Pastor's Corner, March 30, 2014

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

Today is the Fourth Sunday of Lent - otherwise known at "Laetare" Sunday. The entrance antiphon for the Mass begins with the Latin word "laetare" which means "rejoice." 

This entire week is considered the midpoint of Lent and so this Sunday has traditionally been a celebration in which the austerity and penance of Lent are a bit lessened and we look down the road to the not-to-distant future and see the upcoming joy of Easter. On this Sunday the purple vestments are replaced with rose ones as a sign that the purple of penance will soon give way to the white of the resurrection.

Laetare Sunday comes each year also to communicate a very powerful lesson - joy is a permanent state for a Christian and we are meant to share this joy with others. As Pope Francis reminds us, “In all the baptized, from first to last, the sanctifying power of the Spirit is at work, impelling us to evangelization" (Evangelii Gaudium, 119). It is precisely with our joy, even in the midst of suffering and difficulties, that we can attract others to Christ. When we allow the joy which bubbled over in the words of the first disciple after meeting Christ ("We have found the Messiah!" John 1: 41) to be grafted onto our own words and actions, then others will wonder about its origin. We can then simply explain that it is my Catholic faith that gives me reason to rejoice.

In Christ,

Msgr. Baker