Laetare Sunday

This weekend we break out the rose or pink vestments again as a celebration that we really do rejoice in the Lenten season, even though we are fasting and preparing ourselves. This Sunday is called Laetare Sunday and it comes from the entrance antiphon which states Laetare Jerusalem or rejoice O Jerusalem, which comes from the Psalm “Rejoice, O Jerusalem: and come together all you that love her: rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow: that you may exult, and be filled from the breasts of your consolation. I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: we shall go into the house of the Lord…”. Our celebration of Laetare Sunday is to give us hope through our fasting, and is celebrated here, because we are over the half-way point of the Lenten season. This week we mark the anniversary of the beginning of a very challenging time. Last year on March 15th the public celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass ceased in our diocese as well as in most of the diocese in the country. It was very surreal to celebrate Sunday Mass with just a few people. It is wonderful that we have many people back celebrating Christ’s sacrifice together and that is something to rejoice in. So, how is the fasting going? Is it getting easier because we are in the habit of it, or is it harder because we have not had it for a while? The purpose of fasting is to use the temptation that we feel to increase our self-control so we can be better at moving away from the temptation to sin. We rejoice in our self-control because it really does lead us to freedom, the freedom from sin. When we are slaves to an addiction, no matter what it is, whether it be gossip, alcohol, drugs, pornography, or anything else, the addiction does not give us the freedom to live our lives as we should, or want to, so we are slaves. Currently the number one addiction in our nation is pornography and it is affecting kids younger and younger. The average age of first exposure is now less than 10, and as most other addictions, it leads to other problems in our lives. The practice of fasting helps us in the building of our self-control leads us to the true freedom that God wants us to have, so we can rejoice, even in our suffering. We also know that in our temptation, we are not in this alone. A couple of weeks ago, we heard the Gospel passage in which Christ himself was tempted and he overcame the temptation as an example for us. He himself suffered and he accepted that suffering also for us. We can overcome temptation, suffering, and death with His help. Lent is really a beautiful time of the year and really is a season in which we can rejoice in the practices that we are doing during this season. We can also rejoice because of all of the opportunities during this wonderful season we have to grow in our faith as we prepare our hearts and minds for the upcoming Easter season.

God bless,
Fr. Ken