What are you giving up for Lent? Is it chocolate? Gossip? Social media? If you are taking on the challenge of “Exodus 90” or its younger sister “Fiat 90,” your answer might actually be all of the above. These two hip-sounding programs are modern regimens of mortification and prayer. “Exodus” refers to the Israelites’ journey (or exodus) out of slavery in Egypt, and “Fiat” refers to Mary’s joyful “yes” to the will of God done in her life (Luke 1:38). Each is done for 90 days. Both aim to adapt the asceticism of old to the popular temptations of the present time. In 2018, a couple of friends from my women’s faith group invited me to join them in fasting and prayer for the 40 days of Lent—an abbreviated Exodus 90. The regimen included cold showers, seven hours of sleep, no alcohol, no sweets, no snacking, listening only to music that lifts the mind to God, and 30-60 minutes of daily prayer. To be clear, my own experiences were mixed, and I am not unilaterally recommending Exodus/Fiat 90 for everyone. Prayer and spiritual direction ought to accompany any discernment of mortification or fasting.
You can learn a lot about your habits by trying to surrender them to God. Refraining from alcohol, TV, and unnecessary purchases was easy for me, but other practices that I took on were more challenging. With food-related fasts, I found it easier to become more concerned with the sacrifice than with glorifying God through it. This is something to be wary of when practicing mortification in general. My spiritual director told me to think of St. Peter, momentarily distracted by how cool it was that he was walking on water, looking away from Jesus and immediately beginning to sink (Mt. 14:22-33). The bad spirit can use our efforts to move closer to the Lord to keep us in bondage, but the Lord longs to lead us to freedom. He is ready at every moment to take us by the hand and lift us to safety, if we will only keep striving to fix our eyes on Him.
You get out what you put in—this applies to music and prayer. I had not realized the effect that negative music had on my mood and attitude until I gave it up for a while. The same principle applies to prayer. The prayer practices that I took on with deep intentionality bore fruit and became lasting habits, but the prayers that I did just to check off the list were less fruitful. That is not to say that God can’t use our rote and routine prayers to draw us closer to Him; it’s more a lesson about being intentional, listening, and following God into prayer where He is calling us.
Looking back at my experiences with Exodus/Fiat 90, I can see where I have grown in freedom and where I have fallen back into bondage. If you’re looking to change your life this Lent, don’t simply start with a list of penitential practices. Take a look at your life, the places in your life where you feel bound, the places where there is no room for Jesus, and have an honest conversation with the Lord about the ways in which He wants to free you in this season.
Live into the feast of the Lord’s Day—during Lent and all year round. Fasting and feasting are two sides of the coin of Catholic life. I found that Sundays became more than chances to take a warm shower; they were little islands of respite that made the fast all the more meaningful during the week. All year long, we are called into the rhythm of a mini-liturgical calendar: fasting on Friday in commemoration of our Lord’s crucifixion and in preparation for each Sunday, the remembrance of His Resurrection.
Whether the thought of Fiat/Exodus 90 excites or horrifies you, Lenten resolutions are not meant to be decided or undertaken in isolation. Instead, an honest conversation with God can reveal to us what we need Him to do in our lives this season. Whatever God wants to do in your life this Lent, let’s pray that we’ll have the trust to follow His voice into the desert with Him for the next forty days and to the Resurrection at the end of time.
Featured image in the Public Domain
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Amen, Annemarie! Thank you for such a compassionate and inspiring reflection. I love the idea of fasting and feasting as two sides of the same Christian coin. Blessings and I look forward to reading more articles from you! 🙂
Thank you for sharing this. I’m starting a Fiat 90 journey with a group and would like to ask if the Fiat90 program also celebrate the Lord’s day and Church solemnities by relaxing one of the disciplines that would be agreed upon by the group, much like Exodus 90?
The materials about Fiat90 available in the internet are silent about it. Since the Lord’s Day is to be celebrated, there is wisdom in relaxing a discipline to honor this. But please let me know what you think.