5th Sunday of Lent
R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
Written by Steven Joubert
This Sunday we read Psalm 130. As we just moved past the halfway point in the Lenten season, the Church is preparing us for the Triduum. You see, Psalm 130 is commonly used for funeral liturgies, so there is a subtle undertone of preparation for the Passion of the Lord. Yet, the Psalm itself is full of hope and expectation of the pouring out of God’s mercy, so in another sense, Easter.
With this gentle reminder that the end of Lent is coming, there’s much suffering to endure ahead. As the old saying goes, “it’s gonna get worse before it gets better.” As we enter further into Lent our Lenten observances seem to get tougher, we get more and more temped to quit. But this is our opportunity to lean into our observances more deeply and intentionally. This will make our experience of Holy Week and Triduum all the more vivid.
But let us not forget, there is also much hope and joy to be celebrated ahead. If our sorrow and suffering is united with Christ on Good Friday then our joy will be even greater on Easter Sunday. As Paul says “where sun abounds, Grace abounds all the more.” So as we journey through the back half of Lent, let’s put all our trust in the Lord with whom “there is mercy and fullness of redemption.”
Steven Joubert is a high school campus minister in Florida. He is a singer-songwriter and NOVUM RECORDS artist. You can find his music on Spotify, Apple Music, and/or wherever you stream your music. To keep up with Steven, follow him on Instagram.
Pray with today’s psalm.