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

“Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.”
—Matthew 15:28a

Jesus usually shows us how to be, how to think and how to act. However, in this encounter with the Canaanite woman, he models how to learn from a foreign woman from across the border. The teacher learns, unlearns and repents.

Power is a real thing. Jesus was a powerful man in this Jewish context. He was, however, blind to his power and blinded by his perspective of having a clear 20/20 vision of the purpose and strategy of God’s plan. Any ideology of superiority has a built-in assumption of surety that over time can become arrogant and normative. The American “caste” system is a thing but only when seen in interaction with those who are from the subordinate
“castes.” Only interaction with those who are different from us can help us correct dominant ways of being and living.

Jesus, in this encounter, learns the truth of the Beatitudes he preached. He found out that the poor will inherit the earth when they are not silenced and ignored by theologies and ideologies of Empire. Repentance is about recognizing and turning away from not so life-giving ways. Amendment of life is an inner thing that happens quietly without statements but with an affinity for a change of heart and path. Repentance heals the world from the sin of caste where all gifts, the root of asset-based community development, are welcomed and celebrated. God have mercy!
—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.