This ancient prayer has been prayed every Lent for over 1,600 years. It is attributed to St. Ephrem the Syrian (c. 306–373), a 4th century Doctor of the Church known as the “Harp of the Holy Spirit.” His Lenten prayer asks God to free us from the spiritual diseases that keep us from Him — sloth, despair, the desire for power, and idle talk — and to fill us instead with wholeness of mind, humility, patience, and love. It closes with what many consider the heart of all Lenten repentance: the grace to see our own sins and to stop judging others.
A 4th Century Prayer for Lent
O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk.
But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant.
Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen.