Just ten minutes...

Before starting medical school, I was pretty good about working out 3-5 times per week. Since starting medical school, I have not been so good. I know that working out releases endorphins, decreases stress, and has a multitude of health benefits, but I still don't work out as much as I should. When I was home at Christmas, I decided to bring a few workout DVDs back to the island from the 10 Minute Solutions workout series. I really like the Quick Tummy Toners and the Fat Blasting Dance Mix, despite my inability to dance. I don't like the Hot Body Boot Camp as much because I can't keep up with her--I'm not cut out for hot body boot camp or military boot camp! I know, especially as someone training to be a physician, that I should work out more but with our schedule it can't always happen. On the other hand, I can find time to work out for 10-20 minutes in my apartment at least 3-5 times per week.

Speaking of just needing ten minutes per day, I found a free podcast from the Jesuits in the U.K. I LOVE the Jesuits so it should be no surprise that I love their podcast, which is titled, "Pray As You Go." They are ten minute little prayer and meditation sessions with music in the background, scripture and questions to reflect upon. The Jesuits started this project for Lent in 2006 so that people could pray during their long commutes, but they had such a great response that they have continued it--there have been over 5 million prayer sessions downloaded! Each prayer session is only 10-15 minutes long.

For those of you who do not know about the Jesuits they are formally known as The Society of Jesus. The Society of Jesus is a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola. The Jesuits are the largest male religious order in the world, with approximately 20,000 members serving in 112 countries. The contemporary mission of the Society of Jesus is the service of faith and promotion in society of that justice of the Gospel that is the embodiment of God's love and saving mercy. Different groups of Jesuits, in different regions of the world focus on different apostolic priorities within their region. They are especially involved in Education and Social Justice. Here is an example of some of these apostolic priorities from The Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus:

• Evangelization: Evangelize contemporary culture with special emphasis on the needs and aspirations of young adults.
• Collaborative Ministry: Strengthen partnership with lay colleagues, especially in leadership roles.
• Ignatian Character of Our Schools: Assure the Ignatian heritage, Catholic identity, and Jesuit mission of our high schools and universities.
• Intellectual Apostolate: Contribute to the intellectual mission of the Church, especially by scholarship, research, and writing.
• Solidarity with the Poor: Choose to be with the poor in lifestyle and for the poor in mission, locally and globally.
• Spiritual Exercises: Make widely available the opportunity to experience the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola.

Basically, the Jesuits given their devotion to Education, especially higher education, are very current with events and technology. Thus, it really isn't a surprise that the Jesuits have this super cool podcast. They don't just stop there. You can download the Stations of the Cross, review Ignatian Spirituality online, or you can even look at their web page with links of to helpful ways to pray. From my experience, Jesuits love youth and educating youth, which is probably why they even have a my space page devoted to prayer. Talk about changing your mission as society changes!

I think it is fitting for me to end this blog post with a common Jesuit saying: A.M.D.G.

*AMDG is the abbreviation of the Latin phrase: “Ad maiorem Dei gloriam.” In English this translates to “For the greater glory of God.”