The Heroic Minute is being disciplined in the very first moment of our day.

It is not hitting the snooze button, but immediately getting up.

It is not grabbing our phones first thing in the morning, but falling to our knees.

It is putting first things first, at the very start of each day.

As Catholics, we believe more than just what our eyes can see and our ears can hear…

We believe that our entire lives are caught up in a greater spiritual battle. 

St. Josemaria Escriva, famous for both founding Opus Dei and being very practical in the ways of virtue, recognized that the very moment we wake up each morning we face the very first spiritual battle of our day.

The question is… do we conquer it?

Do we immediately rise at our scheduled time? Or do we hit snooze 2 or 3 times before rising?

Do we immediately drop to our knees in prayer upon waking? Or do we first grab our phones to check our notifications?

This moment is what St. Josemaria Escriva called the Heroic Minute.

These are his exact words:

“The heroic minute. It is the time fixed for getting up. Without hesitation: a supernatural reflection and… up! The heroic minute: here you have a mortification that strengthens your will and does no harm to your body” (The Way, no. 206).