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Dear St. Christopher’s Family,
This Sunday is Laetare Sunday. It is our ‘freshening-up’ spot before the finish. Nothing about its title is fancier than the Latin first word of the introit printed above. But this Rejoice is celebrated around the western church in many different ways. We’re a little over half-way through Lent, and many take this opportunity as a resting point in our Lenten disciplines. Much as hikers will stop for a while in a shady spot in the middle of the afternoon before making their final push to their camp site for the night, or pilgrims stop outside their city to be presentable when they arrive, we have this respite in Lent to reflect on our disciplines and take our own temperature as we come into Holy Week.
Over the next two weeks, I will be taking a look at how well my Lenten disciplines have gone: did I take on too much or too little? Is what I chose as a discipline helping me grow in my faith? Do I want to continue this discipline beyond Lent and make it a permanent habit? These are all good questions for this Sunday as we remember that even in Lent, we always rejoice on the day of the Lord’s resurrection.
But you may want to add just a little bit to this last piece of Lent. It may be reading, more quiet time, or something else. My personal practice is listening: in my spare time, in my car, on a run, or just as background music, I make it a habit between Laetare Sunday and Good Friday to listen to J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion. Now I don’t speak or understand German, but the music has a way of shaping me to get ready for celebrating these great mysteries of Holy Week.
What changes your heart, or helps you mold yourself to get ready for something so momentous as this? And what helps get your heart ready to rejoice?
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