ASH WEDNESDAY

Prayer before Mass: Almighty and ever-living God, I approach the sacrament of Your only-begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. I come sick to the doctor of life, unclean to the fountain of mercy, blind to the radiance of eternal light, and poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth. Lord, in Your great generosity, heal my sickness, wash away my defilement, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness. May I receive the Bread of Angels, the King of kings and Lord of lords, with humble reverence, with the purity and faith, the repentance and love, and the determined purpose that will help  to bring me to salvation. 

May I receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Body and Blood, and its reality and power. Kind God, may I receive the Body of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, born from the womb of the Virgin Mary, and so be received into His mystical body and numbered among His members.

Loving Father, as on my earthly pilgrimage I now receive Your beloved Son under the veil of a  sacrament, may I one day see Him face to face in glory, who lives and reigns with You forever. Amen. By Knights of the Holy Eucharist.  Readings Lectures  Reflection 

First Reading              Joel 2:12-18

Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn

‘Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks – come back to me with all your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning.’ Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn, turn to the Lord your God again, for he is all tenderness and compassion,  slow to anger, rich in graciousness, and ready to relent. 

Who knows if he will not turn again, will not relent, will not leave a blessing as he passes,  oblation and libation  for the Lord your God? .......

                                           Responsorial Psalm

                           Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned

Second Reading    2 Cor. 5:20-6:2

Be reconciled to God  

We are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God. For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that  in him we might become the goodness of God. As his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to  neglect the grace of God that you have received. For he says: At the favourable time, I have listened to you; on the day of salvation I came to your help. Well, now is the favourable time; this is the day ofsalvation.

            Gospel      Mathew 6:1-6,16-18

           Your Father who sees all that is done in secret 

            will reward you

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their 

notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do

not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to

win men’s admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms,

your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your

Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

‘And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standingup in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them; I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

   

‘When you fast do not put on a gloomy look as the

 hypocrites do: they pull long faces to let men know  they are fasting. I tell you solemnly, they have had

 their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your  head and wash your face, so that no one will know

 you are fasting except your Father who sees all that  is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that

 is done in secret will reward you.’

My guideline to fasting during this period of Lent. The Season of Spiritual preparation. Loving Father I ask

            for your grace during this Season of Lent.  Father, abstaining from food, drinks,  etc is good. 

           Father, I must fast from bad character, bad behaviour, from being inconsiderate, from bitterness, from  selfishness, from grudges, from anger, from unkind words, from worries from every form of negativity that are harmful to my soul, to my heart, to my spiritual well being, and  to my honor as your child.  Let me not display my deeds before men. Let  my fasting not be displayed before men. Save    me from being hypocrite. Give me a broken  heart and a contrite spirit Father. May I have  personal communion with you. During this Season of Lent help me Father to be a better person. May I be drawn closer to you. May I appreciate the sacrifice and price Christ paid for my redemption. Thank you loving  Father for your mercy. Thank you Lord

 Jesus  Christ, my Lord and Saviour. Mary the Mother of  Christ,  my Mother pray for me.