Today is called ‘Laetare Sunday’. ‘Laetare’ is a Latin word meaning ‘rejoice’. It’s the first word of the opening antiphon of today’s Mass. As we pass the halfway point of our lenten journey the Church encourages us to pause and rejoice. Even the purple of lent softens today and is replaced by rose.

In one way, it might seem a little odd to be rejoicing in the middle of lent. Lent is about letting go of sin and selfish tendencies. However, if we go a little deeper, it makes perfect sense for us to rejoice along the way. This is especially true when we stop to consider that Christian joy isn’t based on merely human motives.

That’s really good news because if our Christan joy depended on humans then it would be unstable and temporary. Human beings are flawed and we fail; we betray and we are betrayed. Christian joy is not based on something as undependable as that.

Rather our joy is based on God who loves us totally, utterly and completely just as we are, right where we are. We don’t have to earn his love and we don’t deserve it: its pure gift, gratuitously given to us all: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…’

One of the consequences of God’s gift of his Son to us that we have all been made citizens of heaven. Even though we are living right here and now on earth, we already have a home prepared for us in heaven. Moreover, he attached a promise to the gift: our friendship of Jesus will give us joy while on earth, even if mixed sometimes with hardship, but it’ll be followed by everlasting joy in heaven.

Like all gifts, we have to choose to accept it. If we accept the gift of friendship with Christ that God offers us then we have eternal life. Friendship with Christ brings meaning to life on earth, including all the ups and downs, and whoever dies in friendship with Christ will enter into the eternal adventure of life with God in heaven. We don't have to wait until we die, though: eternity starts right now!

If that's not a reason for us to rejoice, I don't know what is.