From the Rector: Sundays in Lent and Feasts of the Incarnation

15 March 2023

Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her.
Be joyful, all who were in mourning. 
Exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast.
I rejoiced at the things that were said to me:
We will go up to the Lord’s house.
And now our feet are standing,
within your courts, O Jerusalem.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem;
may they prosper, all those who love you.
(Lent 4 Introit)

This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday in Lent, and the mass opens with the Introit, "Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her." This Sunday has a variety of names - Midlent, Refreshment Sunday, Rose Sunday, Laetare Sunday, and in England, Mothering Sunday. The multiplicity of names testifies to the symbolism of this Sunday. Flowers return to the altar for this sole instance on a Sunday in Lent, and if churches have rose (pink) vestments, they use them. The mood lightens for a time, for in three Sundays Palm Sunday and Holy Week arrive, and Easter bursts into the scene in four Sundays.

For clergy, musicians, and worship guilds in parishes, the Fourth Sunday in Lent is a delight, but also a warning. Holy Week is just around the corner, and hopefully all Holy Week preparations are nearing completion. All of us want to have the best Holy Week possible for the benefit of the parish, for Holy Week, the Week of Weeks, is a central building block in nurturing disciples of Jesus Christ.

But we also have two Sundays in Lent remaining, and after the Fourth Sunday in Lent's lightened mood, the Fifth Sunday in Lent's focus on the suffering and passion of our Lord arrives. The Fifth Sunday in Lent has historically been termed Passion Sunday in Anglo-Catholic churches, and on this Sunday the statues and crosses are veiled, for they are symbols of the resurrection. We will also close the triptych in the Lady Chapel. We jokingly call the Fifth Sunday in Lent: "Deep Lent." Whereas at the beginning of Lent we focused on our own spiritual disciples of fasting, abstinence, and increased study, now we turn to our Lord's suffering and hardship for the two weeks before Easter. On the Fifth Sunday in Lent, Passiontide begins.

But before Passiontide commences, we have two delightful feasts from the Incarnation cycle to celebrate. March 19 in the Feast of Saint Joseph. Because March 19 is a Sunday in Lent this year, the feast is officially transferred to the following day, March 20. We have taken the liberty of "anticipating" this feast on Saturday, March 18. Poor St. Joseph often gets forgotten in churches due to his feast falling in Lent, and frankly this is one feast that I believe deserves a proper Solemn Mass. Nevertheless, we will gather for the Rosary and the mass this Saturday beginning at 11:30 am.

One week later we have the happy feast of the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel visits the Blessed Virgin Mary to announce that she shall bear the Word-Made-Flesh. We will celebrate a Solemn Mass on Friday, March 24, the eve of the feast, at 6:15 pm, as has been the church's practice. Both of these joyful days provide a respite from our Lenten disciplines and focus. When you come on March 24 there will be flowers in the church and the color is white. When you come on March 26, all crosses and statues will be veiled, the color violet returns, and Passiontide begins.

Finally, I cannot remember exactly, but I think I may have forgotten to thank those who made the soup for our Parish Lenten Study this past Sunday. We have had a wonderful attendance at the study for all three weeks so far, and we have two Sundays to go. The soup has been delicious each week, and I am grateful to our cooks for their support of our Lenten program this year. This Sunday our topic is the Bread of Presence, and on the Fifth Sunday in Lent we will finish the study by looking at the elements of the Passover meal of Jesus' time.

As Lent will be ending soon, envelopes for Easter music and flower donations have been placed in the back of the church. Please give generously. Holy Week and Easter worship details have been posted on the website as well. 

Blessings,
Father Paul Lillie +