O God, whose blessed Son did fast forty

O God, whose blessed Son did fast forty days and nights in preparation for his holy mission; beget in us, we beseech thee, the same desire which was in him to learn and do thy will. Forbid that through indulgence of the flesh we should dim our vision of thee and render ourselves unfit for thy service.

Give us grace to master our bodies and bring them into subjection to thy good purpose for us. Teach us by prayer and fasting to win self-control, that we may count ourselves wholly to thee and enter more and more into thy blessed kingdom through him who for our sake consecrated himself,…