Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
James Martin, S.J.March 05, 2018

Examen Logo

Subscribe to “The Examen” for free on Apple Podcasts
Subscribe to “The Examen” for free on Google Play

We’re deep into Lent now, a time of spiritual preparation. Many of us give things up in order to prepare ourselves spiritually for Easter. But how many of us actively do things to prepare? In other words, how many of us choose to do something positive? It’s great to give up chocolate—if it helps you spiritually, reminds you of your control over your body, and maybe if you give the money to the poor. But what about doing something positive?

How about this: Call someone in your family or circle of friends who is lonely. Give something to your favorite charity. Forgive someone against whom you hold a grudge. As you do the examen, you might consider what other things you might be invited to do, things that God might be inviting you to do.

 

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

Although overtly campaigning to be pope is discouraged and would be counterproductive, the cardinals do a lot of politicking in private prior to the conclave.
Thomas J. ReeseApril 22, 2025
Pope Francis’ final moments were peaceful, and he managed to give one last farewell to his nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, before slipping into a coma early April 21, Vatican News reported.
All of Pope Francis' gestures, meetings and desires for encounter were themselves a form of “teaching.” And L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics and their families have told me repeatedly what a difference this change in approach has meant. 
James Martin, S.J.April 22, 2025
Pope Francis was a great lover of literature: He peppered his homilies, talks and even encyclicals with literary references from Dostoyevsky, Proust, Hopkins, Dante and more, and he also encouraged his flock to read broadly and often.
James T. KeaneApril 22, 2025