Prayers and Readings for Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Ash Wednesday

Divine Office

Order of service for Morning and Evening Prayer.

Opening Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God,
you hate nothing that you have made
and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent:
create and make in us new and contrite hearts
that we, worthily lamenting our sins
and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may receive from you, the God of all mercy,
perfect remission and forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

First Reading

Joel 2.1-2, 12-17
A reading from the book of the prophet Joel.

1 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near –
2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful army comes;
their like has never been from of old,
nor will be again after them in ages to come.
12 Yet even now, says the LORD,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the LORD, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain-offering and a drink-offering
for the LORD, your God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sanctify a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
16 gather the people.
Sanctify the congregation;
assemble the aged;
gather the children, even infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her canopy.
17 Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep.
Let them say, ‘Spare your people, O LORD,
and do not make your heritage a mockery,
a byword among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples,
“Where is their God?”’

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 51.1-18
R Have mercy on me, O God, [and cleanse me from my sin].

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your loving-kindness;
in your great compassion blot out my offences.
2 Wash me through and through from my wickedness
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you only have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight. R
5 And so you are justified when you speak
and upright in your judgement. R
6 Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth,
a sinner from my mother’s womb.
7 For behold, you look for truth deep within me,
and will make me understand wisdom secretly.
8 Purge me from my sin and I shall be pure;
wash me and I shall be clean indeed. R
9 Make me hear of joy and gladness,
that the body you have broken may rejoice.
10 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquities.
11 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me. R
12 Cast me not away from your presence
and take not your holy Spirit from me.
13 Give me the joy of your saving help again
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
14 I shall teach your ways to the wicked,
and sinners shall return to you. R
15 Deliver me from death, O God,
and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness,
O God of my salvation. R
16 Open my lips, O Lord,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise. R
17 Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice,
but you take no delight in burnt-offerings.
18 The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. R

Second Reading

2 Corinthians 5.20b - 6.10
A reading from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians.

20 We entreat you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
1 As we work together with him,
we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain.
2 For the Lord says,
‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’
See, now is the acceptable time;
see, now is the day of salvation!
3 We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way,
so that no fault may be found with our ministry,
4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way:
through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,
5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger;
6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit,
7 genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God;
with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left;
8 in honour and dishonour, in ill repute and good repute.
We are treated as impostors, and yet are true;
9 as unknown, and yet are well known;
as dying, and see – we are alive;
as punished, and yet not killed;
10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;
as poor, yet making many rich;
as having nothing,
and yet possessing everything

Gospel

Matthew 6.1-6, 16-21
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

Jesus said to the disciples,
1 ‘Beware of practising your piety before others
in order to be seen by them;
for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 So whenever you give alms,
do not sound a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets,
so that they may be praised by others.
Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.
3 But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 so that your alms may be done in secret;
and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5 And whenever you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites;
for they love to stand and pray
in the synagogues and at the street corners,
so that they may be seen by others.
Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.
6 But whenever you pray,
go into your room and shut the door
and pray to your Father who is in secret;
and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
16 And whenever you fast,
do not look dismal, like the hypocrites,
for they disfigure their faces
so as to show others that they are fasting.
Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.
17 But when you fast,
put oil on your head and wash your face,
18 so that your fasting may be seen not by others
but by your Father who is in secret;
and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust consume
and where thieves break in and steal;
20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust consumes
and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.’

Closing Prayer

Almighty God,
you have given your only Son to be for us
both a sacrifice for sin
and also an example of godly life:
give us grace
that we may always most thankfully receive
these his inestimable gifts,
and also daily endeavour to follow
the blessed steps of his most holy life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.