You Might Think I'm Crazy to Abstain from News and Social for 40 Days

St. Michael's Lent begins 15 August

Dear Readers,

I wanted to let you all know that I will be abstaining from all social media and news from August 15 to September 29, 2024, in observance of St. Michael's Lent. This period is a time for reflection, spiritual growth, and disconnecting from the constant influx of information and distractions.

During this time, I will not be active on any social media platforms, and I will not be consuming any news. I believe this will allow me to focus more deeply on my personal and spiritual development, as well as spend more quality time with my loved ones.

St. Michael's Lent, also known as the Lenten Fast of St. Michael, is a period of fasting and spiritual preparation in honor of St. Michael the Archangel. It traditionally begins on August 15, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, and continues until September 29, the Feast of St. Michael. This period was promoted by St. Francis of Assisi as a time for penance, prayer, and reflection. It serves as a way for the faithful to deepen their spiritual lives and prepare for the feast day of the archangel, who is often seen as a protector and leader in the fight against evil.

St. Michael the Archangel in America

This election year, many of you have taken on additional “duties” to keep the republic and stave off the Marxist hoards scratching at the gate. These additional duties might include ballot harvesting or voter registration for TP Action, volunteering for MAGA candidates, working the polls on election day, or simply encouraging family and friends to vote and vote right for a change. These are all worthy pursuits. But there is more to be done, and you might know exactly where I’m heading.

One more thing to do is prayer and fasting. That sounds like two things, but it is really one.

We are surrounded always and everywhere by angels, good and bad. Our guardian angel, whom most of us rudely neglect most of the time, stands ready to protect us, body and soul, from the wickedness and snares of the devil, if only we would avail ourselves of his loving assistance. Good angels recognize our free will, though, and, if we ignore his counsel, we ignore God’s wisdom, for good angels are always perfectly aligned with God’s holy will.

But we are also surrounded by bad angels on all sides and at all times. These wicked creatures seek the destruction of our souls. They fell from God’s grace because of His holy plan for humanity. Demons are jealous and mean spirits who corrupt the beauty and desirability of this world—meant to reflect and magnify the Lord. Demons tempt us, threaten us, frighten us, and entice us into sins of all kinds. Demons love nothing better than to make man’s actions work against man’s salvation, thereby working against God’s plan.

I have written extensively about the unprecedented level of demonic activity in the world today. We see it everywhere, including in the record number of psychologically impaired people wandering the streets, the growth of that demonic sect called Islam and of many other pagan cults, in the destruction of the family, the corruption of youth, the decay of institutions, the loss of faith in God, sexual anarchy, and inversion of all things holy. That demonic activity influences million of Americans to vote for their own destruction, body and soul.

Though I have a long history of political activism, being constantly aware of every new story and tweet does nothing for me or the country. Therefore, my political activism for 40 days this summer and early fall will be to withdraw from the daily hyperventilation that constant awareness engenders, and to use the time saved for an increase in prayer and fasting.

There is but one struggle in all of human existence. William F. Buckley described that singular battle as that between God and Satan fought on difference planes. While many must fight on the ground, many, too, are called to fight in the heavens, to combat the wicked powers and principalities in high places, not with fists and words, but with prayer and fasting. Christ told the Apostles that some demons can be driven out only with prayer and fasting, which He treats almost as a singular action—asceticism and reverence in a single act of contrition and humility. It is an acknowledgment that I am powerless in the celestial war, except to give myself, body and soul, to the God through the angels.

Of all the angels, St. Michael the Archangel is most associated with spiritual warfare, making this time a fitting period for withdrawal from the temporal plane upon which our strengths are often thwarted by demonic counters. For forty days, I will ask God’s graces to flow, not to me, but to the men and women who pound the pavement to save our Christian nation from Satan’s minions. The disciplines involved include daily prayer, fasting, cold showers, avoidance of news and social media, a weekly holy hour, and much silence. Though these might sound like “giving up,” they are, rather, a pulling-in of that hideous strength that man cannot fathom—the strength of the powers of heaven and the army of angels that once defeated and expelled the fallen angels from heaven.

So, if my writing soon seems out of touch with the events of the day, do not grumble—rejoice. For, the less I know about the world, the more He may mold the world and strengthen the Church Militant.

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God repuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the earth seeking ruin of souls.

God bless.

P.S. If interested in joining this 40-day fast, learn more on Exodus 90’s St. Michael’s Lent.