Commination
A “threatening of punishment.” A service for Ash Wednesday drawn up for the first English Prayer Book of 1549 to replace the blessing of ashes. It included an exhortation on God's judgment, the solemn cursing of those who have committed various sins, Ps 51, suffrages, and a collect. It has remained in the English Prayer Book, but is not in the English Alternative Service Book. The American Prayer Book never included it. Ps 51 is the only feature of the commination service that is used in the Prayer Book service for Ash Wednesday. See Ash Wednesday.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.