In the Western Church, Lent starts forty-six days before Easter on the day called Ash Wednesday. This day is a time when many go to a church for Holy Communion. This observance can be meaningful and should be practiced by many more people. As an Anglican, there is another element that I find especially useful, A Penitential Office found on pages 60-63 of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer (http://www.commonprayer.org/offices/penit_n.cfm).
A Penitential Office is rooted in medieval liturgies and Cranmer's Commination found in English Books of Common Prayer from 1549 through 1662. The American version introduced in 1892 omits a strident opening denunciation of sins and begins with Psalm 51, a well-known hymn of repentance. The Kyrie, the Lord's Prayer, versicles, and penitential prayers follow. This relatively short office is a good summary of Lenten devotion. It emphasizes the seriousness of sin, the importance of repentance, and the comfort of divine mercy and forgiveness. Besides its value for public worship on Ash Wednesday, it is also appropriate for personal devotional use throughout Lent.
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