Not To Late to Pray

Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian

O Lord and Master of my life,
give me not the spirit of laziness,
despair, lust of power, and idle talk.

But give rather the spirit of sobriety,
humility, patience and love to Thy servant.

Yea, O Lord and King,
grant me to see my own transgressions
and not to judge my brother (or sister),
for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen

We are in what Dick Cheney would call the ‘final throes’ of Lent. This Sunday we will enter into Holy week beginning with the Passion Narrative on Sunday. As we engage in these final days it is not too late for us to search ourselves for ways to better engage our spirituality and our faith. St. Ephraim the Syrian was one of the first Christian hymnist and poets and he write extensive prayers, hymns and poems – over 400 of them. Being that he lived in the 4^th Century he was really a Christian when Christianity was in its’ infancy. His writings tend to be uncomplicated by western our European modes of thought and they cut to the spiritual chase.

This simple prayer above is one of his and It is a prayer that I have decided to offer everyday this week and next as we prepare for the great Paschal Feast. Perhaps you might chose to do the same, or perhaps you might choose another prayer that might offer the same spirit of seeking forgiveness, encouraging energy, discouraging sinful behavior towards others, encouraging patience and humility, discouraging judgment and offering praise to the Author of Life Divine.

We have days left on our Lenten Journey that may be productive for us. Do not be discouraged if you have found yourself failing is a Lenten Disciple that you too on at the Ash Wednesday feast. Each day is a new opportunity to seek to find new ways to be a positive influence in our world and a better reflection of Divinity – seize the today’s opportunity.