- James McElhone Particular Examen is concerned with developing character towards the good. It takes into account the chief vices, their manifestation in a person’s life, and offers practical remedies in all aspects of one’s life. The soul who is self-aware in regards to their temperament will take this examination and fit it with a suitable personalized course of action.
Rooting out these faults or tendencies to sin will make the soul happier as they are frequently the source of unhappiness to ourself as well as the unhappiness towards others. 18
Grace is exponential. Virtue/light vice/darkness. Virtue comes in, darkness flees.
Darkness has no substance, no matter. God can do anything. God cannot do evil. Thus, evil has no substance. Absence of good that ought to be there.
Before the fall, no downside of the temperaments. Temperaments exposed to the light, become facets of various good with the light of grace. Both sanctification of self and others.
Particular Examen is a daily exercise and it helps us determine our progress.
The subject of the Particular Examen is one’s predominant fault. A predominant fault is that fault that brings forth one’s ordinary temptations or that which one is prone to fall or into which one has fallen most frequently in the past. 21-22
What a delight it would be, a deep satisfaction of living one week for God. 25 This is the ideal and it takes heart, perseverance and courage.
A standard method of overcoming a predominant fault is to practice the opposed virtue. Another way is to practice ones strongest virtue, the virtue of predilection. (ex/ Baylor many years ago and oldest daughter)