February 2023
When Steve Freking looks back at 2022, he can see a gradual transformation in his life that began during Lent. That’s when he and other members of his Sacred Heart men’s group embarked on a journey of prayer, asceticism (self-denial), and fraternity through Exodus Lent—a shortened version of the Exodus 90 program. Steve credits this powerful experience with bringing him closer to Christ and helping him build discipline in his daily life.
The Exodus program is designed by men for men to help deepen their faith. “It’s about drawing closer to Christ through asceticism,” Steve explains. He acknowledges that the notion of “giving something up for Lent” is familiar to most Catholics, but this more intense version challenges men to create space in their lives through a variety of disciplines: fasting, abstaining from meat, limiting caffeine, cutting out desserts and alcohol, minimizing computer time, avoiding social media, and giving up TV—including televised sports. In place of all that, they turn to daily scripture meditations (provided by Exodus), contemplative prayer, physical exercise, and authentic friendships. “You’re not just creating the void,” Steve says. "You’re filling it back in with good stuff. All these ascetic actions are to detach us from the world to give God space to work.”
The program places a big emphasis on fraternity. “We do it together, and it’s so unbelievably important.” During Lent last year, the group met every week to pray together and reflect on how things were going. In addition, each member partnered with an “anchor” in the group to touch base with every day. This provided accountability and more. “It was a blessing in so many ways,” Steve explains. “If I spend my time with good people, I can’t help but get a little bit better.”
When asked how the program changed him, Steve points to his new attitude of intentionality. “Exodus was the catalyst for me in two main things: recognizing that I can live a life of discipline, and then seeing the value of intentionally doing it.” He says that although he’s always been pretty good at reacting to situations ("If you’ve got an emergency, I’m your man.”), Exodus trained him to “wake up and do the same thing every day because it’s good for me and I know it.”
The effects have withstood the test of time. According to Steve, the men’s group is tighter than it was before Exodus and many of the good habits they developed have endured. They plan to do the program again in 2023, and Steve hopes more men will take up the challenge and join them.