Arbuthnott Missal: the Mass of Ash Wednesday (Scottish) (written for the parish of Arbuthnott, Kincardineshire, 1491)

The Mass of Ash Wednesday

Wednesday at the Beginning of the Fast. At Mass.

The Office. Thou hast mercy upon all, O Lord, and hatest nothing that thou hast made, winking at the sins of men because of repentance, and sparing them: for thou art the Lord our God. Psalm. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee.

Let the priest say The Lord be with you and Let us pray. And afterwards let the deacon say thus: Let us bow the knee; and so let all bow the knee. Then, the deacon saying Rise, let all rise, kissing the forms.

Prayer. Grant, O Lord, to thy faithful people, that they may both undertake the venerable solemnities of the fast with fitting devotion, and run through them with untroubled devotion. Through [our Lord].

From this day until the Lord's Supper, at all Masses of the fast, let a memory be made for the penitents with this prayer: Hear, we beseech thee, O Lord, the prayers of thy suppliants. On this day and the three days following let five prayers be said at the Mass of the fast, as is said above on the first Sunday of Advent.

The Lesson and Chants

The lesson of the prophet Joel. Thus saith the Lord: Turn ye to me with all your heart, in fasting and weeping and mourning; and rend your hearts, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord our God: for he is gracious and merciful, patient and of great mercy, and ready to forgive evil. Who knoweth if he will return and forgive, and leave a blessing behind him, a sacrifice and a drink offering unto the Lord our God? Blow the trumpet in Sion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the people, sanctify the church, assemble the elders, gather the little ones and them that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Between the porch and the altar the priests, the ministers of the Lord, shall weep, and shall say: Spare, O Lord, spare thy people, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the peoples, Where is their God? The Lord hath been jealous for his land, and hath spared his people: and the Lord hath answered and said unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be filled therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the Gentiles, saith the Lord Almighty.

The Gradual. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee. ℣. He hath sent from heaven and delivered me: he hath given to reproach them that trod me down.

Let the choir say the Tract alternately. O Lord, deal not with us after the sins which we have done: neither reward us according to our iniquities. ℣. O Lord, remember not our old iniquities: let thy mercies speedily prevent us, for we are come to great misery. ℣. Help us, O God of our salvation: and for the glory of thy name, O Lord, deliver us, and be merciful unto our sins for thy name's sake. Let this Tract be said on every Monday and Friday at the Mass of the fast until the Lord's Supper.

The Gospel and the Rest of the Mass

According to Matthew. At that time Jesus said unto his disciples: When ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where rust and moth doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither rust nor moth doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also.

The Offertory. I will magnify thee, O Lord, for thou hast set me up, and not made my foes to triumph over me: O Lord, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. ℣. O Lord, thou hast brought my soul out of hell: thou hast kept me from them that go down into the pit.

The Secret. Make us, we beseech thee, O Lord, fitly prepared for the offering of these gifts, with which we celebrate the beginning of this venerable sacrament. Through [our Lord].

The Preface: Who by bodily fasting. Let this Preface be said at every Mass of the fast until the Lord's Supper; likewise Let us bow the knee, and Rise, and Bow down your heads to God.

The Communion. He that shall meditate in the law of the Lord day and night shall bring forth his fruit in due season.

The Postcommunion. May the sacraments which we have received, O Lord, afford us help: that our fasts may be pleasing unto thee, and profit us unto salvation. Through [our Lord].

When the last Postcommunion is ended thus, World without end. Amen, let the priest say Let us pray. Then let the deacon say Bow down your heads to God. Let the priest say the prayer over the people:

Look graciously, O Lord, upon them that bow themselves before thy majesty: that they who have been refreshed with the divine gift may ever be nourished with heavenly aids. Through [our Lord].

And so let the Mass be ended with Let us bless the Lord.