How Our November Challenge Works

November is a month traditionally set aside to remember and pray for the dead. Death is a reality that generates a wide variety of reactions: fear, anxiety, obsession, or even complete disregard. How should a Christian man see and think of death, and how does this differ from the way our culture sees it? What duty do we have towards the dead?

The Church offers us a triduum, three days of holy observance, to begin the month of the dead and rightly orient ourselves to death. While you will not often hear its name today, Halloween, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day together make up the Triduum of Allhallowtide. On Halloween, we do penance in preparation for the great feast. On All Saints Day, a Holy Day of Obligation, we celebrate all those myriad saints in heaven, particularly those who have not received official canonization, and pray for their intercession. On All Souls Day, we pray for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory as they undergo purification to receive the grace of heaven . Together, the Triduum of Allhallowtide orients us to a Christian vision of death–the hope of “the life of the world to come.” From November 1st to the 8th, a period known as the All Hallows Octave, the Church offers a special set of indulgences that can be claimed for the dead:

During the octave, the faithful can obtain one plenary indulgence each day for a departed soul by visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead.
On All Souls Day in particular, another plenary indulgence can be obtained by visiting a church and praying an Our Father and the Creed.
Additionally, a partial indulgence for a departed soul can be claimed on any day by reciting the Office of the Dead. In honor of this observance, we will pray together the Office of the Dead each day of the octave.

Every day, we pray for God’s blessing on all Exodus Men and their families. This prayer rightfully extends not only to the living but also to all those Exodus men who have died. In the last year, we have collected the names of more than 40 Exodus men who have gone before us, and entered them into our Book of the Dead so that we can remember and pray for our brothers in perpetuity. The Book of the Dead will be available on the app’s Home Tab throughout the month of November. If you know of any Exodus Man who has died, please send us his name, date of death, and a link to his obituary at support@exodus90.com.

The dead should not be forgotten. There is something deeply human and spiritual about maintaining our communion, in prayer, with those who have died. It is only through God that we can maintain this connection, as all who are in his grace live in him. If we live in relationship with God, we remain united with all others, living and deceased, who likewise abide in him. Throughout the Body of Christ, we express charity in our prayer for one another. Together, let us then remember, grieve, and express our hope in the Lord’s mercy as we strive to live a life worthy of our calling as sons of God, preparing to encounter him at the hour of our death.

November Plan of Life

During the month of November, we continue our baseline Plan of Life, incorporating any personal disciplines we feel will help us to continue making progress toward freedom and healing in Christ.

Read the daily Reading & Reflection from the Gospel of Matthew
20 Minutes of Silent Prayer each day.
Examine your Day.
Regular Fraternity Meeting.
Cold Shower Fridays.
No Meat Fridays.
Make one Holy Hour each week.
Celebrate the Lord’s Day on Sundays & Feasts.
Pray for the Dead

It is never too late to invite a man into your fraternity. As you start, there may be men who want to join, especially in the first few weeks of our November Challenge.

🚀 After Our November Challenge

We will be focusing our attention to Advent with Msgr. James Shea as our spiritual guide.

Advent looks hopefully toward the greatest expression of God’s loving presence imaginable. The Son of God poured himself out for us, becoming a little babe in his great desire to draw as close to us as possible, taking on our nature with all the daily joys and sorrows that come with it. Each Christmas, he invites us to encounter him anew, as he comes again to renew our lives. The Advent season, therefore, invites us to draw close to him, journeying to Bethlehem in spirit and sharing Jesus’s loving presence with family and friends.

To guide our journey, each day of Advent we will read from the Prophet Isaiah, who so clearly speaks of the coming of the Messiah, born of a Virgin. The newborn king comes to bring peace, not by intervening from above, but by coming to abide in our hearts, making us men of peace who spread the Kingdom of God in the world. Because God became man, he has given us a hope that surpasses anything else in the world.

By taking the preparation of Advent seriously, we imitate Jesus’s radical presence and availability. All the interactions in the home and our festive gatherings can become a means of sharing God’s loving presence with others. The Christmas season continues to bring our country together in the pursuit of joy and peace. Even if many overlook the reason for the season, we can refocus our attention on the coming of Christ in hope.

Exodus 90’s Advent Challenge offers concrete ways to live out the Advent season.

Msgr. James Shea, President of the University of Mary, will serve as a spiritual guide, offering a series of reflections to inspire us to live as apostles in spreading the Kingdom, ready to face the challenges of our day with peace and joy. One of the most compelling Catholic speakers today, he will offer practical insights rooted in the power of Christ’s coming.
A daily Advent calendar will help us to rediscover Advent and Christmas traditions rooted in our faith to overcome the consumerism and shallow entertainment that so often trivialize this beautiful season. We will discover the beautiful customs of feast days and explore the meaning of decorations, food, and prayers of the season.

Our disciplines will root us in an asceticism of hope, making clear steps to prepare for Christ’s coming and to share his loving presence with others.

Advent Challenge Disciplines

Read Advent Reading & Reflection – Read the daily scriptures from the Book of Isaiah for the season of Advent. The readings are your guide through this spiritual journey. Take time to let the word of God speak to you through these daily readings.
Pray the Angelus at 6am, Noon & 6pm – Prepare for the celebration of the Incarnation by meditating upon Mary’s “yes” to God by praying the Angelus three times per day. The Angelus contains a series of three statements, interspersed with Hail Marys, about the mystery of the Incarnation and Mary’s role within it.
10 Minutes of Silence each Morning – Begin the day with 10 minutes of silent vigil, keeping watch for the coming of the Lord.
10 Minutes of Silence each Night – End the day with 10 minutes of silent vigil, keeping watch for the coming of the Lord.
Be Uncommonly Present – God’s presence in the Manger is his ultimate gift to us. And this we pattern by making ourselves uncommonly present to our family and friends throughout this season. Give up anything that takes you away from your time with them.
Regular Fraternity Meeting – As holiday schedules allow, come together regularly as a fraternity to check in about their fidelity to their Plan of Life and pray together. Stay faithful to this commitment you made to your brothers. Do your part to make your fraternity a committed band of brothers.
Cold Shower Wednesday & Friday – On Wednesdays & Fridays, take a cold shower as an act of self-sacrifice. As you prepare to step into the water, intentionally pray that the grace of this sacrifice may make you more present to your family and friends.
No Meat Wednesday & Friday – Do not consume meat on Wednesdays or Fridays in honor of Christ’s betrayal and death on the cross during Holy Week. Look for other sources of protein such as beans, peanut butter, etc.
Celebrate the Sundays of Advent – Every Sunday is a Little Easter and should be observed with celebration and rest. In Advent, this celebration is one of joyful anticipation. As the O Antiphons state it so aptly: “Come, Root of Jesse, to set us free! Hasten now, and do not delay!”

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👉 Lastly:

Our November and December Challenges will be challenging, but do not be afraid. There’s no such thing as a perfect journey.

More than 100,000 Exodus men have come before you. And tens of thousands of men from all over the world are on the road right now, praying and sacrificing for you too.

May we, united together in prayer and sacrifice, and after the pattern of Jesus Christ and our Fathers in the Faith, become the renewal that we seek in the Church and in the world.