Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent:

Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

lots of people have problems with the word "wretchedness" in this prayer, as evinced by the fact that every denomination that borrows it from us edits it to remove that word

but I don't think the word "wretched" here means that we're all mustache-twirling villains, I think it just means - and here's something you can't say in a sermon - that we're absolutely *fucked*

the first sentence about god not hating us precludes all the definitions of "wretched" that mean "of something hated or disliked," right?

so how about these? "Very miserable." "Feeling deep distress." "A state of prolonged misfortune or anguish."

I don't know about y'all, but this ash wednesday more than ever, I feel pretty wretched.

human beings are creatures who fuck up, and who, collectively and individually, because of the powers of sin and death, are absolutely fucked unless somebody helps us. ash wednesday is about how god has promised to be that somebody, no matter what

anyway, if the word "wretchedness" just gives u bad vibes that's okay - but for me, especially this year, it just feels like a prayer, and a word, that is able to take the mess that I know I am living in seriously enough