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Community in Dispersion Resources

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.

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