Laetare Sunday
This past Sunday marked the halfway point of Lent and another one of Lent's Holy Days: Laetare Sunday.
The word "Laetare" comes from a Latin word meaning "Oh be joyful." Joyful? During Lent? But isn't Lent supposed to be a time of reflection, fasting, and even mourning? Isn't Lent when we think of Christ's suffering and our own sins?
Well, yes, that is part of Lent. But at the same time we must also live in the tension that while we are sinful and Christ suffered for our sins, He also modeled life as it ought to be lived, and He defeated death, rising again so we all can look forward to the resurrection someday.
Interestingly Laetare Sunday used to be known as "The Sunday of the Five Loaves," honoring the miracle Jesus preformed where he used five loaves of bread and two small fish to feed 5,000 people (Matthew 14:13–21, Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:10-17 and John 6:5-15). While I'm not sure as to why this miracle was honored on the halfway point of Lent, I can make a few guesses:
The account in John says that the loaves and fishes came from a boy. I'm sure we could learn about his selflessness in sharing his food and his faith that such a small amount could be used by Christ.
We could also learn about compassion from this passage. The disciples wanted to turn the people away to get food for themselves, but it was Jesus' idea to feed them all.
Or maybe we are to remember the reason Jesus was with the 5,000 in the first place, to teach them and to heal their sick.
Perhaps this miracle was honored here to remind us that in the midst of suffering we serve a God who is capable of sustaining us in any circumstance (sort of like in the 3rd Servant Song we just studied - look at Isaiah 50:4)
Whatever the reason this story was used, I think it draws parallels to the fact one of the Church's traditions is to look at the midway point of Lent as a time of celebration. Just as I'm sure the 5,000 celebrated the fact the Christ provided them with food, we can celebrate because Christ, through his suffering, has provided us with much, much more.
As always, please feel free to leave your comments about this post and please share your stories of how this Lenten season has affected you.
The word "Laetare" comes from a Latin word meaning "Oh be joyful." Joyful? During Lent? But isn't Lent supposed to be a time of reflection, fasting, and even mourning? Isn't Lent when we think of Christ's suffering and our own sins?
Well, yes, that is part of Lent. But at the same time we must also live in the tension that while we are sinful and Christ suffered for our sins, He also modeled life as it ought to be lived, and He defeated death, rising again so we all can look forward to the resurrection someday.
Interestingly Laetare Sunday used to be known as "The Sunday of the Five Loaves," honoring the miracle Jesus preformed where he used five loaves of bread and two small fish to feed 5,000 people (Matthew 14:13–21, Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:10-17 and John 6:5-15). While I'm not sure as to why this miracle was honored on the halfway point of Lent, I can make a few guesses:
The account in John says that the loaves and fishes came from a boy. I'm sure we could learn about his selflessness in sharing his food and his faith that such a small amount could be used by Christ.
We could also learn about compassion from this passage. The disciples wanted to turn the people away to get food for themselves, but it was Jesus' idea to feed them all.
Or maybe we are to remember the reason Jesus was with the 5,000 in the first place, to teach them and to heal their sick.
Perhaps this miracle was honored here to remind us that in the midst of suffering we serve a God who is capable of sustaining us in any circumstance (sort of like in the 3rd Servant Song we just studied - look at Isaiah 50:4)
Whatever the reason this story was used, I think it draws parallels to the fact one of the Church's traditions is to look at the midway point of Lent as a time of celebration. Just as I'm sure the 5,000 celebrated the fact the Christ provided them with food, we can celebrate because Christ, through his suffering, has provided us with much, much more.
As always, please feel free to leave your comments about this post and please share your stories of how this Lenten season has affected you.
posted by Missio Dei at 5:05 PM
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