The above chart gives a good overview of the different ways of counting Lent and Easter. You are welcome (encouraged) to reproduce it – but please have the courtesy of acknowledgement and, if online, put a clickable link to this site.
Collect for Lent 1
Let us pray (in silence) [to follow Christ more closely]
pause
God of the desert,
Jesus was led by the Spirit
to fast forty days in the wilderness
and was tempted as we are, yet without sin;
give us grace to observe the disciplines of Lent;
and, as you know our weakness,
so may we know your power to save;
through Jesus Christ our Redeemer,
who is alive with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God now and for ever.
Amen.
Sadly (and surprisingly), on the First Sunday in Lent, a day that so many churches and denominations celebrate the same event with the same readings, we do not have a shared collect. My collect attempts to draw from several different ones into a coherent whole.
Here is my commentary for this collect for Lent 1.
Resources for Lent
For those who missed my recent sharing of Lent resources, here they are again:
You are encouraged to use material from this site. Especially in reproducing material, please note the Terms of Use at the bottom of each page.
Ash Wednesday Collect
Let us pray (in silence) [for grace to keep Lent faithfully.]
pause
Almighty and everlasting God,
you hate nothing that you have made
and forgive the sins of all who are penitent:
create and make in us new and contrite hearts,
that we, worthily lamenting our sins
and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may receive from you, the God of all mercy,
perfect remission and forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Ash Wednesday is a solemn focusing on sin, repentance, and our need for forgiveness. Most tend to underplay sin nowadays (and, yes, that’s in reaction to its over-stressing in the past), but Ash Wednesday is a reminder of its dreadful reality. The tone of the collect is, hence, appropriate. Obviously we cease using the collect that we used daily from Sunday, and use this one from Ash Wednesday until first evening prayer of Sunday Lent 1. After that, if you want to use it throughout Lent, don’t have two collects following each other – this collect can be used to conclude the Prayers of the People (or even as the Prayer after Communion).
Here is my commentary for this collect for Ash Wednesday.
Lent Resources
Shrove Tuesday
A hymn for Shrove Tuesday
What is Lent?
NB. The “Glory to God in the highest” is not used in the Eucharist. The word “Alleluia” is not used at all. There are no flowers in church during Lent.
Lent candle ritual
Lenten preparation (catechumenate)
Ash Wednesday
Lent
receiving the Lord’s Prayer (catechumenate)
receiving the creed (catechumenate)
enrolment for baptism (catechumenate)
Palm Sunday
Maundy Thursday
Good Friday
Resources off this Site
My friend, Fr John O’Connor, will be offering online reflections daily during Lent.
If you have a Lent resource to share, please add it in the comments. It is also worthwhile to check the comments of the recent post.
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Sorry to be a dunce, but who counts as found in the rightmost column?
Statcounter, Kevin. As far as I know, it is pretty much the standard. Google Analytics appears to have a number of issues. I hope that helps. Blessings.
Sorry, Bosco, I wasn’t clear.
I meant the right hand column of your helpful chart.
By the way, thanks for doing this!
I’m not sure, Kevin, who still counts like this. Those patterns are still worth noting, I think. Jesse in his comment also adds some points. Blessings.
Kevin, I’m guessing that it’s meant to represent the Orthodox counting of Great Lent, which actually begins a little earlier (“Clean Monday”) and runs for 40 consecutive days, ending the Friday before before Lazarus Saturday (the day before Palm Sunday). Passion Week (Lazarus Saturday to Paschal Vigil) is its own fast and is not counted as part of Great Lent.
If that’s the intended scheme, then the dividing line in the rightmost column should appear a little higher, before Palm Sunday.
Similarly, I gather that some Orthodox reckon that the Easter season ends with Ascension (another 40-day block), since the observances of Ascension take up almost the whole remaining time before Pentecost.
Thanks, Jesse. Interesting!