The Catholic Calendar for Sunday, March 26, 2006
Fourth Sunday of Lent
(Laetare Sunday)

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23
Psalm 137:1-6
Ephesians 2:4-10
John 3:14-21

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

In the first reading today from Chronicles, we find that God has come to the end of His patience with his chosen people. They had “pushed the envelope” too far with their infidelities. So He decided to send them into exile for seventy years.  He was still faithful to the “rainbow promise” of Noah’s time, but He gave them plenty of time to reflect on their infidelity. In the responsorial psalm 137, we read that heart-wrenching cry, in reply to their captors’ request, “How could we sing a song of the Lord in a foreign land?” After they had repented, God finally relents and sends them home again. Through the instrumentality of the Persian King Cyrus, He provides them with all the materials and labor they needed to rebuild their beloved temple.

Lent reminds us that, like the Israelites, we too have sinned and forgotten the Lord. In His incredible mercy, He has brought us to life again through the sacrifice of His Son on the Cross.  We didn’t deserve it, we didn’t earn it. It all came through “free grace," the gift beyond all gifts. Now, we know that we are God’s creation, but do we realize that we were created a second time as Christ’s work of art?

No wonder we find that famous passage in the Gospel, John 3:16 (so cherished by our Protestant brethren), “God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.”  This is a good passage for every Catholic to memorize!

And the passage about light! Here, in most of the frozen North Country, we’re always in danger of power failures. We’re all familiar with the emotional high we get when the lights come on, the furnaces can provide heat, and our refrigeration is back in operation. We know very well what it means to come from darkness to light. But are we grateful enough when our minds and hearts are restored through penance, prayer and a good confession? No wonder this Sunday is called Laetare (Rejoice) Sunday! Lent is a time for our hearts to dance and our spirits be lifted up in joy. Let’s try to spread some of that joy to our neighbor through the many opportunities Lent provides for almsgiving and works of sharing.

- Msgr. Paul Whitmore
(smartins at frontiernet dot net)

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