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Lent Pray40: The Return
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Journey through The Brothers Karamazov and the Parable of the Prodigal Son as we return to the Father this Lent. We’re all farther from God than we need to be—but the good news is He is always waiting with open arms, running out to meet us while we are still a long way off. To bring this Scripture to life like never before, we’ll turn to Dostoevsky’s famous novel. We'll step into the lives of its characters and discover the ways their struggles and brokenness mirror our own. Together, we'll let go of what holds us back, return home to the Lord, and let Him send us out as His hands and feet.
47 sessions
1To Dust You Shall ReturnWelcome to the Lent challenge! We begin with ashes, humility, and hope. Today invites you to take the first step home through the Litany of Humility, discovering how even death can become the soil where new life begins.
Day 1: Feb 18
2The Prodigal SonStep into the heart of the Prodigal Son and The Brothers Karamazov. Today’s prayer invites you out of the role of observer and into the story—where God’s mercy meets both our rebellion and our pride.
Day 2: Feb 19
3Fasting FridayToday begins our weekly fast with a simple prayer: Lord, empty me, fill me, use me. We’re invited to detach from what clutters our hearts so God can make space, bring freedom, and bear fruit through us.
Day 3: Feb 20
4InterviewJoin us for an exciting interview about how to put active love intro practice.
Day 4: Feb 21
5HomilyJoin us for a Sunday homily on the Parable of the Prodigal Son and the call to ongoing conversion. We’ll explore returning to the Father, taking responsibility for love, and following Christ through prayer, fasting, and trust this Lent.
Day 5: Feb 22
6The AnswerFollow the early life of Fr. Zosima and the moment that reshapes his heart. Through his brother’s unexpected conversion, we’re introduced to a radical truth: we belong to one another, and our lives ripple outward in love and responsibility.
Day 6: Feb 23
7The Way HomeWalk with Fr. Zosima as he leaves home, wrestles with pride and anger, and faces the weight of his sin. In a moment of humility, his life turns toward repentance, revealing how acknowledging guilt can become the doorway back to communion.
Day 7: Feb 24
8The BowReturn to Fr. Zosima as an elder and spiritual father. Through his witness of active love, we explore what it means not only to come home to the Father—but to become like Him, stepping into mercy, patience, and responsibility for others.
Day 8: Feb 25
9Story of ReturnJoin us for a Story of Return. We'll hear a firsthand story of what it looks like to return home to the Father.
Day 9: Feb 26
10Fasting FridayJoin us for a Friday Fasting Challenge on humility—taking the last seat, fasting from comparison and judgment, and praying “Lord, empty me.” With Scripture and Fr. Zosima, practice pausing before you judge and choosing humble love.
Day 10: Feb 27
11InterviewJoin us for an exciting interview about how to put active love intro practice.
Day 11: Feb 28
12HomilyJoin us for a Sunday homily on the Younger Son—exploring the choice to leave home and the longing that drives us into the “distant country.” Through the Transfiguration and Mitya’s story, we’ll reflect on identity, desire, and what happens when we forget who we are.
Day 12: Mar 1
13My Most Grievous FaultJoin us as we meet Mitya—the “younger son” of this journey—and watch how private choices ripple outward. We’ll enter the storm of desire, shame, and longing, and ask what’s missing when confession stops short of mercy.
Day 13: Mar 2
14Our InheritanceToday we follow Mitya to the edge: family wounds, inherited brokenness, and a moment where anger threatens to take over. In prayer, we’ll hear God name our truest inheritance—living hope, freedom, and a new identity as His beloved.
Day 14: Mar 3
15The PigstyExperience a dramatic turn: a night of chaos, a flicker of repentance, and an arrest that shakes everything. Then we’ll pray from the “pigsty” of the prodigal and discover Jesus already there—meeting us in the mud and calling us home.
Day 15: Mar 4
16Story of ReturnJoin us for a Story of Return. We'll hear a firsthand story of what it looks like to return home to the Father.
Day 16: Mar 5
17Fasting FridayThis Friday invites a deeper letting go. As the prodigal leaves the pigsty behind, we’re challenged to double down—fasting not only from comforts, but from every attachment that keeps us from freedom. Through Scripture and prayer, we practice dying to the old self so Christ can clothe us with compassion, humility, and love.
Day 17: Mar 6
18InterviewToday, we dive into an exciting interview.
Day 18: Mar 7
19HomilyThis Sunday, we turn to the elder son—the one who stayed, obeyed, and yet grew distant in heart. Through Ivan’s story, we’ll reflect on pride, resentment, and hardened hearts, and listen for the Father’s invitation to step out of isolation and back into joy.
Day 19: Mar 8
20Faith vs. ReasonStep into Week 3 with Ivan: a brilliant mind wounded by suffering. Hear his outrage over innocent pain, the temptation to judge God, and the elder son’s pride that keeps us outside the Father’s joy.
Day 20: Mar 9
21Love Is a PersonEnter “The Grand Inquisitor.” Ivan puts Christ on trial over freedom and suffering—then meets a shocking reply: not an argument, but love. Bring your hardest questions to the cross in prayer.
Day 21: Mar 10
22Pride and the Elder SonWatch Ivan’s “just ideas” collide with real consequences as Smerdyakov acts on “everything is permitted.” Sit with guilt, responsibility, and the elder son’s crossroads: will pride keep you outside, or will you come home?
Day 22: Mar 11
23Story of ReturnJoin us for a Story of Return. We'll hear a firsthand story of what it looks like to return home to the Father.
Day 23: Mar 12
24Fasting FridayThis Friday turns to the root of all sin: pride. As we reflect on Christ who emptied Himself, we fast from ego and self-exaltation—choosing humility, generosity, and love that turns us outward toward God and others.
Day 24: Mar 13
25InterviewToday, we dive into an exciting interview.
Day 25: Mar 14
26HomilyThis homily turns our gaze to the Father—his mercy, patience, and joy—and to the path of becoming like him. Through Alyosha, we glimpse a life lived not apart from God, but with Him: loving, bearing burdens, and choosing the light.
Day 26: Mar 15
27Love Where No One SeesMeet Alyosha, the unlikely “hero” of Brothers K. Fr. Zosima sends him from the monastery into the messy world to practice “active love”—small, unseen obedience that mirrors Christ’s own descent to bring the lost home.
Day 27: Mar 16
28Loaves and FishesAlyosha tries to live Zosima’s “humble love” amid family chaos—kissing his raging father, mediating broken relationships, and searching for Mitya. He offers what he has, loaves-and-fishes style, before grief shatters everything.
Day 28: Mar 17
29Becoming the FatherZosima dies—and scandal follows as decay and gossip erupt. Alyosha’s faith buckles: he echoes Ivan’s rebellion and steps toward temptation. In prayer, we stand with the Father, learning obedience that waits, loves, and trusts without guarantees.
Day 29: Mar 18
30Story of ReturnJoin us for a Story of Return. We'll hear a firsthand story of what it looks like to return home to the Father.
Day 30: Mar 19
31Fasting FridayThis Fasting Friday marks a turning point: after weeks of emptying ourselves, we pause to receive. Scripture reveals the Father’s steadfast love—pursuing the lost, carrying us home, and inviting us to rest in His mercy and be filled.
Day 31: Mar 20
32InterviewToday, we dive into an exciting interview.
Day 32: Mar 21
33HomilyThis Sunday homily reflects on conversion and the courage to return home. Through the prodigal sons and the brothers’ encounters with grace, we’re invited to take our final step—accepting mercy, rising to new life, and choosing communion over isolation.
Day 33: Mar 22
34Wedding at CanaStep into Alyosha’s turning point: grief and scandal pull him toward temptation, but unexpected mercy meets him first. A single “onion” of love opens a vision of Cana, where sorrow yields to joy and God fills what’s empty.
Day 34: Mar 23
35This Risen ManCome with Mitya into the interrogation room: humiliation, accusation, and powerlessness strip him down. Then a dream of a freezing “wee one” awakens tenderness and responsibility. He accepts suffering as purification—and begins walking home with love for the poor.
Day 35: Mar 24
36Enter the FeastEnter Ivan’s crisis: guilt over his role in tragedy shatters the armor of intellect. A tormenting encounter exposes pride’s loneliness, and the clock runs out. He chooses to speak, to risk shame for love—one step across the threshold toward mercy.
Day 36: Mar 25
37Story of ReturnJoin us for a Story of Return. We'll hear a firsthand story of what it looks like to return home to the Father.
Day 37: Mar 26
38Fasting FridayStep into this Fasting Friday as the final prayer takes shape: use me. Having been emptied and filled, we’re sent to love—patiently, humbly, concretely—starting not far away, but with the people directly in front of us.
Day 38: Mar 27
39InterviewToday, we dive into an exciting interview.
Day 39: Mar 28
40HomilyEnter into a Sunday homily on life inside the Father’s house. Through Alyosha and a wounded community of boys, we see how forgiveness restores joy—and how God invites us to become spiritual fathers and mothers who gather others into the feast.
Day 40: Mar 29
41Where Grace AboundsJoin us for Holy Week as sin’s ripple reaches a wounded boy—and grace ripples back. With Alyosha, we practice “use me”: step into conflict, refuse retaliation, and let Christ’s mercy move outward from the Cross.
Day 41: Mar 30
42Seek Happiness in SorrowToday, we'll hear how grace gathers a broken group of boys around a sick child. We witness reconciliation, a friendship returning, and mercy that heals shame. Then we pray for those God places on our hearts—especially the forgotten.
Day 42: Mar 31
43Hurrah for KaramazovStep into the final pages of The Brothers Karamazov: a graveside farewell, “memory eternal,” and hope beyond death. We pray with our memories—joyful and painful—asking God to redeem our past and lead us toward Easter.
Day 43: Apr 1
44Story of ReturnJoin us for a Story of Return. We'll hear a firsthand story of what it looks like to return home to the Father.
Day 44: Apr 2
45Fasting FridayJoin us this fasting Friday—Good Friday—to mourn the Cross and receive hope. Pray Luke 23, ask Jesus to remember you, and let His costly love teach you to love for all time: empty me, fill me, use me.
Day 45: Apr 3
46InterviewToday, we settle in for the final Pray40 Interview!
Day 46: Apr 4
47HomilyCelebrate Easter with us as we rejoice in the Resurrection and new life. Having returned home this Lent—emptied, filled, and sent—we now live in the Father’s joy, celebrating the feast and carrying His love into the world.
Day 47: Apr 5