So in keeping with our look at some foundational spiritual practices, and coming off the examen prayer, I wanted to also share something I found a couple years ago that I found helpful and meaningful: The Prayer Process.As has happened to me a few times now, whenever I make fun of a book title, it is that very book that becomes one of my favorites upon actually reading it. So a couple years ago, my spiritual partner Dave and I went to retreat at Saint Meinrad monastery, and each guest room had this book by Matthew Kelly, The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic. Growing up non-catholic, I was like, “What is this? Sounds so cheesy.”

So I pick it up, subconsciously in order to probably mock it, and wouldn’t you know it, it’s really good and pulled me right in. So basically the book is based off of studying the catholic church and specifically those who are the most involved ministering and serving. You know the ole 80/20 rule? 20% of the people do 80% of the work? Well, in this study, they found it was actually 7% doing most of the load. The new 93/7 rule.

So they studied this 7%. What did they have in common? What’s going on there? Well, they found many things, but just four things that they ALL had in common, which were:

• Prayer – They are committed to daily prayer
• Study – They are continuous learners
• Generosity – They are very generous with their time and money
• Evangelization – They invite others to grow spiritually by sharing the love of God with them

So here is what he gives as a possible starting point to prayer, a contemporary version of the examen. You might like it.

THE PRAYER PROCESS BY MATTHEW KELLY From THE FOUR SIGNS OF A DYNAMIC CATHOLIC (2012) His Web Site: DynamicCatholic.com
Be Bold. Be Catholic.

In The Prayer Process we take time – a minute, two minutes or maybe ten minutes – to spend time with the Lord every day. Pick a specific time when you will pray; ex. Morning Prayer or Night Prayer. It is an intentional way that we grow in our faith. The seven steps of The Prayer Process are as follows:

1. Gratitude: Begin by thanking God in a personal dialogue for whatever you are most grateful for today.
2. Awareness: Revisit the times of the past twenty-four hours when you were and were not the-best-version-of-yourself. Talk to God about these situations and what you learned from them.
3. Significant Moments: Identify something you experienced today and explore what God might be trying to say to you through that event (or person).
4. Peace: Ask God to forgive you for any wrong you have committed (against yourself, another person, or Him) and to fill you with a deep and abiding peace.
5. Freedom: Speak with God about how he is inviting you to change your life, so that you can experience the freedom to be the-best-version-of-yourself.
6. Others: Lift up to God anyone you feel called to pray for today, asking God to bless and guide them.
7. Finish by praying the Our Father.

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In the Name of Jesus,
Soli Deo Gloria