This Lent, we invite you to take some time to lament that which you and others have lost. In her essay, “Four Steps of Lament,” Heidi Weaver invites us to:
• Rest, to take sabbath time to simply be present to our current situation;
• Reflect on that which has been lost;
• Repent for the sufferings and loss we have caused or overlooked; and
• Make Restitution and be Restored to God and to one another.

This year for our Lenten Meditations we have invited ten writers to share reflections on each of these four steps of lament. These writers are all leaders in The Episcopal Church and represent a diversity of perspectives, ministries and backgrounds. As a result, we are blessed to have a unique and rich tapestry of viewpoints on the universal experience of lament, loss and new life. Many of the authors share deeply personal and painful experiences related to a variety of issues including disease, violence, racial injustice and poverty.

Readers, come to these meditations with an open heart. What you read may challenge you and give rise to unexpected or uncomfortable feelings. We encourage you to engage the “Four Steps of Lament,” by resting, reflecting, repenting and ultimately being restored to God and to one another. Finally our wish for you is that God brings you rest this Lent so that you may reflect on your own loss and be transformed in the process. May God then restore your soul and bring you into the bright new life that is our Easter promise. And may you continue to know that you are loved now and always.
Amen.
Robert W. Radtke
President & CEO
Episcopal Relief & Development

RESTITUTION & RESTORATION

“I had reasoned this out in my mind; there was one of two things
I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would
have the other.”
—Harriet Tubman to Sarah Bradford
Harriet, The Moses of Her People

How can we make right what we have participated in making wrong? How can we make amends for being participants in causing loss and suffering? How can we commit to rebuilding what we have contributed to demolishing? How can we get out of the way so those who have always been in the background, behind us, can take the lead? How can we soften our hearts to realize if one of us is not thriving, none of us are? We don’t have to figure this out on our own nor do we have to do it alone.

As Christians, we have the example of Jesus and saints like Monseñor Oscar Romero and Harriet Tubman to guide us and encourage us. Jesus, in the Bible stories, was always healing or listening or giving words of encouragement and peace. He built people up and commanded them to love God, love themselves and love others. Monseñor Romero, who also gave his life for the people, spoke with authenticity and conviction; he expressed himself
honestly about the realities he not only preached about but lived. Harriet Tubman’s life shows us that, when we reach freedom, we must help others reach that freedom because there is enough of it for all of us.
—Sandra T. Montes

Source: https://www.episcopalrelief.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Lent-2021-English-BlackWhite.pdf; © 2021 Episcopal Relief & Development. All rights reserved. Printed in partnership with Forward Movement.