Laetare, Jerusalem! Rejoice, Jerusalem! So starts the Introit for today’s Mass. This Sunday marks the halfway point during lent, and so we are given a wee bit of a respite from Lent’s austerities. We still sing a Tract instead of the banished Alleluia. We will again sing Mass XVII, but the priest is not wearing the typical shade of violet! What is that color? It is rose (never to be called pink), and it is supposed to be a lighter shade of violet. So, still violet, but distinctively different, so as to set this Sunday aside as a day of rejoicing in the heart of the penitential season. Flowers, which are banned from the altar during Lent, are permitted on this day. And the organ, which is likewise banned during Lent, is permitted on this day.
This Sunday is also known as Mothering Sunday. This is owing to the Epistle, in which we are called sons of Mother Jerusalem and of the Free Woman. In Christian Europe, this was Mother’s Day. It still is in several countries. The celebration was brought to the United States in the middle of the last century and secularized, but the idea came from Mothering Sunday in Europe. We will honor Mary in her motherhood by singing Salve Mater. We will also sing a special hymn of rejoicing (Cantate Domino) in honor of the theme of rejoicing on this Sunday.
The feast of the Annunciation was on Monday, and so we will again honor Our Lady’s Annunciation musically.
We don’t want to forget about St. Joseph on this last Sunday of the month dedicated to him. So we will also honor him with a hymn at the recessional.