Let us set out with joy upon the season of the Fast, and prepare ourselves for spiritual combat. Let us purify our soul and cleanse our flesh; and as we fast from food, let us abstain also from every passion. Rejoicing in the virtue of the Spirit, may we persevere with love, and so be counted worthy to see the solemn Passion of Christ our God, and with great spiritual gladness to behold His holy Passover. (Second troparion of Vespers, Forgiveness Sunday)
AT THE HEART OF THE LENTEN EFFORT is the struggle against the passions. The passions are spiritual or physical inclinations or instincts which, when uncontrolled, are destructive to both soul and body. Christian life is one of spiritual warfare against the passions, and during Lent, we are called to intensify our efforts in this war. The virtues are the positive counterparts of the passions, which Christians must struggle to attain and increase.
One of the weapons Christians have in this spiritual war is prayer. It is therefore no coincidence that during Lent Christians increase and intensify their prayer. During Lent, as well as during other periods of fasting, the Church increases the number of services. In Lent (ideally), Great Compline is held daily, and the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is held every Wednesday and Friday. These services are unique to Lent, and through this Lenten worship we are able to participate in its “bright sadness,” in the joyful repentance by which we are liberated from the mad rush, obsessive consumption, and thoughtless routines of daily life.
Of all Lenten prayers, one prayer holds a central position throughout the Lenten worship. It is known as the Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian:
Lord and Master of my life, do not give me a spirit of sloth, idle curiosity, love of power, and useless chatter. Rather grant to me, Your servant, a spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love. Yes, Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults and not to condemn my brother; for You are blessed to the ages of ages. Amen. (Service of Great Compline)
This prayer occupies such an important place in Lenten devotion because it sums up the very purpose of Lent and keeps us focused on our spiritual struggle against the passions. It is at the same time a prayer and a lesson. As we say this prayer day by day during Lent, we become increasingly aware that we are not acting upon it, and so our prayer becomes more ardent as it becomes more and more obvious that we need God’s help to become better Christians.
The prayer begins by addressing some of the passions or spiritual illnesses that shape our life and character and prohibit us from true repentance. The passions mentioned in the prayer are four: sloth, idle curiosity, love of power, and useless chatter.
The first passion is sloth, which is, according to Fr. Alexander Schmemann:
… that strange laziness and passivity of our entire being which always pushes us ‘down’ rather than ‘up’ –which constantly convinces us that no change is possible and therefore desirable. It is in fact a deeply rooted cynicism which to every spiritual challenge responds, ‘what for?’ and makes our life one tremendous waste. It is the root of all sin because it poisons the spiritual energy at its very source, 10
For as long as we are slothful, we will not make a beginning of repentance or of Lent. We will not bother fasting, going to church, giving time, money and energy to others, or even praying. This is why it is the first passion addressed in the prayer.
Sloth leads to idle curiosity. Because we are spiritually lazy, not concerned enough with our own repentance and spiritual improvement, we become curious about everyone else’s sins and shortcomings. This leads easily to the propensity for gossip and slander.
Love of power comes next. Because we do not accept God as the Lord and Master of our life, we wish to become the lord and master of ourselves and of others. We begin to see others as a means to our own satisfaction. This can take many forms: desire for admiration, sexual gratification, financial gain, a sense of superiority, in which we see other people as necessary only to justify and glorify ourselves.
Finally, useless chatter. Words are powerful tools. They can bring comfort, illumination, laughter, joy and healing. But they can also be very harmful. Words, when we are not careful, can wound, poison, and destroy. Therefore, we are called to abstain from needless words during Lent, remembering the warning of our Lord: “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment” (Matt. 12:36).
~Vassilios Papavassiliou, Meditations for Great Lent: Reflections on the Triodion
9 Translation by Mother Mary and Kallistos Ware, The Lenten Triodion, St. Tikhon’s Seminary Press (South Canaan PA, 2002), p. 181.
10 Great Lent: Journey to Pascha, SVS Press (New York, 2003), p.34.
