A Laetare Sunday Thought

"Laetare Jerusalem": Rejoice Jerusalem! 

Those are the first words of the Introit for today's Laetare Sunday Mass. We're looking ahead to the Resurrection right here and now in the middle of Lent. It's like a quick snack on a long hike to keep our energy flowing and reach our destination.

Destination: Easter Sunday - The day we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord. We fast and do penance for these forty days to help lighten our soul from the weight of sin, along with the bad habits our fallen human nature has formed to slow us down as we head towards our real Destination: Heaven.

Heaven: Our Destination, our real home. Our fallen human nature opens up our minds and hearts to the temptations and promptings of the world, the flesh, and the devil. And these three constantly, relentlessly conspire to slow us down, even deflect us, from heading home. The easiest way to do that is to cause us to forget, or not take seriously, that we're here for only a short while; that we're not meant to stay here; that our days - as short or as long as they may be - serve only as an opportunity to prepare for our real life.

Our real life: Eternal Life. This life of ours on earth, temporary as it is, second-rate as it is, somehow looks and feels like something we don't want to give up if we ever think of, or have a brush with, death. We'll do anything to avoid death. And in so doing, we're avoiding our Eternal Life. We can see in this that relentless work of the world, the flesh, and the devil. And our acceptance and complicity in that work reveals the reason we call our human nature as "fallen" - fallen as a result of Original Sin.

The result of Adam and Eve's rejection of Paradise, the stain of Original Sin was removed at Baptism. But it left a kind of "residue." Our fallen human nature is embedded with that residue. Our judgement has become skewed, our intellect darkened, our heart weighed down with the cares of this world. All of this serves to distance us from a God Who loves. We may grasp with our intellect the Infinite Love of our God. But do our thoughts, words, and actions reflect this?

And so, knowing all this - as any Catholic does, or should - we began our Lent seeking to change. 

One of the Antiphons in the Divine Office during Lent: "Behold now is the day  of repentance, to redeem sin, and to save the soul." Our prayers and penance during this Holy Season should reflect this. To the extent they do, we will change - even if only the slightest bit.

To paraphrase the first astronaut to walk on the moon: One small step for Lent, one giant leap towards Eternal Life.

To bolster our efforts, today's Introit shouts: Rejoice Jerusalem! Traditionally the priest wears rose-colored vestments to contrast with Lenten purple. We relax our Lenten discipline a bit. All serves to assist us in our small step, to keep alive our hope of Eternal Life. Our thoughts of the The Resurrection that comes after the Death of Our Lord bolsters that hope.

Tomorrow we return to our Lenten discipline refreshed, renewing our small step or steps closer to Our Lord, toward Easter, toward our Eternal Life in Heaven. 

If only we could keep today's thoughts fresh in our minds and sustain our desire for Eternal Life throughout the year!

Happy Laetare Sunday!