Day 25
Saving Grace: (3 minutes)
(True) Story of the Day: The miracle of Fatima
On May 13th of 1917 the virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. Lucia dos Santos, Jacinta Marto, and Francisco Marto were the names of the children. The beautiful lady they saw asked them to meet her in the Cova on the 13th day of every month for the next six months. The lady revealed three secrets to the children, one dealing with an impending world war, one dealing with a vision of hell, and a third secret that was not released by the Vatican until many years later, which was a vision of a man dressed in white being shot down. After the first apparition, many rumors began to spread about the three seers of Fatima, and people began coming to the Cova to see what was happening. The children asked the blessed Lady for a miracle to help people believe. She promised them a miracle during the last apparition, which would occur on October 13th, 1917. Over 70,000 eyewitnesses showed up that day in anticipation for the miracle the lady promised to the children. As the children were praying in the Cova, the lady appeared to them once again, and when she was finished speaking to them, she pointed toward the sun. The sun began to dance in the sky with a beautiful array of colors, then suddenly appeared to begin crashing toward the earth sending everyone there into a frightful terror. Many healings and miracles were reported to happen during this phenomenon. Over 70,000 eyewitnesses were there to testify to this miracle, including the secular media. To hear the account of one eye witness, click here http://www.fatima.org/essentials/facts/miracle.asp . For more information on the message of Fatima and the details of the miracle, just google "Miracle of the Sun" or "Fatima". There is also a great movie about this miracle called "The 13th Day".
Regarding the third secret of Fatima.....John Paul II was elected Pope in 1978. On May 13th, 1981, a man named Mehmet Ali Agca, shot Pope John Paul II several times. It occurred on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, and John Paul II survived the assassination, with one of the bullets missing a major artery by a fraction of an inch. Ali Agca was a professional assassin at close range, and the fact the John Paul II survived surprised everyone, most especially the assassin. John Paul II believed the third secret of Fatima was about him, and he credited Mary for saving his life. He said "it was a mother's hand that guided the bullet's path." In fact, he took the bullet and had it placed in the crown of our lady at the shrine in Fatima, where it remains to this day. When JPII visited Ali Agca in prison to forgive him, he discovered the man feared the virgin Mary may come after him since it was she who saved his life. JPII assured him that on the contrary, Mary loves him and he offered him his full forgiveness. They became friends, and Ali Agca mourned at the death of JPII and even requested to attend his funeral.
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. But before you do, watch this clip from the Lord of the Rings. J.R. Tolkien was a devout Catholic, and the Lord of the Rings stories are filled with subtle references to Catholicism. Frodo and Sam can teach us a thing or two about teamwork...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Gl3vuQLrKM
Instructor's manual: (5 minutes) Get the memo: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/
NEED TO KNOW HIM (5 Minutes) Question of the Day:
How can you prove God's existence?
Yesterday I saw the movie "God's Not Dead". It is a good movie about a college freshman whose Philosophy professor asks each of the student's to write the words "God is dead" on a piece of paper and sign their name. One student says he can't because he is Christian, and so the professor tells him he must prove God does exist in front of the whole class. The student uses an argument similar to St. Thomas Aquinas, pointing back to creation and how everything had to begin from something. If there was a big bang, somebody had to make the bang. There has to be an "unmoved mover" and an "uncreated creator". Another argument you could use would be the presence of miracles...those things that science alone simply can not explain. I have read about many miracles, but I have never experienced them myself. I have never heard an audible voice of God speaking to me, although I know people who have. I have never seen a vision of the supernatural or spiritual realm, although I know people who have. I wasn't there among the 70,000 eye witnesses who saw the sun dance in the sky on October 13th of 1917 in Fatima, Portugal, but I believe their testimonies. I have read about many Eucharistic miracles, but I have never seen a host turn to real human flesh and blood with my own eyes. Nobody denies that Jesus was a real person in history, and Jesus claimed he was God. At the heart of our faith is the claim that Jesus, this real man who claimed to be God, rose from the dead. I did not see the resurrected Jesus, but I have read the stories of the disciples who did, and how each of them were willing to die for the truth of the resurrection. Some of them were skinned alive, crucified, stoned, and tortured in gruesome ways, yet none of them took back their claim that Jesus rose from the dead. The witness of the hundreds of martyrs who gave their life for this claim proves to me that he did rise from the dead. People don't die for something they know to be a lie.
I have never seen any of these "miracles" with my own eyes. However, I have seen many miracles that I believe prove God's existence. To me, every sunrise and sunset proves God exist. My study of the human body, most especially the eye, proves God exist. Every flower, and garden, and bird that takes flight proves God exist. When I see an athlete develop an amazing gift or hear a musician play a song that stirs my soul, it proves to me that God exist. My wife and children prove to me that God exist. Watching my children being born, seeing them grow, and walk, and talk, and laugh proves to me that God exist. As I look back at the kaleidoscope of my life, I begin to see a pattern emerging...a design....a plan that came together not by chance. I see God's fingerprints all over my life. In the end, I guess it really just comes down to faith. To those who believe, everything is a miracle. For those who don't, nothing is. I know God is real, because I know him. He is my best friend and my savior. Deep inside there is a voice that is not my own. Often that voice had nudged me in the opposite direction I wanted to go....but every time I have listened to that voice, my life has been blessed a hundredfold. I know his way is better than mine. I know he loves me more than I love myself. I trust him. God is real, and the kingdom of Heaven is real. It is a Kingdom worth fighting for, worth living for, and worth dying for.
"Children you must long to be saints. Yes, you must long to join Me in Heaven after your life on earth". "Words from God" ...spoken to Matthew Kelly on June 29th, 1993
Theology of the Body: (30 Seconds)
The following prayer was used at the parish mission I spoke at in Batesville, Indiana this past weekend. I really like this prayer, and I think you will also.
Saints in the making, let’s get dressed for battle:
We put on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shoes of preaching.
We pick up our sword of faith and the shield of the work of God.
We put a watch over our mouth and a guard over our lips so that we speak no evil.
We put on the cloak of zeal and the mantle of charity.
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle
Mary, Queen of Angels, pray for us
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us
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: (3 minutes)
(True) Story of the Day: The miracle of Fatima
On May 13th of 1917 the virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. Lucia dos Santos, Jacinta Marto, and Francisco Marto were the names of the children. The beautiful lady they saw asked them to meet her in the Cova on the 13th day of every month for the next six months. The lady revealed three secrets to the children, one dealing with an impending world war, one dealing with a vision of hell, and a third secret that was not released by the Vatican until many years later, which was a vision of a man dressed in white being shot down. After the first apparition, many rumors began to spread about the three seers of Fatima, and people began coming to the Cova to see what was happening. The children asked the blessed Lady for a miracle to help people believe. She promised them a miracle during the last apparition, which would occur on October 13th, 1917. Over 70,000 eyewitnesses showed up that day in anticipation for the miracle the lady promised to the children. As the children were praying in the Cova, the lady appeared to them once again, and when she was finished speaking to them, she pointed toward the sun. The sun began to dance in the sky with a beautiful array of colors, then suddenly appeared to begin crashing toward the earth sending everyone there into a frightful terror. Many healings and miracles were reported to happen during this phenomenon. Over 70,000 eyewitnesses were there to testify to this miracle, including the secular media. To hear the account of one eye witness, click here http://www.fatima.org/essentials/facts/miracle.asp . For more information on the message of Fatima and the details of the miracle, just google "Miracle of the Sun" or "Fatima". There is also a great movie about this miracle called "The 13th Day".
Regarding the third secret of Fatima.....John Paul II was elected Pope in 1978. On May 13th, 1981, a man named Mehmet Ali Agca, shot Pope John Paul II several times. It occurred on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, and John Paul II survived the assassination, with one of the bullets missing a major artery by a fraction of an inch. Ali Agca was a professional assassin at close range, and the fact the John Paul II survived surprised everyone, most especially the assassin. John Paul II believed the third secret of Fatima was about him, and he credited Mary for saving his life. He said "it was a mother's hand that guided the bullet's path." In fact, he took the bullet and had it placed in the crown of our lady at the shrine in Fatima, where it remains to this day. When JPII visited Ali Agca in prison to forgive him, he discovered the man feared the virgin Mary may come after him since it was she who saved his life. JPII assured him that on the contrary, Mary loves him and he offered him his full forgiveness. They became friends, and Ali Agca mourned at the death of JPII and even requested to attend his funeral.
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. But before you do, watch this clip from the Lord of the Rings. J.R. Tolkien was a devout Catholic, and the Lord of the Rings stories are filled with subtle references to Catholicism. Frodo and Sam can teach us a thing or two about teamwork...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Gl3vuQLrKM
Instructor's manual: (5 minutes) Get the memo: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/
NEED TO KNOW HIM (5 Minutes) Question of the Day:
How can you prove God's existence?
Yesterday I saw the movie "God's Not Dead". It is a good movie about a college freshman whose Philosophy professor asks each of the student's to write the words "God is dead" on a piece of paper and sign their name. One student says he can't because he is Christian, and so the professor tells him he must prove God does exist in front of the whole class. The student uses an argument similar to St. Thomas Aquinas, pointing back to creation and how everything had to begin from something. If there was a big bang, somebody had to make the bang. There has to be an "unmoved mover" and an "uncreated creator". Another argument you could use would be the presence of miracles...those things that science alone simply can not explain. I have read about many miracles, but I have never experienced them myself. I have never heard an audible voice of God speaking to me, although I know people who have. I have never seen a vision of the supernatural or spiritual realm, although I know people who have. I wasn't there among the 70,000 eye witnesses who saw the sun dance in the sky on October 13th of 1917 in Fatima, Portugal, but I believe their testimonies. I have read about many Eucharistic miracles, but I have never seen a host turn to real human flesh and blood with my own eyes. Nobody denies that Jesus was a real person in history, and Jesus claimed he was God. At the heart of our faith is the claim that Jesus, this real man who claimed to be God, rose from the dead. I did not see the resurrected Jesus, but I have read the stories of the disciples who did, and how each of them were willing to die for the truth of the resurrection. Some of them were skinned alive, crucified, stoned, and tortured in gruesome ways, yet none of them took back their claim that Jesus rose from the dead. The witness of the hundreds of martyrs who gave their life for this claim proves to me that he did rise from the dead. People don't die for something they know to be a lie.
I have never seen any of these "miracles" with my own eyes. However, I have seen many miracles that I believe prove God's existence. To me, every sunrise and sunset proves God exist. My study of the human body, most especially the eye, proves God exist. Every flower, and garden, and bird that takes flight proves God exist. When I see an athlete develop an amazing gift or hear a musician play a song that stirs my soul, it proves to me that God exist. My wife and children prove to me that God exist. Watching my children being born, seeing them grow, and walk, and talk, and laugh proves to me that God exist. As I look back at the kaleidoscope of my life, I begin to see a pattern emerging...a design....a plan that came together not by chance. I see God's fingerprints all over my life. In the end, I guess it really just comes down to faith. To those who believe, everything is a miracle. For those who don't, nothing is. I know God is real, because I know him. He is my best friend and my savior. Deep inside there is a voice that is not my own. Often that voice had nudged me in the opposite direction I wanted to go....but every time I have listened to that voice, my life has been blessed a hundredfold. I know his way is better than mine. I know he loves me more than I love myself. I trust him. God is real, and the kingdom of Heaven is real. It is a Kingdom worth fighting for, worth living for, and worth dying for.
"Children you must long to be saints. Yes, you must long to join Me in Heaven after your life on earth". "Words from God" ...spoken to Matthew Kelly on June 29th, 1993
Theology of the Body: (30 Seconds)
The following prayer was used at the parish mission I spoke at in Batesville, Indiana this past weekend. I really like this prayer, and I think you will also.
Saints in the making, let’s get dressed for battle:
We put on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shoes of preaching.
We pick up our sword of faith and the shield of the work of God.
We put a watch over our mouth and a guard over our lips so that we speak no evil.
We put on the cloak of zeal and the mantle of charity.
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle
Mary, Queen of Angels, pray for us
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us
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.
