Reflection for the 4th Sunday of Lent - 27 March 2022

      Today, our liturgical color changes from purple to rose as we commemorate Laetare Sunday, the 4th Sunday of Lent, as we are only two weeks away from Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. Laetare Sunday comes from the Latin word to rejoice.  We rejoice today as we are closer to the commemoration of Holy Week and to the resurrection of our Lord on Easter, as we get closer to the end of our Lenten journey. I know that a lot of us Catholics are so happy to be back in the full swing of Lent this year, as so many of our in-person Lenten devotions and liturgies had to be scaled back these past two years due to the pandemic.  I have really enjoyed praying the stations of the cross with different groups and at different times this year during Lent: after the 10:00 am Friday Mass, the 6:00 Friday outdoor stations of the cross, the Sunday evening youth group, and after the Sunday afternoon Spanish Mass.  I love the stations of the cross as a way to accompany Jesus on his journey to the cross, to his death and resurrection.  I encourage all of you to join us for the stations of the cross during the remaining weeks of Lent.

        As last weekend’s readings on the 3rd Sunday of Lent addressed the themes of repentance and mercy, this weekend’s Gospel of the prodigal son tackles the themes of forgiveness and repentance.  I think all of us can honestly say that true forgiveness is one of the most difficult things a human being can practice in his life.  It is difficult to give forgiveness. It is difficult to ask for forgiveness. Yet, how can we repent and ask for forgiveness from God if we do not practice forgiveness in our own lives?

         With joy in our hearts on Laetare Sunday, let us pray: Loving Father, we feel the pace quicken and the time draw near. We are filled with joy as we move toward Easter and the promised reconciliation with you. Teach us to follow the example of your Son, to be worthy of being called one his people, a true disciple of Christ. Help us to live each day as he did: turning hatred into love and conflict into peace. We await new life in our Savior with eagerness, faith, and gratitude. AMEN.