March 18, 2026 I was surprised to hear my son, Jake, say “I love the Fridays with Chris Pratt and Mark Wahlberg!” Jake decided to do the Lenten program I’ve done for the last handful of years, the Pray 40 challenge through the Hallow app. With that program, Monday through Wednesday offer prayer sessions centered around a book and theme. Thursday is a prayer session that includes someone telling their conversion story. Saturday is an interview and prayer, and Sunday is a homily from a popular priest. Friday is a “Fasting Friday” challenge and prayer led by the two celebrity actors. While it’s my favorite session of the week, experience tells me Jake doesn’t particularly enjoy fasting, which is why I was surprised he enjoyed those sessions. Knowing he doesn’t love fasting, I asked why it was his favorite. “It’s only 9 minutes long” was the immediate reply. The sessions on other days tend to last around 20 minutes. I laughed out loud. When Jake told me that, my first instinct was to think he liked the short episode because it was easier, essentially. It then occurred to me that I was being a spiritual snob. Jake is 18. He is on the autism spectrum. He sometimes struggles to maintain attention when someone is talking at him for a relatively long time. In addition to being brief, the two actors use conversational language, so it’s very digestible and relatable. Fasting Friday meets Jake where he is. To me, that’s one of the beauties of Catholicism – there’s something for everyone if you’re willing to look for it and follow where God leads. You love the written word? There’s lectio divina. Need to have your hands moving at all times? You can do that with the rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet. Does music move you? There are eleventy billion worship songs, hymns and chanted songs. Do you have a hard time talking with Jesus when there’s no one sitting in front of you? There’s adoration! Have a short attention span? There’s Fasting Friday! God often reminds me that while I get ridiculously excited whenever I find something that makes me feel closer to the Lord, and I often encourage people I know to seek those same experiences, God sometimes reminds me that he reaches and speaks to each of us in the way we need, and how he reaches and speaks to me is not how he reaches speaks to everyone. Instead of evaluating his methods and preferences, I’ll try to remember that the important thing is that Jake loves Jesus. |
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