Reflections on Fiat90 & Exodus90: Embracing God’s Grace in Spiritual Discipline
"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." – Hebrews 12:11
Over the past 90 days, students from our JPII Newman community have taken on the challenge of Fiat90 and Exodus90, committing to prayer, asceticism, and fraternity in pursuit of deeper holiness. Through sacrifice and discipline, they have encountered God in new and powerful ways. Through this, students share their reflections on the graces they have received—how they have grown in faith, strengthened their relationships, and discovered the beauty of surrendering more fully to Christ.
“I joined Exodus90 because I wanted to go deeper with my prayer life and atonement here at Newman. It’s great because I get to spend most of my time not on my phone and doing other activities, really connecting to the real world. It has also made me better with my grades in my classes and studies. In general, I feel better about who I’m becoming and what I’m doing as a man.”- Indigo Salas
“I have received many blessings from Fiat. One significant blessing is the opportunity to deepen my sisterhood with the women around me. Fiat has enabled me to open up to others and grow in faith and relationships with them. It has also given me the grace to seek out God in all the little things. It’s so easy to overlook Him in daily activities, but Fiat has helped me see that He is present everywhere, at all times, in both the big and small things.” - Stella Guthmann
“A reflection that I’ve had recently is with identity. Identity rarely comes with achievements or progress, although confidence and slivers of identity can sometimes. What our primary focus for identity should be is in relationship. No matter what, I will always be a son and brother. No matter what, God is always my father. Relationships are where true identity comes from and where we can find our strength in struggles with this world.” - Andrew Boyd
”Fiat has helped me to realize how helpless I am without God. Any accomplishment we achieve is only because God gave us the grace to achieve it. I am usually a very self disciplined person, so I wasn’t worried about the rigorous disciplines of Fiat until I started struggling in ways I didn’t expect. Through my failure I have learned that I can only do great things with His grace.”- Tess Timmerman
“Exodus has really helped me grow in my connection with the Lord. It’s given me more balance in my life because it requires me to stay disciplined. The daily routines of prayer, fasting, and reflection have made me more focused on my faith, even when things get busy. It’s not always easy, but it’s taught me how to push through and trust God more. Overall, I feel more at peace, more clear about my purpose, and I've noticed that staying faithful has helped me in other parts of my life too. It’s been a great experience that’s helped me grow spiritually and stay grounded.”-Matthew Ratledge