From the Sermon on the Mountain

The Lord Jesus himself is teaching about fasting  

"When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.

They neglect their appearance,

so that they may appear to others to be fasting.

Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.

But when you fast,

anoint your head and wash your face,

so that you may not appear to others to be fasting,

except to your Father who is hidden.

And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."

Gospel of Matthew Chapter VI, 16-18

Prayer of St. Ephrem of Syria

O Lord and Master of my life! Dispel from me the spirit of discouragement and slothfulness, of ambition and vain talk! Instead, give me the spirit of prudence and humility, of patience and charity. Yes, my King and Lord, let me look at my own sins and refrain from judging others: for blest are you unto ages of ages. Amen.

Lust For Power by Sister Vaasa Larin 

“O Lord and Master of my life, give me not the spirit of idleness, despondency, lust for power (φιλαρχίας, любоначалия) and idle talk.” (Prayer of St. Ephrem, Part 1)

The exercise of ”power” or “authority” by some of us is an essential, God-given ministry, whether we are parents, managers, political leaders, church-leaders, or leaders of some other kind. As St. Paul reminds us, ”For there is no authority (ἐξουσία) except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” (Romans 13:1) It would in fact be sinful to avoid the exercise of power or authority, if this is part of one’s vocation or ministry. Because somebody has to do it, to maintain the “order” (“taxis” in Greek) of things, as well as the security that order provides for all of us.

But a “lust for power” (φιλ-αρχία, literally a “love” of exercising power) is a sinful, God-less kind of love for power/authority. It is self-appointed and hence self-centered, rather than a response to a call from God. I express this kind of misplaced, God-less “love” for power when I want to dominate a conversation while despising my interlocutor, or meddle in someone else’s life, or offer unsolicited advice, or seek to replace God in someone else’s life, or seek to attract attention to myself in some other way that detracts attention from God. Some examples of the latter would be when priests demand “obedience” to their personal, political views or other tastes rather than lead people to and in Christ; or when men or women intentionally use their beauty, if they are beautiful, to attract attention to themselves and thus exercise some ”control” over others in a self-seeking, not God-seeking, manner. These are abuses of “empowering,” God-given gifts.

So let me use any “empowering” gifts I may have today in a God-seeking manner; in the Spirit of the cross I have been called to carry. Because power or authority is always a cross, when approached and discerned in God’s light. Let me not avoid the burdens of any power or authority I may have, however unpopular, lest I “miss the mark” when it comes to my vocation or set of responsibilities as a manager, a parent, or something else. “O Lord and Master of my life, give me not the spirit of lust for power.” Amen!

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector 

(Luke 18:9-14)

The Lord Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.

9 He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. 10 "Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity-greedy, dishonest, adulterous-or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.' 13 But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' 14 I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

Prayer of the Publican

“Lord, have mercy on me a sinner”

Psalm 50/51

“Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness;

in your abundant compassion

blot out my offence” 

Thoughts on the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee

On the eve of this day, i.e., at the Saturday Vigil Service, the liturgical book of the Lenten season – the Triodion – makes its first appearance and texts from it are added to the usual liturgical material of the Resurrection service. They develop the first major theme of the season, that of humility; the Gospel lesson of the day (Luke 18:10-14) teaches that humility is the condition of repentance. No one can acquire the spirit of repentance without rejecting the attitude of the Pharisee. Here is a man who is always pleased with himself and thinks that he complies with all the requirements of religion. Yet, he has reduced religion to purely formal rules and measures it by the amount of his financial contribution to the temple. Religion for him is a source of pride and self-satisfaction. The Publican is humble and humility justifies him before God.From "

The Liturgical Structure of Lent" by Fr. Alexander Schmemann

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

Luke 15:11-32

11 Then he said, "A man had two sons, 12 and the younger son said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.' So the father divided the property between them. 13 After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. 14 When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need.15 So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. 16 And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. 17 Coming to his senses he thought, 'How many of my father's hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. 18 I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers." 20 So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.' 22 But his father ordered his servants, 'Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, 24 because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.' Then the celebration began. 25 Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. 26 He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. 27 The servant said to him, 'Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' 28 He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 He said to his father in reply, 'Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. 30 But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.' 31 He said to him, 'My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. 32 But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' 

Thoughts on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son

Through the parable of today's Gospel, our Savior has set forth three things for us: the condition of the sinner, the rule of repentance, and the greatness of God's compassion. The divine Fathers have put this reading the week after the parable of the Publican and Pharisee so that, seeing in the person of the Prodigal Son our own wretched condition -- inasmuch as we are sunken in sin, far from God and His Mysteries -- we might at last come to our senses and make haste to return to Him by repentance during these holy days of the Fast. Furthermore, those who have wrought many great iniquities, and have persisted in them for a long time, oftentimes fall into despair, thinking that there can no longer be any forgiveness for them; and so being without hope, they fall every day into the same and even worse iniquities. Therefore, the divine Fathers, that they might root out the passion of despair from the hearts of such people, and rouse them to the deeds of virtue, have set the present parable at the forecourts of the Fast, to show them the surpassing goodness of God's compassion, and to teach them that there is no sin -- no matter how great it may be -- that can overcome at any time His love for man. 

St. Melitos, Archbishop of Antioch

The Orthodox Tradition of Personal Prayer

In the spiritual life our personal prayer should be the foundation of our corporate prayer in the liturgy of the Church. People who pray only when they go to church will be very weak in their prayer and will receive very little from the common prayer of the Church in its liturgical gatherings...."        

"...First we are taught that we must pray simply and humbly, in secret, without ostentation or pretentiousness, without using many words and without looking for the praises of men. We are taught to pray briefly and frequently, regularly and constantly, using words inspired by God and revealed in the Bible and the prayers of the Church. We are taught to have specific times of prayer, and to pray without ceasing by having the remembrance of God continually in our minds and the Name of Jesus constantly on our lips and in our hearts, doing all things to the glory of God for the good of others. We are taught as well to use the Lord's prayer and the psalms and the prayers of the saints in order to learn how to pray, for what to ask and thank and glorify God. We are taught to do this in order to be liberated from the narrow and petty interests and concerns of our own limited experiences and be freed from the vain imaginations of our own minds and hearts which so often consume us, even in our prayer.... We are taught as well to pray to God in our own words, and even in silence with no words at all, opening ourselves in all things to the will of our Father in heaven, and being guided by his Spirit within us from Christ. We are strictly warned to be always aware not to make our individual prayer the result of our individual blindness and our individual desires, but always to be conscious of the fact that the sole purpose of prayer is to raise our minds and hearts to the greatness of God in order to accomplish his will in the details of our life in the ways that he desires for us. The purpose of prayer is not to attain any particular emotional feelings or psychological states. It is not to have visions or hear voices. It is simply to accomplish the will of God in our lives. It is to be able not to sin. To love God with our entire being. To love our neighbor, and even our enemy, as ourselves. To have the Spirit of God in us. To be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ the Son of God by loving obedience to the Father even unto death. In prayer we are to strive for sobriety, for simplicity and silence, for quiet and calm.... This is the purpose and goal of prayer: to be one with God in order to do his will. This is the meaning of prayer: union with the Blessed Trinity in adoration, thanksgiving, petition, lamentation and perpetual service. In the spiritual life our personal prayer should be the foundation of our corporate prayer in the liturgy of the Church. People who pray only when they go to church will be very weak in their prayer and will receive very little from the common prayer of the Church in its liturgical gatherings...." 

Encyclical Letter, On Spiritual Life in the Church, Orthodox Church in America, 1976