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Written by • August 9, 2024• 2:33 pm• Pastoral Notes

Breaking Self-Exile: Returning to Community and Christ’s Love

Pastoral Reflection The first reading from the Book of Leviticus and the gospel passage from St. Mark’s Gospel stand in sharp contrast to one another. In the first reading, if someone thinks they might have leprosy they are to go to the priest who will confirm the diagnosis. If the priest agrees, the leper is to make himself look disheveled and exclude himself from the rest of the community until he is healed or dies. There were practical reasons for this, of course. The self-exile was intended to protect the rest of the community from infection. But soon enough these self-exiled people were looked down upon, forgotten, and thought to have brought disease upon themselves. No one was to touch them or approach them. By contrast, in the gospel, a leper approaches Jesus (something he should not have done) and asks if it is Jesus’ will that he be healed. Jesus does will this man’s healing and he is healed! No longer is he “on the outside,” but now he is back, restored, renewed! How often do we exclude ourselves from others because of our past or current mistakes, addictions, or problems? Do we “self-exile?” Or, in other cases, do we feel judged and excluded by the community? It is Jesus’ will that we be healed, restored, and renewed! As Ash Wednesday approaches this week, let us take the opportunity to return to the Lord who loves us beyond all measure with all our hearts! Call to action: With the beginning of Lent on Wednesday this is an important time to reach out to your people, especially those we may not have seen in a while. Two full years after the Covid emergency Churches still haven’t returned to previous levels of active participation. Our job, like that of Jesus, is to reach-out to those “self-exiled” and to offer God’s grace of healing love and the renewal of life and spirit. Use your GC Smart Tools to reach out to everyone on your email and direct mail lists! We have email and letter templates you can adapt to your own parish for free. Please use them to renew souls and restore hearts! Call your people home for Lent. Pastoral Action Points GiveCentral has hard evidence that using our GC Smart Tools increases participation and giving. Check out our End of the Year report for more information. Read our Year in Review Report! Save your seat for our upcoming webinar on Monday, February 12, 2024 at 12:00:00?PM Join us to learn the many ways GiveCentral can support you in welcoming and engaging parishioners and visitors throughout the Lenten and on Easter Sunday. Learn the best welcoming and engaging practices. Save your seat now! Use your GC Smart Tools to email, text, or direct mail to your people Lenten messages of renewal and hope. Do this weekly and you will see growth in your participation. Sending a mass email or text literally takes only seconds with GC Smart Tools! Stay up-to-date with news & information - follow us on social! Toll-free: 833.716.2612 | Email us at: support@givecentral.org

Pastoral Reflection

Pastoral Reflection The first reading from the Book of Leviticus and the gospel passage from St. Mark’s Gospel stand in sharp contrast to one another. In the first reading, if someone thinks they might have leprosy they are to go to the priest who will confirm the diagnosis. If the priest agrees, the leper is to make himself look disheveled and exclude himself from the rest of the community until he is healed or dies. There were practical reasons for this, of course. The self-exile was intended to protect the rest of the community from infection. But soon enough these self-exiled people were looked down upon, forgotten, and thought to have brought disease upon themselves. No one was to touch them or approach them. By contrast, in the gospel, a leper approaches Jesus (something he should not have done) and asks if it is Jesus’ will that he be healed. Jesus does will this man’s healing and he is healed! No longer is he “on the outside,” but now he is back, restored, renewed! How often do we exclude ourselves from others because of our past or current mistakes, addictions, or problems? Do we “self-exile?” Or, in other cases, do we feel judged and excluded by the community? It is Jesus’ will that we be healed, restored, and renewed! As Ash Wednesday approaches this week, let us take the opportunity to return to the Lord who loves us beyond all measure with all our hearts! Call to action: With the beginning of Lent on Wednesday this is an important time to reach out to your people, especially those we may not have seen in a while. Two full years after the Covid emergency Churches still haven’t returned to previous levels of active participation. Our job, like that of Jesus, is to reach-out to those “self-exiled” and to offer God’s grace of healing love and the renewal of life and spirit. Use your GC Smart Tools to reach out to everyone on your email and direct mail lists! We have email and letter templates you can adapt to your own parish for free. Please use them to renew souls and restore hearts! Call your people home for Lent. Pastoral Action Points GiveCentral has hard evidence that using our GC Smart Tools increases participation and giving. Check out our End of the Year report for more information. Read our Year in Review Report! Save your seat for our upcoming webinar on Monday, February 12, 2024 at 12:00:00?PM Join us to learn the many ways GiveCentral can support you in welcoming and engaging parishioners and visitors throughout the Lenten and on Easter Sunday. Learn the best welcoming and engaging practices. Save your seat now! Use your GC Smart Tools to email, text, or direct mail to your people Lenten messages of renewal and hope. Do this weekly and you will see growth in your participation. Sending a mass email or text literally takes only seconds with GC Smart Tools! Stay up-to-date with news & information - follow us on social! Toll-free: 833.716.2612 | Email us at: support@givecentral.org

A Message of Hope: Healing, Restoration, and Renewal

In today’s first reading from the Book of Leviticus, we see a stark image of exclusion. If someone suspected they had leprosy, they had to go to the priest for a diagnosis. If confirmed, they were forced into self-exile, isolated from the community to protect others from infection. While this practice was rooted in safeguarding public health, it led to unintended consequences. Those suffering were soon forgotten, judged, and pushed to the margins of society. They became the untouchables—left to fend for themselves without any hope of human connection.

Contrast this with today’s gospel from St. Mark. Here, a leper defies all social norms by approaching Jesus directly. Despite the stigma, he takes a bold step of faith and asks, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Jesus does not hesitate. He reaches out, touches the man, and heals him. This act of compassion not only restores the man’s health but also brings him back into the fold of the community. He is no longer an outcast but renewed and restored!

Reflecting on Our Own “Self-Exile”

How often do we find ourselves in a similar state of self-exile? Perhaps it’s not a physical disease but past mistakes, addictions, or personal struggles that keep us away from others. Sometimes, it’s not our choice—we might feel judged or excluded by those around us. But just as Jesus reached out to the leper, He desires to reach out to us, offering healing, renewal, and a fresh start.

With Ash Wednesday right around the corner, we are invited to take this opportunity to return to the Lord with open hearts. Lent is a time of reflection, repentance, and renewal. Let’s embrace this season and draw closer to the One who loves us unconditionally.

Call to Action: Bringing People Back to Church

As Lent begins this Wednesday, it’s the perfect time to reconnect with our parish community, especially those who have been away. Two years after the COVID pandemic, many churches are still struggling to return to pre-pandemic levels of active participation. Our mission, like that of Jesus, is to reach out to those who have “self-exiled” and offer them God’s healing love.

Use GC Smart Tools to reconnect with everyone on your email and direct mail lists. We have ready-to-use email and letter templates that you can adapt to fit your parish’s needs. Let’s use these resources to renew souls and restore hearts. This Lent, let’s invite our people back home.

Pastoral Action Points for a Fruitful Lent

  1. Leverage GC Smart Tools: Our data shows that using these tools increases both participation and giving. Check out our End of the Year Report to see the hard evidence for yourself!

  2. Join Our Webinar: Don’t miss our upcoming webinar on Monday, February 12, 2024, at 12:00 PM. We’ll cover how GiveCentral can help you welcome and engage parishioners throughout Lent and Easter. Learn the best practices for making your parish a welcoming space. Save your seat now!

  3. Weekly Lenten Outreach: Use GC Smart Tools to send weekly emails, texts, or direct mail messages of hope and renewal throughout Lent. It only takes seconds to reach your entire parish, and this consistent communication can lead to significant growth in participation.

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Last modified: November 9, 2024

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