Celebrating Ash Wednesday with Deacon Dulas, Part IV

Here is part 4 of a series on Ash Wednesday by Deacon Jerry Dulas. Thanks, Deacon!

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The Rite of Imposition of Ashes
continued...

During the Imposition of Ashes, the Choir chants the following Antiphons and Responsory:

Antiphon I (pointed for Gregorian chant):
|| So rend your | heart, | - *
and not | your | gar- | ments;
|| Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merc- i-ful, ∙ (+) slow to anger, and of great | kind- | ness; *
And He relents from | do- | ing | harm. (Joel 2:13)

Antiphon II:
|| Let the priests, who minister to the | Lord, | - *
weep between the porch and | the | al- | tar;
|| Let them say, “Spare Your people, O | Lord.” | - *
And destroy not the mouths of them that praise | You, | O | Lord. (Joel 2:17a, Apocryphal Esther 13:17b)

Responsory:
V: Let us amend for the better in those things in which we have sinned through | ig- | no- | rance; *
Lest suddenly overtaken by the day of death, we seek space for repentance and are not able to | find | — | it. (liturgical verse)
R: Attend, O Lord, be | mer- | ci- | ful; *
For we | have | sinned | a- | gainst - | You. (based on Psalm 41:4)
V: Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory | of | Your | name; *
And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, for | Your | name’s | sake! (Psalm 79:9)
R: Attend, O Lord, be | mer- | ci- | ful; *
For we | have | sinned | a- | gainst - | You.
V: Glory be to the Father and | to | the | Son *
and to the | Ho- | ly | Ghost.
R: Attend, O Lord, be | mer- | ci- | ful; *
For we | have | sinned | a- | gainst - | You.

When all have received the ashes, the Celebrant, from the Epistle horn, and facing the Congregation, with parted hands, chants:

The Lord be with you.

The Congregation responds, chanting:
Amen.

The Deacon then chants:
Let us pray.

The Celebrant then prays the following Collect, chanting:
V: Grant us, O Lord, to begin with holy fasts the campaign of our Christian warfare, that, as we do battle with the spirits of evil, we may be protected by the help of self-denial; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

And the Congregation responds, chanting:
Amen.

The Service continues with the Introit. The Celebrant, exchanges his Cope for a Chasuble. 

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Aus Tiefer Not

From depths of woe I cry to Thee,
In trial and tribulation;
Bend down Thy gracious ear to me,
Lord, hear my suplication.
If Thou rememb'rest ev'ry sin,
Who then could heaven ever win
Or stand before Thy presence?



~~~~~

Deacon Dulas is ordained into the pastorate and member of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America (eldona.org).  In his own words, "My call is to serve as deacon and missionary-at-large to MN and WI at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Tony, WI.  We are starting a mission here in Mayer, MN, and the surrounding area called St. Matthew Ev. Luth. Mission."

Like what you are reading? Check out Deacon Dulas' blog at The Deacon's Didache.

Celebrating Ash Wednesday with Deacon Dulas, Part III

Here is part 3 of a series on Ash Wednesday by Deacon Jerry Dulas. Thanks, Deacon!

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The Rite of Imposition of Ashes

In place of the Confiteor, the ashes obtained by burning the palm branches used the preceding Palm Sunday, and mixed with anointing oil, are now set apart for use in the Imposition of Ashes.
While the Ministers enter, the Choir chants the following Introit:

Antiphon (pointed for Gregorian psalm tones):
HEAR ME, || O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is | good; | - *
Turn to me according to the multitude of Your ten- | der | mer- | cies.

Introit (pointed for Gregorian psalm tones):
|| Save me, O | God! | - *
For the waters have come up | to | my | neck.
|| I sink in deep mire, where there is no | stand- | ing; *
I have come into deep waters, where the floods ov- | er- | flow | me.
|| I am weary with my cry -ing; (+) My throat is | dry; | - *
My eyes fail while I wait | for | my | God.
|| Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my | head; | - *
They are mighty who would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully; Though I have stolen nothing, I still must | re- | store | it.
|| O God, You know my | fool-ish ∙ | ness; *
And my sins are not hid- | den | from | You.
|| Let not those who wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be asham-ed because of | me; | - *
Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of | Is- | ra- | el.
|| Because for Your sake I have borne re- | proach; | - *
Shame has cover- | ed | my | face.
|| I have become a stranger to my | bro- | thers, *
And an alien to my moth- | er’s | child- | ren;
|| Because zeal for Your house has eaten me | up, | - *
And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fall- | en | on | me.
|| When I wept and chasten-ed my soul with | fast- | ing, *
That became | my | re- | proach.
|| I also made sackcloth my | gar- | ment; *
I became a by- | word | to | them.
|| Those who sit in the gate speak a- | gainst | me, *
And I am the song of | the | drunk- | ards.
|| But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, in the acceptable | time; | - *
O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, hear me in the truth of Your | sal- | va- | tion.
|| Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not | sink; | - *
Let me be deliver-ed from those who hate me, and out of the | deep | wa- | ters.
|| Let not the floodwater overflow me, nor let the deep swallow me | up; | - *
And let not the pit shut its | mouth | on | me.
|| Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is | good; | - *
Turn to me according to the multitude of Your ten- | der | mer- | cies.
|| And do not hide Your face from Your ser -vant, (+) for I am in | trou- | ble; *
Hear me | speed- | i- | ly.
|| Draw near to my soul, and re- | deem | it; *
Deliver me because of my | en- | e- | mies.
|| You know my reproach, my shame, and my dis- | hon- | or; *
My adversaries are all | be- | fore | You.
|| Reproach has broken my | heart, | - *
And I am full of | heav- | i- | ness;
|| I looked for someone to take pity, but there was | none; | - *
And for comforters, but | I | found | none.
|| They also gave me gall for my | food, | - *
And for my thirst they gave me vine- | gar | to | drink.
|| Let their table become a snare before | them, | - *
And their well-be- | ing | a | trap.
|| Let their eyes be darken-ed, so that they do | not | see; *
And make their loins shake con- | tin- | u-al ∙ | ly.
|| Pour out Your indignation u-| pon | them, *
And let Your wrathful anger take | hold | of | them.
|| Let their dwelling place be | de-so- ∙ | late; *
Let no one live | in | their | tents.
|| For they persecute the ones You have | struck, | - *
And talk of the grief of those You | have | wound- | ed.
|| Add iniquity to their in- | i-qui- ∙ | ty, *
And let them not come into Your | right-| eous- | ness.
|| Let them be blotted out of the book of the | liv- | ing, *
And not be written with | the | right- | eous.
|| But I am poor and | sor-row- ∙ | ful; *
Let Your salvation, O God, set me | up | on | high.
|| I will praise the name of God with a | song, | - *
And will magnify Him with | thanks- | giv- | ing.
|| This also shall please the | Lord | - *
better than an ox or bull, which has | horns | and | hooves.
|| The humble shall see this and be | glad; | - *
And you who seek God, your | hearts | shall | live.
|| For the Lord hears the | poor, | - *
And does not despise His | pri- | son- | ers.
|| Let heaven and earth | praise | Him, *
The seas and everything that | moves | in | them.
|| For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, *
That they may dwell there and possess it.
|| Also, the descendants of His servants shall in- | her-it ∙ | it, *
And those who love His Name shall | dwell | in | it.

The Congregation joins in on the Gloria Patri:
GLORIA PATRI (From The Lutheran Hymnal)

The Choir continues with the Antiphon, chanting:
|| Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is | good; | - *
Turn to me according to the multitude of Your ten- | der | mer- | cies.

The Celebrant, vested in Alb, Stole, and Cope, approaches the Altar, flanked by the Deacon and Subdeacon. The Celebrant, moves to the Epistle horn, on which has been placed a vessel containing the ashes. The Deacon and Subdeacon stand behind him in line.

When the Introit is finished, the Celebrant, facing the Altar, hands joined together, chants:
V: The Lord be with you.

The Congregation responds chanting:
R: And with thy spirit.

The Deacon chants:
Let us pray.

The Celebrant then prays the following Collect, chanting:
V: O Almighty and Everlasting God, spare those who are penitent, be merciful to those who implore Thee; and vouchsafe to send Thy holy Angel from heaven, to set apart + and sanctify + these ashes, that they may be a wholesome remedy to all who humbly implore Thy holy Name, and who accuse themselves, conscious of their sins, deploring their crimes before Thy divine mercy, and who humbly and earnestly beseech Thy sovereign goodness: and grant through the Invocation of Thy most holy Name that whosoever shall be sprinkled with them for the remission of their sins may receive the safe-keeping of their soul; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

The Congregation responds, chanting:
Amen.

The Deacon then chants:
Let us pray.

The Celebrant then prays the following Collect, chanting:
V: O God, Who desirest not the death, but the repentance of sinners, look down most graciously upon the frailty of human nature; and in Thy goodness vouchsafe to set apart + these ashes which we purpose to put upon our heads in token of our lowliness and to obtain forgiveness; so that we who know that we are but ashes, and on account of our wickedness deserve to return to dust, may deserve to obtain of Thy mercy, the pardon of all our sins, and the rewards promised to the penitent; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

The Congregation responds, chanting:
Amen.

The Deacon then chants:
Let us pray.

The Celebrant then prays the following Collect, chanting:
O God, Who art moved by a broken heart, and appeased by contrition, incline the ear of Thy goodness to our prayers and mercifully pour forth upon the heads of Thy servants sprinkled with these ashes the grace of Thy blessing, that Thou mayest both fill them with the spirit of remorse, and effectually grant what they have justly prayed for, and ordain that what Thou hast granted may be permanently established and remain unchanged; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

The Congregation responds, chanting:
Amen.

The Deacon then chants:
Let us pray.

The Celebrant then prays the following Collect, chanting:
O Almighty and Everlasting God, Who didst vouchsafe Thy healing pardon to the Ninevites, who repented in sackcloth and ashes, mercifully grant that we may so imitate them in our outward attitude as to follow them in obtaining forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

The Congregation responds, chanting:
Amen.

The Celebrant then receives the thurible, and censes the ashes with three double swings; To the center, the left, and the right.

Then, after placing the ashes upon his own head, he proceeds to place them on the foreheads of the Deacon and Subdeacon, and any Servers, while they genuflect. Then the Choir, and afterward the Congregation, come forward to the entrance of the Chancel in single file, genuflect, and receive the ashes.

He places ashes on their foreheads in a form of a cross, saying to each:
V: Remember, O man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return.

~~~~~

Deacon Dulas is ordained into the pastorate and member of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America (eldona.org).  In his own words, "My call is to serve as deacon and missionary-at-large to MN and WI at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Tony, WI.  We are starting a mission here in Mayer, MN, and the surrounding area called St. Matthew Ev. Luth. Mission."

Like what you are reading? Check out Deacon Dulas' blog at The Deacon's Didache.

Celebrating Ash Wednesday with Deacon Dulas, Part II

Here is part 2 of a series on Ash Wednesday by Deacon Jerry Dulas. Thanks, Deacon!

During the imposition of ashes the choir (or congregation) chant a number of antiphons and a responsory suited to the occasion.

In would be in this order:

Antiphon from Joel 2:13, 17 and Apocryphal Esther 13:17:
And rend your heart, and not your garments,
and turn unto the LORD your God:
for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger,
and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil.
Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD,
weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say,
Spare Thy people, O LORD,
and give not Thine heritage to reproach,
that the heathen should rule over them:
wherefore should they say among the people,
Where is their God?
Hear my prayer, and be merciful unto Thine inheritance:
turn our sorrow into joy, that we may live, O Lord,
and praise Thy name:
and destroy not the mouths of them that praise Thee, O Lord.

Reponsory:

Let us amend for the better in those things
in which we have sinned through ignorance;
lest suddenly overtaken by the day of death,
we seek space for repentance and are not able to find it.

Antiphon based upon Psalm 41:4: 
Attend, O Lord, be merciful: for we have sinned against Thee.

Verse from Psalm 78:9
Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of Thy name:
and deliver us, and purge away our sins,
for Thy name's sake.

Repeat antiphon based on 41:4

Gloria Patri

Repeat antiphon based upon 41:4

After everyone who desires to receive ashes has done so, the Celebrant then chants again the Salutation, and after the response, he prays the Collect that concludes the Imposition of Ashes. The service then continues with the Introit. In the Church at Rome, the people and clergy upon receiving their ashes would then process as a congregation to the church of St. Sabina, where the service would continue. Either before, or during the Introit the ministers put off their copes, and exchange them for the appropriate vestment, i.e., chasuble, dalmatic, or tunicle.

The solemn rite of the Imposition of Ashes puts us in the right state of mind as we enter into Lent, a season that is marked by increased catechesis upon the Ten Commandments, which make us realize how little we have kept them, and that we are indeed poor, miserable sinners in need of a Savior. The ashes upon our heads mark us as sinners who need redemption. This is why the ashes are placed upon the forehead, in the shape of a cross. For it is by the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we are redeemed and delivered from sin, death and the devil.

Preparation of Ashes for Ash Wednesday



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Deacon Dulas is ordained into the pastorate and member of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America (eldona.org).  In his own words, "My call is to serve as deacon and missionary-at-large to MN and WI at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Tony, WI.  We are starting a mission here in Mayer, MN, and the surrounding area called St. Matthew Ev. Luth. Mission."

Like what you are reading? Check out Deacon Dulas' blog at The Deacon's Didache.

Celebrating Ash Wednesday with Deacon Dulas, Part I

Here is part 1 of a series on Ash Wednesday by Deacon Jerry Dulas.  Thanks, Deacon!

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Have you ever wondered where the rite of imposition of ashes comes from? The rite of the Imposition of Ashes comes from the ancient custom of expulsion from the Church. What we commonly call "excommunication." The ceremony of imposing ashes is a relic of the solemn ritual performed by the Bishop with public penitents. Whoever had committed a grave, public sin was bound to submit to public penance at the beginning of Lent. This custom existed in the church from the fourth through the tenth centuries. The penance consisted of exclusion from the Lord's Supper, but also included some acts of penance (acts that the person willingly submitted to, in order to prove his penitence) such as, fasting, prayer, mortification of the flesh, and other works of satisfaction.

The rite of expulsion itself involved the penitent receiving a penitential garb in solemn ritual and having their heads covered with ashes. Therefore the penitent put on sackcloth and ashes, so show their penitence, just like we often see in the Holy Scriptures. After they had put on the sackcloth, and had their heads covered with ashes, the Bishop would escort them to the door of the church, where they would be "expelled." This served as a public proclamation against the sin, and also served as a stern warning to all those who would want to commit such a sin, that the same would be done to them.

It should be pointed out that the person who was subjected to this had already expressed his penitence over committing this sin. So it differs in that respect to our modern excommunication, where the person is expelled from receiving communion, on account of his impenitence. And if you think this rite of expulsion was too stern, check out the canons from the seven ecumenical councils, and you will see that in some cases, depending upon the particular sin, the exclusion from communion could last years.

That brings us to how this rite of expulsion led to the imposition of ashes. As the centuries passed, the Church eased up on the penitential discipline it had enforced; And a lot of these penitential disciplines were enforced in private (which shows us the development of private confession and satisfaction, in which Luther and the Reformers did away with the satisfactions, but retained the practice of private confession and absolution for the benefit of the people). During the Middle ages, however, and one can assume because the rite of expulsion fell into disuse, but there were those who remembered it, and longed for its continued use, that many people voluntarily submitted themselves to the practice of penance by receiving the ashes upon their foreheads.

Even Charlemagne, asked to be signed with the sacred ashes upon his head, approaching the Bishop barefoot to request it. This of course led to its common use upon all those who desired it, and it is still offered today in some parishes, even among Lutherans. Like one's freedom to receive the Blessed Sacrament or not, the Imposition of Ashes is also a voluntary rite, for those who wish to confess their sinfulness, and their sorrow over their sin by receiving the ashes.

The rite developed into what it is today in Rome, and we can see the rite we use in this rite that has developed since the Middle ages. In Rome, the ashes were blessed in the Church of St. Anastasia. The place where all the crosses used for stational processions were kept. As the priests entered, vested in alb, with a violet stole and cope, an appropriate Introit psalm would be chanted. Psalm 69:16 served as the Introit antiphon, with Psalm 69:1 as the Introit Psalm verse. The entire Psalm 69 may be chanted as the Introit, which was probably the case in the Early church. After the Salutation, there were then four Collects prayed from the Epistle horn of the altar, which reflected an emphasis on penance. These prayers also talked about the significance and purpose of the ashes. After the prayers the Celebrant would then distribute the ashes to those who desired it, saying simply, "Remember, O Man, from dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return." (Gen. 3:19)

The ashes used for the imposition are taken from the burned palm branches that were used in the previous year's Palm Sunday. The ashes are mixed with a small amount of anointing oil (enough to make the ashes spreadable, but not so that they clump up). They are placed upon the Epistle horn, prior to the service, in an plain, earthen vessel, or one of simple design and price.

Savior When in Dust to Thee, TLH 166

~~~~~

Deacon Dulas is ordained into the pastorate and member of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America (eldona.org). In his own words, "My call is to serve as deacon and missionary-at-large to MN and WI at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Tony, WI. We are starting a mission here in Mayer, MN, and the surrounding area called St. Matthew Ev. Luth. Mission."

Like what you are reading? Check out Deacon Dulas' blog at The Deacon's Didache.