This week we Lectio the Liturgy with the Collect for the Third Sunday of Easter.
May your people exult for ever, O God, in renewed youthfulness of spirit, so that, rejoicing now in the restored glory of our adoption, we may look forward in confident hope to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
The petition of the prayer is that we, God’s people, would rejoice for ever in renewed youthfulness of spirit. It is interesting that in the Latin form of the prayer, for the word spirit, we don’t find the word spiritus, which means breath or spirit. Instead, we find the word animae, which refers to the human spirit in the sense of attitude or emotion. Animae is a choice. It is something we can control with our free will.
Last weekend we were traveling and the parish where we attended Mass was celebrating their First Holy Communion. I watched those young people, all dressed up and so excited and it occurred to me that those kids are the perfect example of youthfulness of spirit.
While we are all called to continue to learn about the faith and grow in holiness, our attitude and emotions pertaining our faith should always be youthful. The Easter season is the perfect time to consider your own spiritual life. Are you growing in holiness and learning more about the Faith? And at the same time, are you staying youthful in your excitement and emotion about receiving Holy Communion? If so, in the remainder of the prayer we will find the fruit we’ll bear.
First, we will be rejoicing in the restored glory of our adoption. When we are restored, we are given back the same relationship that Adam and Eve had with God. No longer is there a divide between us, we have direct access to God.
Next, we look forward in confident hope to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection. It is interesting that the Latin prayer doesn’t hope for the day of resurrection. Instead it prays that we look forward for the resurrection day as a day of rejoicing. The reason we rejoice is because we meet Christ.
If God were to ask you, “Look what I have done for you, how will you respond?” This prayer gives us a pretty clear answer of what to do. We will rejoice. We will exult, or rejoice, for ever. We will rejoice in our restored glory, and we will will rejoice to meet the One who is the cause of our joy.
Many years ago, a newly appointed bishop was asked what he was going to do about the priest shortage in his diocese. I never for got his answer. He remarked that the focus would be on the spiritual lives of the priests they currently have because “Joy attracts.”
I encourage you to spend a some time reflecting on this prayer. Are there any areas that are not bringing you joy? If so, ask the Lord what He wants you to change. His desire for you is nothing less than a life of rejoicing. When we live the life described in this prayer, we, too will find how just how much joy attracts.