Divine Intimacy - Lenten Meditations for 2026 - Day 5
About this episode
The desert exposes what we truly love. We open Lent’s first Sunday by sitting with Saint Paul’s urgency—now is the day of salvation—and then step beside Jesus as he refuses the devil’s plausible shortcuts: bread without trust, spectacle without obedience, power without worship. Each scene becomes a mirror for our lives, where comfort, image, and control tug at the heart. Instead of rules alone, we explore how confidence in the Father reframes fasting, how humility undercuts pride’s hunger to be seen, and how true worship breaks the spell of more.
From there, we draw on Divine Intimacy to map the great combat against the triple concupiscence of flesh, pride, and avarice. Temptations are not signs of failure but invitations to rely on actual grace, given right at the edge of our limits. We talk frankly about how to answer in real time: short prayers that steady the will, simple acts of penance that teach the body to wait, and a habit of trust that keeps us from negotiating with shadows. The goal is not stoic toughness; it is attachment to God that makes lesser loves lose their grip.
We also share a personal journey of leaving the sacraments, tasting what the world promises, and returning through the sobering call of fatherhood. That honesty shapes how we speak to a generation raised on noise and nihilism. Beauty—cathedrals, chant, the traditional liturgy—cuts through cynicism, not as aesthetic escape but as a sign of the real. Yet beauty must be paired with truth about the Church’s wounds, or seekers feel betrayed. We hold both: the spotless Bride and our imperfect pilgrimage. The way forward is dependence, not self-sufficiency—letting God reorder desire so Lent becomes training in freedom.
If this conversation helps you face your own desert with courage, share it with a friend, subscribe for the full Lent series, and leave a review to tell us what practice keeps you grounded right now.
Get 10% off an amazing Black Monk Rosary by going to https://www.blackmonkrosaries.com/?ref=AVOIDINGBABYLON and using code AVOIDINGBABYLON at checkout!
Check out our sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order!
Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKsxnv80ByFV4OGvt_kImjQ?sub_confirmation=1
https://www.avoidingbabylon.com
Merchandise: https://avoiding-babylon-shop.fourthwall.com
Locals Community: https://avoidingbabylon.locals.com
Full Premium/Locals Shows on Audio Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1987412/subscribe
RSS Feed for Podcast Apps: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1987412.rss
Get every episode summarized
Each time Avoiding Babylon publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Avoiding Babylon
Pope Leo Responds as Trump and MAGA Declare War on Catholics
Avoiding Babylon
Did Tucker Just Call Trump the ANTICHRIST? And Pope Leo Makes Waves
Avoiding Babylon
Just Became Catholic? Here's What To Do Your First Year
Avoiding Babylon
Pax Judaica: The Empire of Spectacle w/ Dr. Deep State
Avoiding Babylon