Laetare Sunday: ‘the love of our heavenly Father should give us great consolation.’

Reflection on the 4^th Sunday of Lent

By Jackie Adams, contributing writer

Our readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent speak volumes to our world situations, our faith struggles and last but certainly not least,  the love our God has for us. The reading from 2 Chronicles paints a picture of corruption and infidelities. The author tells of the varying levels of evil that ensued around Jerusalem and ends with a mocking of God. Telling us “May their God be with them”. Watching the world news could sound quite the same and yet if we follow the readings to the Gospel, we know that indeed our God is with us.

I am a convert with no previous religious background and yet the one scripture verse I knew prior to being baptized and confirmed was John 3:16. However, I did not have any idea of what that love of God really meant for me. The unconditional love our God has for us is nothing short of amazing. Looking around especially as Spring unfolds before us, we get a glimpse of the love our God has for us. Seeing the birds return and buds popping forth from the ground and the frozen trees gives us hope. Hearing the words of salvation from the Gospel can give us that same hope. Accepting the “plan” that God has for us, no matter what that plan may be, and knowing that it is from the love of our heavenly Father should give us great consolation.

I work as a Pastoral Associate at Our Lady of Sorrows in Vestal and see people at their most vulnerable times. During stress, illness and even death I am with families to help them. It is in this passage from John that gives families great comfort. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” It should give us comfort in our day to day lives, as well as during times of struggles.

It gives me great solace to be invited to the heavenly banquet. We know that we are all invited, we just need to accept the invitation and prepare ourselves for the trip. Why would turn down the invitation to our salvation if we know that is the reward for our goodness here on earth.

The skeptics and critics have been around for a very long time and will probably be here long after we are gone, and yet the Divine Human we were given to imitate gave us so much in his short ministry, why can’t we get it right?

Editor’s note: Jackie Adams is Pastoral Associate at Our Lady of Sorrows, Vestal.