LAETARE SUNDAY
Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her.
Be joyful, all who were in mourning;
Exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast. (Is 66:10:11)
Today, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, is also known as Laetare Sunday. It gets this name from the first word of the Entrance Antiphon used at Mass without music; you will see it quoted above. In Latin, the antiphon begins with the word “Laetare,” which, as you see above, translates into “Rejoice.” As we quickly approach the end of Lent – next week is the Fifth Sunday of Lent and the following week is already Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord – we, who have been mourning our sins and striving to repent, are called to rejoice as today sets a joyful tone in anticipation of Easter. Flowers adorn the altar, the music is more joyful and the celebrant is allowed to wear rose-colored vestments, just as he does on Gaudete Sunday in Advent. The Collect, or Opening Prayer, at Mass today continues this joyful anticipation with these words:
O God, who through your Word reconcile the human race to yourself in a wonderful way, grant, we pray that, with prompt devotion and eager faith, the Christian people may hasten toward the solemn celebrations to come.
And, the readings for this Sunday give us a sense of joyful anticipation as well. In the first reading from the First Book of Samuel, we hear about the anointing of David as the king of Israel. You can sense the eager anticipation of his reign as we hear at the end of this reading that “the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David” (1 Sm 16:13). And, we all know how he transformed the twelve tribes of Israel into a unified nation under God; his was a very exciting reign!
In the second reading from the Letter to the Ephesians, we hear: “Brothers and sisters: you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord!” (Eph 5:8) Again, a call to joyfulness is expressed by the image of passing from the gloom of darkness into the fullness of light we experience in the Lord’s presence. And finally, in the Gospel account of the cure of the man cured of his blindness, we hear our Lord proclaim: “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see!” (Jn 9:41) It’s easy to imagine the joy the man felt as he was able to see for the first time in his life! Indeed, all three readings fill us with joy as they prepare us for the great celebration of Easter. This is certainly the good news we need as we continue to hear so much bad news in our world. Let us rededicate ourselves to our Lenten practices so as to prepare to join in the Paschal mystery fully revealed during Holy Week and Easter!
OPERATION RICE BOWL
As I’m sure you know, we are called to prayer, fasting and almsgiving throughout Lent. I hope you have heeded that call and spent more time in prayer, allowing yourself to draw ever more closely to our Lord, Jesus Christ, whose death and Resurrection we will soon celebrate. And, I hope your fasting has led you to a greater longing for the good things that God has in store for us in heaven.
Another essential aspect of the Lenten Season is almsgiving. As we become aware of the great sacrifice our Lord, Jesus, made for us on the cross, we are called to share in his sacrifice by sharing the abundance of God’s gifts with those in need around the world. Operation Rice Bowl is an excellent way to do just that. Many of you have taken home Rice Bowls to help you and your family learn about how you can share from your abundance. I hope you have taken the time to learn about Ghana, Guatemala and Timor-Leste, the three countries that were featured this year in Operation Rice Bowl. I ask that you return your rice bowl filled with your sacrificial offerings over the next few weeks. You can drop it in the Sunday collection basket, leave it in the sacristy or drop it off at the rectory.
Those of you who have not participated in Operation Rice Bowl throughout the Lenten Season will be given the opportunity to do so next Sunday as our second collection will be taken up to support Catholic Relief Services, the development agency of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that offers Operation Rice Bowl every Lent. Remember that 25% of every donation will be used to feed the needy in our own archdiocese; the remaining 75% will be used to fight hunger around the world. Tragically, millions of our brothers and sisters are experiencing life-threatening levels of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. While there is no one solution to breaking the cycle of hunger, we can make a difference by answering Jesus’ call to share from our abundance with our global family. Please be generous.