Cycle B - Year I:  

14 March 2021:  Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday)

(Liturgical Color: Rose or Violet)

Readings:

First Reading:        2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23

Second Reading:   Ephesians 2:4-10

Gospel:  Please Read  John 3:14-21

"Rejoice and be joyful"

Let us take a break from our sorrowful Lenten journey to anticipate the final victory, which is the glorified Christ on Easter Sunday.

The fourth Sunday of Lent is called Laetare Sunday, which literally means "rejoice".  Laetare Sunday is traditionally regarded as a day of celebration, on which the austerity character of Lent is briefly lessened.  Thus, the usual purple color of the priest's vestments and that of the altar cloth is set aside, and the color rose is used instead.  The point is to provide us encouragement in our Lenten pilgrimage as we progress toward the end of the penitential season.

The center piece of the Gospel message 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)  Now, this Gospel passage is part of an interesting conversion between our Lord Jesus and Nicodemus, a Pharisee and leader of the Jews.  He came to Jesus one night and acknowledges Jesus to be a "Rabbi... a teacher who has come from God."  So Nicodemus wanted to know more from Jesus about salvation and living in the light of God.

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

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, in isolation by themselves, 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 relationship 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.   

And so 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 Laetare Sunday to us all.  And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!