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Written by • August 9, 2024• 2:20 pm• Pastoral Notes

Journeying Through Lent: Aligning Our Hearts with Christ

Pastoral Reflection Although Sts. Matthew and Luke give us more detail about Jesus’ desert experience, St. Mark notes that it is the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in the world. He is announcing good news: “the Kingdom of God is at hand.” The response he is looking for: “repent and believe the good news!” As has been mentioned before, repentance means a change of heart, or literally, to change the heart’s general direction. Lent is a time for those who live the Christian life to take some time out, to review and reflect, and, if necessary, to change our direction. We are drowning in a sea of secularity, and before you know it the ways of the world seep into your thoughts, decisions, and way of living. However, to be a disciple of Jesus is to be in this world in a different way – a salvific way. A way that leads us deeper into the heart of the God who loves us so. It is a special time for those who are preparing to celebrate the Easter sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Holy Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. Having studied the Christian faith and being sponsored by the faithful of the community they are making their 1st full commitment to Christ in the fullness of the Catholic faith. It is then, for their sakes and ours that embark on this penitential journey of 40 days we call Lent. Call to action: The catechumens and the candidates who are preparing for their big night at the Easter Vigil are not only sponsored by individual Christians, but, in fact, the individual sponsor stands in place for the sponsorship of the community of the Christian faithful. Do your parishioners know the names of those who are joining the faith? Is the whole of the community praying and fasting for them? You can use your GC Smart Tools to communicate with your parishioners and unite them more closely as members of the Body of Christ. Invite them to connect their Lenten journey with those of the catechumens and candidates. Pastoral Action Points Be sure to have your pew cards updated for Lent. We have free templates you can adapt for your use. Explore Pew Cards Now! Lent is a wonderful time to re-engage with your community. For many parishes, the number of active donors has been decreasing. We can help with this. We have created tools that help with engagement that can be put in your bulletin and in your pews. On your dashboard, we call them pew cards but they are more than that. We also have tools to help identify all of those donors that aren't signed up for Easter who can be as many as 50%+ of your donors. Please let us help. We will help you send out a SmartGive communication which allows those donors to set up their Easter gift in less than 10 seconds. Please let us help you make it easier to engage and re-engage those praying with your community and those who are most likely to financially support you. You can join us for a webinar. You can have your team learn. Even better....You can ask us to do it for you. Email teresa@givecentral.org with the subject line--Please help us with Lent and Easter SmartGive. 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 Although Sts. Matthew and Luke give us more detail about Jesus’ desert experience, St. Mark notes that it is the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in the world. He is announcing good news: “the Kingdom of God is at hand.” The response he is looking for: “repent and believe the good news!” As has been mentioned before, repentance means a change of heart, or literally, to change the heart’s general direction. Lent is a time for those who live the Christian life to take some time out, to review and reflect, and, if necessary, to change our direction. We are drowning in a sea of secularity, and before you know it the ways of the world seep into your thoughts, decisions, and way of living. However, to be a disciple of Jesus is to be in this world in a different way – a salvific way. A way that leads us deeper into the heart of the God who loves us so. It is a special time for those who are preparing to celebrate the Easter sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Holy Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. Having studied the Christian faith and being sponsored by the faithful of the community they are making their 1st full commitment to Christ in the fullness of the Catholic faith. It is then, for their sakes and ours that embark on this penitential journey of 40 days we call Lent. Call to action: The catechumens and the candidates who are preparing for their big night at the Easter Vigil are not only sponsored by individual Christians, but, in fact, the individual sponsor stands in place for the sponsorship of the community of the Christian faithful. Do your parishioners know the names of those who are joining the faith? Is the whole of the community praying and fasting for them? You can use your GC Smart Tools to communicate with your parishioners and unite them more closely as members of the Body of Christ. Invite them to connect their Lenten journey with those of the catechumens and candidates. Pastoral Action Points Be sure to have your pew cards updated for Lent. We have free templates you can adapt for your use. Explore Pew Cards Now! Lent is a wonderful time to re-engage with your community. For many parishes, the number of active donors has been decreasing. We can help with this. We have created tools that help with engagement that can be put in your bulletin and in your pews. On your dashboard, we call them pew cards but they are more than that. We also have tools to help identify all of those donors that aren't signed up for Easter who can be as many as 50%+ of your donors. Please let us help. We will help you send out a SmartGive communication which allows those donors to set up their Easter gift in less than 10 seconds. Please let us help you make it easier to engage and re-engage those praying with your community and those who are most likely to financially support you. You can join us for a webinar. You can have your team learn. Even better....You can ask us to do it for you. Email teresa@givecentral.org with the subject line--Please help us with Lent and Easter SmartGive. Stay up-to-date with news & information - follow us on social! Toll-free: 833.716.2612 | Email us at: support@givecentral.org

Sts. Matthew and Luke offer more details about Jesus’ time in the desert, but St. Mark highlights that this moment marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He announces the good news: “The Kingdom of God is at hand.” His message is clear: “Repent and believe the good news!”

Repentance, as we’ve discussed, means a change of heart or a shift in direction. Lent offers us a time to pause, reflect, and, if needed, change our course. In today’s world, it’s easy to get caught up in secular trends. Before we know it, the ways of the world influence our thoughts, decisions, and actions. But to follow Jesus means living in this world in a different way—one that leads us closer to the loving heart of God.

Lent is especially meaningful for those preparing to receive the Easter sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Holy Eucharist at the Easter Vigil.

Through study and the support of the community, these catechumens and candidates make their full commitment to Christ and the Catholic faith. Their journey is also ours, as we all embark on this 40-day penitential journey together.

Call to Action:
The catechumens and candidates preparing for their Easter Vigil commitment are not only supported by individual sponsors but by the entire faith community. Do your parishioners know the names of those joining the faith? Is the whole community praying and fasting for them?

You can use GC Smart Tools to connect with your parishioners and bring them closer as a united Body of Christ. Invite them to support the catechumens and candidates on their Lenten journey.

Pastoral Action Points:
Make sure your pew cards are updated for Lent. We offer free templates you can customize for your parish.

Lent is the perfect time to re-engage with your community. Many parishes have seen a decline in active donors, but we’re here to help. Our tools can enhance engagement, and we’ve created pew cards that can be used in your bulletin or pews.

On your dashboard, you can also identify donors who haven’t signed up for Easter gifts. As many as 50%+ of your donors may not be registered. Let us help make it easy for them to contribute. With our SmartGive communication tool, donors can set up their Easter gift in just 10 seconds.

We are here to assist you in engaging both your community and potential donors. Join our upcoming webinar or ask us to do it for you. Email teresa@givecentral.org with the subject line: “Please help us with Lent and Easter SmartGive.”

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