When you started your Exodus, you may realize that you have been suffering from a cultural illusion, and perhaps for a very long time. Everyone talks about how busy they are today. Our busyness is even used as a badge of honor. “How are you?” There are many ways to answer that question, yet how often do we simply say: “Busy.”
When you cut out your distractions through ascetic practices, you realize very quickly how much time you have. You’re not wasting your time on Netflix or video games or sports or social media anymore. It’s not that these things are intrinsically evil, but they do steal our time, especially since they’re designed to keep us coming back for more.
So, my question for you is this: How will you fill your time now that you have found it? I’d recommend three things:
Prayer – During Exodus 90, you are committing to a daily hour of prayer with at least twenty minutes of that time given to silent prayer. The Catechism states that: “One does not undertake contemplative prayer only when one has the time: one makes time for the Lord, with the firm determination not to give up, no matter what trials and dryness one may encounter” (CCC 2710). This should be true for all men, in every state of life, every day. With the new time that you have found, be sure that it is first given back to God your Father.
Family – Some men ask what they can add to make Exodus 90 more intense, but my response is always the same. Keep Exodus 90 as it is. Then take that energy and devote it to your family in a new way. If you are married, spend more time cultivating the most important relationships in your life with your spouse and your children. Pursue your wife again by going on date nights. Spend one on one time with each of your children and all together as a family, especially on Sundays. Your family will notice, and they will very much enjoy your newfound presence.
Reading – My father is a man that I respect immensely. But, he will be the first to tell you, as his career took off, he stopped reading. He had not read a book for a long time before he started his Exodus. After 90 days, he had read nine of them! In a post-Christian world that operates from principles contrary to the Gospel, we must be vigilant about what shapes our thoughts, and bring them into conformity with Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Reading good books infused with Catholic vision will help you to think with the converted mind of a disciple.
These are only a few suggestions on how to spend the new time that you have found. Of course, there will be many other ways you can put it to good use.
