Cycle B - Year I:  15 March 2015

Fourth Sunday of Lent
(Liturgical color: Rose or Violet)

John 3:14-21

Rejoice and be joyful!

The Entrance Antiphon sets the tone for this Sunday's liturgy: "Rejoice Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who were in mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast."

The Fourth Sunday of Lent is also called Laetare Sunday. In Latin laetare means "rejoice". Hence,

Laetare Sunday has traditionally been regarded as a day of celebration, on which the austerity character of Lent is briefly lessened. Thus, the usual purple vestments and altar cloths are set aside, and rose ones are used instead. The point is to provide us encouragement in our Lenten pilgrimage as we progress toward the end of our penitential season.

The center piece of the Gospel passage for the Fourth Sunday of Lent also reinforces the theme of rejoicing: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life." (Jn 3:16)

Belief in Jesus as our Lord and Savior sums up our Catholic faith. But how do we understand and live our faith?

Catholics believe that faith is necessary for salvation but also we believe in the indispensable value of exterior works that manifest interior faith. Because it is not faith or works that can save us. Rather, it is faith and works together that cooperate with God's free gift of salvation. Thus, Catholics hold the more balanced approach: faith is necessary for salvation and so are good works that demonstrate that faith, yet acknowledging that even our merits due to our good works are themselves God's gift of grace to us.

In sum, our understanding regarding the relationships between faith, works and merits should draw us into a deeper awe and reverence for exactly how much God really loves us. In the words of the evangelist John, God loves us so much that he gave his only Son to die for us.

God continues to pour out his grace upon us that even the good that we do has God himself as its source and ultimate end. Because without God's grace, our good works would have no reference point. But with God's grace, we participate in the very process of how we will be saved and come into the everlasting light and glory of heavenly bliss.

As we near the high point of our Lenten journey let us pray for God's grace so that we can bring and share Christ's light to our world, through our Catholic faith and good works.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!