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Just in time for Lent, the Knights of Columbus are teaming with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal for a special printing of an excellent prayer resource for men. Titled Born of Fire: A Lenten Daily Devotional for Men, the booklet contains daily devotionals to take readers from Ash Wednesday all the way through the Easter Octave and provides reflections on different themes for each week.
The devotional was written by Father Innocent Montgomery, who joined the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in 2007, with his final vows coming in 2012. Fr. Montgomery’s writings bring a unique perspective to prayer life, as his has been greatly influenced by an 8-month period in which a surgery for a sports injury left him partially paralyzed.
In a 2016 interview with Catholic New York, he spoke on a revelation he had while in his hospital bed:
“I’m loved by Him and that’s all that matters. It doesn’t matter if you’re the best preacher or if you have the longest beard,” Father Montgomery said. “I could just be his son. The Lord said, ‘I don’t love you because you’re a friar. I love you because you’re my son.’”
A press release from the Knights of Columbus explains that Born of Fire will offer reflections on seven different “identities of the masculine heart.”
These include “Son,” “Brother,” “Man,” “Spouse,” “Father,” “Mystic,” and “New Man.” Each of these reflections draws inspiration from the “journeys into the wilderness” undertaken by the friars during Lent. In this time, they emulate Jesus Christ when he was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert for 40 days and nights, where he prayed, fasted, and was tempted.
Furthermore, the press release gave examples of each day of the weekly prayer routine as laid out by Born of Fire, which gives prospective readers an idea of the cadence that the devotional will keep for each week of Lent:
Sundays: Pray with Scripture.
Mondays: Focus on the week’s theme.
Tuesdays: Hear a witness account from the desert.
Wednesdays: Examine what actually happened at your baptism.
Thursdays: Hear a witness account from the desert.
Fridays: Guided meditation in a eucharistic Holy Hour.
Saturdays: Reflect on what we prayed with throughout the week.
Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly hailed the collaboration between the KofC and the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. Of the arrangement, he commented:
“The Knights of Columbus are excited to partner with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal to help Catholic men ‘enter the desert’ during Lent with Father Innocent Montgomery, as he guides them through exercises for spiritual growth so they can draw closer to God. Born of Fire aligns with the founding mission of the Knights, as we work to strengthen Catholic men as husbands, fathers, members of their parishes and their communities.”
Born of Fire is already listed on the Knights of Columbus’ digital Catholic shop. It is priced at $10 and the site notes that it has already begun shipping pre-ordered copies. There’s still time to get your copy of Born of Fire before Lent begins on February 14. Click here to learn more.
And today we celebrate...