REJECTION, REDEMPTION AND RECONCILIATION
Today’s liturgy may include Psalm 122: “I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord....” We have been heading that way since Ash Wednesday, and by golly, we are about halfway there - so let us take a little break from the purple of Lent and wear rose!
Laetare Sunday is the fourth Sunday of the season of Lent in the Western Christian liturgical calendar. Traditionally, this Sunday has been a day of celebration, within the austere period of Lent. Its name comes from the first few words of the old Latin entrance for the liturgy of the day. "Laetare Jerusalem" ("Rejoice, O Jerusalem"), Latin from Isaiah 66:10.
The Sunday is a day of hope because Easter at last is within sight.
How does this relate to the themes of “Rejection, Redemption and Reconciliation?”
The joyful theme provides some lifting of the penitential emphases of Lent - the Key of our Redemption. Jesus is risen! Alleluia!
Rejection is another matter - the entire Liturgy of Lent emphasizes how his people rejected Jesus - the Jewish body, descendants of Father Abraham - and Isaiah clearly tells these folks to be alert that the Savior is coming. Am I rejecting Jesus’ coming? Do I appreciate what that means?
Reconciliation is the third theme - and this is the call to Peace - to be reconciled to one another as we await the coming of the Christ.
Lent is time set aside when we try to see God in our lives. Lent is a time when we try to step away from our worldly concerns and give some time and attention to what is going on in our souls. To strengthen our faith and our belief we need, along with the blind man in today’s readings, ask: “Lord that I might see” and then expect a miracle, the miracle of seeing the Light of the World in our darkened days.
We have been trying to concentrate on stepping away from worldly concerns for several weeks now, and the fathers and mothers of our church’s leadership have wisely anticipated a need to step back - to put things in perspective - thus we have the “rejoice” liturgy.
Psalm 122 allows me to rejoice as we say: “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
Charles A. Strauss,
Roman Catholic Church of the Incarnation
Charlottesville, Virginia
Today’s liturgy may include Psalm 122: “I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord....” We have been heading that way since Ash Wednesday, and by golly, we are about halfway there - so let us take a little break from the purple of Lent and wear rose!
Laetare Sunday is the fourth Sunday of the season of Lent in the Western Christian liturgical calendar. Traditionally, this Sunday has been a day of celebration, within the austere period of Lent. Its name comes from the first few words of the old Latin entrance for the liturgy of the day. "Laetare Jerusalem" ("Rejoice, O Jerusalem"), Latin from Isaiah 66:10.
The Sunday is a day of hope because Easter at last is within sight.
How does this relate to the themes of “Rejection, Redemption and Reconciliation?”
The joyful theme provides some lifting of the penitential emphases of Lent - the Key of our Redemption. Jesus is risen! Alleluia!
Rejection is another matter - the entire Liturgy of Lent emphasizes how his people rejected Jesus - the Jewish body, descendants of Father Abraham - and Isaiah clearly tells these folks to be alert that the Savior is coming. Am I rejecting Jesus’ coming? Do I appreciate what that means?
Reconciliation is the third theme - and this is the call to Peace - to be reconciled to one another as we await the coming of the Christ.
Lent is time set aside when we try to see God in our lives. Lent is a time when we try to step away from our worldly concerns and give some time and attention to what is going on in our souls. To strengthen our faith and our belief we need, along with the blind man in today’s readings, ask: “Lord that I might see” and then expect a miracle, the miracle of seeing the Light of the World in our darkened days.
We have been trying to concentrate on stepping away from worldly concerns for several weeks now, and the fathers and mothers of our church’s leadership have wisely anticipated a need to step back - to put things in perspective - thus we have the “rejoice” liturgy.
Psalm 122 allows me to rejoice as we say: “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
Charles A. Strauss,
Roman Catholic Church of the Incarnation
Charlottesville, Virginia
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