Who is a Saint? What does it take to be a Saint? To be a saint is to live a life of heroic virtue. St. Josemaría used to say that being a saint is not difficult, but that it was also not easy. He would add that sanctity is not for some people, it is for all people.
This year we are celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the arrival of Opus Dei to Kenya (Since 1958) and the 90th Anniversary of the foundation of Opus Dei (Since 1928). As a sign of our thanksgiving for this double celebration, we decided to celebrate the feast of St. Josemaría this year with a special one-week (26th June to 2nd July 2018) challenge.
During the “St. Josemaría Week”, students were challenged to put into practice the spirit that St. Josemaría wanted for Strathmore. We would like to remind all students that being a saint is possible and that it is not a boring chore but an exciting adventure. Striving for sanctity is very much like playing competitive sports – easy to begin, difficult to persevere but very rewarding.
With the aid of a number of select quotes from St. Josemaría, students were guided through the challenge. The idea is not only to do them for one week, but persevere in doing them; to slowly and gradually put all of them into practice in daily life.
Try it, you won’t regret it!
Challenge:
Offer up an hour of study today
3 Easy Steps:
1. Single out an hour of the day from your study timetable.
2. Say a simple prayer like, “My God, I offer you this hour of study,” before you begin
3. Try to study as well as you can (no distractions).
Challenge:
Make your bed in the morning.
It seems like a trivial matter right? Why should you make your own bed knowing that you will sleep in it in the evening?
1. A made bed creates the appearance of a neat and pulled-together bedroom. What’s so great about a pulled-together bedroom? It’s a small thing, in a way, but also not so small, because coming home to a tidy and pulled-together-looking bedroom will make you feel proud, calm, in-control, and grown-up.
2. If you start by setting up everything with purpose, your room will set the stage for what you do in the house and how you should act that day. Setting up your room in the morning therefore means confronting the “devils in your house and in your day”.
3. Because it only takes one minute: You are not busy, you are just lazy. Plus if you make the bed every day, the act of doing so starts to get quicker and quicker—in part because a bed that’s made every day gets less disheveled while you sleep, and in part because your bed-making skill level will improve.
Challenge
Go to the chapel to Greet Jesus
Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, in the tabernacle
He is there because he knows you need him. Do you bother to greet him? He is waiting.
1. Pass by the chapel as soon as you arrive in school to tell Jesus “hi”.
2. Pass by at the end of the day to tell Him “bye”.
Challenge:
Heroic Minute
The heroic minute is a chance to exercise heroic virtue at the moment of waking up. Rising instantly sounds easy, but if that were true, we would all do it and there would be no such thing as a snooze button.
Here are three suggestions that may help you:
- Pray about it the night before – Our wills are weak, and we need graces to do even the smallest good act.
- Don’t give yourself excuses – Just do it! Move your alarm – Where is your alarm in the room? This can make a big difference. If it’s far from the bed and you have to get up to shut it off, you are far more likely to get up right away.
Challenge:
Give a genuine compliment to your Mother
Jesus had a mother and he honoured her. Honouring our parents is also a commandment.
You need reasons? Here are some: You can compliment her when/because …
- She tells you the truth, even if you don’t want to hear it.
- She always pick up the phone when you call.
- She will cook you dinner when you return home.
- She always makes sure you have everything you need, even if it’s more than enough.
- She makes you want to be a better person.
- She is your biggest fan and supporter.
- She is the only one listen to you talk about yourself for hours.
- She listens to your complaints and doesn’t complain about you complaining.
Challenge:
Do something with your Father
Practicle examples:
- Wash the car
- Mow the lawn
- Go for a walk
- play chess or draughts
- Play golf etc.
Challenge:
Get used to saying thanks
Practicle Examples:
Say a simple thanksgiving prayer (Grace) before each meal:
Example of a simple prayer: “For what I am about to receive, I give thanks.”