Set Free: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

This Lent, let Christ’s Passion bring you closer to the spiritual freedom God has planned for you.

Christ came to set us free from whatever stands in the way of our relationship with him. Sin, wounds of the past, painful experiences, and suffering can hold us captive, keep us stuck on our spiritual journeys, and weigh us down.

In Set Free: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation, Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR, guides you on a journey of discovering how to let God free you from the burdens you carry. Each week of Lent leads you to a deeper understanding of the freedom that Christ offers and draws you closer to the person God created you to be. With compassion, wisdom, and his characteristic zeal for God, Fr. Dave shares personal stories, observations, and insights, all infused with his warm sense of humor.

Journey through Lent as you encounter the freedom found in Christ:

• Week of Ash Wednesday: Look Within—Begin with an honest examination of your heart and your relationship with God.
• Week 1: Let Go—Recognize the ways sin, wounds, and past experiences keep you bound, and open yourself to the freedom Christ offers.
• Week 2: Begin Again—Look back on how our first parents were created with total spiritual freedom, how it was lost through sin, and how God has always planned to bring us back into freedom.
• Week 3: Reach for the Father—Reflect on what it means that God is Father, our broken perceptions of fatherhood, and how deeply God desires us to be his sons and daughters.
• Week 4: Press On from Slavery to Freedom—Walk with the Israelites through the Exodus, a powerful image of your own journey toward spiritual freedom.
• Week 5: Receive the Truth—Encounter Jesus’s ministry and teachings as he reveals the truth that sets us free.
• Holy Week: Walk into the Light—Meditate on Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection as the definitive act of love that brings us out of darkness and into the light of freedom with him.

Each week follows a simple pattern:

• Begin with a passage from scripture, a saint, or a church document that grounds your prayer in the richness of the Catholic tradition.
• Read a thoughtful meditation that connects the day’s reading to the week’s theme.
• Respond to guided journal prompts that help you prayerfully reflect on and apply God’s invitation to your own life.
• Conclude with a prayer that leads naturally into your personal conversation with the Lord.

Whether you are longing for healing, seeking a deeper prayer life, or simply hoping to experience Lent in a more meaningful way, Set Free will help you prepare your heart for Easter by embracing the freedom Christ won through his Death and Resurrection.

Perfect for personal reflection or group study, Set Free includes companion videos featuring Fr. Dave and a downloadable small-group guide, found at avemariapress.com.