Day 24
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 third sorrowful mystery, the crowning of thorns. To me, this is the salt in the wound. You are just over half way....you have come so far and the pain of what you have already endured is real and intense...but the pain of knowing what is yet to come seems unbearable. Think of what Jesus endured in the scourging, only to be mocked with the crown of thorns as he awaits his face trial.
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 (67 Minutes) Watch session 5 of the Great Adventure Bible Study: Conquest and Judges and the Royal Kingdom....the story continues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRSuNKRlecU
Need to Know Him: (30 seconds) Say the prayer of St. Ignatius
"Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to ask for reward,
except for knowing that I do your will. Amen"
Theology of the Body: (30 seconds) 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: (5 minutes) Story of the Day
The Last Supper
When Leonardo De Vinci was painting the Last Supper he lived in Milan. When he set out to paint the piece he decided he wanted to find a young man to pose for each of the persons in the painting. He wanted to find someone he thought looked like the disciples and Jesus would have looked like. So he began to search in Milan. And some days he would walk through the streets for hours at a time looking for faces, searching for his disciples, for his Jesus.
One day he was at church in the Cathedral in Milan and the choir was singing. He looked up into the choir loft and he saw this one young man who he thought looked like Jesus would have looked like. He approached the young man after mass and asked him if he would agree to pose for the painting. The young man agreed and he came to Leonardo De Vinci’s studio for four or five days and sat there for many hours on end while Leonardo painted him. When Leonardo had finished he thanked the young man and began his search for the twelve disciples.
One by one he found the disciples. The search was not easy and it took many years. After three years he had found all of the disciples, except one: Judas. He couldn’t find himself a Judas. He would walk through the Milan streets for hours and hours a day and still he couldn’t find him. And he became very frustrated. Four years went by and still he has found no person to pose for the person of Judas in his painting. So he decided he was looking in the wrong places. He decided that if he was going to find someone to pose for Judas he would have to search in places where people like this conjugated.
So he began searching the prisons on the outskirts of Milan. At the time there were five prisons. He began going to them one by one, and finally in the fourth prison he found a young man who looked like he thought Judas would have looked. A harsh face with a scar here and there and a certain look of bitterness and resentment and impatience in his eyes. And he explained to the young man what he was doing. He asked him if he would agree to come and pose for the painting. The young man agreed and arrangements where made to bring the young man from the prison to Leonardo’s studio in Milan.
In the studio Leonardo set about finishing his masterpiece. But, during the second day, De Vinci noticed that the young man would look at Leonardo and then he would look at the painting and he would look down. De Vinci sensed that there was a certain sadness growing in the young man. And Leonardo stopped painting and he asked the young man if there was something wrong. “Is there something wrong am I upsetting you in some way?” And the young man said no. But about a half hour later De Vinci noticed that this sadness had grown so deep that he thought at any moment the man might burst into tears. So he stopped again and he said, “Is there something wrong? Have I upset you in some way?” And the young man, he put his hands up over his face and he began to weep inconsolably for several minutes.
As he began to compose himself, he looked up at De Vinci and he said “Master do you not recognize me?” And he said, “No, I am sorry. I don’t. Have we met before?” And the young man said, “Yes. Seven years ago I posed for you in this same painting as the person of Jesus.”
In all of us there is a Judas and a Jesus. But we’ve got to seek the Judas out. But it takes time, it takes effort, it takes courage, it takes humility, it takes fortitude to search the Judas out. To face the Judas. To be honest and say, “God, this is my Judas. I am not ready to change. But I want to be ready to change. Give me the heart that wants to change. To face my Judas.” Be honest with God. Be honest, and he will reward your honesty. And when you are honest with God, when you face your Judas and tell him you don’t want to change but ask him for a heart that wants to change, when you are finally honest with God: then you will have entered into the very depths of prayer, the very depths of spirituality. And it is there that you will find a peace unknown in this world. (Matthew Kelly)
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 third sorrowful mystery, the crowning of thorns. To me, this is the salt in the wound. You are just over half way....you have come so far and the pain of what you have already endured is real and intense...but the pain of knowing what is yet to come seems unbearable. Think of what Jesus endured in the scourging, only to be mocked with the crown of thorns as he awaits his face trial.
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 (67 Minutes) Watch session 5 of the Great Adventure Bible Study: Conquest and Judges and the Royal Kingdom....the story continues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRSuNKRlecU
Need to Know Him: (30 seconds) Say the prayer of St. Ignatius
"Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to ask for reward,
except for knowing that I do your will. Amen"
Theology of the Body: (30 seconds) 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: (5 minutes) Story of the Day
The Last Supper
When Leonardo De Vinci was painting the Last Supper he lived in Milan. When he set out to paint the piece he decided he wanted to find a young man to pose for each of the persons in the painting. He wanted to find someone he thought looked like the disciples and Jesus would have looked like. So he began to search in Milan. And some days he would walk through the streets for hours at a time looking for faces, searching for his disciples, for his Jesus.
One day he was at church in the Cathedral in Milan and the choir was singing. He looked up into the choir loft and he saw this one young man who he thought looked like Jesus would have looked like. He approached the young man after mass and asked him if he would agree to pose for the painting. The young man agreed and he came to Leonardo De Vinci’s studio for four or five days and sat there for many hours on end while Leonardo painted him. When Leonardo had finished he thanked the young man and began his search for the twelve disciples.
One by one he found the disciples. The search was not easy and it took many years. After three years he had found all of the disciples, except one: Judas. He couldn’t find himself a Judas. He would walk through the Milan streets for hours and hours a day and still he couldn’t find him. And he became very frustrated. Four years went by and still he has found no person to pose for the person of Judas in his painting. So he decided he was looking in the wrong places. He decided that if he was going to find someone to pose for Judas he would have to search in places where people like this conjugated.
So he began searching the prisons on the outskirts of Milan. At the time there were five prisons. He began going to them one by one, and finally in the fourth prison he found a young man who looked like he thought Judas would have looked. A harsh face with a scar here and there and a certain look of bitterness and resentment and impatience in his eyes. And he explained to the young man what he was doing. He asked him if he would agree to come and pose for the painting. The young man agreed and arrangements where made to bring the young man from the prison to Leonardo’s studio in Milan.
In the studio Leonardo set about finishing his masterpiece. But, during the second day, De Vinci noticed that the young man would look at Leonardo and then he would look at the painting and he would look down. De Vinci sensed that there was a certain sadness growing in the young man. And Leonardo stopped painting and he asked the young man if there was something wrong. “Is there something wrong am I upsetting you in some way?” And the young man said no. But about a half hour later De Vinci noticed that this sadness had grown so deep that he thought at any moment the man might burst into tears. So he stopped again and he said, “Is there something wrong? Have I upset you in some way?” And the young man, he put his hands up over his face and he began to weep inconsolably for several minutes.
As he began to compose himself, he looked up at De Vinci and he said “Master do you not recognize me?” And he said, “No, I am sorry. I don’t. Have we met before?” And the young man said, “Yes. Seven years ago I posed for you in this same painting as the person of Jesus.”
In all of us there is a Judas and a Jesus. But we’ve got to seek the Judas out. But it takes time, it takes effort, it takes courage, it takes humility, it takes fortitude to search the Judas out. To face the Judas. To be honest and say, “God, this is my Judas. I am not ready to change. But I want to be ready to change. Give me the heart that wants to change. To face my Judas.” Be honest with God. Be honest, and he will reward your honesty. And when you are honest with God, when you face your Judas and tell him you don’t want to change but ask him for a heart that wants to change, when you are finally honest with God: then you will have entered into the very depths of prayer, the very depths of spirituality. And it is there that you will find a peace unknown in this world. (Matthew Kelly)
