If you’re like most of us, you don’t have it all together.
You’ve likely tried, again and again, to break free from the pharaohs and idols that hold you back from becoming the man God has created you to be for this time.
The good news is that there is a way forward. It might start with a special devotion to the Archangel Michael, St. Michael’s Lent, observed by one of the greatest saints of the Church, St. Francis of Assisi, during his lifetime.
St. Francis withdrew to a mountaintop for prayer and fasting. We’re invited to do the same, pulling back from distractions and focusing on what matters most.
That’s where the disciplines of St. Michael’s Lent Challenge come in:
The point isn’t checking boxes. And no, it’s not about toughness, or proving how hard you can stick to a rule. The disciplines exist to help you live out and embody the faith. They serve as a means for divine grace to take hold and unfold in your life over time, in a tangible, incarnational way.
Some of these disciplines exist simply to help you be more present. Present to God. Present to your wife, your children, your family, your friends. They strip away distraction, quiet the noise, and open space to traverse the deep caverns of your heart.
St. Francis kept this 40-day Lenten season of prayer, asceticism, and fraternity, not for the world’s sake, but to make room for the Lord in his heart, and to ‘Stand Firm’ against the temptations of the enemy. Because the world, the flesh, and the devil are powerful foes, and true freedom is hard to come by. St. Michael’s Lent gives us a powerful structure to break from the world to embrace the freedom of the sons of God.
Through contemplative prayer, we open ourselves to a vulnerable relationship with God. Through asceticism, we grow in the strength to say no to what holds us back. Through fraternity, we find the support, encouragement, and mercy of other men striving for the same freedom in Christ Jesus.
By resisting the desires of the flesh and consenting, in Christ, to the Father’s will, our will is conformed to God’s. True freedom is found in doing God’s will, and there we are sanctified.
This is the freedom St. Michael’s Lent invites you into. It could be the beginning of a life more fulfilling than you could ever imagine. Join Fr. Columba Jordan, CFR, and the Exodus 90 Brotherhood starting August 12th.
Start by downloading the Exodus 90 app.
