Read the following prayer daily throughout the
Great Lent . . . it is called
The Lenten
Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian:
* O Lord and
Master of my life, take away from me the spirit of laziness, meddling, ambition
and gossip.
* But give to
me your servant, the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love.
* Yes, Lord
and King, grant me to see my own sins and faults, and not to judge my brother
or sister, for you are blessed to the ages of ages. Amen.
Each Friday in
Great Lent, we celebrate the service of Salutations to the Theotokos. This
service are celebrated in the evenings. Make plans to go to these evening’s
service.
Examine
yourself to see if you have any grudge or bitterness in your mind towards
anyone. Forgive them and reconcile with them. Perhaps the hardest part will be
to truly forgive them in your heart. Ask God in prayer to help you forgive and
attain inner peace.
Focus on what
comes out of your mouth AND what comes into your ears. Gossip is harmful and
can cause trouble. So… Stop before you gossip about someone. Think about what
you are saying and how it would make YOU feel. Choose to say something else or
keep it to yourself. Also, choose NOT to HEAR gossip. If someone wants to share
gossip with you, politely say “No, Thanks!”
Volunteer at
your parish. Ask if there is anything you can help with — spring-cleaning or
yard work, stuffing envelopes in the office, or even joining the priest during
his visits to the elderly and shut-ins.
After Liturgy,
introduce yourself to someone you don’t know or who looks new to the community.
Spend at least
five minutes a day in silence in a quiet place that is not distracting. Talk to
God.
Assess how you
have been doing so far during Lent. Have you made any changes? Have you been
faithful in spending some time to pray and/or to study the Bible? Decide on how
you want to continue this Lent and make a commitment to be faithful for the
rest of the Lenten journey.
Focus on what
comes INTO your heart. If you get into a disagreement with someone, just try to
let it go. This is difficult, but worth the effort! Moving on can help prevent
an argument from becoming a bigger issue. If we let anger, judgment, or
resentment enter our heart, we will not have room for Love, Patience, or
Forgiveness.
Plan to attend
the Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts.
Make a day a
“Thank You” day! Don’t forget to give thanks to those around you for the big
and little things they do; the bus-driver, the janitor at school, your
teachers, your parents, your friends. Most importantly, stop to give thanks to
God before you go to bed at night.
Submit names
of departed loved ones and friends (first name only) to be commemorated during
the Saturday of the Souls Divine and during Liturgy.
Reach out to
your parish Priest or Spiritual Father and schedule an appointment for the
Sacrament of Confession during Lent. (Keep in mind that they will be very busy,
so it is best to do this as soon as possible.)
Take 10
minutes in a day to pick out gently-used clothes that you don’t wear anymore
and donate them to the local homeless shelter.
Focus on what
comes in your ears. Turn off the radio while you are driving, or take out those
ear speakers when you are working out. Allow yourself to do something in
silence.
Focus on what
comes out of your mouth. Think of how you speak to others and how it reflects
upon yourself.
Focus again on
what comes into your ears. If someone is using crude or inappropriate language,
step away. If you are feeling confident, tell your friend to not use that kind
of language.
Focus on what
comes in your eyes. Go without an entire night of TV or Internet. Hang out with
your family.
Focus on what
comes into your thoughts. If anything negative comes into your thoughts, do not
dwell on it. Instead ask God for strength to let it go and focus on God's Love
in order to be Positive. God wants the best for you!
Take some time
to think about how God has blessed you in the past week. Give thanks to the
Lord with specific blessings in your life.
God used the
Theotokos to bring Christ into this world. Think about how God can use your
life to bring Christ into this world. Wherever you are in life, God can use
you. Submit yourself to God to be an instrument. Take a few minutes to think
about what talents, interests, skills etc you have to offer to God so that God
can use you. Like the Theotokos, may you also say, "Let it be to me
according to your word."
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