St. Josemaria Escriva, known for founding Opus Dei, and being extremely practical in the ways of holiness instructs disciples of Jesus to practice what he called the Heroic Minute.
Here are his own 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)
So what exactly is the Heroic Minute?
It 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.
Practically speaking, there are 3 steps:
Wake up at a fixed time without hesitation (no snooze buttons)
Pray immediately upon waking up (morning offering, reflection on of the day ahead, “Jesus” the first word we say, etc.)
Begin our Day
Why is the Heroic Minute so powerful?
The spiritual life consists of a battle against three forces: (1) the world, (2) the flesh, and (3) the devil.
By practicing the Heroic Minute, we are conquering all three at the very start of our day:
By not hitting “snooze” we conquer our flesh. By not grabbing our phones, but beginning with prayer we conquer the world. And by giving God this first moment of our day, we conquer the devil.
