Day 19
Saving Grace: (30 Seconds) The angels are great allies. We each have a guardian angel, created just for us. They know us and love us more than any human being. Befriend your guardian angel. This simple prayer is powerful, not just for children. Say it today and every day.
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
To whom God's love
commits me here,
Ever this day,
be at my side,
To light and guard,
Rule and guide.
Amen.
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: Teamwork...Help other souls get to heaven. Exercise for 30 minutes today and offer up your sacrifice for another soul. I don't care what you do...walk, run, jog, elliptical, exercise bike, jumping jacks, pushups, sit-ups...just get your heart pumping and your lungs breathing. As the 23.5 hours video pointed out, this is the best thing you can do for your physical and emotional well-being. Very few people feel like exercising when they start (congrats if you do), but everybody is glad they did when they are done.
Instructor's manual: (5 minutes) Get the memo: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/
Need to Know Him (3 Minutes) Questions of the Day
Why can't a person married to a non-Catholic receive the sacraments? I heard this past week they cannot receive holy communion. I always thought they could?/ I would like to know why The Church excludes a person who desires to receive Communion and partake fully in Mass? Isn't it between God and that person?
A Catholic person married to a non-Catholic can most certainly receive the sacraments, perhaps this was a misunderstanding. Many Catholics marry non-Catholics in the Catholic Church, and marriage itself is a sacrament. You may be referring to somebody who is divorced and remarried without receiving an annulment. As Jesus tells us, man can not separate what God has joined. Therefore, the Church does not recognize divorce. An annulment is not a divorce. It is a process to determine that a valid marriage never took place at all (the marriage never existed). If an annulment is granted, then the person is not considered married and therefore is free to marry someone else. If however an annulment is not granted, then the person is still married and so in essence is committing adultery if they marry another person, which is why they should refrain from the Eucharist. You can't get married if you are already married and you can't marry somebody that is already married. The Church recognizes this is a difficult situation and does not wish those in this situation to consider themselves separated from the Church. "They should be encouraged to listen to the Word of God, to attend the Sacrifice of the Mass, to persevere in prayer, to contribute to works of charity and to community efforts for justice, to bring up their children in the Christian faith, to cultivate the spirit and practice of penance and thus implore, day by day, God's grace." (CCC 1651)
In answer to the second question, the Church assumes and expects that anyone who comes to receive the Eucharist is a faithful Catholic in the state of grace. If a non-Catholic person truly desires to receive communion and believes Jesus is truly present body, blood, soul, and divinity, then they are most welcome to become full members of the Church through RCIA. If someone who has left the Church desires to return and partake fully in the mass, they should make use of the sacrament of reconciliation before receiving the Eucharist. It is important to be a full member of the Church and be in a state of grace. The sacraments represent a unity with Christ AND his Church, and if unity is not present we can't pretend that it is. We are proclaiming our belief in the real presence and our unity with the Church when we say "Amen" before receiving. The sacraments are not empty rituals or magic, they must be fully understood and believed in to participate (In the case of infant baptism, it is the parent's understanding and belief). If you do not believe it is truly Christ you receive in the Eucharist, you should not receive communion. You can't just say "It's between God and that person" because God institutes his sacraments through his Church. The Church is his bride....if you reject his bride, you reject him. St. Joan of Arc, in her trial, said, "Of Jesus Christ and his Church I simply know this...they are one thing, and we shouldn't complicate the matter." St. Paul gives a stern warning about making sure we know what it is we are doing...."A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself." (1 Cor 11:28-29)
Theology of the Body: (10 Minutes) Billy Joel's famous song "Only the Good Die Young" has a clear message....The temporary pleasures of this life are better than eternal joy in heaven. Billy Joel actually commented that the song was "pro-lust". Listen to this song and look at the lyrics...the song is attractive but the lyrics are lies. Now ask yourself, what shows are you watching? What songs are you listening to? What are the lyrics stuck in your head, and in the heads of your children? What we think becomes. After watching Billy Joel's song, watch "How Beautiful" and ask yourself, which song portrays the true meaning of the body.
Only the Good Die Young....Billy Joel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhjNm20XbXw
How Beautiful... Twila Paris https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T281lL_6e44
Sacrifice and Service: (10 seconds) Say this simple prayer:
"Lord, I offer up the sacrifices and sufferings of this day for......" Pick any soul...lost sheep, family, friends, enemies, strangers, souls in purgatory...anybody. When you get busy and distracted just remember, other souls are counting on you. You have the power to help get souls to heaven....don't waste it.
Saving Grace: (30 Seconds) The angels are great allies. We each have a guardian angel, created just for us. They know us and love us more than any human being. Befriend your guardian angel. This simple prayer is powerful, not just for children. Say it today and every day.
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
To whom God's love
commits me here,
Ever this day,
be at my side,
To light and guard,
Rule and guide.
Amen.
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: Teamwork...Help other souls get to heaven. Exercise for 30 minutes today and offer up your sacrifice for another soul. I don't care what you do...walk, run, jog, elliptical, exercise bike, jumping jacks, pushups, sit-ups...just get your heart pumping and your lungs breathing. As the 23.5 hours video pointed out, this is the best thing you can do for your physical and emotional well-being. Very few people feel like exercising when they start (congrats if you do), but everybody is glad they did when they are done.
Instructor's manual: (5 minutes) Get the memo: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/
Need to Know Him (3 Minutes) Questions of the Day
Why can't a person married to a non-Catholic receive the sacraments? I heard this past week they cannot receive holy communion. I always thought they could?/ I would like to know why The Church excludes a person who desires to receive Communion and partake fully in Mass? Isn't it between God and that person?
A Catholic person married to a non-Catholic can most certainly receive the sacraments, perhaps this was a misunderstanding. Many Catholics marry non-Catholics in the Catholic Church, and marriage itself is a sacrament. You may be referring to somebody who is divorced and remarried without receiving an annulment. As Jesus tells us, man can not separate what God has joined. Therefore, the Church does not recognize divorce. An annulment is not a divorce. It is a process to determine that a valid marriage never took place at all (the marriage never existed). If an annulment is granted, then the person is not considered married and therefore is free to marry someone else. If however an annulment is not granted, then the person is still married and so in essence is committing adultery if they marry another person, which is why they should refrain from the Eucharist. You can't get married if you are already married and you can't marry somebody that is already married. The Church recognizes this is a difficult situation and does not wish those in this situation to consider themselves separated from the Church. "They should be encouraged to listen to the Word of God, to attend the Sacrifice of the Mass, to persevere in prayer, to contribute to works of charity and to community efforts for justice, to bring up their children in the Christian faith, to cultivate the spirit and practice of penance and thus implore, day by day, God's grace." (CCC 1651)
In answer to the second question, the Church assumes and expects that anyone who comes to receive the Eucharist is a faithful Catholic in the state of grace. If a non-Catholic person truly desires to receive communion and believes Jesus is truly present body, blood, soul, and divinity, then they are most welcome to become full members of the Church through RCIA. If someone who has left the Church desires to return and partake fully in the mass, they should make use of the sacrament of reconciliation before receiving the Eucharist. It is important to be a full member of the Church and be in a state of grace. The sacraments represent a unity with Christ AND his Church, and if unity is not present we can't pretend that it is. We are proclaiming our belief in the real presence and our unity with the Church when we say "Amen" before receiving. The sacraments are not empty rituals or magic, they must be fully understood and believed in to participate (In the case of infant baptism, it is the parent's understanding and belief). If you do not believe it is truly Christ you receive in the Eucharist, you should not receive communion. You can't just say "It's between God and that person" because God institutes his sacraments through his Church. The Church is his bride....if you reject his bride, you reject him. St. Joan of Arc, in her trial, said, "Of Jesus Christ and his Church I simply know this...they are one thing, and we shouldn't complicate the matter." St. Paul gives a stern warning about making sure we know what it is we are doing...."A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself." (1 Cor 11:28-29)
Theology of the Body: (10 Minutes) Billy Joel's famous song "Only the Good Die Young" has a clear message....The temporary pleasures of this life are better than eternal joy in heaven. Billy Joel actually commented that the song was "pro-lust". Listen to this song and look at the lyrics...the song is attractive but the lyrics are lies. Now ask yourself, what shows are you watching? What songs are you listening to? What are the lyrics stuck in your head, and in the heads of your children? What we think becomes. After watching Billy Joel's song, watch "How Beautiful" and ask yourself, which song portrays the true meaning of the body.
Only the Good Die Young....Billy Joel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhjNm20XbXw
How Beautiful... Twila Paris https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T281lL_6e44
Sacrifice and Service: (10 seconds) Say this simple prayer:
"Lord, I offer up the sacrifices and sufferings of this day for......" Pick any soul...lost sheep, family, friends, enemies, strangers, souls in purgatory...anybody. When you get busy and distracted just remember, other souls are counting on you. You have the power to help get souls to heaven....don't waste it.
