According to St. Paul, Jesus will come again to this Earth “like a thief in the night” (1 Thess 5:2). In other words, the end of the world will come suddenly. Therefore, St. Paul encourages us to be alert and sober, and not to give ourselves up to sleep or to a drunken stupor. We should be happy and excited about the return of our master, attentive to any signs of his arrival. Think of how a child gets excited waiting for Christmas, or a family member gets excited about the arrival of a loved one. Like them, we must pay attention to all the various ways that God can come into our lives.
The Ignatian examen is one way of cultivating this vigilance. During the examen, ask yourself how God was present to you today. Exercise your memory. Reconsider the things you have observed and the things you have overlooked. Was God, perhaps, reaching out to you in ways that you had not realized? Resolve to be more attentive next time, and to avoid the activities that blind you to God’s presence.