March 9, 2025

On the First Sunday of Lent, Mother Church always presents us the story of Jesus' temptation in the desert. Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and, like us, began to feel the effects of this ascetical practice in his human nature. It doesn't take long for the devil to see this and tempt Jesus to use his divine nature to: satisfy his hunger by turning stones into bread; "showing off" his divine power by jumping off the mountain; abandoning the will of God and transferring his allegiance to Satan. Jesus conquers all of these temptations, showing that, even as we are tempted, Jesus fights with us against Satan and his wiles. 

Within the first days of Lent, we may often find ourselves in a struggle with the resolutions we have formed. The extra time, effort and bodily disturbance we experience can easily make us give way to the temptation to return to "business as usual" and return to our comfort zones. It is at moments such as these that we must give ourselves more to prayer and keep to the course if we agree to be successful in keeping our Lenten resolutions. 

St. Ephrem, a deacon and Doctor of the Church, composed a prayer for times such as these. This prayer is recited in the Lenten Season in the Byzantine Catholic Church and I would like to share this with you. 

O Lord and Master of my life, 
Keep me from the spirit of indifference and discouragement,
Lust of power and idle chatter.
Instead, grant to me, your servant, 
The spirit of wholeness of being,
Humble-mindedness, patience, and love. 
O Lord and King, 
Grant me the grace to be aware of my sins
And not to judge my brother,
For you are blessed Forever and ever. Amen.

May your observance of Lent prove spiritually fruitful.