THE BREAD OF THE FREE CHILDREN
CHRIST FEEDING THE FIVE THOUSAND A Sermon for the “Rose” Sunday of Lent I will say these things to you now in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. INTRODUCTION Welcome, beloved faithful of Christ, to this holy Fourth Sunday in Lent, which is traditionally called Laetare Sunday , the Sunday of rejoicing, when the Church, even in the midst of fasting and repentance, gives us a foretaste of Paschal joy. The Introit commands us: "Rejoice ye with Jerusalem… that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breast of her consolations." This seems strange and graphic to our contemporary ear, but this is the joy of a little baby, the joy of one squalling, thinking that they are about to die of hunger, who finally has their little needs met. Why does the Church command joy in the middle of penitence? Because true repentance does not lead to despair. It leads to freedom. Because fasting is not starvation, because it is preparation for a feast. Because...
