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Every time we come to Mass, Jesus reminds us who he is, what he has done for us, and he helps us remember who we are: beloved sons and daughters, the very people his Father loved so much that he was willing to give his Only Begotten Son.

The Fourth Sunday of Lent is called “Laetare Sunday”. “Laetare”, as you know, is a Latin word that means “to rejoice”. With wisdom and love, the Church offers us this Sunday of rejoicing in Lent, to encourage us in our Lenten resolutions to fast, pray, and assist the poor.

On this Laetare Sunday, a Sunday of Rejoicing in the midst of Lent, we have gathered to bless this new daily Mass chapel here at St. Joan of Arc, and to dedicate its focal point, the altar, on which the mysteries of our salvation are re-enacted day after day.

We should be even more excited about the great reversal in today’s Gospel: Jesus’ parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector who went to pray in the temple.

Think about anything you might lose in life: your health, your savings, your home, your reputation. Such losses are painful and have lasting consequences. But what is more painful than the loss of a child?

I am delighted to be with on this festive occasion, the 100th anniversary of Knights of Columbus Council #2521, named in honor of James Cardinal Gibbons, the 8th Archbishop of Baltimore who served from 1877 until his death in 1921.