January 21, 2024: "Compelling Invitations" with Marissa Papula

Catholic Women Preach

Preaching for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Marissa Papula offers a reflection on discerning God's call in our lives: "I wonder when in our lives we receive invitations that turn everything upside down, and we’re left with little else to do then pick up our nets and leave it all behind for God: the job layoff, the positive pregnancy test, the diagnosis, the love at first sight. God’s call to us and our compulsion to respond might not involve a fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee. Still, it might very well involve the minutiae of our daily lives: parenthood, partnerships, jobs, the humanness of living in a body that is fragile and mortal. From within our lives but beyond our expectations and imaginations come invitations that compel us out of all we know and into a wilderness of holy surrender." Marissa Papula (she/her) serves as the Director of Campus Ministry at Loyola Marymount University in California.Formed and transformed by Jesuit education, Marissa holds her BA from The University of Scranton, and her MA and Post Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Formation from Boston College. Her academic and pastoral interests, and subjects of her speaking, writing, and presenting include Ignatian spirituality, theological anthropology, feminist theology, racial justice and LGBTQ+ ministry. Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/01212024 to learn more about Marissa, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.