I did not come to call the just, but sinners to penance. —Luke 5:32
Today I want to share A Penitential Reader: a short collection that I have put together for Lent. It contains selections from the Psalms, the Prophets, the Gospels, the Epistles, and the Church Fathers, as well as traditional Lenten hymns and prayers.
A Penitential Reader is to provide for us, out of Divine Revelation and out of the rich inheritance of holy men before us, a language to express our needs to the Great Physician and to dispose us to receive His healing grace.
The reading of The Seven Penitential Psalms is one of the earliest Lenten devotional practices, and is here given the primary place. The Penitential Hymns that I have included in this collection have well known plainchant melodies, or they have a more modern hymn tune that has been indicated. The Penitential Readings from Sacred Scripture and The Penitential Readings from Doctors of the Church are meant to show us both the wretchedness of sin and the great mercy of God.
Here is the PDF:
If you enjoyed A Penitential Reader, read my recent post on some of the penitential writings of St. Anselm and these other related essays from Power & Glory:
Is there a good way to print this as a booklet?