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

“So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.”
—Matthew 5:23-24

As we ready for the journey in Christ in the way of the cross, we are moving in the Spirit of God toward the gift of divine luminosity. Making amends and forgiveness is not easy. Sometimes these two actions take time, yet with courage, we move toward reconciliation a step at a time. We are like mosaic pieces. We have imperfections.

These imperfections guide us to see deep within ourselves in order to make amends and change where it is needed. We learn how to fit our mosaic pieces in the image of the cross where we are made right with God, ourselves and with those with whom we make amends and forgive. This takes
vulnerability and bravery, and these two things created in the image of God are very good and beautiful. The paradox of divine spirituality brings us together. God’s light enters and shines to help us live in wholeness in Christ.
May your Lenten journey be a peace offering in the light of the divine healer. Amen.
—Cornelia Eaton

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.