"Every day of Great Lent, with the exception of Saturdays and Sundays, the prayer “O Lord and Master of my life” is read. According to tradition, this prayer was written in Syria in the fourth century by the ascetic Mar Afrem or, as we have grown accustomed to calling him, Ephraim the Syrian. He was a monk, poet, and theologian, one of the most eminent sons of the Syrian Church, who entered world literature as a remarkable writer."
Characteristics and virtues that are important to learning:
Patience
Abba Serenus cautions, "It is a dangerous presumption to claim to understand the nature of anything hastily" (The Conferences: 7.4.1).
"The universal precept promulgated in the Mosaic law for all the people is: 'You shall offer your tithes and firstfruits to the Lord, your God.' And so, since we are ordered to offer tithes of what we own and of our produce, all the more necessary is it that we offer tithes of our very lives, of our human activity and of our works, which is very obviously accomplished in the reckoning up of Lent. For the tithe of the entire number of days which complete the turning year is thirty-six and a half days. Now if the Sundays and Saturdays are subtracted from seven weeks, there remain thirty-five days assigned for fasting. If the day of the vigil is added, however, on which the fast is prolonged until cockcrow on Sunday morning, not only is the number of thirty-six days arrived at but, in regard to the tithe of the five days that seemed to be left out, nothing will be wanting to complete the whole sum if the period of night that has added be included in." - Abba Theonas (21.25.2-3)
