Day Twenty-Six - Laetare Sunday

Today's Reflection
by Hannah Blosser

“Rejoice, O Jerusalem: and come together all you that love her: rejoice with joy, that you may exult, and be filled from the breasts of your consolation.” These words are taken from the Introit for today’s Mass. Why is such a joyful passage included? Aren’t we supposed to be sorrowful during Lent? Well, today is Laetare Sunday, a name taken from the words given above (“Laetare” means “to rejoice” in Latin).  But the question still arises: “Why are we rejoicing? It’s not Easter yet!” The Thursday preceding this Sunday falls right in the middle of Lent, the halfway point of our journey with Christ to Calvary and His Resurrection. Catholics used to celebrate this halfway point by breaking their Lenten fast and taking a rest from their penances. Later, this celebration was moved to the Sunday following, which is now called Laetare Sunday.

What is different about Laetare Sunday? The priest wears rose-colored vestments instead of the penitential purple. Flowers are placed on the altar, and organ may once again be played at Mass. The readings remind us of the Sacraments of Baptism, Penance, and Holy Communion, which bring us closer to Our Lord as we approach Easter Sunday. Laetare Sunday is also the day on which the Golden Rose is blessed. The Golden Rose is a flower made of pure gold that is blessed by the Pope and conferred upon a Catholic monarch, church, city, etc. that has shown exemplary Catholic virtues and loyalty to the Holy Father. All of these symbols give us a reprieve from the penitential season of Lent, and allow us to catch a first glimpse of the joy of Easter.

The Epistle of Laetare Sunday  is from Galatians, and tells us about the two sons of Abraham. One son was born “by a bondwoman and the other by a free woman.” This is an allegory, as the Scripture tells us: “But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise.”  In the allegory, the children of the bondwoman represent the old Jerusalem, which was made captive by sin. The children of the free woman are the children of God, heirs to eternal life. The Epistle concludes with the words, “So then, brethren, we are not the children of the bondwoman but of the free: by the freedom wherewith Christ has made us free.” The freedom mentioned was given to us in the Sacrament of Baptism, through which we were born again into Christian life. This freedom is again given to us in the Sacrament of Penance, in which we confess our sins, and are renewed in Christ’s love and mercy. These two Sacraments are closely linked with Easter, as new members of the Church are baptized at the Easter vigil, and penitents go to confession during Eastertide and renew their baptismal promises.

The Gospel of Laetare Sunday relates the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, which are a symbol of Holy Communion. Jesus, seeing that the people gathered to hear Him preach were hungry, took five loaves of bread and two fishes, and multiplied them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “the miracles of the multiplication of the loaves, when the Lord says the blessing, breaks and distributes the loaves through His disciples to feed the multitude, prefigure the superabundance of this unique bread of His Eucharist” (CCC 1335). The Eucharist is also an important part of Easter, as a few days before Easter Sunday, we remember the Last Supper, when Our Lord offered the first Mass. New members of the Church also receive their First Communion at the Easter vigil. Through Holy Communion, we draw even closer to Our Risen Lord, as He unites Himself to us in His Mystical Body, and we recall Christ’s promise to us as heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Laetare Sunday is a time of rejoicing and looking forward to the upcoming Easter morning. We’re already halfway there! So, keep praying, fasting, watching, and waiting for Our Lord, for He is coming; and on that glorious morning, we will once again see the Risen Savior triumph over sin and death.

Prayer for the Joy of the Gospel

Star of the new evangelization,
help us to bear radiant witness to communion,
service, ardent and generous faith,
justice and love of the poor,
that the joy of the Gospel
may reach to the ends of the earth,
illuminating even the fringes of our world.

Mother of the living Gospel,
wellspring of happiness for God's little ones,
pray for us.

Amen.

Prayer written by Pope Francis.