This Lent, my husband and I have decided to commit to the Hallow App’s 40 Day Challenge. In addition, we started watching Jordan Peterson’s production reflecting on Exodus. This past Sunday, Fr. Mike Schmidt dropped a powerful homily on the desert, conceptualizing it as a training ground. The Israelites time in the desert was not merely a physical journey; it was a spiritual purification—a shedding of their attachments to the comforts of Egypt and an opportunity to learn dependence on God alone.
The Israelites, having been freed from the slavery of Egypt, were now embarking on a long and difficult journey. But more than simply leaving behind the physical chains of their former masters, they were called to detach themselves from the idolatry, comfort, and security they had known in Egypt. In many ways, the desert was a place of desolation, yet it became the crucible where God’s people were forged into a new identity as His chosen people. The wandering was not aimless—it was a training ground for holiness, a time of purification to prepare them for the Promised Land.
For the Israelites, the desert represented a break from the comforts of their past, a stripping away of the attachments and habits that kept them from fully trusting in God. They had known slavery, and the thought of freedom—true freedom in God—was not something that could be immediately embraced. They yearned for the familiarity of Egypt, even if it meant returning to bondage. But God was leading them on a journey of purification, teaching them to rely on His provision and to trust His promises. The desert was where they learned to abandon self-sufficiency, to see their own weakness, and to place their full dependence on God. It was through these trials that their faith was strengthened, refined, and purified.
Lent is our modern-day “desert.” It is a time set apart to reflect on the ways in which we too can be enslaved by the comforts and attachments of our own lives—whether that be to material goods, to our desires, or to unhealthy habits that distance us from God. Just as the Israelites had to learn to trust in God’s providence, we too are called to detach from the things that hold us back from living in full reliance on Him.
This season is a chance to engage in a purification process—a spiritual detox, if you will. By intentionally fasting, praying, and engaging in acts of almsgiving, we exercise the muscles of self-discipline, which help us to grow in self-mastery. It is not about denying ourselves for the sake of denial, but about training our hearts to place God at the center, rather than the things that distract or pull us away from Him. Lent challenges us to examine the attachments and comforts that may be keeping us from true freedom in Christ, and it offers us an opportunity to purify our desires, making room for greater intimacy with God.
In a world that is constantly pulling us in every direction, Lent is a gift—a time to step away from the noise and the distractions, and to focus our hearts and minds on what truly matters: the love and grace of our Lord. Just as the Israelites had to endure the desert in order to grow stronger in their faith and trust in God, so too do we. Lent is not meant to be easy—it’s meant to be a training ground, a place where we can develop the spiritual stamina to face the challenges of life with a heart fully committed to God.
Lent is not only a time to give up our vices or indulgences, but also a time to deepen our faith. It is an opportunity to be purified, to strengthen our relationship with God, and to cultivate the virtues of patience, humility, and self-control. The desert experience of the Israelites, though arduous, was a transformative journey that ultimately brought them closer to God. Similarly, our Lenten journey, though it may involve sacrifice and challenge, is ultimately about drawing nearer to Christ, the one who walked through His own desert for us.
As we move through Lent, let us embrace it as a time of purification and self-mastery. Let us take up the challenge of detaching from the things that draw us away from God, trusting that, like the Israelites, we too will experience God’s faithfulness in new and deeper ways. Just as He led His people through the desert and into the Promised Land, so too will He lead us into a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with Him.
May this Lent be a time of purification, a time to shed the chains of distraction, and a time to grow in faith, hope, and love for our Lord.