The Heroic Minute Challenge: Day 1: The First Supernatural Reflection of the Day

Day One….YOWSA….that was not easy. My alarm rang at 7:00AM; which is the time I chose for this first day of the challenge (the first day back to “normal life” after Easter break). My first instinct was to hit the snooze button (big shock there), but a vague memory of some crazy challenge entered my mind. I would love to say that I jumped out of bed with great joy, but I didn’t.  In fact, I rose slowly, with one eye observing the gloomy day outside my window and my mind wondering why I hadn’t gone to be earlier last night (and why I hadn’t cleaned up the kitchen after celebrating my Dad’s birthday with a house full of guests). Ugh. The first lesson of the 14 Day “Heroic Minute” Challenge for me is this: what you do the night before will have a direct impact on your ability to live out the Heroic Minute the next morning.  Let’s look a little more at some of St. Escriva’s writings on the Heroic Minute:The First Supernatural Reflection of the DaySt. Josemarie Escriva explains the mechanics of the Heroic Minute as a three step process: an action that occurs “without hesitation”,  a “supernatural reflection” and then the dreaded imperative “UP!” The “without hesitation” part gets me every time. Mainly because I fail to fuel the entire effort with the “supernatural reflection” St. Escriva describes. In other words, I am trying to live out the Heroic Minute on my own steam. Here’s 5 ideas to help you begin the day with this “supernatural reflection”:Set your alarm ringtone to a Catholic hymn or chorus from a praise song. Mine is set to the chorus from Steve Angrisano’s My Soul Is Thirsting. Waking up with these powerful words in my ears helps to set my heart on the Lord