes.
In the review of prayer, you will evaluate your prayer if it is successful or poor; if it is good, then thank God and try to do the same in the next prayer; if it is poor you must recognize its cause, then you say sorry to God and improve it in the next prayer.
These questions are helpful to realize the review of prayer:
1. How did I feel in this prayer? Am I pleased with this prayer?
2. What grace did I get? Did I get the appropriate grace of this prayer (grace asked in fourth step)? What did God tell me?
3. What causes me to feel unsatisfied with this prayer?
What were my distractions? What is the root cause and its significance?
4. Thank God for all the goodness granted and express sorrow for lack of effort.
If it is possible, note your experiences immediately after the prayer is concluded, as this process is very helpful for your growth in your spiritual life.
HOME SOME THEMES IN ENGLISH SPIRITUAL
EXERCISES VIA INTERNET
SIX STEPS OF PRAYING REVIEW OF PRAYER DISTRACTION EXAMINATION OF
CONSCIENCE
Best wishes to you!
liempham