By Ryan LeBlanc
A long time ago, my parish priest was this grumpy old Irish-Canadian. I loved getting under his skin with totally innocent comments.
On the same Sunday as this past Sunday, I said to him, “I love your pink robes, Father.”
His face turned from pink to red. “They’re NOT pink! These are ROSE-coloured vestments!”
Of course they are, Father.
At church on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, we see – ahem – rose coloured vestments and sometimes even altar coverings and decorations. We call this day Laetare Sunday, a Latin word that means “rejoice.” It comes from the first word of the traditional antiphon, “Rejoice, o Jerusalem!” (Isaiah 66:10)
Rejoice? During Lent? Exactly
Lent is a time of penance. It represents 40 days in the wilderness, when Jesus was tempted and overcame temptation. We give things up in Lent, like our prayers, our donations, and yes, even our sweets. To do it right, we need to feel it: the discomfort of detachment from comfort.
The colour of Lent is a deep violet, a colour that is sombre and severe. I think it looks like a bruise. But the whole reason for the seriousness, austerity and detachment is not for the sake of doing penance.
It’s for the sake of Joy
We only spend time and effort during Lent to let go of those things that hold us back, in order to embrace something so much more joyful and fulfilling. The Resurrection of Christ gives us life, glory, pleasure and the deep abiding comfort – the consolation – which each of us long for so deeply. Lent is merely the path that leads us to joy.
In the rhythm of the year’s seasons, we empty ourselves of what does not truly satisfy, so as to take into ourselves as much of Christ’s mercy and glory as we can. Jesus always has more love, more forgiveness, and more joy, than we can take into ourselves. Our whole Christian life on Earth is about growing our heart’s capacity for love, and emptying ourselves of false-love.
Lent focuses on the emptiness, and the wilderness, but not because God wants to see us suffer. Rather, it is because letting go of what does not serve us, what does not lead to salvation – well, it’s hard work. We need to focus on it, or else we tend to avoid doing it. We need Lent.
But it’s a long slog, isn’t it?
Forty days of anything, and you’re going to feel it.
And so, the People of God recognize our own need to “lighten up.” At the halfway mark of Lent, we mix the dark violet with a splash of the brilliant white of the Easter season – and we get rose.
The priests’ vestments – which are certainly not pink – are the acknowledgement and permission to lift our eyes to the goal, to remember why we work so hard to turn away from sin, and maybe even to show us that we don’t give things up for the sake of giving them up, but instead so that we can embrace so much more than we imagined could be possible.
Rejoice, Laetare Sunday says
Rejoice, because we are travelling through the wilderness towards something wonderful. Rejoice, because the good feeling of eating sweets only hints at the tremendous experience of the heavenly banquet. Rejoice, because sacrificing our small wealth for the sake of the poor gives us a taste of that future nation where no one goes without.
This moderation in penance keeps our Lenten fast focused on Easter, and gives us a boost when we’re tempted to discouragement over our own weak efforts. A joyful splash of pink – by any name – urges us on to the finish.
Pink even goes with Lent
Speaking of pink, I’m watching the Barbie movie with my students this week, so it is definitely Laetare Pink Week for me. Besides being fun and joyful, Barbie offers us a lot to consider with its playful take on gender roles.
If disciples of Jesus are really committed to living out his radical inclusivity, we need to recognize that we have a lot of penitential work to do – in our hearts and our society – to make a safe place of acceptance for everyone, no matter how they express their gender. But, as with Laetare Sunday, a joyful splash of pink from Barbie can encourage us to let go of our attachments to the way we think other people should act, and open up to accepting people as they are.
We do have a long slog, here on this broken earth, no doubt about it. But the light of our future home also shines in the muck, so that we really can rejoice always (Philippians 4:4).
From the prayer over the people on Laetare Sunday:
“Look upon those who call to you, O Lord,
and sustain the weak;
give life by your unfailing light
to those who walk in the shadow of death,
and bring those rescued by your mercy from every evil
to reach the highest good.
Through Christ our Lord.”
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Ryan LeBlanc is a teacher at Bethlehem Catholic High School in Saskatoon and a parishioner at the Cathedral of the Holy Family. His writing is available on his blog at ryanleblanc.podia.com
Catholic Saskatoon News is supported by gifts to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal: dscf.ca/baa.