A Conference for the Fourth Week of Lent

Rejoice, O Jerusalem: The Maternal Mystery of Laetare Sunday

By ✠Jerome OSJV

Laetare Sunday, the Fourth Sunday in Lent, is a liturgical oasis amid the desert of penance—a moment of maternal joy, ecclesial identity, and spiritual refreshment. Through its fivefold titles—Laetare, Rose, Refreshment, Mothering, and the Fourth Sunday—Holy Mother Church reminds us that we are children of the heavenly Jerusalem, born of her womb in baptism and sustained by her sacraments. The rose vestments echo the beauty of Mary, the Mystical Rose and archetype of the Church, while the traditions of Mothering Sunday recall our rootedness in the Church’s maternal care and sacred geography. This day, far from a softening of Lent, is a call to press on with renewed strength, joy, and clarity toward Passiontide and Pascha. It is the Church’s gentle but firm invitation to remember who we are—and where, and to Whom, we are going.

Conference notes available at https://selsey.org/2025/03/23/a-conference-for-the-third-week-of-lent/