Laetare
Sunday: A Joyful Pause In A Somber Season
Rejoice
in the Lord always!
I
am with you always!
You
are my people, I am your God!
God
Loves Me! WOW! I Rejoice!
A Joyful Sunday. The Fourth
Sunday of Lent is also known as Laetare Sunday. Laetare is a Latin word which means “rejoice” or
“rejoicing.” This elated or jubilant mood is a striking departure from
the somber, sorrowful, penitential tone of the other days of Lent.
At the Beginning of Mass the
Church proclaims: “Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be
joyful, all who were mourning” (Isaiah 66:10).
Joyful Anticipation. There are
multiple reasons why the Fourth Sunday of Lent is cause for joy, the most
important of which is the proximity of Easter. On Ash Wednesday Easter
was a long way off, six and a half weeks, but on the Fourth Sunday of Lent,
Easter is only three weeks away, and as the greatest of
all Christian feast draws ever nearer, joy increases. Joy is also on the
upswing because the amount of time left with the rigors of the Lenten
discipline, penitential practices like fasting, abstinence, and self-denial, is
more than half over.
Joyful Readings. The Scriptures
texts for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year B, are a series of joyful messages.
This first reading from 2 Chronicles is the joyful proclamation by King Cyrus
of Persia that the Babylonian Captivity is ended, the temple in Jerusalem could
be rebuilt, and those held in bondage were free to return home. The
second reading from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians begins with the joyful
statement, “God is rich in mercy” (Eph 2:4), and it emphasizes that salvation
is God’s gift to us through the power of Jesus Christ. Finally, the
gospel proclaims the joyful good news that “God so loved the world that he gave
his only Son” (Jn 3:16) … “so that the world might be saved through him” (Jn
3:17).
Joyful Conversion. It is with great
joy that the catechumens who are preparing to receive the Easter sacraments
celebrate the Second Scrutiny on the Fourth Sunday of Lent. Also, it was
an ancient custom on this Sunday to ceremoniously present the Apostles Creed to
each of the catechumens to highlight the tenets of the faith in which they were
about to be baptized. The thought of the upcoming Easter Vigil and the
reception of the catechumens into the Church is cause for great joy for the
catechumens themselves and the entire community.
Reflection
Questions. What has God rescued you from this week that gives
you cause for Joy? How has God begun to
refashion you this Lent?
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