As the Saint Louis University community temporarily transitions to remote learning, we encourage all to take a moment each day to "plug in" to our common mission and identity by sharing in a communal prayer, reflection, or thought.
The Office of Mission and Identity encourages all to be deliberate about building unity through community by countering fear with faith and by choosing our common mission over isolation.
Examen
The Examen brings the events of daily life into one’s prayer by reflecting on where the presence of God has been in the places, people and situations of the day. St. Ignatius felt the gift of the Examen was so important that he required the Jesuits to practice it twice a day. A version of the Daily Examen is below with links to explore other ways to pray it.
The Examen Prayer
Begin from a posture of gratitude: Recall one or two experiences that fill you with hope or happiness.
Ask for the light of the Holy Spirit to see my day honestly and fully: Pause for a moment to gain some perspective so that you may recall the whole of your day.
Slowly review your day: See the faces of the people you met and the places you have been. Recall things you thought, said and felt. When did you experience beauty, joy, freedom, generosity? When did your heart grow bigger and lighter? When did you experience anxiety, fear, cynicism, bitterness? When did your heart grow smaller and heavier?
Ask for forgiveness for any times of selfishness: Admit where you have fallen short of living as your best self. Place the moments into God’s heart.
Look toward tomorrow in hope and confidence: Tomorrow offers another chance to live more freely, joyfully and generously.
Try closing with a prayer or words of your choosing from one of the following sources:
Additional Resources
Looking for additional ways to connect to the Jesuit mission during this time?
Prayer
- Prayer for Generosity: When our day is coming to a close reflect on the acts of generosity witnessed today while also considering how we can be generous to others.
- Anima Cristi: As we draw nearer to Palm/Passion Sunday, still experiencing the reality of a community dispersed and exiles from attending Mass in person, this hauntingly beautiful prayer might provide a harmonic expression for our hopes, our concerns, and our longings. "Passion of Christ strengthen me, O Good Jesus, hear me..."
- Prayer of Pedro Arrupe: There is nothing more practical than finding God, than falling in Love in a quite absolute, final way.
- The Suscipe: The Suscipe, St. Ignatius' famous prayer, provides a means of petitioning God for our needs as well as placing our trust in God's providence. Let us pray together as OneSLU this act of holy abandonment into God's hands.
Mission Matters Podcast
- Mission Matters: The Launch: Fr. Chris Collins and Sr. Virginia
- Mission Matters Podcast 1: Kevin Cloinger and Lara Pennington, Anthropedia
- Mission Matters Podcast 2: Cristina McGroarty, and Nurse Stories
- Mission Matters Podcast 3: Jordan Glassman and Megan Tartell and Student Experiences
- Mission Matters Podcast 4: Brooks Goedeker and St. Louis Midtown Redevelopment Corporation
- Mission Matters Podcast 5: David Brinker and MOCRA
- Mission Matters Podcast 6: Tom Hare and Suzy Kickham and CASA Belize
- Mission Matters Podcast 7 : Paul Lynch and the Prison Education Program
- Mission Matters Podcast 8: Lisa Jaegers and the Transformative Justice Initiative
- Mission Matters Podcast 9: Molly Schaller and Michelle Verner and the Life of the Student
- Mission Matters Podcast 10: Fr. Ronny O'Dwyer, SJ and the Billiken Teacher Corps
- Mission Matters Podcast 11: Melissa Apprill and Campus Kitchen
- Mission Matters Podcast 12: Tom Auffenberg and the Next Chapter
- Mission Matters Podcast 13: Patrick Cousins and Erin Schmidt and Campus Ministry
- Mission Matters Podcast 14: Fr. David Meconi, SJ and the Catholic Studies Program
- Mission Matters Podcast 15: Steven Belt and Grace Workman & Claver House
- Mission Matters Podcast 16: Ness Sandoval and Immigration in St. Louis
Talks, Lectures, Articles and More
- Robert O'Toole, S.J., Ignatian Spirituality Lecture: Part 1, Part 2 , Part 3
- Fr. Chris Collins, S.J. : Ignatian Spirituality Lecture Series, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
- America Magazine Article: SLU's Michael Rozier, S.J., of the College for Public Health and Social Justice, offers insight into how we can maintain our humanity during our days of social distance and quarantine.
- Standing at the Foot of the Cross: Sr. Virginia Herbers, ASCJ, talk at the White House Retreat Center
- Digital Ignatian Discernment Retreat: As the days and weeks continue with this global crisis, the longing for making meaning out of the fear and uncertainty becomes all the stronger. The Jesuits have created an Ignatian Digital Retreat that provides a profound experience of praying through these realities. Darkness conquered by light; fear by faith. Participate in this Four-Part Series
- Jesuit Resources from Xavier University
- The Jesuit Post: Signs of Easter: Seeking Good News Around Us