Laetare Sunday (4th Sunday of Lent)

Today is Laetare Sunday (4th Sunday of Lent). Father AJ and the boys were out in pink. The other mass I recall with pink vestments is on Gaudete Sunday (3rd Sunday of Advent). Both Laetare and Gaudete mean "joy" in Latin, and their association with the respective days comes from the Latin introit for their respective masses -- "Laetare Jerusalem ..." and "Gaudete in Dominum semper ...".

This is the 3rd weekend Ben is serving, and he looks increasing confident in the role. This is the first mass where Yvonne managed to make in person; we brought him for his first outing, and Nick for his second.  After mass, Yvonne said he looked serious during the mass. That is always a good sign.

Ben has been enthusiastic about joining the altar boys. I am sure having his 3 older cousins there makes a big difference. Last week Samuel messaged Corrine to check if Ben has had his first Holy Communion, and explained that a special dispensation is required by Rector to allow boys who have not received their first communion to serve at the altar.

For the last few weeks, the boys have been playing fixed roles: Alex as one of the two main servers, Thomas as one of the tapers, and Jonathan receives the donation basket. They are all pretty comfortable with it now. We have been consciously having a lighter meal before mass, particularly going easy on the carbs; it seems to have helped keep the boys (especially Thomas) awake during the homily.

I volunteered for EMHC duty today. It's the 5th Sunday of the month, so there isn't a fixed roster. There was a decent number of us, and I went to the back of the church. It seemed a little more full than usual.

We are more than halfway through Lent, and this "joyful" break in the solemn season is an important reminder that Easter is just around the corner.

Words, Action, and Hypocrisy

A man's character is first reflected in his words, as Sirach reminds us

In a shaken sieve the rubbish is left behind, so too the defects of a man appear in his talk. The kiln tests the work of the potter, the test of a man is in his conversation.
    Ecclesiasticus 27:5-6

However, more important are the actions he takes. For it is the action or 'fruits' of his words that count in the final assessment. As Luke says in his gospel:

There is no sound tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree that produces sound fruit.
     Luke 6:43

At the end of the day, the people around you will be able to see you for what you are. For

If much depends on the result of a single interview, or a couple of interviews, a man may conceivably force another to accept an impression of himself which he would like to convey. But if the receiver of the impression is to have time at his disposal, then the giver of the impression may just as well sit down and put his hands in his pockets, for nothing that he can do will modify or influence in any way the impression that he will ultimately give. The real impress is, in the end, given unconsciously, not consciously; and further, it is received unconsciously, not consciously.
     Arnold Bennett

Hypocrisy occurs when one's actions are not congruent with his words. For

Why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye and never notice the plank in your own?
    Luke 6:42

As Father Stanislaus Pang reminded us during the homily today, we have to beware of falling in this trap, for while we plead for social justice in the world, are we acting it out at home? with our domestic worker?