This Sunday, the Church celebrates Laetare Sunday, which takes place on the Fourth Sunday of Lent.

Laetare comes from the first word in the Introit of this Sunday, “Laetare Jerusalem et conventum facite omnes qui diligitis eam,” which means “Rejoice all of you with Jerusalem, and may you be glad for her” — a reminder for all of us that amidst all the penitential and more somber nature of this season of Lent, we are actually looking forward to the arrival of Easter, when we shall rejoice together commemorating the glorious Resurrection and the salvation which the Lord has shown us through His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Risen Lord and Savior.

Laetare Sunday marks this joyful expectation of the salvation of all mankind amid our intense preparations and self-retrospection this Lenten season. The rose liturgical color that is used today is a reminder that all of these things we have practiced and prepared for this Lent are all ultimately in expectation of the joy that is to come through Christ, Our Lord, and Savior.

All of our Lenten observances are meant to help us understand more deeply the mystery and nature of God’s work of salvation through His Son.

All of us, by our many sins and wickedness, have disobeyed God and fallen into the path of evil and darkness. We have ended up in our spiritual Babylon, in exile and separation from God, from His love and grace.

But God’s enduring love for us has allowed us all to return to Him and to find our way back to Him, through the One Whom He had sent into our midst, the Messiah or Savior Who is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who has delivered us all from our misery and troubles. He has brought upon us the assurance of eternal life and true joy by what He has done for our sake.

In our Gospel passage this Sunday, we hear of the conversation the Lord Jesus had with Nicodemus the Pharisee, who was quite sympathetic towards the Lord and His teachings. In that conversation, the Lord told Nicodemus that God has always loved His people, all of mankind, and He desires that all of them be saved and brought back to His loving embrace.

That was why He sent His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Himself, to this world. He loves us all and this world so much that by giving His Son to us, He might bring us all to Himself, gathering us all from being scattered all over this darkened and sinful world and leading us all to the path of His light, hope, and salvation into the eternal life which God has promised to us.

We are all reminded this day that we are looking forward to celebrating the most joyful and glorious moments of the salvation of all mankind at the Lord’s Passion during Holy Week and Easter, which were all possible because God has truly loved us all so much that He was willing to do everything for our sake, to liberate us all from the dominion and tyranny of sin, leading us all back to His loving care, embracing and filling us once again with His grace and kindness, blessings and love.

That is why we should continue to do our best so that our Lenten observances and practices, our acts of deepening our prayer and spiritual life, our fasting and abstinence to control our worldly desires and temptations, as well as our charitable efforts and generosity, may continue to bear rich fruits for our benefit and to bring us ever closer to the Lord our God.