Discovering Yourself by Getting to Know Jesus Better
The Gift of Being Yourself by David Benner was one of my favorite books from last year. and I’ve been slowly rereading it, trying to taking in all he has to say and put it into practice. One of the best chapters explains how to get to know Jesus better.
He strongly encourages daily meditation on the gospel and on life experiences in the Ignatian style:
“First, take a moment to quiet yourself in God’s presence. Close your eyes and ask God to take the words of Scripture and, by the power of his Spirit, make them God’s Word to you. Ask for the gift of a few moments of Spirit-guided imaginative encounter with Jesus. Then slowly read the [gospel passage] several times—preferably out loud.”
After reading the gospel passage:
“Now allow yourself to daydream on the situation presented in the story…Then, as if you were a spectator, observe the events as they unfold. Watch, listen and stay attentive to Christ….And don’t try to analyze the story or learn lessons from it. Just be present to Jesus and open to your own reactions.”
And concerning a prayerful review of our day (what Ignatius called the examen), he has this to say:
“The goal of a prayerful review of recent life experiences is not self-analysis…Instead the goal is simply increased awareness of God in the events of life and the depths of my being. It is attending to the God who is present. In general, ‘what’ questions (such as What was I feeling? What disturbed me about that comment? What exactly made me anxious?) are better than ‘why’ questions (Why did I feel threatened? Why did that bother me?)….Just accept whatever comes from each experience, each day.”
Finally, he suggests taking fifteen minutes at the end of each day to do the following:
- First, take your journal and find a quiet place where you can sit undisturbed.
- Select a Gospel account of one event in the life of Christ. After a brief prayer inviting God to allow you to imaginatively enter this experience and encounter Jesus, spend five minutes daydreaming on the passage.
- After thanking God for the gift of time spent with Jesus, ask for help in reflecting on your day in order to better discern Divine Presence during it.
- Allow the events of the day to replay before you. Accept whatever comes into focus, no matter how trivial it initially appears to be, as a gift from God. Ask for help to discern Divine Presence in the experience.
- End your time by thanking God for gifts received during this process.
This fifteen-minute exercise would be a peaceful, fruitful way to end the day. The gospel passage could be taken from the next day’s Mass readings.
If you’re feeling a desire to become more authentic, more integrated, and more in tune with the person you were created to be, then I highly recommend The Gift of Being Yourself: The Sacred Call to Self-Discovery.
