ASH WEDNESDAY LITURGY – Cycle C
(compiled by L. Chudy)
OPENING SONG:
Leader: Please join us in singing our Opening Hymn.
INTRODUCTION:
Leader: Today our foreheads are marked with ashes. Today our journey through Lent begins. Lent is sometimes compared to a desert, a time Christians have traditionally given over to 40 days in a combination of prayer, serving the needy and fasting in order to draw closer to God. Lent gives us an opportunity to read and think about Holy Scripture so we can better understand the gift of salvation and the meaning of our baptism.
Leader: This is now a sacred place. The God who knows and understands all things is with us. (Wait until there is silence.)
OPENING PRAYER:
Leader: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Let us pray: Dear God, as we enter this season of Lent help each of us be willing to give of ourselves so we can make the lives of others easier. May our actions and words reflect the Gospel message. May we always remain open to serving you through acts of love and compassion. May those around us come to know and believe in you through our own generous acts of giving and kindness. We ask this through Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen
FIRST READING: Joel 2: 12 – 18
Student: A reading from the book of the prophet Joel.
“But even now,” says the LORD, “repent sincerely and return to me with fasting and weeping and mourning. Let your broken heart show your sorrow; tearing your clothes is not enough.”
Come back to the LORD your God. He is kind and full of mercy; he is patient and keeps his promise; he is always ready to forgive and not punish. Perhaps the LORD your God will change his mind and bless you with abundant crops. Then you can offer him grain and wine.
Blow the trumpet on Mount Zion; give orders for a fast and call an assembly! Gather the people together; prepare them for a sacred meeting; bring the old people; gather the children and the babies too. Even newly married couples must leave their homes and come.
The priests, serving the LORD between the altar and the entrance of the Temple, must weep and pray: “Have pity on your people, LORD. Do not let other nations despise us and mock us by saying, ‘Where is your God?’”
Then the LORD showed concern for his land; he had mercy on his people.
The word of the Lord……………….Thanks be to God.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Psalm 51
As a school, we have decided to sing “Create a New Heart” from Michael Mangan’s CD titled FOREVER I WILL SING. IF YOU WANT TO HAVE THE STUDENTS READ, THEN THIS IS THE RESPONSORIAL PSALM:
The response is: Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Be merciful to me, O God, because of your constant love. Because of your great mercy wipe away my sins! Wash away all my evil and make me clean from my sin!
Response………………………
I recognize my faults; I am always conscious of my sins. I have sinned against you - only against you - and done what you consider evil.
Response……………………..
Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal spirit in me. Do not banish me from your presence; do not take your holy spirit away from me.
Response………………………..
Give me again the joy that comes from your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Help me to speak, Lord, and I will praise you.
Response………………………..
SECOND READING: 2 Corinthians 5: 20 - 6: 2
Student: A reading taken from the second letter to the Corinthians.
Here we are, then, speaking for Christ, as though God himself were making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: let God change you from enemies into his friends! Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made him share our sin in order that in union with him we might share the righteousness of God.
In our work together with God, then, we beg you who have received God’s grace not to let it be wasted. Hear what God says: “When the time came for me to show you favor, I heard you; when the day arrived for me to save you, I helped you.” Listen! This is the hour to receive God’s favor; today is the day to be saved!
The word of the Lord……………….Thanks be to God.
Leader: Please stand.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION: (Psalm 95: 7-8)
(To be omitted if not sung. Also, you may choose one that is familiar to your school. As a school, we have decided to do “LENTEN ACCLAMATION” from Michael Mangan’s CD titled THIS IS THE TIME)
Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ! Today, do not harden your hearts, but listen to the voice of the Lord. Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!
GOSPEL: (Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
Glory to you, O Lord.
Jesus said to the disciples, “Make certain you do not perform your religious duties in public so that people will see what you do. If you do these things publicly, you will not have any reward from your Father in heaven.
“So when you give something to a needy person, do not make a big show of it, as the hypocrites do in the houses of worship and on the streets. They do it so that people will praise them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. But when you help a needy person, do it in such a way that even your closest friend will not know about it. Then it will be a private matter. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.
“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and pray in the houses of worship and on the street corners, so that everyone will see them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.
“And when you fast, do not put on a sad face as the hypocrites do. They neglect their appearance so that everyone will see that they are fasting. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. When you go without food, wash your face and comb your hair, so that others cannot know that you are fasting – only your Father, who is unseen, will know. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.”
The Gospel of the Lord. …………. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
DISCUSSION HOMILY:
(This part may be omitted, or entirely changed to suit the needs and the comfort zone of the person doing it.)
DISTRIBUTION OF ASHES:
If ashes are going to be distributed, please check with your parish priest which phrase is the preferred phrase to use when making the sign of the cross.
1. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.
2. Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL:
Leader: We who have received the Lord’s gift of pardon and salvation humbly present our petitions to God.
Student: The response is: Lord, hear our prayer.
1. For believers who enter the mystery of Lent, that they answer God’s call to conversion and repentance, we pray to the Lord. Response………………………
2. For nations and families torn apart by war, that they find healing and renewed hope, we pray to the Lord. Response…………………..
3. For leaders committed to caring for all citizens, we pray to the Lord. Response…………………..
4. For victims of violence, for those dear to them, that they all find hope in the promise of the resurrection, we pray to the Lord. Response…………………….
5. For the members of this community, that they be open to all that God has in store for us, we pray to the Lord. Response……………………………
Leader: Trusting in your goodness and love, God of mercy, we place these petitions before you together with those hidden in our hearts through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Leader: Please join in singing a song that truly professes our faith and what we believe. (Here we will sing John Burland’s song ‘YES, LORD, I BELIEVE”.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Leader: Faithful God, you give us forty days of Lent to quiet ourselves and explore what we feel in our hearts. Let these sacred days be a time when we look for you and find that you are in our hearts. Passionate God, may we find you even in our tears and in our pain and in whatever troubles our hearts. Protect us from all that would keep us away from you. Be with us, and in us. We ask this, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
CLOSING HYMN:
Please join us in singing the Closing Hymn.