claims<\/a> that as many as 250,000 men in 80 countries have gone through the program. Doyle says that although almost 90% of the participants are Catholic, participants come from various backgrounds. One of his favorite groups that he has been in included two Catholics, two protestants, two atheists, and two agnostics. \u201cIt remains probably the most powerful fraternal experience I\u2019ve had,\u201d he says. \u201cEverybody was approaching that with their own different and unique perspectives.\u201d<\/p>\nParticipants pay for an app, which has two tiers, with the basic tier offering scripture readings and reflections, guidance through Exodus 90 and other seasonal challenges, and spiritual guides and resources. The website offers student discounts, a contact for those who cannot afford the $90\/year basic fee, and an offer of your money back \u201cif you do not experience greater freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n
To achieve that freedom, the men will give up a lot, including \u201csnacking between meals,\u201d \u201cunnecessary purchases,\u201d and eating meat on Wednesdays and Fridays.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one that gets a big headline for a lot of people is cold showers,\u201d Aidan says. \u201cYou start in January, and we\u2019re in Cincinnati, so the water\u2019s pretty cold. That\u2019s the one that can really drag on you. The big thing I emphasize with my guys, though, is the disciplines are only there to build this relationship with God. They\u2019re closing things to open up the door to your relationship with God.\u201d<\/p>\n
There can be exceptions to the rules, though. \u201cYou\u2019re going to run into situations where you\u2019re gonna have to break them not to be socially weird,\u201d Aidan says. \u201cIf you go out with your wife to celebrate something, don\u2019t just make her get a dessert and stare at her judgmentally.\u201d Aidan says otherwise slipping up on the restrictions is not a big deal, but the most important thing is to get that full hour of prayer.<\/p>\n
Strict or not, these rules are not about self-help.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things that is so important to understand about Exodus is that from the outside, it\u2019s really easy to have a straw-man perspective of what we\u2019re up to,\u201d Doyle says. \u201cEspecially in the men\u2019s space today, there can be this perception that you are just doing hard things because they\u2019re hard. We try to go much deeper than what might be apparent on the surface. We don\u2019t talk about discipline as much as we talk about asceticism. We\u2019re talking about taking up practices that are not primarily about becoming a more disciplined<\/i> person; they\u2019re about being a more Christlike<\/i> person.\u201d<\/p>\n
Importantly, this challenge isn\u2019t meant to be done alone. The program encourages daily check-ins with one partner in the group and weekly meetings with the whole cohort (the official site recommends six to eight people).<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s a big thing that\u2019s missing from Catholic men and fraternity, the idea of men in community,\u201d Aidan says. \u201cI don\u2019t think there are a lot of opportunities where we can actually talk to each other in that serious way.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says the men in his group don\u2019t just talk about the challenge, but about their marriages, their prayer lives, and other personal subjects. And there are fight club rules: \u201cOne big dynamic of the group is whatever is shared within the group, you can\u2019t talk about outside of the group,\u201d Aidan says. \u201cI think having that opens up a lot of guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting through the time-consuming, intensive program is no small feat, which is why, at the end of Lent every year, Aidan and his group start celebrating at midnight on Easter morning. After Easter Vigil at their local parish, they throw a party at Aidan\u2019s brother\u2019s house, complete with cereal, sweets, and beer. Aidan\u2019s treat of choice is Cap\u2019N Crunch Crunch Berries.<\/p>\n
Already looking forward to next year, Aidan says his group is unique in the number of men who have done the program year after year. He says a lot of guys see Exodus 90 like basic training: a tough exercise that you complete just once. \u201cBut based on my experience with previous Exoduses \u2014 and I think the human experience, right? \u2014 it\u2019s very easy if you\u2019re not guarded to lose that prayer practice pretty quickly,\u201d he says. \u201cExodus, at least for us, refreshes it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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