4th Sunday of Lent

03-10-2024Weekly ReflectionFr. Fred Adamson

Dear Parishioners,

This Sunday is known as Laetare Sunday, which means rejoice! It helps us to remember we are half way through the season of Lent and the great feast of the Church, Easter is just three weeks away. The opening antiphon for the Mass proclaims, “Rejoice, Jerusalem and all who love her. Be joyful, all who were in mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast.” Rejoice and be joyful in Lent may seem strange but we live with the great mystery that we stand today as a people saved by the Cross of Christ. This special time of Lent is meant to deepen our joy, peace and faith in the saving love of Jesus. While every Mass puts us at the foot of Calvary it also puts at the foot of the empty tomb. So as a people of God we must not forget the love of both the cross and the empty tomb. For this we can rejoice even in Lent.

I was praying this week and was filled with gratitude. I was thinking that last year at this time I was having a different Lent. A more private Lent in which I journeyed in a more solitary manner as I began my sabbatical. I moved about to different places and traveled to the land of Jesus. It was a time of transition, refreshment and renewal. I was in several parishes and cities the entire time of Lent.

This year I am grateful to be with you on this journey – fellow pilgrims on a Eucharistic journey of renewal. It has been special to pray together at daily Mass, Adoration, Stations of the Cross and other devotions. Some of you have shared stories of how you have recognized the Lord’s stirring grace in you in various ways. We have had joyful conversations during our community events. We are allowing God to touch our minds through reading, various classes and groups. We are indeed recognizing that God dwells with His people and saves us in the mystery of our Catholic Faith.

So we are halfway to Easter. The next few weeks get a bit more intense as we draw closer to “Jerusalem.” Next week we enter into the Passiontide and the statues and the crucifix will be covered. It is a way of fasting from the visual images to prepare ourselves for the special days that lie ahead. Some families do the same in their homes – a wonderful way to carry this time of Lent into your daily life at home. A way to further enter into the season.

Remember it is never too late to start the journey – to be a pilgrim. God waits for us – just make time to show up at Adoration, Stations or our Parish Penance service. We will have priests from different parishes available on Monday, March 11th to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance. It is a time to open your humble heart to the Lord so that you might encounter His merciful heart that heals and fill us with grace. Confessions will begin at 6:00 pm in the Church. Remember, “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20). Let God shower His grace upon you through His Son in the Sacrament of Penance.

Let us continue to pray for one another as we journey now to the great celebration of our Catholic Faith. May we continue to exclaim, Renew us and Save us, O’ Lord.

Lenten peace and joy,

Fr. Fred