Some time ago, the young adult group of Nativity parish in Broomfield, Colorado was invited to collaborate for the first time with “Christ in the City,” an organization born to respond to the growing problem of homelessness in Denver. Among the proposed activities, a few times a month, they organize a lunch in downtown Denver for the homeless, known simply as “Lunch in the Park.”
Arriving at our parish in Broomfield two years ago, I learned about these young missionaries of “Christ in the City” from a friend who would participate in “Lunch in the Park” as a charitable work. I was deeply moved by his experience and decided I had to go and see it for myself. After my first time attending “Lunch in the Park”, I noticed that I could not stop talking about it to my friends and parishioners. I would even speak about it in my homilies. I was very moved by the tangible charity and joy I witnessed in the young missionaries, the volunteers and the homeless who come every week.
The invitation arrived by email a couple of weeks later from the coordinator of the “Lunch in the Park” requesting that I organize the Saturday lunch in December with my friends from the parish. With all that I had seen on my first visit in my mind and heart, I proposed it as a charitable work to the newly formed young adult group at the parish.
The young adults responded immediately with interest and enthusiasm. Since the winter in Denver can be cold at times, we decided to prepare a hot soup, as well as sandwiches, and Christmas cookies, hot chocolate and fresh fruit. Everyone participated in some way. A couple of friends made the soup, and another group met the day before to prepare the sandwiches. For the tables we made nice Christmas centerpieces decorated with candy canes. Another of our friends brought his guitar and we prepared traditional Christmas Carols to sing during the meal.
I reminded everyone of the reason why we were going to serve the lunch: to love like Jesus
Throughout the time of preparation, I was really moved by the efforts and creativity of the young adults for this common project. Before leaving the parish to drive the 30 minutes into the city, I reminded everyone, and myself too, of the reason why we were going to serve lunch with “Christ in the City”: to learn how to love like Jesus by sharing our time gratuitously with the homeless.
When we arrived, a few of the young adults were asked to help with the setting up of the tables and chairs, and a few more to serve the hot soup and sandwiches. Most of us were invited to simply visit with and share the meal with the homeless and the missionaries. Near the end of the lunch, we were invited to sing our prepared Christmas Carols on a makeshift stage. At first there was a little embarrassment but, in the end, we managed to get everyone to participate. As we sang our songs, many of the lunch guests started to sing and dance and have a grand time. It was beautiful to experience the unity of our group in the adherence to the common project of serving lunch with of our friends from “Christ in the City.”
When the young adult group met the following day for our regular weekly meeting almost everyone shared that this was the most significant experience they had had during the week. One began by commenting that he was blown away to see Christ present in the love the missionaries have for their friends who are homeless. A young woman wanted to share that she had never seen anything like this before, and that “it was almost as if Christ was really present during the lunch.”
As we were wrapping up for the night, I reminded everyone that the beauty, the love and the friendship they experienced during the “Lunch in the Park” are what Christ is inviting us all to live every day. The purpose of our staying together and meeting as a young adult group has this sole purpose: to help each other recognize Christ in our lives and to beg for this newness of life. We ended the night praying the Memorare in thanksgiving for the beautiful experience of charitable work and asking Mother Mary to help us to be faithful to what we had seen at our lunch with our new friends. Every month since the first Christmas lunch a small group of young adults from our parish attends “Lunch in the Park” to spend time with our new friends and learn how to love more gratuitously.
