Crux is a system for doing Lent well. Starting Ash Wednesday, you'll learn to surrender to God through the adoption of four daily challenges:

1. Daily physical exercise
2. A dietary fast
3. Daily reading of Scripture
4. A nightly Examen

Why These Disciplines?

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Surrender to God allows his providence to work in our lives, leading us to holiness and love that we cannot achieve on our own. St. Paul does not describe his weaknesses as failures in 2nd Corinthians, but instead as an opportunity for God’s grace to work through and within him.

Inspired by a holistic view of the body and soul, Crux will lead you in a journey through Lent, balancing physical and spiritual disciplines that will require you to encounter weakness and surrender to God. God’s grace builds on nature: he gave us bodies and souls, and we can use both to bring us closer to him in cooperation with his grace. As we build discipline in both the physical and spiritual life we will encounter opportunities to surrender by calling on him for these graces that he so desires to pour out upon us.

For our spiritual growth, each day we’ll read passages from the Gospel of Mark and commit to a Daily Examen. Fr. Columba Jordan, CFR, will offer daily reflections on these readings and guidance on how to surrender to God, available here in the Ascension App.

Acknowledging that God made us with bodies in addition to our souls, we’ll also practice two physical disciplines: a physical exercise and a dietary fast. It is up to you to decide what God is calling you to this Lenten season.

Crux is designed to challenge you, because in our weakness we reach out for God’s help and surrender to his incredible love.

Depending on your unique gifts and talents, you may find some of these disciplines easier and others more challenging. It will be hard to persevere in your commitments, physical or spiritual. When you begin to encounter difficulty, that is the time to run to God and experience the power of surrender:

“I can do all things in him who strengthens me."

Philippians 4:13

A Note on Physical Disciplines

Crux is made for everyone, no matter your season of life or physical capability. It's up to you to prayerfully discern the right physical exercise and dietary fast for you. This will look different for everyone, depending on your age and health. We encourage you to honestly evaluate your own state in life, your unique gifts and talents, and prayerfully consider how God might be asking you to grow this Lenten season.

As you reflect on what God may be inviting you to take up this Lent, remember that there is no single ‘right’ way to integrate physical discipline into your life. What matters is choosing an exercise that fits your circumstances and helps you offer your strength, however great or small, back to God.

According to Canon Law, those age 14 and up are required to abstain from meat on Fridays in Lent and Ash Wednesday. Healthy adults from the ages of 18-59 must also fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, allowing one full meal and up to two smaller meals that are together less than a full meal. Several groups, such as pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as the elderly, are exempt from fasting by Canon Law due to health considerations. They are nonetheless encouraged to capture the essence of fasting in accordance with their condition.

Our dietary fast in Crux is separate from the Church's fasting and abstinence, similar to the common Lenten practice of “giving something up,” whether it be desserts, snacks between meals, alcoholic beverages, or some other fast. While you should still adhere to the traditional one full meal and two smaller meals on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as required by the Church, Crux encourages you to pick a general food item to fast from, just as you’d normally “give something up” for Lent!

As you discern your physical disciplines for Lent, remember: holiness is not measured by intensity. Choose something that is feasible, yet a stretch, that allows you to embrace God’s help and surrender to him.

Introduction to Crux: A Lenten Journey of Surrender