Ash Wednesday Ping!
Papa Benedict XVI!
Praise God and ASH WEDNESDAY Blessings.
Saving.
From the Maronite liturgy:
O God, full of tenderness, you granted to your Church this Lent, time of blessing. Christ, friend of men, you taught us to fast by your fast and your privations. You wanted to make us understand the essential goal of life, the meaning of the world and of its existence, and the grandeur of your love and of your goodness.
Pour out then your mercy upon all men so that they may repent; soften the hearts of your children, and they will come back to you. Weeping with penitence and brokenhearted, they will know you, and they will love you...
Fasting and prayer purify the soul and render the body chaste.
Fasting and prayer shed a marvelous light,the light of Christ, upon those who fast and who pray.
Fasting and prayer raise the spirit, control passions, and the mercy from on high is poured out.
Fasting and prayer chase away evil spirits,and the Holy Spirit settles in the soul created to be the dwelling of God.
And now. O God, grant that we may praise you with pure lips and, through angelic hymns singing from chaste hearts, meditate upon your fasting and follow your voice in order to come to you.
Praise, glory and honor to the Merciful One who waits for sinners to come back and who watches for the return of contrite hearts,
To the Lenient One who rejoices when a lost sheep returns,
To the loving Father who stoops toward the repentant son and who embraces him,
To Him,the Good One to whom come glory and honor today, all the days of our lives, and for ever and ever, AMEN.
This is why a traditional Ash Wednesday service involves receiving a mark of ash on your forehead and hearing the words from Genesis, “You were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”
The service may also include a prayer from the Psalms, “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away.”
Beautiful post Kaslin... thanks for sharing...