Monastery News
One of the defining features of Lent is the penitent prayer of St. Ephraim. It is said at every weekday service, even at the smaller office of the hours. Of the three petitions that comprise this short prayer, this final one is the most important. As the parable of the Publican and Pharisee teaches us, we can have all the virtues, but if we do not see ourselves as sinners, we are spiritually dead. By stretching us to our limits, the season of Lent trains us to see ourselves as we really are—sinners.
The Lenten Spring is once again upon us, and with it the promise of renewal. In the dead of winter, the vibrance and vitality of spring seem impossibly far off. And yet underneath its frozen surface, the earth stirs and strives irresistibly toward its yearly resurrection.
