Welcome to the IV Sunday of Lent. Traditionally, this Sunday is called Laetare Sunday (Rejoice Sunday). Anticipating Easter joy, today’s readings invite us to rejoice by being reconciled with God through repentance and the confession of our sins and by celebrating our coming home to be with our loving and forgiving God. Today’s liturgy of the word shows us that our God is the God of love and mercy, and HE is doing whatever it takes to bring us home. God is even willing to use the tragedies and mistakes of our life to bless us and to lead us to growth.
Even our greatest disappointments can lead to blessing. Even our most foolish decisions can lead to growth. This is what we as Christians believe. We do not believe that is the way the world is. We believe that is the way God is. God is doing whatever it takes to bring us home. That is why for a Christian, despair is never a final option. Even if we have rejected our father, squandered our inheritance, and find ourselves feeding slop to swine… even if the person we love the most has been taken from us… even if we have lost our health or our reputation… even if we have made disastrous decisions and sinned so grievously that, like the prodigal son, we feel that we are no longer worthy to be God’s child… even then, God is doing whatever it takes to bring us home.
Therefore, the next time you have to face evil in the eye, the next time that you realize what a mess you have made of your life, the next time you know that the swine are eating better than you are – do not despair. Turn around and start home. The way back may be crooked and difficult, but it is a road that has been prepared for you. Do not forget that when you come to the end of that road, you will not face rejection, but welcome. You will not encounter a cold shoulder, but a loving embrace. Because this is who our GOD is! He is pure LOVE!
P. S. I am pretty sure you have already realized a significant change that we made over the last weekend in our church! Even the oldest parishioners couldn’t remember how many years ago it was placed. The old carpet witnessed so many things over the years; joys and sorrows, hopes and disappointments, questions and convictions, baptisms and weddings, funerals and confessions. But it was time to replace it. Hopefully you like the new carpet, and it will serve us for years. If you don’t like, I have two suggestions to you: 1. It’s too late, and 2. please give us a few more weeks to install new lights and I am pretty sure you would like it even more. I direct a special thanks to the “Falcon” for the work they have done in the church and also in the activities center before. And of course, I am deeply grateful for your generosity and love for St. Genevieve – St. Maurice.
Happy second part of Lent 2022.
Fr. Tom
Latin Mass parts can be found in the hymnals:
Kyrie-#857, Sanctus-#859, Agnus Dei-#863