Laetare Sunday: The Halfway Checkpoint of Lent

Rose vestments. Only fairly recently did I come to know of their existence in the liturgy. They are rather elusive, worn only twice in the liturgical year, on Gaudete Sunday (third Sunday of Advent) and the fourth Sunday of Lent that we recently celebrated, also known as Laetare Sunday. We also see other things we don’t normally associate with Lent on Laetare Sunday: flowers are permitted on the altar, the music is allowed to be more festive, and the entrance antiphon calls us to rejoice. While these seem out of place within the solemn, penitential season that is Lent, it was certainly with purposeful intention that the Church in her wisdom decided to commemorate the halfway point of Lent on a joyful note.

The word “Laetare” is Latin for “Rejoice” and is taken from the first word of the entrance antiphon (Introit) for this Sunday: Rejoice, Jerusalem! Be glad for her… We can say that the Church is deliberately trying to capture our attention with its use of a different liturgical colour and the extra embellishments. But why a break in theme at a time when perhaps many of us are just getting a hang of our Lenten observances?

Lent is one of the longest liturgical seasons in the Church and with its penitential character, may appear dull and dreary. In interrupting the solemn air of the season with a quick burst of rejoicing, the Church is encouraging the faithful to persevere fervently in joyful anticipation of Christ’s glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday. It is a reminder for us of the destination our eyes should be fixed on: Easter, and what this journey of preparation is about: a time to grow in holiness and to claim our inheritance as sons and daughters of God by returning to the Lord through prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

The opening prayer for Laetare Sunday speaks of the joy we find in Jesus Christ who reconciles us to the Father. He lights up our path and cures our blindness as we make our way, often plagued by fear and doubt, through the darkness of this world. Now is the time to remind ourselves that this season has been given to us to purify our hearts for the Light that we received at baptism. If our Lenten observances have been less than stellar, it is not too late to press the reset button. If we find ourselves giving in to despair, let us remind ourselves that He has already won the battle for us; all we need to do is to return with all our heart to our Father who is waiting for us.

This is indeed a beautiful season. God who is love and mercy never tires of giving us opportunity after opportunity to mend our ways and return to Him. As we hasten with renewed hope towards Easter, here’s something to ponder upon, “Our Lord, who during this Lent is asking us to change, is not a tyrannical master or a rigid and implacable judge: He is our Father. He speaks to us about our lack of generosity, our sins, our mistakes; but He does so in order to free us from them, to promise us his friendship and his love. Awareness that God is our Father brings joy to our conversion: it tells us that we are returning to our Father’s house.” (St. Josemaria Escriva) By Kathlin Ambrose