Day I: Ash Wednesday

A. Opening Song [if done with others]

B. Opening Prayer: Come Holy Spirit

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth you Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.

O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

C. Reading of the Day:

From the Holy Gospel according to

Matthew, Chapter 6, verses 1 to 6 and 16 to 18


"And your Father who sees in secret will repay you." - Matthew 6:6


D. Period of Silence: Personal integration of the reading 

E. Reflection on the Reading: What is God’s message for you today? 

Today's Sharing:

Today is the start of the Lenten Season. Today's reading has the very important message of "not being like the hypocrites", that is, not doing things for the sake of being appreciated by other people. Doing so would render such activities worthless since human appreciation would have "repaid" the deeds. Instead our focus must be for God alone to see what we do in secret so that  He would repay us accordingly.

Let us remember that prayer is simply our way to communicate or talk to our heavenly Father. It is our means of being constantly connected to the source of our spiritual energy and moral strength. Hence praying is not merely a show for others to see and appreciate but for us to develop our intimate relationship with the Father.

Furthermore, let us also think of this: abstaining from things even those that we need is our way of acknowledging that the Giver is more important than the gift, the Source is more essential than the provision, and the Creator is more vital than the things that we use. If we can have the Father, there's nothing to worry about with regards to our needs. More importantly, it is the way to share with others. The true Christian do not give out of his or her excess but out of his or her own needs. True charity is giving to others what we ourselves need. And no "blowing of trumpets" because God's reward is far greater than human recognition.

F. Application of the Message

- What are you going to pray for today so that you could develop your prayer life and close relationship with the Father?

- What are you going to abstain from today so that you could focus more on the importance of God in your life?

- What are you willing to share materially today so that you could concretely manifest the Lord's command to wash each other's feet as an expression of loving one another?

G. Praying the Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.   Amen.

H. Closing Prayer: Here you say your personal thanksgiving to the Father for today’s message 

i. Closing Song [if done with others]