The 4th Sunday of Lent is called Laetare Sunday. A Latin word which means rejoice! In the beginning of the Mass, its entrance antiphon acclaims “Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful!” This Sunday celebration brings us to hope with anticipation, the great joy of the resurrection… which urges us to enter more deeply into the mystery of God’s love and mercy…”For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.”(John 3:16) The First reading reminds us of God’s mercy when Cyrus, King of Persia became the instrument of salvation for God’s chosen people who were exile in Babylon. The Psalm remembers the tragedy of the exile in Babylon as it evokes sentiments of joy and hope for salvation. In the Second Reading, Paul tells us that God is rich in mercy, and His great love brought us salvation as a gift (taken from the Word in other words).