4th Monday: Obedient Presence

Staying with 4th Sunday reading. Read in full here Matthew 1:18-25
“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. “

Joseph rocks the “obedient presence” of a Christ-follower. He had a dream, listened to an angelic messenger, woke up and “just did it.” Not only did he say yes to God, but shows up as second chair in the Christmas (christ-mas: the celebration of Christ) symphony, with Mary in the first chair position. More on that later this week =)

How are you doing with being “obedience”? Do you clench your teeth or fists at the sound of that word? Do you doubt that your dreams could possibly messages from God? How do you know, obey, and participate in God’s plan for the world? Do you hear the word obey as a way to partner with the Love, which is the person of Christ and the way of God. How do you discern God is speaking to you?

The *Examen or Review of the Day, is a prayer practice that serves to help us discern and do God’s loving will in the world. Practiced daily, the Examen allows creates a automatic response to listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit, the motions of the soul and allows us to choose well!!

Practice:
Preparation: Take your journal and pen to a place where you feel safe and will not be disturbed or make this the final practice in your bed at night. Remember to breathe and be kind to yourself throughout this reflection. 

1. Breathe —Pay attention to your breath, and feel your God-given life deliberately. 
2. Ask God for light—Invite the Holy Spirit to be with you to see yourself as God sees you.  
3. Give thanks.—St Ignatius prayed, “give thanks to God for the favors received.”  
4. With that gratitude, review your day— Allow this to be a time of going over the memories of the day. Some people say to look at the day like you are watching your life on film. Face into the memories that God brings to your remembrance. 

Face these moments with the knowledge that you are a “loved sinner”—one who is beloved by God and misses the mark. 

• Face desolations. Remember times where you felt desolate; withheld something; spoke harsh words; experienced separation, darkness, coldness, or hurt; or felt the absence of faith, hope, and love. What happened in your body? Receive and give forgiveness here. 
• Celebrate consolations. Review the times you felt the presence of God, life, warmth, goodness, faith, hope, and love. What happened in your body? Taste the sweetness of it. Relish the goodness of it. Give thanks to God again for the favors you have received. 
• Look toward the day to come. Ask God to give you the grace to face your day with faith, hope, and love.  
• Now rest in the love of God. Fall asleep to the rhythm of your breath prayer or this breath prayer: “I rest—in God’s love.” ©Enneagram Personality Styles, Loughrige 2006, ©Motions of the Soul, Loughrige 2012

Taking 2nd chair,

Clare and Scott

*Based on The Examen, Ignatius of Loyola 

• Bonus:
  
  From Advent 2020 Vlog-  Pastor Kathleen Acker, Enneagram Style 6  talks about discerning God’s plan for her life and how obeying that plan has opened her to the lavish, loving nature of God. Let Kathleen be the obedient presence of Christ for us. All guests are Alumni of ©iEnneagram Certification Program
  

LOUGHRIGE SOURCES AND RESOURCES 

• Scott and Clare’s Enneagram books here  Enneagram Personality Styles, Motions of the Soul, and Spiritual rhythms for the Enneagram.
• New to the Enneagram? Learn more here.
• Scott and Clare’s Enneagram and Christianity Podcast
• BECOME A CERTIFIED ©iENNEAGRAM PRACTITIONER