For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
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But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. 2 Corinthians 4:6-12
It seems dark out there as we continue to deal with COVID-19 and what it is doing to our churches. Politicians at every level in our world spread fear of the opposition’s point of view. Many of you know that I am a Caucasian, Christian, Catholic, and a Cop — which, if you listen to the world, I am the evil one incarnate. This is the world view, and if we continue to listen to the secular and social media, we would spiral down into despair, wondering if anything we’re doing is making any difference.
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We still have the mission as men of God to be a light in the darkness of this world. When you call the Police needing help, you don’t care what stands in their way to get to you. We have a mission to complete, and need to adjust our tactics to complete it. A good example of this is my local Knights of Columbus Don Bosco Council #8146 where they had to cancel the Men’s Night Out (their major fundraiser), but knew the charities they support were still in need of funding support, now, more than ever. The KofC Council shifted its focus and created a Men’s Night In Virtual Event which included a whisky tasting; the tasting was very well received and as a result, the Knights were able to raise the much needed funds to support the charities in need. This is just an example of how resiliency in faith can and does make a difference to the lives of those we reach out to. We can all do even little things in our everyday lives to evangelize those around us. A kind gesture, an encouraging word, or just a smile can make a difference for a person who may be floundering.
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Evangelization is alive and well. Here are just some of the tools that we can employ to reach out to people who may feel isolated from their community:
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- Catholic Men’s Leadership Alliance has launched heroicmen.com as well as the app which has great studies that are all virtual and is free to use. It is a tool that you can use to encourage yourself and other men. I know we can’t meet in the churches but we can still share our faith with others and we must!
- I am starting the Consecration to St Joseph again, as it is a great tool. I have been reading scripture every morning after being challenged by The Activated Disciple study (Jeff Cavins).
- I am using my whisky collection to try to reach out and encourage men with A Dram With Friends on heroicmen.com and YouTube.
- There is a summit coming up on November 21, 2020 at 10 am MST called the Catholic Fatherhood Summit that I would encourage you to invite a friend or two to join you.
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God Squad has a couple of dates coming up that we would like you to save. First is January 16th, 2021, we are hoping to host a virtual whisky tasting fundraiser to raise funds and awareness for our St Joseph Litany project. If you have items to donate for our virtual silent auction please contact us at adram@godsquad.ca.
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Secondly, please save March 19th & 20th, 2021 for our 24th annual men’s conference which we are not sure how it will look at this time but will proceed to bring it to you!
~Sean Lynn
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain . 1 Corinthians 15:58