Listening to God: Embrace Obedience and Welcome in Your Parish

Pastoral Reflection

There is an irony in the juxtaposition of the first reading and the gospel. Abraham, who thinks he must “give up” his son (after years of having no heir) is able to keep him, whereas God the Father’s Son will be the one sacrificed for human sin. All these events happen on mountaintops, which are spiritual images for peak experiences.

However, what stands out in today’s gospel passage from St. Mark are the words of the Father, “this is my beloved Son, listen to Him.” Listening, which means deep listening, is no easy thing. Our minds are ablaze with our thoughts, our “to do” lists, and, let’s be honest, our own prejudices. We tend to filter everything we hear through the thick haze of our own preoccupations.

Yet, if we settle down, calm down, and turn the inner noise down, we might then be able to “listen to Him.” When we listen to God, we are in the act of being obedient. The word obedient comes from the Latin roots meaning “to listen to.” Someone who is disobedient, therefore, is someone who isn’t listening. They are filtering – as we all tend to do. The disciplines of Lent are meant as a gift to help us de-clutter, to cut the “noise,” and to listen to the Lord deeply.

Call to action: At Give Central we keep pressing the point about becoming welcoming parishes. Why? Because if we listen to the numbers only 15 to 18% of Catholics are attending mass or being active in some way in their parishes. We must be obedient to the Lord when he told His disciples to out to all the nations and spread the Good News! Our churches must become sanctuaries of welcome where the brokenhearted can find rest and renewal in Christ.

As Easter approaches and many “some time” Catholics will attend our masses please take advantage of your GC Smart Tools, like GC Smart Text and QR Code to “capture” the contact information from your visitors, then follow up by contacting them and making them feel welcome.

Once again, form a welcoming ministry, or ask your youth groups and/or senior citizens group to become welcomers. You can also set up a small kiosk in your entry area with information for visitors and guests.

Pastoral Action Points

1. Keep your pews equipped with your parish’s pew cards all through Lent to make engaging and giving easy for your donors! 
2. GC Guru is launching soon! This is your GC AI assistant! Do you have questions? GC Guru has the answers! You will soon see the GC Guru upon logging into your admin account.
3. If you have not signed up for SmartGive Elite for Lent & Easter – – now is your chance to sign up! Time is running out, click here to sign up!

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Last modified: November 8, 2024