Day 12
Saving Grace: (30 Seconds) If you accept the challenge of becoming a saint, the enemy will attack you. Ask for help and protection.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen..
Athletics: (5 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: Repetition...while doing the same thing over and over sounds boring, it is what makes a champion...and a saint. It takes about 40 days to make or break a habit. I hope some of these prayers and challenges will be habit by the end of these 40 days.
The rosary is a powerful prayer of repetition, Mary's scrapbook of her Son. She invites us to participate in his life. Today, say at least one decade of the rosary. Focus on the second sorrowful mystery, the scourging. When running a race, this was the part when your initial energy is all spent, and you realize you still have a long way to go. It is the part of the challenge you are in right now, 1/4th of the way through. Will you quit? Or will you keep pushing forward?
Been awhile since you said a rosary? No problem. Go to http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/devotionals/rosaries/how-to-pray-the-rosary.cfm
INSTRUCTOR'S MANUAL (48 Minutes) Watch session 3 of the Great Adventure Bible Study: The Patriarchs....the story continues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjvrnHBMw8k
Need to Know Him: (3 minutes) Question of the Day
I pray everyday but not sure if I'm doing it right. Is there a correct way to pray?
I don't think there is one correct way to prayer. There are many forms of prayer. Prayer is conversation with God. Prayer is intimacy with God. This conversation will take many forms depending on the situation, just like in any relationship. The Church gives us many formal prayers we can pray, all of which are great and help us initiate conversation with God or provide comfort when we need them. We have meditative prayers, such as the rosary, that help us contemplate about God. Our sacrifices and suffering can be a form of prayer, which is how we can pray constantly. And we can and should simply just have normal conversations with God as we have with any other friend. We speak to God so we can know more about him, and so we can know more about ourselves. When we pray, we come face to face with two realities....who we are today, and who God calls us to be. The difference can be heart breaking....but it can also be hope making. We catch a glimpse of our potential. Perhaps that is why we avoid prayer. It is not our weakness but our power that most frightens us. Like in any relationship, conversation can be awkward and labored until you get to know somebody. The more we come to know God, the easier it is to speak to him, listen to him, and just sit in silence with him. If you are not used to praying (or even if you are), I suggest you start with Matthew Kelly's "prayer process" that he speaks about in his book "The 4 Signs of a Dynamic Catholic".
1. Gratitude: Thank God for your many blessings. 2. Awareness: Recall the events of the last 24 hours and think of the times you chose the saint inside of you and think of the times you chose a second rate version of yourself. 3. Significant Moments: Identity an experience you had today and ask what God might be trying to say to you. 4. Peace: Ask for God's forgiveness for any wrongdoings. 5. Freedom: Speak with God about how he is inviting you to change your life, so you can experience freedom to be the best version of yourself. 6. Others: Lift up to God anyone you feel called to pray for today, asking God to bless and guide them. 7. Finish: Finish by praying the Our Father.
Theology of the Body: (30 seconds) God is Love and we are made in His image. To image God, you must image Love. To image love, you must know what love is. The following meditation is powerful and will transform you if you are able to do it consistently during this 40 day challenge. Simply Read the following famous scripture passage about love, but instead of using the word Love, replace it with your name. So for example when I read this passage, it will sound like this....
"John is patient; John is kind; John is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. John does not insist on his own way; John is not irritable or resentful; John does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. John bears all things, John believes all things, John hopes all things, John endures all things. John never ends. " (From 1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
Sacrifice and Service: (1 minute) Story of the Day
What it takes to make a difference
He was born in a stable in an obscure village.
From there, He traveled less than 200 miles in his life.
He never won an election, He never went to college.
He never owned a home, He never had a lot of money.
He became a nomadic preacher, and popular opinion turned against him.
He was betrayed by a close friend, and all his other friends ran away.
He was unjustly condemned to death, and crucified on a cross among common thieves on a hill overlooking the town dump. When dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave.
Twenty centuries have come and gone. Empires have risen and fallen, mighty armies have marched, and powerful rulers have reigned. Yet no one has affected men as much as He.
He is the central figure of the human race.
He is the Messiah, the Son of God.
Jesus Christ
Saving Grace: (30 Seconds) If you accept the challenge of becoming a saint, the enemy will attack you. Ask for help and protection.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen..
Athletics: (5 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: Repetition...while doing the same thing over and over sounds boring, it is what makes a champion...and a saint. It takes about 40 days to make or break a habit. I hope some of these prayers and challenges will be habit by the end of these 40 days.
The rosary is a powerful prayer of repetition, Mary's scrapbook of her Son. She invites us to participate in his life. Today, say at least one decade of the rosary. Focus on the second sorrowful mystery, the scourging. When running a race, this was the part when your initial energy is all spent, and you realize you still have a long way to go. It is the part of the challenge you are in right now, 1/4th of the way through. Will you quit? Or will you keep pushing forward?
Been awhile since you said a rosary? No problem. Go to http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/devotionals/rosaries/how-to-pray-the-rosary.cfm
INSTRUCTOR'S MANUAL (48 Minutes) Watch session 3 of the Great Adventure Bible Study: The Patriarchs....the story continues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjvrnHBMw8k
Need to Know Him: (3 minutes) Question of the Day
I pray everyday but not sure if I'm doing it right. Is there a correct way to pray?
I don't think there is one correct way to prayer. There are many forms of prayer. Prayer is conversation with God. Prayer is intimacy with God. This conversation will take many forms depending on the situation, just like in any relationship. The Church gives us many formal prayers we can pray, all of which are great and help us initiate conversation with God or provide comfort when we need them. We have meditative prayers, such as the rosary, that help us contemplate about God. Our sacrifices and suffering can be a form of prayer, which is how we can pray constantly. And we can and should simply just have normal conversations with God as we have with any other friend. We speak to God so we can know more about him, and so we can know more about ourselves. When we pray, we come face to face with two realities....who we are today, and who God calls us to be. The difference can be heart breaking....but it can also be hope making. We catch a glimpse of our potential. Perhaps that is why we avoid prayer. It is not our weakness but our power that most frightens us. Like in any relationship, conversation can be awkward and labored until you get to know somebody. The more we come to know God, the easier it is to speak to him, listen to him, and just sit in silence with him. If you are not used to praying (or even if you are), I suggest you start with Matthew Kelly's "prayer process" that he speaks about in his book "The 4 Signs of a Dynamic Catholic".
1. Gratitude: Thank God for your many blessings. 2. Awareness: Recall the events of the last 24 hours and think of the times you chose the saint inside of you and think of the times you chose a second rate version of yourself. 3. Significant Moments: Identity an experience you had today and ask what God might be trying to say to you. 4. Peace: Ask for God's forgiveness for any wrongdoings. 5. Freedom: Speak with God about how he is inviting you to change your life, so you can experience freedom to be the best version of yourself. 6. Others: Lift up to God anyone you feel called to pray for today, asking God to bless and guide them. 7. Finish: Finish by praying the Our Father.
Theology of the Body: (30 seconds) God is Love and we are made in His image. To image God, you must image Love. To image love, you must know what love is. The following meditation is powerful and will transform you if you are able to do it consistently during this 40 day challenge. Simply Read the following famous scripture passage about love, but instead of using the word Love, replace it with your name. So for example when I read this passage, it will sound like this....
"John is patient; John is kind; John is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. John does not insist on his own way; John is not irritable or resentful; John does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. John bears all things, John believes all things, John hopes all things, John endures all things. John never ends. " (From 1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
Sacrifice and Service: (1 minute) Story of the Day
What it takes to make a difference
He was born in a stable in an obscure village.
From there, He traveled less than 200 miles in his life.
He never won an election, He never went to college.
He never owned a home, He never had a lot of money.
He became a nomadic preacher, and popular opinion turned against him.
He was betrayed by a close friend, and all his other friends ran away.
He was unjustly condemned to death, and crucified on a cross among common thieves on a hill overlooking the town dump. When dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave.
Twenty centuries have come and gone. Empires have risen and fallen, mighty armies have marched, and powerful rulers have reigned. Yet no one has affected men as much as He.
He is the central figure of the human race.
He is the Messiah, the Son of God.
Jesus Christ
