Laetare Sunday

Laetare Sunday has also long been known as Mothering Sunday, on account of the Mass propers that speak to us of the Holy City Jerusalem (prefiguring the Church) as our mother. The Introit, for example, puts together Isaiah 66:10-11 and Psalm 121:1. The Epistle is Galatians 4:22-31.

Traditions associated with the day include hearing Mass at the cathedral (the mother church of the diocese), as well as honoring human mothers (i.e. this was Christendom's "Mother's Day"). In light of which traditions, we heard the Laetare Mass at the Stephansdom, and then took Lisa out to lunch at a restaurant in Vienna that she had been wanting to try, Flanagans Irish Pub. More than the Guinness, it was the Sunday roast beef special with all the Irish trimmings that intrigued her. It was good, but I couldn't turn down the rare chance at a real, good, beef burger. Wow. The place has an interesting story, too. There used to be a pub in County Cork called Flannerys, but they dismantled it, packed it up, sent it to Vienna, put it back together, and opened their doors again in 1996 with the new name of Flanagans.

And, to our dear mothers back home, we wish you a very happy Mother's Day!