Leader notes

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The weekly meeting

About an hour, same time and place every week. Keep it simple and keep it honest.

1. Open in prayer (5 minutes). Pray the stage's opening prayer together, then sit in silence for a minute.
2. Check in (25 minutes). Each man answers four questions, briefly and honestly. How was your prayer this week? How did you do with the disciplines? Where did you struggle? Where did you see God at work?
3. The readings (20 minutes). Read one short passage from the week aloud, then talk through the questions for that week below.
4. Commit (5 minutes). Each man names one thing he'll do differently this week, and who he'll check in with.
5. Close in prayer (5 minutes). Pray for each man by name, then pray an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be.

Midweek check-in

Every man checks in with one brother between meetings, by phone, text or coffee. Keep it to these questions:

• Did you pray every day since we met?
• Which discipline is hardest right now?
• Is there anything you're hiding?
• How can I pray for you before we meet?

The six stages at a glance

Week by week

Each week below covers seven days of readings. Pick one passage from the week to read aloud at the meeting, and use as many of the questions as you have time for.

Week 1: Days 1 to 7

Jan 11 to Jan 17 · Exodus 1:1–3:12 · Stage: Into the night

This week in Exodus. Israel is enslaved in Egypt. Moses is born, hidden in the river and raised in Pharaoh's house. He kills an Egyptian, flees to Midian, and meets God in the burning bush.

Discussion

1. Exodus begins in slavery. Name one habit that has had you in chains.
2. God heard the groaning of His people and remembered His covenant (Exodus 2:24). Do you believe He hears yours?
3. Moses took off his shoes on holy ground. Where is your holy ground each morning, and when do you meet God there?

For the leader. The first week is the hardest. Text every man by midweek. Tell them plainly that struggling now is normal, not a sign they should quit.

Week 2: Days 8 to 14

Jan 18 to Jan 24 · Exodus 3:13–6:13 · Stage: Into the night

This week in Exodus. God reveals His name. Moses makes excuse after excuse, and God gives him Aaron. Pharaoh answers Moses by making the work harder: bricks without straw. The people blame Moses, and God renews His promise.

Discussion

1. Moses told God he wasn't the man for the job. What excuses do you make?
2. Things got worse right after Moses obeyed. How do you respond when the disciplines make life harder before they make it better?
3. Who is your Aaron, the brother who speaks for you when you can't?

For the leader. Expect complaints this week. Some men will want to quit around Day 10. Remind them that obedience comes before feelings.

Week 3: Days 15 to 21

Jan 25 to Jan 31 · Exodus 6:14–9:35 · Stage: The long walk

This week in Exodus. Pharaoh's heart hardens, and the plagues begin: blood, frogs, gnats, flies, the livestock, boils and hail. Each time relief comes, Pharaoh goes back on his word.

Discussion

1. Pharaoh promised to let the people go, then changed his mind once the pressure lifted. Where do you bargain with God?
2. What hardens your heart? Busyness, resentment, a particular comfort?
3. Which plague would you be: the man who notices God's hand, or the man who explains it away?

For the leader. Stage two, The long walk, begins on Day 15 with the prayer to your guardian angel. The early fire is fading. Pair each man with one brother for a midweek check-in.

Week 4: Days 22 to 28

Feb 1 to Feb 7 · Exodus 10:1–13:16 · Stage: The long walk

This week in Exodus. The last plagues fall: locusts, darkness and the death of the firstborn. Israel eats the Passover lamb with its blood on the doorposts and leaves Egypt in the night.

Discussion

1. The blood of the lamb marked the houses that were spared. How does the Mass make the Passover present to you?
2. Israel ate in haste, staff in hand, ready to move. Are you ready to move when God calls?
3. What do you still need to leave behind in Egypt?

For the leader. A good week to go to Mass together during the week if you can, even once.

Week 5: Days 29 to 35

Feb 8 to Feb 14 · Exodus 13:17–16:36 · Stage: The long walk and The fight

This week in Exodus. The pillar of cloud and fire leads the people. God parts the Red Sea, and Moses and the people sing. Within days they grumble at Marah and in the desert, and God sends manna, bread for one day at a time.

Discussion

1. Moses told the people that the Lord would fight for them and they should hold their peace (Exodus 14:14). Where do you need to stop fighting alone?
2. Israel grumbled only days after the sea parted. What do you grumble about?
3. Manna couldn't be stored. What would it look like to trust God for today only?

For the leader. Ash Wednesday falls on Day 31, February 10, and stage three, The fight, begins with the St. Michael prayer. Your men join the whole Church in Lent. Plan to get ashes together if you can.

Week 6: Days 36 to 42

Feb 15 to Feb 21 · Exodus 17:1–20:11 · Stage: The fight

This week in Exodus. Water flows from the rock at Massah. Israel fights Amalek, and Moses' arms are held up by Aaron and Hur. Jethro tells Moses he can't carry the people alone. Israel reaches Sinai, and God begins to give the commandments.

Discussion

1. Aaron and Hur held up Moses' arms until sunset. Who holds up yours, and whose arms are you holding up?
2. Jethro told Moses the load was too heavy for one man. What are you trying to carry alone?
3. Before the commandments, God reminds Israel what He has already done for them (Exodus 20:2). What has He already done for you?

For the leader. You can't carry every man yourself either. Ask one or two men to share the midweek calls.

Week 7: Days 43 to 49

Feb 22 to Feb 28 · Exodus 20:12–22:31 · Stage: The fight and First light

This week in Exodus. The rest of the commandments are given. The people stand far off in fear, but Moses draws near to the dark cloud where God is. God gives laws for worship, for servants, and for justice between neighbors.

Discussion

1. Which commandment is the hardest for you this week?
2. Moses walked into the dark cloud where God was. Has prayer felt dark lately? What keeps you walking in?
3. These laws are about how neighbors treat each other. Who do you owe an apology or a debt?

For the leader. Dry prayer is common around the middle of the road. Tell your men it isn't failure. Showing up in the dark is the work.

Week 8: Days 50 to 56

Mar 1 to Mar 7 · Exodus 23:1–25:40 · Stage: First light

This week in Exodus. God commands care for the stranger, the widow and the orphan, and promises to send His angel before them. The covenant is sealed in blood, Moses climbs the mountain for forty days, and God describes the ark and the lampstand.

Discussion

1. God commands care for the widow and the stranger. Who is that in your life right now?
2. The people said, all that the Lord has spoken we will do. What would your yes look like this week?
3. Moses waited six days on the mountain before God spoke. How patient are you in prayer?

For the leader. Stage four, First light, begins on Day 46 with the Memorare. You're past halfway. Ask Our Lady to carry the group through the middle.

Week 9: Days 57 to 63

Mar 8 to Mar 14 · Exodus 26:1–28:43 · Stage: First light and The mountain in view

This week in Exodus. God gives the plans for the tabernacle: its curtains, frames and veil, the altar and the court. The lamp is to burn continually. The priests' vestments are described in detail.

Discussion

1. The lamp was never to go out. What keeps your prayer burning when you don't feel anything?
2. God cared about every detail of His dwelling. What does the place you pray look like?
3. The high priest carried the names of the tribes on his shoulders and over his heart. Whose names do you carry to God?

For the leader. This is where men quietly drift. Call the man who has gone quiet, not just text him.

Week 10: Days 64 to 70

Mar 15 to Mar 21 · Exodus 29:1–31:11 · Stage: The mountain in view

This week in Exodus. The priests are consecrated, and a lamb is offered every morning and every evening. God describes the altar of incense, the basin for washing and the holy anointing oil.

Discussion

1. Israel offered to God morning and evening, every day. What is the rhythm of your day with God?
2. The priests washed before they came near. When will you go to Confession before Holy Week?
3. Incense rose to God every day. What rises from your house each evening?

For the leader. Stage five, The mountain in view, begins on Day 61 with the Anima Christi. Palm Sunday is Day 70, March 21. Plan Confession before Holy Week.

Week 11: Days 71 to 77

Mar 22 to Mar 28 · Exodus 31:12–34:9 · Stage: The mountain in view and Sunrise

This week in Exodus. Bezalel is filled with God's Spirit to build. While Moses is on the mountain, the people make a golden calf. Moses intercedes for them, and afterward the Lord speaks with him face to face, as a man speaks to his friend (Exodus 33:11).

Discussion

1. The calf was made when Moses seemed slow to come down. What do you reach for when God seems slow?
2. Moses stood between God and the people and begged for mercy. Who will you pray for by name this week?
3. God spoke to Moses as a friend. Is that how you pray?

For the leader. Holy Week. Holy Thursday is Day 74, Good Friday is Day 75 and Easter Sunday is Day 77. Pray the Triduum together if you can, and celebrate Easter as your fraternity has agreed.

Week 12: Days 78 to 84

Mar 29 to Apr 4 · Exodus 34:10–37:16 · Stage: Sunrise

This week in Exodus. Moses asks to see God's glory and is shown His back. God gives new tablets and renews the covenant, and Moses' face shines. The people bring so much for the tabernacle that they have to be told to stop.

Discussion

1. Moses' face shone after he had been with God. What do the people at home notice in you now?
2. The people gave more than was needed. Where can you give freely this week?
3. Moses asked to see God's glory. What do you most want to ask God for as the road ends?

For the leader. Stage six, Sunrise, began on Day 76, Holy Saturday, with the Te Deum. Start the conversation about what each man will carry home after Day 90.

Week 13: Days 85 to 90

Apr 5 to Apr 10 · Exodus 37:17–40:38 · Stage: Sunrise

This week in Exodus. The lampstand, the altars and the vestments are finished, all as the Lord commanded Moses. Moses raises the tabernacle, and the cloud covers it and the glory of the Lord fills it.

Discussion

1. The work was done exactly as God commanded. Which disciplines will you keep after Day 90?
2. The glory came when the work was finished. What does finishing well look like for you this week?
3. What did God do in you on this road that you didn't expect?

For the leader. The last meeting. Celebrate. Thank each man by name, decide whether to keep meeting, and set a date for the next gathering.

Before Day 1

Your first meeting

Meet once in the week before January 11. Use it to:

1. Pray Come, Holy Spirit together.
2. Have each man say, in a sentence or two, why he's here.
3. Agree on your shared commitments using the disciplines page, and how you'll treat Sundays.
4. Settle the weekly time and place, and pair each man with a midweek check-in brother.
5. Make sure every man has registered so you all unlock each day's video on the same day.

A sample invitation

For a parish bulletin, an email or a text. Change it to fit your parish.