By Eleanor O’Hagan
Staff Writer
For the final installment of Franciscan University’s School of Prayer series, Brian Kissinger, former director of student life for the Austria program, spoke on the Examen in Christ the King Chapel on March 27.
Kissinger began by saying that it is important to remember that it is God and not the self that leads the individual into prayer.
Kissinger told the audience that the Examen was a prayer St. Ignatius of Loyola required of those in his order to pray once a day as a reminder of God being active in every part of the individual’s day.
“We are giving God access to everything on the inside” Kissinger said, “like stepping into the flood.”
Kissinger said that the Examen should be used to remember every moment of the day as well as the individual’s response to each moment.
“So often we forget,” Kissinger said, “that He (God) is worth my memory, understanding and interior life.”
Kissinger also spoke on the practicality of the daily Examen, saying that it is “in the here and now, something you can experience.”
Kissinger also spoke on the pressure to have a profound experience with God.
“Most of my life I was chasing these wild experiences with God” Kissinger said, adding that doing so led him “further from my real life.”
Kissinger said that remaining grounded in the reality of life, despite the situation, is where God can be found.
Free food from the fast food restaurant Chick-fil-A was provided for participants following the talk.
The event was the final part of Franciscan University’s School of Prayer series.