Day 11
Saving Grace: (2 minutes)
Saint of the Week: St. Isaac Jogues
St. Isaac Jogues was a Jesuit priest who lived in the 17th century and was a missionary in Canada and the modern day US, where he and his companions brought the good new of Jesus Christ to the Hurons. It was a slow process, but some progress was being made in making Christian converts. However, they were ambushed by Iroquois warriors, enemies of the Hurons. They were severely tortured by their captors, and St. Isaac Jogues hands were severely mutilated, with his nails being pulled out and his index fingers being gnawed off. When he was able to escape back to France, he was initially unable to celebrate mass because of his deformity (it was canonically an invalid way to celebrate Mass), but Pope Urban VIII gave him special permission, saying that, "It would be unjust that a martyr of Christ should not drink the blood of Christ."
Now, if it were me, I would probably be content with my attempt to convert people from a far away nation and use the excuse of being tortured to live out my days in France and just say I gave it my best shot. However, St. Isaac Jogues returned to the land where he was so harshly treated (and where he had fairly little success). He began working again with the Hurons. He was able to negotiate a peace pact between the French and the Iroquois chiefs, but in doing so left behind a box of religious articles. The Iroquois tribe claimed an evil spirit in the package was responsible for a serious epidemic. In October of 1646, a Mohawk clan lured Isaac Jogues to their village by inviting him to dinner. He was warned by his friends that the Iroquois blamed him for their epidemic (they believed him to be a sorcerer), but he was zealous about converting them and he accepted their invitation. When he approached their village he was tomahawked to death and his head severed and placed on a pole. Isaac Jogues was canonized by Pope Pius XI on June 29, 1930, with seven other North American martyrs. Their collective feast day is October 19th.
St. Isaac Jogues loved his enemies more than he loved himself. He wanted to share the good news of Jesus Christ with them so much, he was willing to give his life and bear unthinkable torture to do it. How do you view your "enemies"?
Athletics: (30 Minutes) 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: Obedience....Often times coaches tell us things we don't want to hear and have us do things we don't feel like doing. A coach's job is to make you the best you can be, so you must obey. There is no better coach than Jesus Christ and his Church.
Exercise 30 minutes today. Offer it up for somebody else.
Instructor's Manual: (5 minutes) Get the memo http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/
NEED TO KNOW HIM (5 Minutes) Questions of the Day....
How do we know that the consecration is not just a "re-enactment" of the Last Supper, but does indeed change into the Body and Blood of our Lord?/ What is the best explanation of Eucharistic Adoration to a non-Catholic?/ People that worship the devil on many occasions break into a Catholic Church ! So . . Why is it that more devil worshipers believe in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist than Catholics ?/ How can we better acknowledge/explain our belief in the true transformation of the bread and wine into the Body and the Blood of Jesus when we are questioned about this belief by those of other faiths?
As Catholics, we believe that Jesus is truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity in the consecrated hosts. John Paul II called the Eucharist the sacrament of the bridegroom and bride. We as the bride walk down the aisle and receive the bridegroom, become one with the bridegroom, and bear forth that fruit to the world by becoming what we eat. In John Chapter 6, Jesus is very clear that we must eat his flesh and drink his blood to have life within us. He says it over and over to the point where people are leaving because the teaching is too hard. He doesn't stop them and say, "Hey wait, it was just a figure of speech." From the earliest moments of Church history Christians believed in the true presence in the Eucharist. Do you really think they got it wrong for 1500 years before they figured it out? I challenge you to seek the power of the presence. Sit in front of that tabernacle every day for 10 minutes, ask Jesus to reveal himself to you and reveal his plan for your life, and listen. "Waste" time with Him. You do that for a month, and you wont even be able to recognize yourself. You might not see anything, you might not feel anything, and you might not hear an audible voice. That is ok. You can still get sun-burned on a cloudy day. You can still get sun-burned on a chilly day. Even if you can't see or feel the sun, it's rays can get you. Even if you don't see or feel the Son, he can transform you.
Saving Grace: (2 minutes)
Saint of the Week: St. Isaac Jogues
St. Isaac Jogues was a Jesuit priest who lived in the 17th century and was a missionary in Canada and the modern day US, where he and his companions brought the good new of Jesus Christ to the Hurons. It was a slow process, but some progress was being made in making Christian converts. However, they were ambushed by Iroquois warriors, enemies of the Hurons. They were severely tortured by their captors, and St. Isaac Jogues hands were severely mutilated, with his nails being pulled out and his index fingers being gnawed off. When he was able to escape back to France, he was initially unable to celebrate mass because of his deformity (it was canonically an invalid way to celebrate Mass), but Pope Urban VIII gave him special permission, saying that, "It would be unjust that a martyr of Christ should not drink the blood of Christ."
Now, if it were me, I would probably be content with my attempt to convert people from a far away nation and use the excuse of being tortured to live out my days in France and just say I gave it my best shot. However, St. Isaac Jogues returned to the land where he was so harshly treated (and where he had fairly little success). He began working again with the Hurons. He was able to negotiate a peace pact between the French and the Iroquois chiefs, but in doing so left behind a box of religious articles. The Iroquois tribe claimed an evil spirit in the package was responsible for a serious epidemic. In October of 1646, a Mohawk clan lured Isaac Jogues to their village by inviting him to dinner. He was warned by his friends that the Iroquois blamed him for their epidemic (they believed him to be a sorcerer), but he was zealous about converting them and he accepted their invitation. When he approached their village he was tomahawked to death and his head severed and placed on a pole. Isaac Jogues was canonized by Pope Pius XI on June 29, 1930, with seven other North American martyrs. Their collective feast day is October 19th.
St. Isaac Jogues loved his enemies more than he loved himself. He wanted to share the good news of Jesus Christ with them so much, he was willing to give his life and bear unthinkable torture to do it. How do you view your "enemies"?
Athletics: (30 Minutes) 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: Obedience....Often times coaches tell us things we don't want to hear and have us do things we don't feel like doing. A coach's job is to make you the best you can be, so you must obey. There is no better coach than Jesus Christ and his Church.
Exercise 30 minutes today. Offer it up for somebody else.
Instructor's Manual: (5 minutes) Get the memo http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/
NEED TO KNOW HIM (5 Minutes) Questions of the Day....
How do we know that the consecration is not just a "re-enactment" of the Last Supper, but does indeed change into the Body and Blood of our Lord?/ What is the best explanation of Eucharistic Adoration to a non-Catholic?/ People that worship the devil on many occasions break into a Catholic Church ! So . . Why is it that more devil worshipers believe in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist than Catholics ?/ How can we better acknowledge/explain our belief in the true transformation of the bread and wine into the Body and the Blood of Jesus when we are questioned about this belief by those of other faiths?
As Catholics, we believe that Jesus is truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity in the consecrated hosts. John Paul II called the Eucharist the sacrament of the bridegroom and bride. We as the bride walk down the aisle and receive the bridegroom, become one with the bridegroom, and bear forth that fruit to the world by becoming what we eat. In John Chapter 6, Jesus is very clear that we must eat his flesh and drink his blood to have life within us. He says it over and over to the point where people are leaving because the teaching is too hard. He doesn't stop them and say, "Hey wait, it was just a figure of speech." From the earliest moments of Church history Christians believed in the true presence in the Eucharist. Do you really think they got it wrong for 1500 years before they figured it out? I challenge you to seek the power of the presence. Sit in front of that tabernacle every day for 10 minutes, ask Jesus to reveal himself to you and reveal his plan for your life, and listen. "Waste" time with Him. You do that for a month, and you wont even be able to recognize yourself. You might not see anything, you might not feel anything, and you might not hear an audible voice. That is ok. You can still get sun-burned on a cloudy day. You can still get sun-burned on a chilly day. Even if you can't see or feel the sun, it's rays can get you. Even if you don't see or feel the Son, he can transform you.
