DAY 14
Saving Grace: (30 Seconds) The greatest Dragon Slayer that ever lived (other than Jesus himself) was the virgin Mary. Satan's pride is no match for the humility of Mary. He doesn't know how to employ it or deal with it... that is why he is always in direct confrontation with the woman. Satan said "I will not serve." Mary said "Do whatever he tells you." Nobody's prayers are more powerful than Mary's. Invoke the power of that intercession with the Memorare.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.
Athletics: (30 seconds) We will use the acronym S.P.O.R.T.S to focus on 6 virtues that will keep you focused all 40 days. Virtue of the day: Sportsmanship.....people are never the enemy. The enemy is evil. The battle is internal. Nothing and nobody can stop you from becoming a saint except yourself. You have the power to choose, and winning is not about having more points on the scoreboard or beating everyone else to the finish line, its about having the courage to get in the race and give all you have. The only failure is not to try. It's you against you. When you lose, and you will, take responsibility and get back up. Don't make excuses. When you win, be humble and give the glory to God.
INSTRUCTOR'S MANUAL: (62 minutes) Today is session three of the SIMU video series, the Instructor's Manual. The video will actually give you a one hour summary of the entire story you are watching in the Great Adventure series. You will see how Jesus is the new Adam, the new David, the new Moses, the new Joseph, and so much more. Remember, put yourself in the story. Every character is a mirror. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWqYWEiaJgg
Need to Know Him: (10 minutes) Spend 10 minutes in the classroom of silence. Get the plans from the Divine Architect.
Theology of the Body: (1 minute) Question of the Day: "Is baptism required to enter heaven? I have concerns for family members who are not, presently a grandchild. Also my spouse."
Here is what the Catechism says, "The Lord Himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation....Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament." It goes on to say however, "God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments." (CCC 1257) In other words, The Church does everything she can to take seriously the call from our Lord to see that all who can be baptized are "reborn of water and the Spirit", but God is not bound by the form of the sacraments as we do them. For instance, someone who has never been taught the Gospel or never had the opportunity to be baptized is not necessarily doomed to hell. We entrust souls to God and his infinite mercy, but we do not take lightly his call to baptize. We should do everything we can to encourage and invite those who have not been baptized to partake in the faith and receive the sacraments. Continue to pray for, invite, and love your family members unconditionally and trust and believe in God's infinite mercy that He will lead them home. I would prayerfully consider having a conversation with the parents of your grandchild and your spouse to get their thoughts on the topic and share yours in a loving way...at least get them thinking. It is also important to note that God is perfectly just and perfectly merciful. Sin is a conscious turning away from God. The way I understand it, God does not send people to hell, we choose our destination by the way we respond to his Grace and Mercy in this life. We can not judge hearts, but God can.
Sacrifice and Service: (2 minutes) This is something I need to read...maybe you do too.
SON: "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"
DAD: "Yeah sure, what is it?"
SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?"
SON: "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "If you must know, I make $100 an hour."
SON: "Oh! (With his head down).
SON: "Daddy, may I please borrow $50?"
The father was furious.
DAD: "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work too hard every day for such childish behavior."
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $50 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
DAD: "Are you asleep, son?"
SON: "No daddy, I'm awake".
DAD: "I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier. It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $50 you asked for."
The little boy sat straight up, smiling.
SON: "Oh, thank you daddy!"
Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.
DAD: "Why do you want more money if you already have some?"
SON: "Because I didn't have enough, but now I do.
"Daddy, I have $100 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness. It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do you remember to share that $100 worth of your time with someone you love? If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family and friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.
Saving Grace: (30 Seconds) The greatest Dragon Slayer that ever lived (other than Jesus himself) was the virgin Mary. Satan's pride is no match for the humility of Mary. He doesn't know how to employ it or deal with it... that is why he is always in direct confrontation with the woman. Satan said "I will not serve." Mary said "Do whatever he tells you." Nobody's prayers are more powerful than Mary's. Invoke the power of that intercession with the Memorare.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.
Athletics: (30 seconds) We will use the acronym S.P.O.R.T.S to focus on 6 virtues that will keep you focused all 40 days. Virtue of the day: Sportsmanship.....people are never the enemy. The enemy is evil. The battle is internal. Nothing and nobody can stop you from becoming a saint except yourself. You have the power to choose, and winning is not about having more points on the scoreboard or beating everyone else to the finish line, its about having the courage to get in the race and give all you have. The only failure is not to try. It's you against you. When you lose, and you will, take responsibility and get back up. Don't make excuses. When you win, be humble and give the glory to God.
INSTRUCTOR'S MANUAL: (62 minutes) Today is session three of the SIMU video series, the Instructor's Manual. The video will actually give you a one hour summary of the entire story you are watching in the Great Adventure series. You will see how Jesus is the new Adam, the new David, the new Moses, the new Joseph, and so much more. Remember, put yourself in the story. Every character is a mirror. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWqYWEiaJgg
Need to Know Him: (10 minutes) Spend 10 minutes in the classroom of silence. Get the plans from the Divine Architect.
Theology of the Body: (1 minute) Question of the Day: "Is baptism required to enter heaven? I have concerns for family members who are not, presently a grandchild. Also my spouse."
Here is what the Catechism says, "The Lord Himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation....Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for this sacrament." It goes on to say however, "God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments." (CCC 1257) In other words, The Church does everything she can to take seriously the call from our Lord to see that all who can be baptized are "reborn of water and the Spirit", but God is not bound by the form of the sacraments as we do them. For instance, someone who has never been taught the Gospel or never had the opportunity to be baptized is not necessarily doomed to hell. We entrust souls to God and his infinite mercy, but we do not take lightly his call to baptize. We should do everything we can to encourage and invite those who have not been baptized to partake in the faith and receive the sacraments. Continue to pray for, invite, and love your family members unconditionally and trust and believe in God's infinite mercy that He will lead them home. I would prayerfully consider having a conversation with the parents of your grandchild and your spouse to get their thoughts on the topic and share yours in a loving way...at least get them thinking. It is also important to note that God is perfectly just and perfectly merciful. Sin is a conscious turning away from God. The way I understand it, God does not send people to hell, we choose our destination by the way we respond to his Grace and Mercy in this life. We can not judge hearts, but God can.
Sacrifice and Service: (2 minutes) This is something I need to read...maybe you do too.
SON: "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"
DAD: "Yeah sure, what is it?"
SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?"
SON: "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "If you must know, I make $100 an hour."
SON: "Oh! (With his head down).
SON: "Daddy, may I please borrow $50?"
The father was furious.
DAD: "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work too hard every day for such childish behavior."
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $50 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
DAD: "Are you asleep, son?"
SON: "No daddy, I'm awake".
DAD: "I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier. It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $50 you asked for."
The little boy sat straight up, smiling.
SON: "Oh, thank you daddy!"
Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.
DAD: "Why do you want more money if you already have some?"
SON: "Because I didn't have enough, but now I do.
"Daddy, I have $100 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness. It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do you remember to share that $100 worth of your time with someone you love? If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family and friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.
