FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT – LAETARE SUNDAY

FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT – LAETARE SUNDAY 

Laetare Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent, symbolizing a moment of relief and joy.

It is a day of joy and celebration, marking a mid-point in the penitential season of Lent.

The term “Laetare” comes from the Latin word for “rejoice,” reflecting a lighter, more hopeful tone in the midst of the Lenten season. The first words of the Introit at Mass are, “Laetare Jerusa-lem”
(‘Rejoice, O Jerusalem’).

Like Gaudete Sunday midway through Advent, Laetare reminds us of the event we look forward to at the end of the penitential season and the joy in anticipation of the Resurrection.

The vestments for this day will be rose, as they are on Gaudete Sunday in Advent.

GOSPEL SAINT LUKE 15,1-3.11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them he addressed this parable.
Then he said, “A man had two sons,
and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”‘
So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.'”
THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD!

Reflection from: https://evangeli.net/gospel

“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you”
Today, in this Laetare Sunday (“Rejoice Sunday”), fourth of Lent, we hear again that fetching fragment of Luke’s Gospel, where Jesus justifies his unprecedented practice of forgiving sins to regain men for God.

I always wondered if the expression “prodigal son”, which this parable is named after, is really understood by most people. I think we should rename it as the parable of the “prodigious father”.

Because the Father of the parable —so moved by the return of that son ruined by sin— is indeed an icon of our Heavenly Father reflected in the face of Christ: “While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him” (Lk 15:20). Jesus makes us clearly feel that any man, even the worst sinner, is so very important to God that He does not want to loose him in any way; and that He, with ineffable joy, is always willing to grant us forgiveness (even to the point of not sparing his own Son’s life).

This Sunday has an air of serene joy and, this is why it is mentioned as the “Rejoice” Sunday, initial words of the antiphony at the beginning of today’s Mass: “Rejoice O Jerusalem, celebrate all who love it”. God felt sorry for the man who was lost and stranded, and has shown in Jesus Christ —dead and resurrected— his mercy towards him.

In his encyclical “Dives in misericordia”, Saint John Paul II said that, in a story bruised by sin, God’s love has turned into mercy and compassion. Jesus’ Passion is the measure of that mercy. Thus, we may be able to understand that the greatest joy we can provide God with is, perhaps, to let him forgive us by exposing our misery, our sins, to his mercy. With Easter around the corner, we gladly come to the sacrament of penance and reconciliation, to the source of divine mercy: we shall give God a great joy, we shall remain full of peace and shall be more merciful to others. It is never too late to get up and go back to the Father that loves us!

The readings for this day, drawn from the Gospel of Luke, present the Parable of the Prodigal Son—a timeless story of mercy, forgiveness, and the boundless love of God. As we reflect on this parable, we should be struck by the depth of the Father’s compassion, a theme that resonates deeply in our modern world, where division and judgment often overshadow grace.

In the parable, the younger son’s reckless choices lead him to squander his inheritance, only to find himself broken and longing for home. His return isn’t met with condemnation but with open arms-an image of God’s mercy that challenges us to examine our own lives.

How often do I stray, seeking fulfillment in fleeting things, only to realize that true peace lies in returning to God?

Lent invites this introspection, and Laetare Sunday offers a glimmer of Easter hope, reminding us that no sin is beyond redemption.

The elder son’s reaction, however, adds another layer to the reflection. His resentment reveals a struggle many of us face: the temptation to begrudge others’ forgiveness or to feel entitled to God’s favor.

This Lent, let us ask ourselves, do I rejoice in others’ restoration, or do l harbour bitterness? The Father’s response to both sons underscores that His love isn’t earned; it’s freely given.

This is the heart of the Gospel, with emphasis on mercy.

PRAYER

Loving God, as we reach this midpoint of Lent, we rejoice in your unwavering love and the promise of new life. Grant us strength to continue our journey towards you, and fill our hearts with joy and hope. Jesus I trust in you. Amen