Day 40
Saving Grace: (30 seconds) Catechism quote of the day.....
"The cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ, the "one mediator between God and men." But because in his incarnate divine person he has in some way united himself to every man, "the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal mystery" is offered to all men. He calls his disciples to "take up [their] cross and follow [him]," for "Christ also suffered for [us], leaving [us] an example so that [we] should follow in his steps." In fact Jesus desires to associate with his redeeming sacrifice those who were to be its first beneficiaries. This is achieved supremely in the case of his mother, who was associated more intimately than any other person in the mystery of his redemptive suffering.
Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 618
Athletics: 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: Perseverance. Hopefully you have stuck with this challenge to this final day, even if there were some distractions along the way. Seeing something through to the end should give a feeling of great accomplishment. Celebrate your victory and remember the peace and joy that perseverance brings. When life does get you down and you feel like quitting, the following poem may be helpful. I always had it hanging in my room when I was growing up and in High School. Just remember, the night is darkest right before the dawn.
Don’t Quit
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.
- Author unknown
Instructor's Manual: (60 minutes) Watch the final session of the Great Adventure Bible Study. See how Jesus relives the life of Israel, and how we are called to relive the life of Christ. This video includes bonus footage of two songs sung live by SimplyRC (before they were famous :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnWpWPgAx18
NEED TO KNOW HIM: If it is possible, go to the Easter vigil this year. Experience the sights of the burning flames, the smells of the incense, see the waters of baptism, hears the choirs and the bells and the words of the sacred scriptures, and taste the body and blood of Jesus Christ. There is nothing like the Easter Vigil. Rediscover the beauty.
Story of the Day: The Hermit
There once was a very wise old hermit living in a small cave high in the mountains. Late each evening, he would walk for many miles, praying and reflecting on the beauty of creation with which God had surrounded him. One night when he returned to his cave, he discovered a thief who had come to rob him. The hermit's presence startled the thief, and an uneasy silence filled the cave. After a few moments the wise old man said to the thief, "I have only three things in the world: the bowl from which I eat, and you can have it; the mat on which I sleep, and you can have it; but the third thing I could not possibly give you, so gather the first two and be on your way."
Far from being satisfied, the thief only became curious about the hermit's third possession and said, "What is the third thing you cannot give me?"
The hermit replied, "Follow me, " and led the thief out into the night.
They walked through the mountains for miles without exchanging a word until they came to a lake. They stopped on the shore and the hermit stretched his arm out toward the lake and pointed to a beautiful shining silver disk in the middle. The thief stood and stared in silence.
The hermit said quietly and gently, "There is the third thing. It is the face of the moon reflected in the water. It is the wonder and glory of God reflected in His creation. I come here often, and I contemplate the wonder of God and His creation. I recognize the love that God has for His creation. I see that His love for me is great. It is out of this love for me that He has surrounded me with such beautiful, complex, and awesome wonders. Yet while they are magnificent and beautiful, glorious and mysterious, I know that they are only a dim reflection of the God who created them--so great is God. It is in recognizing how wide and deep God's love is that I see that the love of God I have experienced in my life is only a portion of the love He has for me. I see the need to open myself a little more to His love."
A silence fell between the two again. The thief knew he could not possibly take this from the wise old man. More than this, the thief was in awe of the fact that there was a man who had something so great, something of greater value than anything he had ever possessed; yet nobody could ever take it from him. The hermit stretched out his arm toward the disk once again and broke the silence, saying, "I can point you to it, but I cannot give it to you, for we all have the God-given freedom to choose. In every year, in every day, in every moment of our lives we have the freedom to choose to be with God or to be without him. We have the freedom to choose joy or misery and nobody can take that freedom away. Go now and seek the Joy of God, and you shall receive it abundantly."
I love Jesus Christ, and because I love him I love the Catholic Church. She is the bride of Christ. Jesus and his Church are one. The Church is worth fighting for, worth living for, and worth dying for. I wish so much that I could just give you the joy and peace she has brought to my life. I've tried to give it to people...but I can't. I can only point you to it. You must choose.
Theology of the Body (2 minutes) Soak in the wisdom of the two of the greatest modern day saints...and live what they teach us.
"Love to be real, it must cost-it must hurt-it must empty us of self."
- Mother Teresa
"Intense love does not measure . . . it just gives."
- Mother Teresa
"The person who does not decide to love forever will find it very difficult to really love for even one day."
- Pope John Paul II
"Man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it. This is why Christ the Redeemer 'fully reveals man to himself.'"
- Pope John Paul II
"There is no place for selfishness-and no place for fear! Do not be afraid, then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice"
- Pope John Paul II
"Real love is demanding. I would fail in my mission if I did not tell you so. Love demands a personal commitment to the will of God."
- Pope John Paul II
Sacrifice and Service: Vow to make each day of your life a living sacrifice. Perhaps it is difficult for you to decide each day whom to offer up your day for. Let me leave you with a practical bit of advice. Consecrate your life to Jesus through Mary our Mother. Give your sacrifices to Mary and allow her to dispense their graces as she sees fit. She is like a financial advisor. I have no clue where to invest my money, and so I entrust it to people who know where the most profit can be made. Mary is the "sacrificial" advisor. She knows where your graces are needed and she will make the most profit out of them by bringing them to her son, who will not refuse her. That is why St. Louis de Monfort said consecrating your life to Jesus through Mary is "the quickest, easiest, surest, and most perfect" way to become a saint.
Want to learn how to consecrate your life to Jesus through Mary? I highly recommend "33 Days to Morning Glory" by Fr. Michael Gaitley http://www.amazon.com/Days-Morning-Glory-Do-It-Yourself-Consecration/dp/1596142448
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Congratulations, you have completed the first ever Saints in the Making University 40 Day Challenge. I hope you have found it useful and beneficial. Whether or not this challenge will be fruitful is yet to be determined....that is up to you. The Challenge is over, but the rest of your life must now begin. St. Catherine of Siena once said, "If you become who you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!" Become who you should be.... Become saints! Nothing else matters.
I will pray for all of you. Please pray for me. Run your race, and I will see you at the finish line. ----John R. Wood
Saving Grace: (30 seconds) Catechism quote of the day.....
"The cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ, the "one mediator between God and men." But because in his incarnate divine person he has in some way united himself to every man, "the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal mystery" is offered to all men. He calls his disciples to "take up [their] cross and follow [him]," for "Christ also suffered for [us], leaving [us] an example so that [we] should follow in his steps." In fact Jesus desires to associate with his redeeming sacrifice those who were to be its first beneficiaries. This is achieved supremely in the case of his mother, who was associated more intimately than any other person in the mystery of his redemptive suffering.
Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 618
Athletics: 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: Perseverance. Hopefully you have stuck with this challenge to this final day, even if there were some distractions along the way. Seeing something through to the end should give a feeling of great accomplishment. Celebrate your victory and remember the peace and joy that perseverance brings. When life does get you down and you feel like quitting, the following poem may be helpful. I always had it hanging in my room when I was growing up and in High School. Just remember, the night is darkest right before the dawn.
Don’t Quit
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.
- Author unknown
Instructor's Manual: (60 minutes) Watch the final session of the Great Adventure Bible Study. See how Jesus relives the life of Israel, and how we are called to relive the life of Christ. This video includes bonus footage of two songs sung live by SimplyRC (before they were famous :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnWpWPgAx18
NEED TO KNOW HIM: If it is possible, go to the Easter vigil this year. Experience the sights of the burning flames, the smells of the incense, see the waters of baptism, hears the choirs and the bells and the words of the sacred scriptures, and taste the body and blood of Jesus Christ. There is nothing like the Easter Vigil. Rediscover the beauty.
Story of the Day: The Hermit
There once was a very wise old hermit living in a small cave high in the mountains. Late each evening, he would walk for many miles, praying and reflecting on the beauty of creation with which God had surrounded him. One night when he returned to his cave, he discovered a thief who had come to rob him. The hermit's presence startled the thief, and an uneasy silence filled the cave. After a few moments the wise old man said to the thief, "I have only three things in the world: the bowl from which I eat, and you can have it; the mat on which I sleep, and you can have it; but the third thing I could not possibly give you, so gather the first two and be on your way."
Far from being satisfied, the thief only became curious about the hermit's third possession and said, "What is the third thing you cannot give me?"
The hermit replied, "Follow me, " and led the thief out into the night.
They walked through the mountains for miles without exchanging a word until they came to a lake. They stopped on the shore and the hermit stretched his arm out toward the lake and pointed to a beautiful shining silver disk in the middle. The thief stood and stared in silence.
The hermit said quietly and gently, "There is the third thing. It is the face of the moon reflected in the water. It is the wonder and glory of God reflected in His creation. I come here often, and I contemplate the wonder of God and His creation. I recognize the love that God has for His creation. I see that His love for me is great. It is out of this love for me that He has surrounded me with such beautiful, complex, and awesome wonders. Yet while they are magnificent and beautiful, glorious and mysterious, I know that they are only a dim reflection of the God who created them--so great is God. It is in recognizing how wide and deep God's love is that I see that the love of God I have experienced in my life is only a portion of the love He has for me. I see the need to open myself a little more to His love."
A silence fell between the two again. The thief knew he could not possibly take this from the wise old man. More than this, the thief was in awe of the fact that there was a man who had something so great, something of greater value than anything he had ever possessed; yet nobody could ever take it from him. The hermit stretched out his arm toward the disk once again and broke the silence, saying, "I can point you to it, but I cannot give it to you, for we all have the God-given freedom to choose. In every year, in every day, in every moment of our lives we have the freedom to choose to be with God or to be without him. We have the freedom to choose joy or misery and nobody can take that freedom away. Go now and seek the Joy of God, and you shall receive it abundantly."
I love Jesus Christ, and because I love him I love the Catholic Church. She is the bride of Christ. Jesus and his Church are one. The Church is worth fighting for, worth living for, and worth dying for. I wish so much that I could just give you the joy and peace she has brought to my life. I've tried to give it to people...but I can't. I can only point you to it. You must choose.
Theology of the Body (2 minutes) Soak in the wisdom of the two of the greatest modern day saints...and live what they teach us.
"Love to be real, it must cost-it must hurt-it must empty us of self."
- Mother Teresa
"Intense love does not measure . . . it just gives."
- Mother Teresa
"The person who does not decide to love forever will find it very difficult to really love for even one day."
- Pope John Paul II
"Man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it. This is why Christ the Redeemer 'fully reveals man to himself.'"
- Pope John Paul II
"There is no place for selfishness-and no place for fear! Do not be afraid, then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice"
- Pope John Paul II
"Real love is demanding. I would fail in my mission if I did not tell you so. Love demands a personal commitment to the will of God."
- Pope John Paul II
Sacrifice and Service: Vow to make each day of your life a living sacrifice. Perhaps it is difficult for you to decide each day whom to offer up your day for. Let me leave you with a practical bit of advice. Consecrate your life to Jesus through Mary our Mother. Give your sacrifices to Mary and allow her to dispense their graces as she sees fit. She is like a financial advisor. I have no clue where to invest my money, and so I entrust it to people who know where the most profit can be made. Mary is the "sacrificial" advisor. She knows where your graces are needed and she will make the most profit out of them by bringing them to her son, who will not refuse her. That is why St. Louis de Monfort said consecrating your life to Jesus through Mary is "the quickest, easiest, surest, and most perfect" way to become a saint.
Want to learn how to consecrate your life to Jesus through Mary? I highly recommend "33 Days to Morning Glory" by Fr. Michael Gaitley http://www.amazon.com/Days-Morning-Glory-Do-It-Yourself-Consecration/dp/1596142448
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Congratulations, you have completed the first ever Saints in the Making University 40 Day Challenge. I hope you have found it useful and beneficial. Whether or not this challenge will be fruitful is yet to be determined....that is up to you. The Challenge is over, but the rest of your life must now begin. St. Catherine of Siena once said, "If you become who you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!" Become who you should be.... Become saints! Nothing else matters.
I will pray for all of you. Please pray for me. Run your race, and I will see you at the finish line. ----John R. Wood
