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

REPENT

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
Matthew 18:20

Where Jesus is, there is love. When Jesus is present, all ills of society are addressed, challenged, corrected and healed. Rochester, New York, was one of many cities impacted by the inhumane death of Black people. Daniel Prude was a Black man who was also mentally ill. Mental health has been neglected in our communities overall, and we are all participants in that neglect. The unjust way he died has exposed, yet again, the moral health pandemic of a “caste system” in the United States and around the world. Unless we address this moral health crisis, we will come back to some manifestation of the same problem again and again.

Episcopal Relief & Development has consistently worked with partners around the world to reach the most vulnerable—those struggling with poverty, hunger and disease. Beyond policy and systemic changes, we get through these difficult circumstances because someone stands with us. Jesus needs his body to stand with the vulnerable and the invisible peoples of our world. Standing with those who suffer to correct the wrongs of history is practicing the presence of Jesus. We can each do our part of loving and healing by expanding our circles!
—Prince Singh

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.