Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 3
FOCUSING AND LISTENING
There is a direct linkage among self-examination,
meditation, and prayer. Taken separately, these practices
can bring much relief and benefit.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 98
If I do my self-examination first, then surely, I'll have
enough humility to pray and meditate—because I'll see and
feel my need for them. Some wish to begin and end with
prayer, leaving the self-examination and meditation to take
place in between, whereas others start with meditation,
listening for advice from God about their still hidden or
unacknowledged defects. Still others engage in written and
verbal work on their defects, ending with a prayer of praise
and thanksgiving. These three-self-examination, meditation
and prayer—form a circle, without a beginning or an end.
No matter where, or how, I start, I eventually arrive at my
destination: a better life.