The reason I’m doing Magnify 90 this January is because my sister called me up and asked if I would, and it didn’t seem like a good idea to say no.
I’ve never done one of these programs before, and I’m not a really penance-y kinda person. Honestly I dread offering things up anymore, because my inner shirker screams do not tempt God to give you things to offer up! Nooooooo!
So this’ll be an interesting time.
If you aren’t familiar with these various programs, here is the original Exodus 90 for men. Magnify 90 and Fiat 90 are two counterpart programs designed for women. (Fiat is free, btw. I’m doing Magnify because it’s the one my sister’s parish is doing. I didn’t mind buying a book, though I skipped the workbook.)
I’d be remiss if I didn’t recommend Simcha Fisher’s coverage on this topic:
- Her interview with James Baxter from Exodus 90 and her thoughts on the abuses and right uses of such a program.
- “Do women need ascesis?” her reflection on why cold showers just really aren’t the thing most women need. Fantastic insights into how women’s lives, and therefore our spiritual lives, are just different.
Something I’ve been wanting to do for a while is more frequent, shorter blog posts here. While I’m not committing to any particular amount of magnifying here on the blorg, I might do some of that. Exactly how much is going to be a surprise.
Over at the ‘stack I wrote some general tips for group leaders on doing any of these various 90-day spiritual growth programs, based on my experience with discipleship groups generally, and also my unbroken lifetime record of Failing at Lent. I do know a thing or two about discerning penances, it turns out.
Something I like very much, now that I’ve gotten a copy of the Magnify book, is that the program 100% agrees with taking the default penances and adapting them as appropriate to the unique conditions of your actual life. So that’s a good start.
I also love that the cover artist gets a proper billing. You can find more from Maddie Torres here.
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