Dear Parishioners:
It's Laetare Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent. The name Laetare comes from the entrance antiphon from Isaiah: "Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who were in mourning; exalt and be satisfied at her consoling breast." Laetare is the first word meaning "rejoice" in the Latin text. The Church expresses hope and joy amid our Lenten fasts and penances on Laetare Sunday (similarly to the Third Sunday of Advent's Gaudete Sunday). Often called Rose Sunday due to the rose-colored vestments. It indicates a glimpse of the joy that awaits us at Easter, just before we enter the somber days of Passiontide.
The joy of Easter being around the corner is symbolized in a few other interesting liturgical possibilities. During Lent, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal forbids flowers adorning the altar. But on Laetare Sunday (as well as solemnities and feasts within the season), there's a temporary halt to these acts of penance!
At one time, marriages were generally forbidden during Lent. Still, Laetare Sunday was often associated with a day when marriages could be celebrated during the penitential season. While marriages are now only forbidden on Good Friday and Holy Saturday, Laetare Sunday is still fitting for those wishing to be married before Eastertide.
Laetare Sunday is the Church's way of giving us a "shot in the arm" as we approach the darkness and horror of the days through Good Friday and Holy Saturday. It's an opportunity to savor and keep in the back of our minds what awaits us on Easter Sunday — the reality that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and that our hearts will always be filled with joy!
We are filled with joy this Saturday and next Saturday as our OLM First Communion Class will make their first confessions. They, too, will be filled with joy as they receive the grace of God's mercy and forgiveness in Sacramental Confession for the first time. Please pray for them.
Pope Francis said: "I ask you: have you ever thought that every time we go to the confessional, there is joy and celebration in heaven? Have you ever thought about that? It is beautiful and fills us with great hope because there is no sin to which we have stooped from which, by the grace of God, we cannot rise up again. There is no person who is beyond recovery, no one is beyond recovery. Because God never ceases to want what is good for us, even when we sin!"
Have you had a chance to make a good Confession during this Lent? If not, there are ample opportunities. Confession is offered daily at 11:45 am, every Monday at 6:00 pm with two priests, and every Saturday at 3:00 pm. On Saturday, March 24, there will be All-Day Confessions from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm with four priests available. During Holy Week, additional times and priests will be available for Confession. As Pope Francis said: "I ask you: have you ever thought that every time we go to the confessional, there is joy and celebration in heaven?" So make heaven celebrate with joy and make a good Confession.
Of course, there is also another occasion of joy at OLM. Next Sunday is St. Patrick's Day, so we rejoice for such a glorious saint. At the 10:30 am Mass, there will be readings in the Irish language and Irish music. And we are truly blessed to have Monsignor Séamus Horgan. Monsignor is a native son of Ireland and priest of the Diocese of Killaloe, established in the 7th Century. The Diocese comprises parts of the counties of Clare, Tipperary, Offaly, Limerick and Laois.
Monsignor is now the First Counsellor of the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See to the United States of America. This means he serves as the Holy Father’s personal representative to the U.S., the Papal Nuncio, His Eminence Christophe Cardinal Pierre. Following the 10:30 am Mass, there will be a reception in the vestibule. Enjoy the Mass with its Irish hymns and readings, and join us in rejoicing with some Irish Soda Bread and Irish Coffee in honor of Glorious St. Patrick. It’s sure to be a grand time for all young and old. Remember, you don’t have to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day; all are welcome!
Be well. Do good. God Bless! Pray. Fast. Give Alms. See you at Stations of the Cross on Friday!