Seeing Christ in all people

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matt 19:14

What does this scripture passage mean in today’s world? Many reading this article know that the Diocese of Calgary is leading a Pastoral Renewal effort. Today I am writing as the Chair of the St. Peter’s Parish Renewal Team in Calgary and the Executive Director for God Squad Canada. 

Three challenges have been laid out in the Diocesan Renewal: Form missionary disciples in Christ; Be a church of encounter and witness; and ​Strengthen family life. These goals are very much in line with the work I'm trying to do with Heroicmen, so I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time thinking about this mission. ​

At St. Peter's, our first #Renewal consensus was that we wanted to be a church of welcome, not led by a committee, but by creating a culture of welcome at our Parish. This is in line with Curtis Martin's book Making Missionary Disciples, where we want to offer authentic friendship, which starts with the need for us to be Christocentric.

​This past weekend, I had a lot of time to contemplate what it means to be a welcoming Catholic. Our son was married this weekend to his beautiful wife, and many people attended from very diverse backgrounds with different perspectives.

At St. Peter's, our first consensus was that we wanted to be a church of welcome, not led by a committee, but by creating a culture of welcome at our parish." 

I reflected that as the father of the groom it was my responsibility to be a loving and authentic representation of the Catholic Church to everyone attending. I always try to see the face of Christ in all people of different walks of life and love them as His children. I wanted them to leave knowing that we are a church of welcome. Deacon Stephen Robinson, who officiated the wedding, did an excellent job of letting them know why we were there in the presence of God to witness a sacrament. We don't have to (and shouldn't) sugarcoat or water down the Gospel. 

The following day was my youngest daughter's birthday, and she wanted to bring her siblings from Idaho and British Columbia to the Saint Francis Xavier Chaplaincy Mass at the Cathedral. At the end of Mass, the young man seated in front of us turned to my second youngest daughter and questioned how we could worship with the kids making noise and disturbing his "worship experience." He then questioned me and my wife. In that moment, I tried to engage him but realized I was not going to gain any traction. So, I told him that God loves him and that I needed to leave as we were going out for a family dinner.
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What the young man did not realize was that my daughter had taken in two young nephews who had been seized by Social Services. The boys carried with them the trauma of losing their father this past Christmas, and a mother who is struggling with addictions. I was able to settle one of them during Mass, and he actually fell asleep. We listened to Fr. Troy's homily, where he talked about a man who was lost to drugs and alcohol but found his way back through serving the poor. Fr. Troy then invited us to journey together with the goal of becoming saints.

I recall Bishop Scott McCaig saying, “The renewal periods in the Church are messy”, and I wish I could have spent more time talking to the young man to better understand him. We are not always going to come to a definitive answer in that moment. We do have to remain focused on Christ and listen to the Holy Spirit to continue to move forward.

We all need to consider how we represent Christ to those visiting our churches, especially our young people. Many young adults are attending for the first time and worry about their kids making noise. We need to let them know they are welcome, as they are the future of our church. There are many others who are lost and don’t know the love of the Father. They might have a grandma or relative praying that someone like you will be a light to their family member.

​I was inspired and challenged by these lines in St. Patrick’s Breastplate, Prayer for Protection:

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me, 
Christ in every ear that hears me

Let us continue on this path of Renewal by bringing Christ to the world around us! 

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Written by Sean Lynn. Sean Lynn is the Executive Director of God Squad Canada and the National Director of Heroicmen. He is a husband, father, and grandfather. With 33.5 years of policing experience and 27 years in men's ministry, he continues to grow ministry to men across Canada and beyond.​

​Photo courtesy of Sean Lynn.