4th Sunday of Lent
St. Joan of Arc, Aberdeen
Dedication of Chapel, Parish Life Center and Gym
March 10, 2024
Laetare: To Rejoice
The Fourth Sunday of Lent is called “Laetare Sunday”. “Laetare”, as you know, is a Latin word that means “to rejoice”. With wisdom and love, the Church offers us this Sunday of rejoicing in Lent, to encourage us in our Lenten resolutions to fast, pray, and assist the poor. The Church recognizes that you and I might be growing weary in our 40-day Lenten journey towards Easter, that all of us might need a little encouragement, including those who will be baptized and received into the Church at Easter. So, this morning, we rejoice with the Church throughout the world, confident that the Lord’s love and mercy, confident that with God’s grace we can use the remaining days of Lent to cleanse our souls and open our hearts more widely to God’s love.
For in this morning’s Gospel, we heard Jesus say to Nicodemus words that should give us great joy and hope, words that bring us to the heart of our faith—its central message and enduring reality: “God so loved the world that he gave us his only Son, that whoever believes in him might not perish but have eternal life!” God gave us his Son! God gave us, not something he didn’t need or want, but his very own Son who took flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, preached the Good News, healed the sick and raised the dead, and at length was lifted high on the Cross where he died to save us from our sins and to raise us up to share eternal life.
This is what we celebrate at every Mass: the Cross and Resurrection of the Incarnate Son of God. In the Mass, we do not merely remember these sacred events, but we share in them as we receive the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ. This is also what happens when we make a good confession of our sins: we encounter the never-ending mercy of God the Father who sent us his Son for the forgiveness of our sins. Indeed, this is message the Church preaches to the world, the message to which we as Catholic Christians are to bear joyful witness. For when we are joyful in the Lord, our faith is attractive to others, including those who no longer practice their faith and those who are searching for something more, something better in life. So on this 4th Sunday of Lent, let us rejoice and be glad, because the Lord is with us in truth and reality, and he loves us more than we could ever ask or imagine.
Many Reasons to Rejoice
And in his love and mercy toward us, God has given us many reasons to rejoice and give thanks. Earlier this morning, I was privileged to bless and dedicate the new chapel where daily Mass will be celebrated, where confessions will be heard, where the Eucharist will be adored and where you will have the opportunity to slip in and pray, to pour out your hearts in prayer to the Lord for yourselves, your families, and all that may be weighing upon you.
Over these past months, you have seen the new Parish Life Center & gym as well as the school addition rising from the ground. As all of you are aware, this didn’t just happen. It took vision and leadership. Perseverance. A focus on mission. Careful planning. Love for your parish and great generosity.
I surely want to thank your pastor, Father Willie Franken, for his long-standing and loving leadership here at St. Joan of Arc. Let’s express our loving appreciation for Father Willie.
In the same breath, I want to thank your parish deacon, Ray Van Pelt, Deacon Brian Olsen who served as architect, your parish lay leadership, your school principal, Mrs. Kestler, your builders, my archdiocesan colleagues, and all those who participated in the challenges and joys of a building project.
This dream would not have become a reality without the generosity of so many of you in this wonderful parish. Please know how deeply I appreciate your largesse, the giving of your time, treasure, and talent. May the Lord reward your kindness!
Building for the Sake of Mission
Of course, it always brings us joy when our efforts meet with success, when the challenges of a building project are overcome, and we see before us the wonderful results of our labors. Yet, as you know so well, these buildings were built for a purpose, namely to aid and abet the God-given mission of St. Joan of Arc Parish.
The daily chapel is to be an engine of spiritual growth. The Parish Center will be a place where your parish family can come together for parish events and meetings, a place where you’ll work together in friendship to advance the mission of the parish to gather in God’s holy people. Much of this project was aimed at helping the school and religious education program to grow. The gym is a very welcome and much-needed addition, as are the additional classrooms and administrative space. All this helps to form new generations in the ways of faith and helps them embrace in their lives God’s truth, love, and mercy.
All of which brings us full circle to the most fundamental cause of our joy: the truth, the reality, the mystery that, in spite of our failings and infidelities, “God so loved the world that he gave us his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not parish but have eternal life.” With these words echoing and re-echoing in our hearts, may we give God thanks and praise, not only on this Sunday of rejoicing, but every day of our lives. And may God bless us and keep us always in his love.