Pastoral Reflection
Notice that when Jesus encounters the man with the unclean spirit, he does not condemn the man so afflicted. Rather, he has compassion for him, and his wrath is turned toward the unclean spirit afflicting him. Jesus confronts evil and its power directly and immediately throughout the Gospel of Mark. Please notice that Jesus makes a distinction between the person and that which is afflicting the person! His compassion is for the suffering person, but his judgment is upon what afflicts him. Do we sometimes judge others as persons without regard to their circumstances or “what afflicts them?” There is that wonderful saying that goes something like this: “every person you see is fighting silent battles within you know nothing about.” As Christians we need to get beyond making judgments about others based on superficial appearances or circumstances. We don’t know why people are in the situations they are in or why they think or act the way they do. First, we must see them as God’s child, a human being who has dignity before God. Then, we must both pray and work for their wellbeing!
Call to action: Are all people welcome in your church? Maybe not everyone is ready for communion, but are they still welcome? Does your congregation foster a welcoming attitude toward others? Or, through sour facial expressions, or an unwillingness to create room in the pew display an attitude of judgment, a spirit of unwelcome? Judgmentalism has been a plague within the church from the earliest days, and it festers and pops up all too easily. It’s time to call it out, and push it out, just like Jesus casting out the unclean spirit! Resolve that as Lent approaches your parish will become more dedicated to developing the spirit of welcome.
Pastoral Action Points
- Resolve that your parish will be a place of welcome, solace, and pastoral love. In this year of Eucharistic education, plan events that allow people to open their hearts to Christ in his sacramental presence.
- Use your GiveCentral GC Smart Tools to get contact information from new parishioners and visitors, then follow up with an email, a text, or a call within 24 to 48 hours! If you need assistance in setting this up please contact the GC Implementation Team at implementation@givecentral.org
- Plan for Lent now, if you haven’t already! Ask your teens to be welcomers at masses. Ask your senior citizens to run a “welcome booth” near your main doors!
- The 2024 GiveCentral Webinar Schedule is now available! Save your seat to attend a webinar, expert insight, parish roundtable discussion, onboarding or reboarding training session!
Click here to save your seat.
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