We are well into the season of Lent, and I am reminded of this fact regularly as I mindlessly open a can of soda and begin to sip on it, only to remember as the sweet cola hits my lips that I gave up soda for Lent this year.
As a friend wrote on social media a few weeks ago, “It is the first Frida
y of Lent. It is not yet 9 am. I have already given a talk this morning to a parish on the spirituality of fasting. And, immediately thereafter, I have already been so forgetful as to eat a chicken wing. I guess that’s it for me: Out in the first round.”
I’ll admit I giggled at his public confession, primarily because I see in his admission a bit of myself. “There, but for the grace of God, go I,” as the popular proverb says.
One of my favorite teachers at my Catholic high school once told us about how, when he was growing up, he and his friends would hang out on Friday nights just waiting for the clock to strike midnight so that they could eat hamburgers. Setting aside the question of scrupulosity that his anecdote reveals, I’ll admit that now that I’m well into middle age, I don’t find the concept at all appealing, mainly because I have a tough time even staying awake until midnight, not to mention my fear of the resulting heartburn from eating that late!
But even for us forgetful types who fail repeatedly throughout these 40 days of Lent, there are a few glimmers of hope that should provide us some solace.
First, choosing to give up something for Lent, and then failing in our resolution, isn’t strictly a sin (assuming you didn’t choose to give up something that is itself sinful, of course). The penitential practice of giving things up is a personal offering to God and a reminder that God is the provider of all good things. When we deprive ourselves of these good things, it is supposed to trigger us to turn our minds back to the giver. Even when I do forget my resolution and reach for the can of soda, I am reminded of God’s goodness and mercy when I do eventually remember – and recommit myself to my resolution. “It is a custom more honored in the breach than the observance,” as Shakespeare describes in “Hamlet.”
Another consolation comes on the Fourth Sunday of Lent (this year on March 30). This particular day has a name, Laetare Sunday, laetare being the Latin word for “rejoice,” from the first word of the opening antiphon at the day’s Mass: “Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all you who love her.” The Scripture readings are keyed to the theme of joy and consolation. Joshua describes how the manna that the Israelites ate during their wandering in the desert was ended once they tasted the delights of the Promised Land. This is a foretelling (or “type”) of the Eucharist, which we pilgrims eat now, until we reach our eternal rest in heaven where we will partake of the wedding feast of the Lamb of God.
In the second reading on this Laetare Sunday, St. Paul reminds us that, as Christians, we are a new creation in Christ, and that God does not count our sins against us. This is a wonderful reassurance, isn’t it? But in the midst of telling us about God’s forgiveness, St. Paul also knows that we will continue to fall, and so he urges, “on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
There are many opportunities in this season to go to confession, and in the midst of our Lenten journey, as well as our journey of life, we can’t be reminded of this too often!
In the beloved Gospel story of the prodigal son that we read on this day, we hear a parable about a young man who squandered his inheritance via sinful living, how he experiences a moment of repentance and chooses to return home and confess, hoping only to be treated as a lowly servant. His father is overjoyed to welcome him back, restores him to his full status as a beloved member of the family, and throws a huge party to celebrate his return. In the midst of the party, he explains to his resentful older son, “Now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.”
The joyful celebration that Jesus describes is a preview of how God and indeed all heaven respond to the repentance of every sinner. And it sounds pretty good: fine clothes, jeweled rings, new sandals, fatted calf, music, dancing, revelry. I can only imagine the playlist: I’ll bet it will be the liveliest reception ever, with a DJ who knows how to spin the perfect dance tune at just the right time. And the conga line will stretch through eternity.
Laetare Sunday is a little day of respite in the midst of this penitential season of Lent. It’s the Church’s merciful reminder that God is always ready to pour out His gift of forgiveness, and that He will do so with abundance if only we ask. If that’s not worth rejoicing about, I don’t know what is.
Ken Hallenius is a syndicated radio host and podcaster living in South Bend.
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