WB Ephrem
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. Following the lengthening of days, it is a season of fasting and penitence as we prepare our hearts for Triduum and Easter. We place ourselves in Christian time, remembering Christ’s 40 days in the wilderness at the start of his earthly ministry, anticipating the passion of the cross, the grave, the skies.
The Lenten Prayer
The Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syriac is prayed twice with prostrations at the conclusion of daily Lenten services in the Orthodox tradition. Practice praying it right now:
O Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own errors and not to judge my brother; For Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.
Notice the movement of the prayer shapes repentance. Take from me the spirit of sloth, or spiritual laziness and cynicism. Sloth gives up without really trying, assuming that the power of God may be for others, but it’s not for me. Sloth leads to faint-heartedness, or the negativity that calls to question the promises of God. Faint-heartedness forsakes courage and instead assumes that the way things are now is all they will ever be.
Strangely enough, this leads to a lust of power, or rather, a desire to control others around us. If God’s promises aren’t true, then we need to take what we can and make sure others stay out of our way. This leads, practically, to idle talk, or using the gift of words to promote the idea that God’s Word is untrue. After all, if God’s promises aren’t true for me, why should they be true for anyone?
True Repentance
The season of Lent is not just about giving up caffeine, chocolate, or alcohol. It’s about true repentance: changing your mind about God’s Word. Give me the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love. These are the opposite, positive qualities to those we are turning away from. Chastity is one way to translate “wholeness,” what John Wesley called the singular eye (Sermon 118). Chastity calls to mind restricting iron underwear. But far from our small understanding of sexual purity, this term means finding the whole integrated self in Jesus Christ.
This wholeheartedness fosters true humility, found in the trust that God’s promises are for all, yes, but even for me. We are set free from the lies of guilt and shame and given a posture of humility that looks less like self-loathing and more like wonder. This humility breeds true love for God and for neighbor, echoing forward into creation the resonating compassion that God has shown me.
The entire prayer concludes with a reminder to check your own log before removing your brother’s splinter. This is a prayer of power and strength, reminding us that it takes a warrior’s heart to brave the wilderness of Lent. Like refugees seeking a Promised Land, we turn from the lies that enslave and destroy, and turn towards hope and life. This is my prayer for each of you as we courageously enter Lent, hand in hand with Christ our righteousness.