O Lord, who hast mercy upon all, take away from me my sins,
and mercifully kindle in me the fire of thy Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore Thee, a heart to delight in Thee,
to follow and enjoy Thee, for Christ’s sake, Amen
—St. Ambrose of Milan, 339-397
To read a concise and clear history of the celebration of Ash Wednesday, read this article.
