Ash Wednesday

Official Translation

Reading 1 - Joel 2.12-18

“Yet even now,” says the Lord,
“turn to me with all your heart,
and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.”
Tear your heart, and not your garments,
and return to the Lord, your God;
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness,
and relents from sending calamity.
Who knows? He may turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
even a meal offering and a drink offering
for the Lord, your God.

Blow the trumpet in Zion!
Sanctify a fast.
Call a solemn assembly.
Gather the people.
Sanctify the assembly.
Assemble the elders.
Gather the children,
and those who nurse from breasts.
Let the bridegroom go out of his room,
and the bride out of her room.
Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord,
weep between the entrance and the altar,
and let them say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and do not make your heritage a reproach,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the nations,
‘Where is their God?’”

Then the Lord was jealous for his land,
and had pity on his people.

Responsorial – Psalm 51.3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14+17 Resp. 3a

R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness.
According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.
Cleanse me from my sin.

R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.

For I know my transgressions.
My sin is constantly before me.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight;

R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a right spirit within me.
Do not cast me out from your presence,
and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.

R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation.
Uphold me with a willing spirit.
O Lord, open my lips
My mouth will proclaim your praise

R. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Reading 2 – 2 Corinthians 5.20-6.2

Brothers and sisters:
We are therefore ambassadors
on behalf of Christ,
as though God were
imploring through us:
we beg you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For, on our behalf,
he made him to be sin
who knew no sin,
so that we might become
the righteousness of God
in him.
Working together,
we implore also
that you do not receive
the grace of God in vain,
for he says,
“At an acceptable time I listened to you,
in a day of salvation I helped you.”
Behold, now is the ever-so-acceptable time.
Behold, now is the day of salvation.


Gospel – Matthew 6.1-6, 16-18

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be careful lest you
do you righteous deeds in front of humans,
in order to be seen by them.
If you do not at least do this,
you will have no pay
from your Father in heaven.

Therefore when you do merciful deeds,
do not sound a trumpet before yourself,
as the hypocrites do
in the synagogues and on the streets,
that they may get glory from humans.
Amen I say to you,
they have received their pay.

But when you do merciful deeds,
do not let your left hand know
what your right hand does,
so that your merciful deeds
may be in secret,
and your Father
who sees into the secret
will pay you.

And when you pray,
you shall not be
like the hypocrites,
that love to stand praying
in the synagogues
and on the streetcorners,
that they may be on display for humans.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their pay.

But you, when you pray,
go into your closet,
and shut your door;
pray to your Father
who is in secret,
and your Father
who sees into the secret
will pay you.

And when you fast,
Do not be like the gloomy hypocrites,
For they disfigure their faces,
so that they may be fasting on display for humans.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their pay.
But you, when you fast,
anoint your head,
and wash your face;
so that you are not fasting on display for humans,
but for your Father
who is in secret,
and your Father,
who sees into the secret,
will pay you.