Say Yes to the Bless - Fr. Pat McGrath 1.18.26

When you receive an invitation to an event or party, it usually arrives in a pretty ordinary way — an email, a text, maybe even a piece of mail. You decide whether to RSVP yes or no. And if you say yes, something shifts. You put it on our calendar. You plan what to wear. You bring a gift, or a dish to share. Then you show up. You engage with fellow attendees. You listen. You participate. And when the event ends, you leave with something new — memories, maybe new friendships, new perspectives. You’re changed, even if only in a small way. And if the event was especially meaningful, you tell someone about it. You recommend the concert. You post the photos. You share the joy. The experience doesn’t stay with you — it moves through you. In many ways, this is what life with God looks like. God sends us invitations in ordinary ways - through people, through prayer, or through ways we don’t expect. We always have the freedom to decline. But when we say yes and show up with open hearts, we encounter something that changes us. And that kind of encounter is never private. Like John the Baptist and Martin Luther King, those who have seen cannot keep it in. Encounter becomes testimony. Faith becomes mission. To know Christ is to be changed by Christ — and to be sent to speak, to act, and to live differently in response. Today, Father Pat McGrath reflects on how an authentic encounter with God naturally sends us forth — to witness through love and action.