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What Even is Septuagesima?
🪵 Mini Episode 1: What Even Is Septuagesima?
Preparing for Lent — not by acting yet, but by paying attention.
“While we have time, let us do good.”
— St. Francis de Sales
⸻
Lent has a way of sneaking up on us.
We sprint through Christmas, limp through January, and suddenly Ash Wednesday is tapping us on the shoulder asking if we’re ready to give up chocolate again — and we’re… not.
In this first Choppin’ Wood mini episode, we slow things down and step into a lesser-known (but deeply wise) season of the Church: Septuagesima.
Septuagesima comes from the Latin septuagesimus, meaning seventieth, and marks roughly seventy days before Easter. Traditionally, it begins a quiet three-week period the Church used to help prepare souls for Lent before Ash Wednesday ever arrives.
In the Traditional Calendar, Septuagesima is its own season. In the Ordinary Form, we remain in Ordinary Time — but the wisdom behind Septuagesima is still very much alive.
This isn’t a season for penance yet.
It’s not time to give things up.
It’s not about piling on devotions.
Think of it like stretching before a marathon.
In this episode, we talk about:
• Why the Church doesn’t rush us straight into Lent
• How preparation matters just as much as penance
• Why Lent isn’t meant to be improvised or reactive
• How Septuagesima invites us to notice distractions, habits, and deeper patterns — before we act
And yes… we talk about why it’s probably not chocolate that’s standing between you and holiness.
These mini episodes are meant to be liturgical nuggets — short reflections tied to the Church calendar, the seasons we’re moving through, and the quiet wisdom that often gets lost when life is loud and fast.
They’re not meant to replace the longer episodes.
They’re meant to help us walk with the Church, instead of scrambling at the last minute.
If you’ve ever felt like:
• Lent shows up out of nowhere
• Advent passes you by
• Ordinary Time feels anything but ordinary
These mini episodes are for you.
⸻
🌿 Your Turn to Chop — Reflection Questions
1. What distractions or habits have been quietly (or not-so-quietly) pulling at your attention lately?
2. Is there something the Lord may be inviting you to pray about giving up — or taking up — when Lent begins?
3. What simple prayer could you carry with you through these weeks of preparation?
(For example: “Lord, show me how to return to You.”)
⸻
Thanks for joining me for the very first Choppin’ Wood mini episode.
Until next time —
keep choppin’ wood. 🪵✨
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By Choppin’ Wood Podcast🪵 Mini Episode 1: What Even Is Septuagesima?
Preparing for Lent — not by acting yet, but by paying attention.
“While we have time, let us do good.”
— St. Francis de Sales
⸻
Lent has a way of sneaking up on us.
We sprint through Christmas, limp through January, and suddenly Ash Wednesday is tapping us on the shoulder asking if we’re ready to give up chocolate again — and we’re… not.
In this first Choppin’ Wood mini episode, we slow things down and step into a lesser-known (but deeply wise) season of the Church: Septuagesima.
Septuagesima comes from the Latin septuagesimus, meaning seventieth, and marks roughly seventy days before Easter. Traditionally, it begins a quiet three-week period the Church used to help prepare souls for Lent before Ash Wednesday ever arrives.
In the Traditional Calendar, Septuagesima is its own season. In the Ordinary Form, we remain in Ordinary Time — but the wisdom behind Septuagesima is still very much alive.
This isn’t a season for penance yet.
It’s not time to give things up.
It’s not about piling on devotions.
Think of it like stretching before a marathon.
In this episode, we talk about:
• Why the Church doesn’t rush us straight into Lent
• How preparation matters just as much as penance
• Why Lent isn’t meant to be improvised or reactive
• How Septuagesima invites us to notice distractions, habits, and deeper patterns — before we act
And yes… we talk about why it’s probably not chocolate that’s standing between you and holiness.
These mini episodes are meant to be liturgical nuggets — short reflections tied to the Church calendar, the seasons we’re moving through, and the quiet wisdom that often gets lost when life is loud and fast.
They’re not meant to replace the longer episodes.
They’re meant to help us walk with the Church, instead of scrambling at the last minute.
If you’ve ever felt like:
• Lent shows up out of nowhere
• Advent passes you by
• Ordinary Time feels anything but ordinary
These mini episodes are for you.
⸻
🌿 Your Turn to Chop — Reflection Questions
1. What distractions or habits have been quietly (or not-so-quietly) pulling at your attention lately?
2. Is there something the Lord may be inviting you to pray about giving up — or taking up — when Lent begins?
3. What simple prayer could you carry with you through these weeks of preparation?
(For example: “Lord, show me how to return to You.”)
⸻
Thanks for joining me for the very first Choppin’ Wood mini episode.
Until next time —
keep choppin’ wood. 🪵✨