In the Orthodox Church, there is a simple prayer that occupies significant importance within their weekly liturgy. Every Monday through Friday during the weeks of Lent, this short prayer is prayed twice daily. After the first reading, the worshiping participants bow prostrate at each petition for God to “take” and “give.” Continuing the physicality of the prayer, the church family bows twelve times in humble hope saying “O God, cleanse me a sinner.” And then the prayer is prayed for the second time and all fall again in silence.
While the motion and repetition might feel strange and a bit perplexing to most of us, the reason the Orthodox tradition places this little prayer so prominently in their Lenten habits is that it spells out rather succinctly, in a unique way, “all the negative and positive elements of repentance and constitutes…a ‘check list’ for our individual lenten effort.” After all, through the season of Lent, our aim is to let go (turn from) all those things that keep us from truly living and cling to the life of God which is offered to us.
So for the next several weeks, we’ll be incorporating this prayer into our Lenten traditions (we’ve actually already been praying an adapted version of it!). Today, and throughout this week, let this prayer conclude your daily time with our Father. Whatever else you are doing, reading, talking with God about; let the repetition of this prayer keep our aim in focus.
Pray with me,
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 sisters and brothers;
For Thou art blessed unto ages of ages.
Amen.