John 8:12 – Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." (NKJV)

With the book entitled Red Moon Rising, the authors, Pete Greig and Dave Roberts, make reference to a rising full moon known as a harvest moon, as seen by people in the northern hemisphere in the autumn. In their book, they recount the growth and "harvest" resulting from the "24-7 Prayer" movement which began in the latter part of 1999. "24-7 Prayer" begins when a community of Christians sets up a place, called a Prayer Room, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, where individuals commit to go and pray for one-hour shifts. Communities worldwide have set up Prayer Rooms for a week or a month, and some Prayer Rooms have never closed.

While I am not yet a member of a community which keeps a Prayer Room, I did adopt in my personal prayer time one centuries-old approach to prayer encouraged by "24-7 Prayer" called "the Prayer of Examen", developed by Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556). The person at prayer deliberately recollects the events of the previous 24 hours, expresses gratitude to God, and notices the Lord's presence in the memories.

One day as I did Examen, I recalled Jesus saying, "I am the light of the world", with the very exciting associated thought that His statement is recorded in John's gospel just after the account of the woman caught in adultery. Jesus as the light of the world expressed unconditional love and a very different perception and evaluation of the woman from the one communicated by the crowd which brought her to Him.

For me, a daily Examen is an intentional invitation for the light of the world to show me His evaluation of my memories. Forgiving is easier now because Examen allows me to look at upsetting wrongs in a kinder, bigger, brighter light. Hope rises faster because troubles surrounded by the light of Christ lose their associated fears and gain loving possibilities.

Another benefit of Examen prayer is learning that I do not have to wait to connect with the light of the world once every 24 hours. I can seek His presence at any moment, just by taking a breath to express gratitude to God for His unconditional love and mercy.

May I recommend that you try doing a daily Prayer of Examen for 30 days and see what you find?

Prayer: Father in heaven, in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord, we ask for the light of life in ever-increasing measures. Amen.

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About the author:

Pat Bell <llebpat@gmail.com>
Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada
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