Historic Lenten Weekday Lectionary — 2023

A proper Mass for every day of Lent, Ash Wednesday through Good Friday · February 22 – April 7, 2023

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In the historic Western rite, Lent alone has proper readings appointed for every weekday, not just Sundays. As a rule each day has two lessons — an Epistle (in Lent almost always from the Old Testament) and a Gospel; the Ember Days and the Wednesday and Saturday of Laetare carry extra lessons. Sunday rows are shaded, for context. Tap any reference to open it at BibleGateway.

pre-LSB Historic Western — dropped by LSB — the older usage The Lutheran Missal preserves.
LSB add. Modern (LSB) — not part of the historic set — mostly the modern third (Old-Testament) reading on Sundays.
(unmarked) Historic Western — retained in LSB.

Ash Wednesday and the First Days

Wed, Feb 22 Ash Wednesday

Epistle (Lesson) Joel 2:12-19

Epistle 2 Peter 1:2-11 LSB add.

Gospel Matthew 6:16-21

Historically the Epistle was Joel alone, with no New Testament reading before the Gospel; the 2 Peter Epistle is a modern LSB addition.
Thu, Feb 23 Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Lesson Isaiah 38:1-6

Gospel Matthew 6:5-8

Fri, Feb 24 Friday after Ash Wednesday

Lesson Isaiah 58:1-9a

Gospel Matthew 5:43-6:4

Sat, Feb 25 Saturday after Ash Wednesday

Lesson Isaiah 58:9b-14

Gospel Mark 6:47-56

Invocavit — First Week in Lent

Sun, Feb 26 Invocavit (First Sunday in Lent)

Old Testament Genesis 3:1-21 LSB add.

Epistle 2 Corinthians 6:1-10

Gospel Matthew 4:1-11

Mon, Feb 27 Monday of Invocavit

Lesson Ezekiel 34:11-16

Gospel Matthew 25:31-46

Tue, Feb 28 Tuesday of Invocavit

Lesson Isaiah 55:6-11

Gospel Matthew 21:10-17

Wed, Mar 1 Ember Wednesday in Lent

First Lesson Exodus 24:12-18

Second Lesson 1 Kings 19:3b-8 pre-LSB

Gospel Matthew 12:38-50

An Ember Day — historically provided with two lessons before the Gospel.
Thu, Mar 2 Thursday of Invocavit

Lesson Ezekiel 18:1-9

Gospel John 8:31-47a

Fri, Mar 3 Ember Friday in Lent

Lesson Ezekiel 18:20-28

Gospel John 5:1-15

Sat, Mar 4 Ember Saturday in Lent

First Lesson Deuteronomy 26:15-29

Second Lesson Deuteronomy 11:22-25

Third Lesson 2 Maccabees 1:23, 2-5

Fourth Lesson Sirach 36:1-10

Fifth Lesson Prayer of Azariah 1:24-28

Epistle 1 Thessalonians 5:14-23

Gospel Matthew 17:1-9

An Ember Day — the ancient Saturday of many prophecies (five lessons, then Epistle and Gospel), closing with the Transfiguration.

Reminiscere — Second Week in Lent

Sun, Mar 5 Reminiscere (Second Sunday in Lent)

Old Testament Genesis 32:22-32 LSB add.

Epistle 1 Thessalonians 4:1-7

Gospel Matthew 15:21-28

Mon, Mar 6 Monday of Reminiscere

Lesson Daniel 9:15-19

Gospel John 8:21-29

Tue, Mar 7 Tuesday of Reminiscere

Lesson 1 Kings 17:8-16

Gospel Matthew 23:1-12

Wed, Mar 8 Wednesday of Reminiscere

Lesson Esther 13:8-11, 15-17

Gospel Matthew 20:17-28

Thu, Mar 9 Thursday of Reminiscere

Lesson Jeremiah 17:5-10

Gospel John 5:30-47

Fri, Mar 10 Friday of Reminiscere

Lesson Genesis 37:6-22

Gospel Matthew 21:33-46

Sat, Mar 11 Saturday of Reminiscere

Lesson Genesis 27:6-40a

Gospel Luke 15:11-32

Oculi — Third Week in Lent

Sun, Mar 12 Oculi (Third Sunday in Lent)

Old Testament Jeremiah 26:1-15 LSB add.

Epistle Ephesians 5:1-9

Gospel Luke 11:14-28

Mon, Mar 13 Monday of Oculi

Lesson 2 Kings 5:1-15a

Gospel Luke 4:23b-30

Tue, Mar 14 Tuesday of Oculi

Lesson 2 Kings 4:1-7

Gospel Matthew 18:15-22

Wed, Mar 15 Wednesday of Oculi

Lesson Exodus 20:12-24a

Gospel Matthew 15:1-20

Thu, Mar 16 Thursday of Oculi

Lesson Jeremiah 7:1-7

Gospel John 6:27-35

Fri, Mar 17 Friday of Oculi

Lesson Numbers 20:2b-13

Gospel John 4:5-42

Sat, Mar 18 Saturday of Oculi

Lesson Susanna 1:1-9, 15-17, 19-62

Gospel John 8:1-11

Laetare — Fourth Week in Lent

Sun, Mar 19 Laetare (Fourth Sunday in Lent)

Old Testament Exodus 16:2-21 LSB add.

Epistle Galatians 4:22-31

Gospel John 6:1-14 pre-LSB

For the Gospel, LSB adds one verse (John 6:1-15).
Mon, Mar 20 Monday of Laetare

Lesson 1 Kings 3:16-28

Gospel John 2:13-25

Tue, Mar 21 Tuesday of Laetare

Lesson Exodus 32:7-14

Gospel John 7:14-31a

Wed, Mar 22 Wednesday of Laetare

First Lesson Ezekiel 36:23-28

Second Lesson Isaiah 1:16-19

Gospel John 9:1-38

A day of two lessons — the great baptismal Gospel of the man born blind.
Thu, Mar 23 Thursday of Laetare

Lesson 2 Kings 4:25-38a

Gospel John 5:17-29

Fri, Mar 24 Friday of Laetare

Lesson 1 Kings 17:17-24

Gospel John 11:1-45

Sat, Mar 25 Saturday of Laetare

First Lesson Isaiah 49:8-15

Second Lesson Isaiah 55:1-11

Gospel John 8:12-20

A day of two lessons.

Judica — Fifth Week in Lent (Passiontide)

Sun, Mar 26 Judica (Fifth Sunday in Lent)

Old Testament Genesis 22:1-14 LSB add.

Epistle Hebrews 9:11-15

Gospel John 8:46-59

Mon, Mar 27 Monday of Judica

Lesson Jonah 3:1-10a

Gospel John 7:32b-39a

Tue, Mar 28 Tuesday of Judica

Lesson Bel and the Dragon 1:29-42, Daniel 6:25-27

Gospel John 7:1-13

Wed, Mar 29 Wednesday of Judica

Lesson Leviticus 19:1-2a, 10b-19a, 25b

Gospel John 10:22-38

Thu, Mar 30 Thursday of Judica

Lesson Prayer of Azariah 1:11-22

Gospel John 7:40-53

Fri, Mar 31 Friday of Judica

Lesson Jeremiah 17:13-18

Gospel John 11:47-54

Sat, Apr 1 Saturday of Judica

Lesson Jeremiah 18:18-23

Gospel John 17:1-26

Holy Week (Palmarum through Good Friday)

Sun, Apr 2 Palmarum (Palm Sunday / Sixth Sunday in Lent)

Old Testament Zechariah 9:9-12 LSB add.

Epistle Philippians 2:5-11

Gospel (Passion) Matthew 26:1-27:66

Mon, Apr 3 Monday of Holy Week

Lesson Isaiah 50:5-10

Gospel (Passion) Mark 14:1-15:46 pre-LSB

The Lutheran / northeast-German order assigns Mark to Monday (LSB has John here).
Tue, Apr 4 Tuesday of Holy Week

Lesson Jeremiah 11:18-20

Gospel John 12:1-36 pre-LSB

The Lutheran / northeast-German order assigns John to Tuesday (LSB has Mark here).
Wed, Apr 5 Wednesday of Holy Week

First Lesson Isaiah 62:11-63:5, 7a

Second Lesson Isaiah 53:1-12 pre-LSB

Gospel (Passion) Luke 22:1-23:53

'Spy Wednesday' — two lessons, closing with the Passion according to St. Luke. Isaiah 53 stands here (historically), not on Good Friday.
Thu, Apr 6 Maundy Thursday

Old Testament Exodus 24:3-11 LSB add.

Epistle 1 Corinthians 11:20-32 pre-LSB

Gospel John 13:1-15

Fri, Apr 7 Good Friday

First Lesson Hosea 5:15b-6:6 pre-LSB

Second Lesson Exodus 12:1-11 pre-LSB

Gospel (Passion) John 18:1-19:42

Exodus 12 (the Passover lamb) stands here historically, not on Maundy Thursday.
On the Holy Week Gospels. For Monday and Tuesday of Holy Week, The Lutheran Missal follows the order used by every catalogued Lutheran source and by the older northeast-German missals — Mark on Monday, John on Tuesday — even though the wider manuscript record favors the reverse (the order LSB uses) roughly two to one. The Lutheran usage is taken to preserve an older tradition 'as yet unaltered by Rome.'

Source: The Lutheran Missal, "Lenten Lections" (11 February 2020), https://lutheranmissal.home.blog/2020/02/11/lenten-lections/ — the historic Western (Roman-rite) Lenten ferial lectionary in its late-medieval German / Lutheran recension. See Where these readings come from for the full Roman-vs-Lutheran history.