Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who
were in mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast (Is
66:10-11) . . . we sing in the Antiphon of today’s Mass. Joy
is essentially a Christian characteristic, and in this liturgical season the
Church does not fail to remind us that it should be present at every moment of
our lives. There is a joy proper to the hope of Advent, then the joy of
Christmas itself, so lively and warm. And as the year advances there is
the joy of increasing closeness to the risen Christ. But today, as we
approach the end of Lent, we meditate on the joy of the Cross. It is one
and the same joy as that of being united to Christ: only in him
can each of us say truthfully with St. Paul: He loved me and gave himself up
for me (Gal2:20). This should be the source of our greatest
happiness, as well as the source of our strength and support. Should we
have the misfortune to encounter sorrow, undergo suffering, experience
misunderstanding, or even to fall into sin, how quickly will our thoughts turn
to the One who always loves us and who, with his infinite love as God,
overcomes in every trial, fills our emptiness, forgives all our sins, and
eagerly impels us towards a new path that is safe and joyful (John Paul
II, Address; March 1, 1980).
This Sunday (March 30) is traditionally called Lætare Sunday from
the opening words of the Entrance Antiphon [in Latin]. The strictness of
the Lenten liturgy is interrupted on this Sunday with words that speak to us of
joy. Today, rose-colored vestments, if they are available, are permitted
in place of purple (GIRM, 308), and the altar can be decked with flowers as on
no other day in Lent (Ceremonial of Bishops, 48). In this way the Church
wishes to remind us that joy is perfectly compatible with
mortification and pain. It is sadness and not penance
which is opposed to happiness. Taking part to the utmost in this
liturgical season which reaches its climax in the Passion, and hence in the
suffering, we realize that approaching the Cross also means that the moment of
our Redemption is coming ever closer. In this way, the Church and each of
her children are filled with joy.
The mortifications we do during these days should not cast a
shadow over our interior joy. Rather, it ought to increase it, because
our Redemption is near at hand; the pouring out of love for mankind, which is
the Passion, is coming and the joy of Easter will soon be upon us. We
therefore feel the need to be very closely united to Our Lord, so that our
lives too may reflect once more the suffering He underwent for our sakes, as
well as experiencing great happiness in the attainment of the glory and joy of
the Resurrection through his Passion and his Cross.
From Fr. Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God:
Daily Meditations Volume Two: Lent and Eastertide (New York: Scepter
Publishers Inc., 2010), pp. 157-8).
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