Yet, as was also mentioned in the homily, it doesn't really feel like a time to rejoice just yet. We are still not back to normal after a year of dealing with this pandemic. Our lives and relationships are strained in ways that we have not experienced before. Like the month of March itself, we are so close to a renewing change, yet are still frozen in the unpredictable "weather" that blows through our lives (… or just blows).
Perhaps this is why we need a reminder that brighter times are ahead. We need prodding to keep ourselves from despair. We need to remember to rejoice.