Lætare Sunday

Lætare Sunday (also known as Rose Sunday) is celebrated on the Fourth Sunday of Lent. From an article entitled "Rejoice, Jerusalem: Lætare Sunday is Catholicism’s Best-Kept Little Secret" in the National Catholic Register: 

"Most Catholics knows about the Third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday — the day in which our excitement for the coming of the Lord is heightened because the Church assures us that it will soon be upon us. Less known is Lætare Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent. Both days refer to happiness. In fact, the word laetare means “rejoice” in Latin. Gaudete means “joyful.” The connection is obvious as they are both days of joyous anticipation in the midst of what might seem like darkness. In fact, Easter is exactly 21 days from Lætare Sunday."

About the image: The Golden Rose of Minucchio da Siena (1330), given by Pope John XXII to Rudolph III of Nidau, Count of Neuchâtel. According to an article about the Golden Rose on Wikipedia: 

“The Golden Rose is a gold ornament, which popes of the Catholic Church have traditionally blessed annually. … The rose is blessed on the fourth Sunday of Lent, Lætare Sunday (also known as Rose Sunday), when rose-coloured vestments and draperies substitute for the penitential purple, symbolizing hope and joy in the midst of Lenten solemnity.”