There is something about going to Mass on the fourth Sunday of Lent — Laetare Sunday — and seeing the Mass celebrant in rose-colored vestments rather than the usual Lenten purple, that may brighten our spirits. There are still days of prayer, penance and charity ahead for us in this penitential season, but there is also an element of anticipation. This is a time to set our bearings straight.
Whether we began our Lenten journey with the vim and vigor of a person bent on renewing or enhancing our spiritual relationship with God, or simply moved along on our journey, doing what was expected of us, but without much thought or effort on our part to go above and beyond our usual path, now is a good time to look inward at what we have done, what we have failed to do, and what we could do better.
There is no getting around the reality that other factors in life divert our attention from concentrating on our personal spiritual well-being. The economic crisis today is having a serious impact on all of our lives, whether directly or indirectly through the impact it is having on the lives of family members, friends and in our communities.
If ever there was a time to pray, a time for penitence, a time for charity, it is now. Our Lenten days of prayer, penance and alsmgiving receive their meaning from anticipating the joy of Easter. The joy and the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ make it possible for us to take up the cross. We do penance not for the sake of penance, but as a way to accept and acknowledge the most important truth of all, that Jesus is risen from the dead.
Our fasting is not meant as a punishment. It is a sign that we look forward to an eternal banquet with the risen Lord. We give alms not only to be helpful, but rather because the love of Christ flows through us when we give to others. Our prayer is a joyful appeal of a son or daughter of God, an heir to the kingdom of heaven.
We are connected to the risen Christ through our baptism, and to the communion of saints who have gone before us. They no longer need Lent in their lives, for they participate in the eternal Easter. They are not fasting, but they are praying in adoration at the throne of God. Their prayers enrich the whole body of Christ.