What is Laetare Sunday?

Most people know about Gaudete Sunday – when we light the pink candle on the Advent wreath in joyful hope of the coming of Jesus at Christmas. Lesser known is this Sunday, Laetare Sunday – which means “rejoice.” It is taken from the entrance antiphon for the Mass: “Rejoice, O Jerusalem.”

We don’t rejoice because Lent is halfway over and if we gave up chocolate, the chocolate bunnies are drawing near (Easter is 21 days from Laetare Sunday). We rejoice because we have a glimpse of the light breaking through the darkness; we are drawing closer to Holy Week, when we enter even more deeply into our walk with Jesus from death to new life. As Pope Francis preached on Laetare Sunday in 2018:

“Rejoice, Jerusalem, because God is with us. And we have the true and great hope in God the Father rich in mercy, who gave us his Son to save us, and this is our joy.” 

Amid the labor of Lent, God prepares us for His joyful union with Himself. Pope St. John Paul exhorts us to this glorious end in his inspiring address on Laetare Sunday in 1979:

“Let the period of Lent stimulate us, therefore, to carry out our Christian duties. Let us find again the joy that participation in the Eucharist gives us. Let Sunday Mass become for us the climax of every week. Let us find again the joy that comes from repentance, from conversion, from this splendid sacrament of reconciliation with God, which Christ set up to re-establish peace in man’s conscience. Let us undertake the spiritual effort that Lent demands of us in order to be capable of accepting with all the depth of the spirit this call of the Church today: ‘Laetare, Jerusalem.’”

On this midway day of Lent, let us take a moment to rejoice in God’s abundant goodness and nearness. Let us consider how we can share the joy of His presence with others. Some ideas:

• Visit a friend or family member who is lonely. Bring them the joy of God’s presence.
• Encounter the abundant mercy of God in the sacrament of reconciliation. There is no sin He does not want to forgive if we open our hearts to His love.
• Reflect on the best way for you and your family to encounter Jesus in these final days of Lent. Fast, pray, and give alms with the certainty that the walk to the Cross ends in the triumph of love. That is reason to rejoice!