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VIOLET VOL. 50, NO. 15

22 FEBRUARY 2023 l ASH WEDNESDAY (A)

INTRODUCTION
With Ash Wednesday the Church enters into the season of Lent – the springtime of Christian
life. This season begins with ash but ends with fire. Generally, fire comes first and then comes
the ash. Here ash comes first and fire comes later. We are invited to realize the fact that God can
turn our sinful past into ashes and ignite us with the fire of his love. As the ashes are imposed on
our foreheads today one of the two formulas may be used: ‘Repent and believe in the good news’
or ‘you are dust and unto dust you shall return.’ These formulas reveal our frailty, our transitory
nature, our weak nature. Because of our weak human nature we commit sin and thus stand in need
of repentance. No matter how much progress we make in our life we should never forget that we
are dust and unto dust we shall return. The beauty is that in this earthen vessel God has placed a
precious treasure, namely, his Holy Spirit. Let us enter into this season with the right disposition
of repentance so that we may enjoy the richness of this treasure.

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
LITURGY OF THE WORD
You are merciful to all, O Lord, and despise
nothing that you have made. You overlook FIRST READING
people’s sins, to bring them to repentance, A reading from the Prophet Joel (2:12–18)
and you spare them, for you are the Lord our
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return
God.
to me with all your heart, with fasting, with
Cel: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, weeping, and with mourning; and rend your
and of the Holy Spirit. hearts and not your garments.” Return to the
All: Amen. Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful,
Cel: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast
love of God, and the communion of the Holy love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows
Spirit be with you all. whether he will not turn and relent, and leave
All: And with your spirit. a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a
drink offering for the Lord your God? Blow the
(The Penitential Act and Gloria are omitted) trumpet in Sion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn
assembly; gather the people. Consecrate the
COLLECT congregation; assemble the elders; gather
the children, even nursing infants. Let the
Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her
fasting this campaign of Christian Service, chamber. Between the vestibule and the altar
so that, as we take up battle against spiritual let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep
evils, we may be armed with weapons of self- and say, “Spare your people, O Lord, and make
restraint. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your not your heritage a reproach, a byword among
Son, who lives and reigns... the nations. Why should they say among the
All: Amen. peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ” Then the Lord

Cycle A 1 Ash Wednesday

became jealous for his land and had pity on his GOSPEL
people.
Cel: The Word of the Lord ! A reading from the holy Gospel according
to Matthew (6:1-6,16-18)
All: Thanks be to God.
All: Glory to you, O Lord.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM (51) At that time Jesus said to his disciples, “Beware
of practising your righteousness before other
Response: Have mercy, O Lord, for we have people in order to be seen by them, for then
sinned. you will have no reward from your Father
Have mercy on me, O God, according to who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the
your merciful love; according to your great needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the
compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the
me completely from my iniquity, and cleanse me streets, that they may be praised by others.
from my sin. + Truly, I say to you, they have received their
My transgressions, truly I know them; my sin is reward. But when you give to the needy, do
always before me. Against you, you alone, have I not let your left hand know what your right
hand is doing, so that your giving may be in
sinned; what is evil in your sight I have done. +
secret. And your Father who sees in secret
Create a pure heart for me, O God; renew a will reward you. And when you pray, you
steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away must not be like the hypocrites. For they love
from your presence; take not your holy spirit to stand and pray in the synagogues and at
from me. + the street corners, that they may be seen by
Restore in me the joy of your salvation; sustain in others. Truly, I say to you, they have received
me a willing spirit. O Lord, open my lips and my their reward. But when you pray, go into your
mouth shall proclaim your praise. + room and shut the door and pray to your
Father who is in secret. And your Father who
SECOND READING sees in secret will reward you. And when you
fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites,
A reading from the Second Letter of for they disfigure their faces that their fasting
Saint  Paul to the Corinthians (5:20-6:2) may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they
Brethren, we are ambassadors for Christ, God have received their reward. But when you fast,
making his appeal through us. We implore you anoint your head and wash your face, that
on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our your fasting may not be seen by others but by
sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so your Father who is in secret. And your Father
that in him we might become the righteousness who sees in secret will reward you.
of God. Working together with him, then, we Cel: The Gospel of the Lord
appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
vain. For he says, “In a favourable time I listened
Blessing and Distribution of Ashes
to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped
you.” Behold, now is the favourable time; behold, (The Ashes are blessed and distributed after the
now is the day of salvation. Gospel and Homily).
Cel: The Word of the Lord Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, let us humbly
All: Thanks be to God. ask God our Father that He be pleased to bless
with the abundance of His grace these ashes,
VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL which we will put on our heads in penitence.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ. O that today (Pause for silent prayer)
you would listen to his voice! Harden not your Cel: O God, who are moved by acts of
hearts. Glory and praise to you, O Christ. humility and respond with forgiveness to

Ash Wednesday 2 Cycle A

works of penance, lend your merciful ear to 5. That all our Lenten programmes, liturgical
our prayers and in your kindness pour out activities and spiritual exercises may lead us
the grace of your + blessing on your servants closer to God, to ourselves, to one another,
who are marked with these ashes, that, as we pray … +
they follow the Lenten observances, they may
be worthy to come with minds made pure to Cel: Abba Father, thank you for reminding
celebrate the Paschal Mystery of your Son. us that we are dust and that unto dust we
Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. shall return. You made us in your own image
All: Amen. and likeness. Help us to restore this original
blessing by actively co-operating with your
(The celebrant Sprinkles the ashes with holy
grace. We make this prayer ….
water. Then he places ashes on the head of all
those present).
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
(The Creed is not said)
PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
As we solemnly offer the annual sacrifice
Cel: God, our loving father, has given us for the beginning of Lent, we entreat you, O
another opportune time, a suitable time, to Lord, that, through works of penance and
repent for our sins and amend our relationship charity, we may turn away from harmful
with ourselves, with others and with oneself. pleasures and, cleansed from our sins, may
Let us ask him to give us the necessary graces become worthy to celebrate devoutly the
through our prayers, fasting and our acts of Passion of your Son. Who lives and reigns
mercy specially, almsgiving during this season for ever and ever.
of Lent, we pray...
Response: Lord, help us to faithfully observe PREFACE IV (Temptation)
the discipline of Lent. It is truly right and just, our duty and our
1. That our Holy Father, the bishops, the salvation, always and everywhere to give
priests and the religious may help us to you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and
experience a complete and permanent inner eternal God.
transformation, through their teaching, For through bodily fasting you restrain our
preaching and exemplary life, we pray … + faults, raise up our minds, and bestow both
virtue and its rewards, through Christ our
2. That those who are faithfully striving to
Lord.
overcome some sinful tendencies in their
life may be granted a new heart of flesh and Through him the Angels praise your majesty,
a right spirit of perseverance, we pray … + Dominions adore and Powers tremble before
you. Heaven and the Virtues of heaven and
3. That those who will be deprived of enjoying the blessed Seraphim worship together with
the beauty of the season of Lent on account of exultation.
persecution, imprisonment, hospitalization May our voices, we pray, join with theirs in
and other unavoidable circumstances may humble praise, as we acclaim:
be guided and strengthened by the Holy
All: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts…
Spirit, we pray … +
4. That we may not lose sight of the Lord’s COMMUNION ANTIPHON
passion, death and resurrection while
observing the Lenten discipline and that we He who ponders the law of the Lord day
may prepare ourselves worthily to renew our and night will yield fruit in due season
baptismal vows, we pray … + (Ps  1:2-3).

Cycle A 3 Ash Wednesday

Regd. No. R/N. 26565/74

birthdays, the beginning of a new year. But they

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION could hardly succeed, because this was taking place
May the Sacrament we have received sustain in the framework of ‘Chronos’. Then once they
us, O Lord, that our Lenten fast may be surrendered their life to ‘a higher power’ called
God, things started changing for them because it
pleasing to you and be for us a healing was happening within the framework of ‘Kairos.’
remedy. Through Christ our Lord.
c) Lent, a time for Inner Transformation: As
we enter into the springtime of Christian life,
LITURGY AND LIFE Jesus is inviting us to begin a process of inner
transformation which includes restoring three
Pope Francis was once asked, “Who are you?” The relationships: with self, with others and with
questioner perhaps must have expected replies God. He proposes three ways of restoring them:
such as ‘I am the bishop of Rome,’ ‘I am the Pope,’ One can restore one’s relationship with oneself
‘I am the Shepherd of the flock of Christ,’ ‘I am a through fasting. The relationship with others
Baptized and Confirmed Catholic,’ or at least ‘I am can be restored through almsgiving and one can
a human being’. But the Holy Father replied, “I am be reconciled with God through prayer. Jesus
a sinner, redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus.” emphasizes that all these three means have to be
The season of Lent invites us to reflect on our sinful used secretly, not for public display. Let us reflect
tendencies, to return to the Lord and to believe in on these three relationships and our attitude
the Good News that there is another better way of towards fasting, almsgiving and prayer.
living our life. Today’s Readings throw light on this
new way of enjoying Christian life. Introspection: What discipline of the Lenten
observance am I going to take seriously to experience
a) Lent, the springtime of Christian Life: What an inner, permanent and total transformation in my
happens in the season of Spring? We see the trees life by God’s grace?
shedding their old leaves and within a few days – Fr (Dr) Robert B. D’Souza
new lush green leaves showing up. Botanists
inform us that even before the old leaf drops off
the branch a new sprout is ready within the tree. A Pastoral Ministry of the
It is this new sprout that pushes the stem of an old Members of the Society of St Paul
leaf. Then the old leaf drops off effortlessly, even
With ecclesiastical approval. Readings are from
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hard to overcome some sinful areas of our life. But The ESV Bible with publisher’s permission.
this season is telling us that all that we need is to Editor: Fr (Dr) Augustine Kanachikuzhy, ssp.
cultivate some good habits so that the old will be (Email: editor@[Link]);
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Ash Wednesday 4 Cycle A