Evening rereading and covenant prayer

Saint Ignatius of Loyola invites us to re-read our lives. This spiritual exercise is a real help in getting to know ourselves better, growing in our spiritual life and developing a spirit of gratitude. One way of putting this advice into practice is to start by making it a habit every evening to do a short review of one's day under God's gaze. Also known as the prayer of covenant, this time allows us to say thank you, forgive and please to the Lord. But what does it actually involve, and how can we live out this time of prayer, guided by the Holy Spirit?

What does it mean to "re-read your day"?

Rereading one's day means looking back in faith at the events of the day. Unlike introspection or self-examination, which pass judgment and moral scrutiny on our actions, rereading is above all a way of discovering God's traces in our lives.

Under God's gaze, we reflect on what we have lived, done, seen, felt, exchanged and shared. We can then discern the action of the Holy Spirit, the moments when we welcomed him, but also the moments when we did not.

It's not a question of harboring regrets or bitterness, but of taking a more conscious look at our lives to detect the paths that God is opening up before us , so that we can face the next day with peace and serenity.

Practical tips for rereading your day in the evening

To see the fruits of God's love in our lives, it's a good idea to take this time of rereading on a regular basis. A few minutes each evening can really change the way we look at our lives, and help gratitude to grow within us.

This time of rereading is a time of prayer. It's important to put ourselves in the right conditions to experience it, by settling down in a quiet place. Let's take the time to settle in and prepare ourselves for this time of interiority, especially after a busy day (Vittoz exercises can help). Once we've settled in, we turn to God and become aware of his presence (see tips for starting this time of prayer).We can invoke the Holy Spirit to enlighten us in this exercise.

If we wish, we can take a notebook and jot down the elements of our rereading so that, after a while, we can take a more global look at our journey.

Three stages in the covenant prayer

1- Thank you

• What are the moments of joy and peace in my day? What opportunities for wonder have been given to me? These don't have to be impressive things; they can be as simple as birdsong in the morning, a smooth commute, the smile of a passer-by on the street, the satisfaction of having handed in a file on time...
• What signs (however small, however simple) of affection and attention have I received or given? 
• What gestures or words of encouragement, comfort or reassurance have I received or offered?

I thank God for each of them. I realize that they were all signs of God's love for me.

I alsothank him when, thanks to his Spirit, I was able to be an instrument of his love for those I met.

I'm aware of everything I've been able to experience with him, in him today, and I take the time to express my gratitude in my own words, in my own way.

2- Forgiveness

• What are the times of day when I've strayed from God: times when I've doubted, when I've let myself be carried away by bad thoughts, when I've been judgmental...?
• What are the situations where I've turned away from others, where I've preferred to look away rather than reach out, where I've stirred up divisions rather than calmed a situation?

I entrust each of these situations to God's mercy I humbly ask his forgivenessfor the evil I did or the good I didn't know or didn't want to do today.

I realize that this has distanced me from him, from the joy in which he wants me to live. I open myself to his infinite mercy.

3 - Please

I take a good look at my weaknesses and ask God to strengthen me and help me grow. I can entrust God with a resolution I'd like to make or something I'd like to work on, a virtue I'd like to cultivate in myself and a small concrete effort I'd like to make tomorrow in that direction.

I can also entrust him with delicate situations, worries that remain present at the end of the day. I ask him for his Spirit to guide me, to help me make the right decisions, to act according to his will.

I can end this meditation time with a prayer or a psalm.