Ember Days in Lent

Introduction

Four times a year, the Church sets aside three days to focus on God's creation. These quarterly periods take place around the beginning of the four seasons of nature. Embertides were spent in fasting and abstinence for the purpose of thanking God for creation's gifts and asking for the self-discipline to use them in moderation. They were also the traditional times for ordinations to take place. The fasts, known as "the fast of the four seasons" were made optional following the liturgical reforms under Pope Paul VI which, in my opinion, was a tremendous loss. There is every reason to restore them in these days of materialist excess, ecological devastation and crises affecting the church's ministry. The second of the fasts takes place during Lent on the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday following the First Sunday of Lent. This service may be used on any of those days along with a penitential practice of one's choosing to curb immoderation, help heal the earth and support the vocation of those called to service in the church.

Opening Chant (The Lent Prose)

Hear us, O Lord, have mercy upon us:
for we have sinn'd against thee.

1 To thee, Redeemer, on thy throne of glory:
lift we our weeping eyes in holy pleadings:
listen, O Jesu, to our supplications. [Refrain]

2 O thou chief Corner-stone, Right Hand of the Father
Way of Salvation, Gate of Life Celestial
cleanse thou our sinful souls from all defilement. [Refrain]

3 God, we implore thee, in thy glory seated
bow down and hearken to thy grieving children
pity and pardon all our grievous trespasses. [Refrain]

4 Sins oft committed now we lay before thee
with true contrition, now no more we veil them
grant us, Redeemer, loving absolution. [Refrain]

5 Innocent, captive, taken unresisting
falsely accused, and for us sinners sentenced,
save us, we pray thee, Jesu our Redeemer. [Refrain]

Opening Collect

Scripture (Ezekiel 18:20-28)

The soul who sins, he shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him. “But if the wicked turns from all his sins that he has committed, and keeps all my statutes, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live. He shall not die.  None of his transgressions that he has committed will be remembered against him. In his righteousness that he has done, he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked?” says the Lord Yahweh, “and not rather that he should return from his way, and live? “But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, should he live? None of his righteous deeds that he has done will be remembered. In his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that he has sinned, in them he shall die. “ Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not equal.’ Hear now, house of Israel: Is my way not equal? Aren’t your ways unequal? When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies in it, then he dies in his iniquity that he has done.Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he will save his soul alive.Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live. He shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ House of Israel, aren’t my ways fair? Aren’t your ways unfair?

Psalm Response

Interlude

Scripture (1 Thess 5:14-23)

We exhort you, brothers: Admonish the disorderly; encourage the faint-hearted; support the weak; be patient toward all.See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good for one another and for all. Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. Don’t quench the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies. Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good. Abstain from every form of evil.  May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Meditation (Pope Leo; Angelus; First Sunday of Lent; February 22, 2026)

Today, on the First Sunday of Lent, the Gospel tells us about Jesus who, led by the Spirit, enters the desert and is tempted by the devil (cf. Mt 4:1–11). After fasting for forty days, he feels the weight of his humanity: physically, through hunger, and morally, through the devil’s temptations. In this, he experiences the same struggle we all face on our journey. By resisting the evil one, he demonstrates how we, too, can overcome the devil’s deception and snares.

Through this Word of life, the liturgy invites us to view Lent as a luminous path. By means of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we can renew our cooperation with the Lord in the crafting of our lives as a unique masterpiece. This involves allowing him to cleanse the stains and heal the wounds of sin, as we commit to letting our lives blossom in beauty until they attain the fullness of love — the only source of true happiness.

To be sure, this is a demanding journey. There is always the risk of discouragement or of being drawn to easier paths to satisfaction, such as wealth, fame and power (cf. Mt 4:3–8). These temptations, which Jesus himself faced, are merely poor substitutes for the joy for which we were created. Ultimately, they leave us dissatisfied, restless and empty.

For this reason, Saint Paul VI taught that penance — far from impoverishing our humanity — enriches, purifies and strengthens it, as we move toward a horizon that has “as its aim love and surrender to God” (Apostolic Constitution Paenitemini, 17 February 1966, I). Indeed, while penance makes us aware of our limitations, it also grants us the strength to overcome them and to live, with God’s help, in deeper communion with him and with one another.

In this time of grace, let us therefore practice penance generously, alongside prayer and works of mercy. Let us create space for silence by turning off televisions, radios and cell phones for a while. Let us meditate on the Word of God, approach the Sacraments, and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit who speaks to us in our heart. Let us also listen to one another — in our families, workplaces and communities. Let us dedicate time to those who are alone, especially the elderly, the poor and the sick. By giving up what is superfluous, we can share what we save with those in need. Then, as Saint Augustine taught, our prayer offered in this way — “in humility and charity, by fasting and giving, by restraining ourselves and pardoning, by paying out good deeds and not paying back bad ones, by turning away from evil and doing good” (Sermons, 206, 3) — will reach heaven and give us peace.

We entrust our Lenten journey to the Virgin Mary, our Mother who always assists her children in times of trial.

Intercessions                     

Concluding Hymn