Examen - 05 2025
Transcript
Welcome.
Thank you for taking this time to pause and reflect.
For some, this may be a prayer.
For others, a meditation, a quiet space to notice where goodness, presence, and dignity have appeared in your life this week.
At Loyola, and through our work with the Labre Homeless Outreach Ministry, we are reminded of a core Ignatian value: seeing the dignity of every person.
Labre invites us into encounter, not to fix or to save, but to see and to be seen, to recognize the divine spark or simple goodness that lives within each of us.
Begin by taking a deep breath in and slowly breathing out. Again, breathe in and breathe out.
Let your breath bring you into the present.
Let your shoulders relax.
Let your mind settle from the movement of the day.
For these next few minutes, there is nowhere else you need to be.
Think back over your week.
When have you felt truly seen, recognized for who you are?
Maybe it was a small gesture, a word of kindness, or someone simply listening to you with care.
What did that feel like?
Where did you sense dignity, yours, or another’s, being honored?
Now, turn your attention outward.
Think about the people you have encountered this week, those close to you and those you may not know.
Friends, classmates, coworkers, neighbors.
And also the people you walk by on your way to the train or grocery store,
the person sitting with a cup of change,
the family selling candy,
the people walking beside you, each with their own story.
Take a few moments to imagine them clearly.
What do they look like?
What might they be thinking or feeling?
Consider their struggles, their joys, their hopes, and their fears.
When have you recognized their dignity?
Did you smile, make eye contact, or acknowledge their presence?
Were there moments when you looked away or passed by without noticing?
Now imagine what it would feel like to pause next time.
To truly see them, even for a brief moment.
To allow yourself to notice their humanity and their story.
Think about your own actions this week.
How have you lifted up the dignity of others, in big ways or small?
Maybe through a kind word, listening without judgment, offering help, or simply acknowledging someone’s presence.
Notice how these actions made you feel and what they might have meant to the other person.
Take another deep breath.
As you breathe out, imagine sending a wave of respect, care, and understanding toward all the people who come to mind.
Let your heart expand to include both those close to you and those you encounter fleetingly.
Now consider the small, often unseen ways you participate in creating dignity in your environment.
Perhaps you have helped someone navigate a challenge, shared a meal, given encouragement, or offered a moment of quiet attention.
Even a smile or a nod can remind someone that they matter.
Reflect on these moments and hold them with gratitude.
What about the ways you honor your own dignity in your day to day life?
On Labre, we go out to share food and conversation with our neighbors experiencing homelessness, people whose dignity is often overlooked by those around them
In these interactions, we get to experience the simple joys that others hold onto even when the world around them is harsh.
Things like art, music, poetry, the food we love, the sports teams we cheer, or the stories we have to tell ignite our spark, and remind us of the beauty of our shared humanity
These small things can help us feel grounded in ourselves. They allow us to connect to our inner voice and spirit and to share who we are at our core with others
Take a moment to reflect on the small joys of your week.
Did you get to do something you love?
Maybe you read a good book or ate a great meal.
Recall these small moments now. Honor the peace or the happiness you may have felt from these simple things. As humans, we are entitled to the simple joys of life. They are not things to be earned, nor can they be taken away. Regardless of what life throws at us, or how those around us treat us, we are all worthy of peace, of safety and of happiness.
When we acknowledge this truth, we honor our own human dignity. Let’s sit with that for a moment.
When you sit with that statement, what comes up for you? How have you honored your own joy? How have others recognized or celebrated your joy with you this week? How have you honored the joy of others?
In what other ways do you see yourself honoring the dignity of yourself and others in your life?
Do you allow yourself to make mistakes? Do you see others for more than just their mistakes, more than just their struggles, or their tragedies?
Do you respect your own choices? Do you allow other people to have freedom in their choices without judgement or ridicule?
Do you honor the parts of your story that are vulnerable and unique? Do you listen to the stories of others without assuming or trying to label?
Take a moment now to hold these questions in your heart.
As we close this examine, we invite you to carry these questions with you as you move forward with your week. Pay extra attention to the way you show up for others in the days ahead, and the ways others show up for you. Notice the small ways you find your humanity being honored, or the ways in which you feel it isn’t. As you go about your time, let this awareness move you to keep an open heart and search for the dignity in all you encounter.
November 05, 2025
Examen: Human Dignity
SUMMARY: Notice where goodness, presence, and dignity have appeared in your life.
PRESENTER: Hannah Schmidt and Lucy Cano, Student leaders, Labre Homeless Outreach
Transcript
Welcome.
Thank you for taking this time to pause and reflect.
For some, this may be a prayer.
For others, a meditation, a quiet space to notice where goodness, presence, and dignity have appeared in your life this week.
At Loyola, and through our work with the Labre Homeless Outreach Ministry, we are reminded of a core Ignatian value: seeing the dignity of every person.
Labre invites us into encounter, not to fix or to save, but to see and to be seen, to recognize the divine spark or simple goodness that lives within each of us.
Begin by taking a deep breath in and slowly breathing out. Again, breathe in and breathe out.
Let your breath bring you into the present.
Let your shoulders relax.
Let your mind settle from the movement of the day.
For these next few minutes, there is nowhere else you need to be.
Think back over your week.
When have you felt truly seen, recognized for who you are?
Maybe it was a small gesture, a word of kindness, or someone simply listening to you with care.
What did that feel like?
Where did you sense dignity, yours, or another’s, being honored?
Now, turn your attention outward.
Think about the people you have encountered this week, those close to you and those you may not know.
Friends, classmates, coworkers, neighbors.
And also the people you walk by on your way to the train or grocery store,
the person sitting with a cup of change,
the family selling candy,
the people walking beside you, each with their own story.
Take a few moments to imagine them clearly.
What do they look like?
What might they be thinking or feeling?
Consider their struggles, their joys, their hopes, and their fears.
When have you recognized their dignity?
Did you smile, make eye contact, or acknowledge their presence?
Were there moments when you looked away or passed by without noticing?
Now imagine what it would feel like to pause next time.
To truly see them, even for a brief moment.
To allow yourself to notice their humanity and their story.
Think about your own actions this week.
How have you lifted up the dignity of others, in big ways or small?
Maybe through a kind word, listening without judgment, offering help, or simply acknowledging someone’s presence.
Notice how these actions made you feel and what they might have meant to the other person.
Take another deep breath.
As you breathe out, imagine sending a wave of respect, care, and understanding toward all the people who come to mind.
Let your heart expand to include both those close to you and those you encounter fleetingly.
Now consider the small, often unseen ways you participate in creating dignity in your environment.
Perhaps you have helped someone navigate a challenge, shared a meal, given encouragement, or offered a moment of quiet attention.
Even a smile or a nod can remind someone that they matter.
Reflect on these moments and hold them with gratitude.
What about the ways you honor your own dignity in your day to day life?
On Labre, we go out to share food and conversation with our neighbors experiencing homelessness, people whose dignity is often overlooked by those around them
In these interactions, we get to experience the simple joys that others hold onto even when the world around them is harsh.
Things like art, music, poetry, the food we love, the sports teams we cheer, or the stories we have to tell ignite our spark, and remind us of the beauty of our shared humanity
These small things can help us feel grounded in ourselves. They allow us to connect to our inner voice and spirit and to share who we are at our core with others
Take a moment to reflect on the small joys of your week.
Did you get to do something you love?
Maybe you read a good book or ate a great meal.
Recall these small moments now. Honor the peace or the happiness you may have felt from these simple things. As humans, we are entitled to the simple joys of life. They are not things to be earned, nor can they be taken away. Regardless of what life throws at us, or how those around us treat us, we are all worthy of peace, of safety and of happiness.
When we acknowledge this truth, we honor our own human dignity. Let’s sit with that for a moment.
When you sit with that statement, what comes up for you? How have you honored your own joy? How have others recognized or celebrated your joy with you this week? How have you honored the joy of others?
In what other ways do you see yourself honoring the dignity of yourself and others in your life?
Do you allow yourself to make mistakes? Do you see others for more than just their mistakes, more than just their struggles, or their tragedies?
Do you respect your own choices? Do you allow other people to have freedom in their choices without judgement or ridicule?
Do you honor the parts of your story that are vulnerable and unique? Do you listen to the stories of others without assuming or trying to label?
Take a moment now to hold these questions in your heart.
As we close this examine, we invite you to carry these questions with you as you move forward with your week. Pay extra attention to the way you show up for others in the days ahead, and the ways others show up for you. Notice the small ways you find your humanity being honored, or the ways in which you feel it isn’t. As you go about your time, let this awareness move you to keep an open heart and search for the dignity in all you encounter.