Prayer of Saint Ephrem the Syrian

From the Byzantine Rite:

Prayer of Saint Ephrem the Syrian, which is recited by the clergy and faithful at the weekday services in the Church's fasts, including the Great Fast:

Lord and Master of my life,
spare me from the spirit of indifference, despair,
lust for power, and idle chatter.

Instead, bestow on me, your servant,
the spirit of integrity, humility, patience, and love.

Yes, O Lord and King, let me see my own sins
and not judge my brothers and sisters;
for you are blessed forever and ever. Amen.

A Lenten Reminder

Some nourishment for our minds and souls:

"...the Gospel of today's Mass reminds us that if we are to follow Christ we have to carry our own Cross...There is no such thing as a Christianity without the Cross, designed for soft and pusillanimous Christians with no sense of sacrifice...One of the clearest symptoms of lukewarmness having entered into a soul is...an abandonment of the Cross, a contempt for little mortifications, a scorning of anything that in some way involves sacrifice and self-denial...The Christian who goes through life systematically avoiding sacrifice will not find God, will not find happiness. What he will have been taking care to avoid is his own sanctity."

Quotes from From In Conversation With God

(Vol. 2: 2.1 and 2.3 by Francis Fernandez)