Remember too - the vestments for today are NOT PINK! They are "rose." One way I use to help remember this is "Jesus didn't pink from the dead, He ROSE from the dead!"
Qui Locutus - Formerly The CathApol Blog - a Catholic Apologetics Blog Defending the Faith and keeping Catholics Catholic! Scott Windsor, MEd. - aka: CathApol
Showing posts with label Laetare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laetare. Show all posts
Fourth Sunday of Lent Laetare Sunday
Remember too - the vestments for today are NOT PINK! They are "rose." One way I use to help remember this is "Jesus didn't pink from the dead, He ROSE from the dead!"
Laetare Sunday - Scripture of the Week
Scripture of the Week – Week 4 of Lent
This Sunday is Laetare Sunday and is the second (and final)
day of the liturgical year in which the color of the vestments is rose (not “pink”).
One of the ways a priest told me how to remember this is “Jesus didn’t pink from
the dead on Easter Sunday, He rose from the dead.”
Scripture this week from my professor:
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and
peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in
hope." - Romans 15:13
When I first read this it made me think of the Introibo (in - tro - eebo) in
the Latin Mass:
Introibo ad altare Dei – which translated is “I will go in
to the altar of God.”
And more precisely the next line:
Ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meum – which translated is
“To God, which maketh my youth joyful.”
And how appropriate! Lautare Sunday is “Joyful Sunday” – as you
can see by the similarities in “laetare” and “laetificat” – both with the root
meaning of “joyful.”
Joyful or Laetare Sunday is a time during the season of Lent
to meditate upon the joyfulness of the coming Easter. Rejoice (be joyful) in
the Lord! This is similar to the other day in the liturgical year which
utilizes rose vestments – which is Gaudate Sunday and also, in Latin, has the
meaning of “Joyful Sunday” during the season of Advent.
As an aside, we often see Advent as the end of the year
because it comes toward the end of the calendar year – but in the liturgical
year, Advent is the first season, the First Sunday of Advent being the first day
of the liturgical year.
Anyway, this Sunday wear something rose-colored!
AMDG,
Scott<<<
Laetare Sunday - 4th Sunday of Lent
The Gospel reading includes the healing of a man born blind - who sees for the first time and pronounces his belief in the Son of Man - Jesus Christ. Let us all be joyful in seeing the Lord and not be afraid to witness to others, as the man healed of blindness did not fear standing before the Pharisees, even after they had rebuked him.
COVID-19 Considerations
Today, due to mandates to observe social distancing we were encouraged to watch the Mass on TV or on the Internet. Which I did. I watched a couple Masses actually, and I will not name them here in public but was a bit disturbed to see that people were standing (and sitting) right next to each other and at the Kiss of Peace they shook hands with each other, the second Mass I watched did not show the congregation, but the priest and deacon shook hands and embraced. At both Masses the Eucharist was given as the host only, the Precious Blood was reserved for the priest and deacon alone.
A third Mass I watched, celebrated by a bishop, the Kiss of Peace was not physically done at all, "The peace of the Lord be with you always..." and then he moved on with the Agnus Dei. This one did not show the distribution of the Eucharist at all.
Many bishops have already temporarily lifted the Sunday obligation - so check with your local diocese to see if you are among them.
God be with us in these trying times.
Laetare Sunday - Fourth Sunday in Lent
Twice per year the vestments are rose or pink - and Laetare Sunday, the Fourth Sunday in Lent, is one of those dates in the liturgical year (the other is Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday in Advent). It is called this because the Introit begins with:
The sermon our priest today shared was truly amazing and I wish to share what I took from it here. As most who follow here already know, I typically participate in the Extraordinary Rite of the Mass (Traditional Latin Mass) and the readings this week, especially the Gospel really hit home with another family member who has been absent from Mass for many years and came back today. Now with that introduction one might think I was referring to the Novus Ordo, or Ordinary Rite - for the Gospel there was that of the Prodigal Son! Well, that TOO is quite an appropriate Gospel for this day of return by our family member! However, in the Extraordinary Rite the Gospel was John 6:1-15 - the feeding of the 5000. Several times this week, this family member was meditating on the feeding of the 5000, he had no idea of what the Gospel would be at Mass! He was having thoughts of how this feeding can be related to his own life and even that of his company. He shared a time when he checked his bank account and only had $8.00 in it... somehow after deciding to pay the bills he HAD to pay that week, he went back to the account and found it had over $100 in it - AFTER paying all the bills! Of course he relates that to the twelve baskets full of remnants after Jesus fed the 5000 with only 5 barley loaves and 2 fish. He had other comparisons too - but again, that he was led to meditate on this passage this week and then find it at Mass moved him to tears on this, his prodigal return.
As I sat there listening to the sermon myself, I too was quite moved and heard an analogy I've not heard before. The priest began with the discussion of the feeding of the 5000, but then said that this was just a prelude to what followed. The people, after seeing this miracle sought to make Him king by force, but what did Jesus do? He turned and fled to the mountains, alone.
Some stay away from Mass because they claim they "get nothing from it." To which Fr. Terra said, "If they believe that, then they are just not paying attention!" The second part of John 6 puts forth the Eucharistic treatise that unless we eat the Flesh and drink the Blood of Jesus Christ, we have "no life" in us. This teaching was difficult for the disciples who grumbled and said, "this is a hard teaching, who can take it?" Over that teaching, many turned and walked with the Lord no longer. He repeated the command over and over again - how many times? The answer is NINE TIMES! Obviously He meant what He was saying! We are given the re-presentation of Jesus' Sacrifice on the Cross at EVERY Mass.
Fr. Terra made it clear, it is not a representation, like a statue or a picture represents our Lord or a Saint, for those are just made of plaster, paint or some other substance. The Eucharist, on the other hand is a re-presentation of the Cross. It can be compared to if I were to leave the room, then come back in again, I am present again. Now the Sacrifice is not offered again - it is made present again. The Mystery of Faith is that through the Mass THE Sacrifice of Jesus defies space and time and becomes REALLY PRESENT on the altar. No other church can offer you this! No other church teaches this! How can one be in the REAL PRESENCE of Jesus Christ and claim, "I get nothing from it?"
Then came the comparison I had not heard before. . . in the first part of John 6, after Jesus had fed the 5000 they had their physical needs met - and they sought to make Him king - and He fled to the mountains, alone. Too often we see, especially in non-Catholic churches, the attempt to fulfill the physical needs of those there, or the need to be entertained. They attempt to make Him a worldly king again - and He flees from them. Where God TRULY is, in His REAL PRESENCE is in the valid sacrifice of the Mass or Divine Liturgy, and NO WHERE ELSE! Those who seek fulfillment outside the Mass are only filling their personal and physical desires - and not the spiritual. Seek Him where He IS, and not in the entertainment factor of the preacher or the music or the fancy auditoriums which represent more of a stage show than the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Now again, if you really feel you "get nothing from the Mass," then "you're not paying attention!" There is SO MUCH going on! As the family member who just returned stated - if you pick up the missal and read even ONE PRAYER and meditate on it - you have come away from the Mass with more than you came in with - not to mention that THE Sacrifice of the Mass is THE Real Presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ - which is something you not only will not find, but cannot find at any Protestant gathering.
Lætáre, Ierúsalem: et convéntum fácite, omnes qui dilígitis eam: gaudéte cum lætítia, qui in tristítia fuístis: ut exsultétis, et satiémini ab ubéribus consolatiónis vestræ.It is a day of rejoicing, as Lent will soon be drawing to a conclusion in Passion Week, culminating in the resurrection of our Lord on Easter Sunday.
Rejoice, O Jerusalem, and come together, all you who love her: rejoice with joy, you who have been in sorrow: that you may exult, and be filled from the breasts of your consolation.
The sermon our priest today shared was truly amazing and I wish to share what I took from it here. As most who follow here already know, I typically participate in the Extraordinary Rite of the Mass (Traditional Latin Mass) and the readings this week, especially the Gospel really hit home with another family member who has been absent from Mass for many years and came back today. Now with that introduction one might think I was referring to the Novus Ordo, or Ordinary Rite - for the Gospel there was that of the Prodigal Son! Well, that TOO is quite an appropriate Gospel for this day of return by our family member! However, in the Extraordinary Rite the Gospel was John 6:1-15 - the feeding of the 5000. Several times this week, this family member was meditating on the feeding of the 5000, he had no idea of what the Gospel would be at Mass! He was having thoughts of how this feeding can be related to his own life and even that of his company. He shared a time when he checked his bank account and only had $8.00 in it... somehow after deciding to pay the bills he HAD to pay that week, he went back to the account and found it had over $100 in it - AFTER paying all the bills! Of course he relates that to the twelve baskets full of remnants after Jesus fed the 5000 with only 5 barley loaves and 2 fish. He had other comparisons too - but again, that he was led to meditate on this passage this week and then find it at Mass moved him to tears on this, his prodigal return.
As I sat there listening to the sermon myself, I too was quite moved and heard an analogy I've not heard before. The priest began with the discussion of the feeding of the 5000, but then said that this was just a prelude to what followed. The people, after seeing this miracle sought to make Him king by force, but what did Jesus do? He turned and fled to the mountains, alone.
Some stay away from Mass because they claim they "get nothing from it." To which Fr. Terra said, "If they believe that, then they are just not paying attention!" The second part of John 6 puts forth the Eucharistic treatise that unless we eat the Flesh and drink the Blood of Jesus Christ, we have "no life" in us. This teaching was difficult for the disciples who grumbled and said, "this is a hard teaching, who can take it?" Over that teaching, many turned and walked with the Lord no longer. He repeated the command over and over again - how many times? The answer is NINE TIMES! Obviously He meant what He was saying! We are given the re-presentation of Jesus' Sacrifice on the Cross at EVERY Mass.
Fr. Terra made it clear, it is not a representation, like a statue or a picture represents our Lord or a Saint, for those are just made of plaster, paint or some other substance. The Eucharist, on the other hand is a re-presentation of the Cross. It can be compared to if I were to leave the room, then come back in again, I am present again. Now the Sacrifice is not offered again - it is made present again. The Mystery of Faith is that through the Mass THE Sacrifice of Jesus defies space and time and becomes REALLY PRESENT on the altar. No other church can offer you this! No other church teaches this! How can one be in the REAL PRESENCE of Jesus Christ and claim, "I get nothing from it?"
Then came the comparison I had not heard before. . . in the first part of John 6, after Jesus had fed the 5000 they had their physical needs met - and they sought to make Him king - and He fled to the mountains, alone. Too often we see, especially in non-Catholic churches, the attempt to fulfill the physical needs of those there, or the need to be entertained. They attempt to make Him a worldly king again - and He flees from them. Where God TRULY is, in His REAL PRESENCE is in the valid sacrifice of the Mass or Divine Liturgy, and NO WHERE ELSE! Those who seek fulfillment outside the Mass are only filling their personal and physical desires - and not the spiritual. Seek Him where He IS, and not in the entertainment factor of the preacher or the music or the fancy auditoriums which represent more of a stage show than the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Now again, if you really feel you "get nothing from the Mass," then "you're not paying attention!" There is SO MUCH going on! As the family member who just returned stated - if you pick up the missal and read even ONE PRAYER and meditate on it - you have come away from the Mass with more than you came in with - not to mention that THE Sacrifice of the Mass is THE Real Presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ - which is something you not only will not find, but cannot find at any Protestant gathering.
Laetare Sunday
The Fourth Sunday in Lent is called "Laetare Sunday" coming from the first words of the Introit in the Mass. Laetare means "joyful" in Latin. The vestments are rose (pink), like on Gaudete (which similarly means "rejoice").
The Twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit
Today our priest's sermon was on the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, and he focused upon the "joyful" aspect. The twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit are charity (or love), joy, peace, patience, benignity (or kindness), goodness, longanimity (or long suffering), mildness, faith, modesty, continency, and chastity.
First of all, we must consider what a "fruit" is. A fruit is something which comes from something else. For example, the orange tree preexists the orange, which is the fruit of the orange tree. The Holy Spirit is what precedes the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, obviously but an important factor to contemplate here is in order for a tree to produce fruit, it must be cultivated. In order for the Holy Spirit to produce fruit in a person there must be cultivation and growth of the Holy Spirit within that person. Baptism infuses Sanctifying Grace (the Holy Spirit) into a person - but if nothing is done to cultivate the Holy Spirit within that person, then there will never be any fruit.
Charity/Love comes first. If we have charity/love then we will have joy. Joy brings peace. Peace brings patience and so on. And here on Laetare Sunday we are focused on joyfulness. God is love, and when we are thinking on God - we are brought into joyfulness, for love brings joy. When we think of anyone we love, we attain the fruit of joy. If your memory is on a lost loved one - focus your attention on the joy that person brought you - and that fruit is yours!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Feast of the Assumption
The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - another example of "not-so-ordinary" days! These are COUNTING days - and...
