Lec # 32- 4th Sun of Lent- March 18, 2012- Fr. Bresowar
My brothers and sisters in Christ, we have now reached the half way point of Lent. Actually, I think we are technically over the half way point, but not by much. And so today the Church gives us this Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent as a time, not to take a break from Lent. We are still in Lent, but rather, to turn our focus for today towards Heaven.
In the midst of being in the desert during Lent, in the midst of our spiritual journey where we have been focusing heavily on our own sinfulness, our own need for forgiveness, our own mortality. We need to take a moment here and remind ourselves that we Easter people. That our end is not in death, that our end is in life. That our victory is won! That all the human suffering that we endure, in so many ways, caused by the sins of our own lives, the sins of others against us, the natural pain and suffering that comes with our bodies breaking down and so many other ways that we have to endure physical and mental and spiritual anguish, that all of has an end, and for the believing, persevering, Christian, that end is paradise.
Today, is known as Laetare Sunday.
Today is "Laetare Sunday" [the Sunday in which the entrance antiphon of the liturgy begins with the word "laetare"].
• "Laetare" means "rejoice."
• Midway through our Lenten journey towards Christ's Passion and Resurrection, the Church invites us to rejoice.
• Today's rose-colored vestments symbolize this rejoicing.
In one sense, it is strange to rejoice right in the middle of this penitential season, when we are letting the Holy Spirit remind us of all our sins and selfish tendencies.
But if we go a little deeper, it makes perfect sense.
Christian joy isn't based on merely human motives.
• If it were, it would be unstable and temporary - because we human beings are flawed, and we fail; we betray and are betrayed.
• Christian joy is not based on something so undependable as that.
• Rather it is based on God, who loves us thoroughly and powerfully right in the midst of our misery.
• It’s based on the eternal promise of what lies beyond us. No eyes have seen, no ears have heard, nor has it even dawned in the minds of men and women, what God has prepared for those who love him.
• He didn't make us earn his love; he gave it to us as a free gift: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son..." Because of this free gift, Jesus won for us the Kingdom of Heaven. That’s our hope. That’s why we continue to persevere.
• That gift made us into citizens of heaven, even though right now we are living here on earth.
And with that gift he also gave us a promise: our friendship with Christ will bring meaning and partial joy to our lives here on earth, which we experience in the passing joys of this life, the joy of a child being born into the world, the joy of a wedding day, the joy of Christmas morning, joys which are temporary but which foreshadow that which lies beyond, the everlasting joy in heaven.
• If we accept God's gift of friendship with Christ, what St Paul calls "grace," then we will have "eternal life" – and that’s a guarantee.
• Whoever lives in friendship with Christ lives a fruitful and meaningful life here on earth.
• Whoever dies with that friendship still intact will enter into the eternal adventure of life with God forever in heaven.
If that's not a reason for us to rejoice, I don't know what is. So Rejoice! And Happy 4th Sunday of Lent everyone, let us persevere for there is only a short amount of time left for us on the grand scale of eternity, this life is short and then when we have finished this race we who have lived and died with Christ, will be with Him forever in paradise.
I’ll end this homily with the very comforting words of Jesus… “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be."
