Laetare on the 4th Sunday of Lent...

 

In the ancient church tradition of Lent, the fourth Sunday is know as "Laetare" meaning to rejoice. It is the halfway point between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday and reminds followers of the paradox of rejoicing while suffering.

The Eastern Orthodox call the season of Lent a 'bright sadness' where we experience joy and grief at the same time.

I think I can understand this better the older I get. Something can be two things at the same time like beauty and danger or peace and adversity. Sometimes grief and joy are related. Loss and delight can be brothers and sisters.

In a devotional I read today, I read this: As Francis Weller astutely notes, "to be alive and to love means we will also experience sorrow and loss. Acknowledging this reality enables us to find our way into the grace that lies hidden in sorrow. We are most alive at the threshold between loss and revelation."

In the paradox of walking with Jesus, sometimes flourishing can appear to be loss, and sometimes joy can happen right in the middle of our darkest moments. To save our lives, we lose them in Messiah Jesus. To find that pathway to life, we take up our cross daily and follow Him.

So we rejoice even in the sadness in this season of in between...

Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash