“Know thyself.”
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Before we can begin thinking about personal spiritual goals, we must conduct a “spiritual inventory” and examine our own lives, understanding where we are and where we want to be.
The first task of looking inward is conducting an “examen” in the fashion of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The founder of the Jesuits provides us with a formula that many practice on a daily basis in order to gain further insight into their spiritual lives. Here is how Saint Ignatius describes the steps of the examen:
First Point. The first Point is to give thanks to God our Lord for the benefits received.
Second Point. The second, to ask grace to know our sins and cast them out.
Third Point. The third, to ask account of our soul from the hour that we rose up to the present Examen, hour by hour, or period by period: and first as to thoughts, and then as to words, and then as to acts, in the same order as was mentioned in the Particular Examen.
Fourth Point. The fourth, to ask pardon of God our Lord for the faults.
Fifth Point. The fifth, to purpose amendment with His grace.
Being grateful to God for the gifts we have received is an essential part of assessing our spiritual lives, for we know that all grace comes from Him. Secondly, it is important to recognize where we have fallen to understand what hinders us from living a faithful life committed to God and His plan. These sins will help us in making appropriate spiritual goals, recognizing areas we want to improve.
In particular, notice the sins that keep on coming up. For example, if you go to confession on a regular basis, you will notice that you keep on confessing the same sins over and over and over again. Write those down. We will get back to those when we are going forward and looking at certain goals we want to achieve.
Spend 15 – 30 minutes performing an examen that covers the past month.
The next step in performing a spiritual inventory is assessing your prayer life. Here are some various questions to ask yourself:
Do you have a quiet place (like a prayer corner) where you can be with God and not be interrupted?
When do you pray? At a set time each day or whenever you get a chance?
Are you awake and rested at these times so that you can really pray effectively?
Do you say prayers with your family?
When do you say family prayers?
Do you pray before and after meals?
Do you spend any time in shared prayer with friends?
Do you pray in the car, or at your desk or job?
How do you determine what to pray for?
Do you include any of the following elements in your prayers?
Worship
Praise
Thanksgiving
Intercessions
Adoration
Are your prayers specific?
Do you make use of a prayer book?
Do you expect an answer to your prayers?
Do you stop to listen when you pray?
Do you pray in silence to listen to God?
Do you pray specific standard prayers or meditations or do you have a spontaneous conversation with God?
Do you pray for God’s grace and help?
To whom do you typically address your prayer? God, the Father; Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit?
Do you ask anyone to intercede for you: the Blessed Mother or a specific Saint?
Do you attend Sunday Mass weekly?
Do you attend daily Mass?
Do you participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession)?
Next, look inside yourself and dwell upon your view of God and His actions.
Who is God for you?
How do you picture God in your imagination?
Does God appear present or distant in your life?
Do you trust God?
Have you doubted God’s existence?
Do you struggle with the presence of evil in the world?
Do you believe that God is always in charge?
Are you angry at God? Have you ever been angry at Him?
Have you felt God’s presence in your life?
Last of all, ask yourself these questions.
Are you satisfied with your spiritual life?
Do you feel at peace with who you are and where God is leading you?
If you died today, do you feel confident that you would go to Heaven? Purgatory?
There are many more questions to ask, but this should give you a good start and help you assess where you are now, so that you can make goals of where you want to be.