You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. Matthew 5:21-22

“Let you words be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” Matthew 5:37

Gabriel fainted.

He was talking to us. We noticed something was strange. He was behaving quite erratically. Initially, we thought it was the paint thinner that he was sniffing. Almost all the children and teens were sniffing it at that time. Unfortunately, there was something more to it. Gabriel has been having health problems since the end of last year. It started with a high fever and progressive weight loss. He gradually recovered from this only to suffer a convulsion shortly after. He was taken to the hospital but nothing came out of it. He is homeless and the homeless don’t receive the same treatment. Ever since then, he has adamantly refused to go to see a doctor. I don’t blame him. We have seen the treatment he received there. The homeless are just people that society feels are not worth receiving any help. Doctors don’t want to deal with them. They are diagnosed without any examination. Their health complains are never taken seriously. Besides, they are not a priority in anybody’s list. This is the world we live in even though this country identifies itself as Christian. It claims to have said “Yes to Jesus”, at the same time, it is constantly saying, “No” to His little ones.

Before Gabriel fainted, he was telling us about his latest attempt to get an education. He enrolled in evening classes. He is 19 and illiterate. He went to school when he was young. He needed extra attention with learning to read. His teacher claimed that he had problems with his vision. She convinced him that he wasn’t going to be able to read unless he got a pair of new glasses. His mother could not afford to pay for it. Consequently, Gabriel stopped going to school. In the neighborhood where he lived, a life of crime is a daily temptation especially for young teens with no prospects and education. Gabriel got involved in criminal activities but it never suited him. He left his home and lived in the streets. It was the better option for him. Unfortunately, crime was still a temptation.

Since December, Gabriel has been venturing out. He has been trying out new things. The night school is one of these. Unfortunately, he was sharing with us that he disliked it. His fellow students have cell phones and dressed well. They were literate and more advanced than him in their studies. He felt like a complete outsider. He felt small and insignificant. He decided to quit school. We were trying to convince to seek for a better alternative when he started slurring. Then he slowly closed his eyes and slouched his body. I managed to grab hold of him before he hit the ground. No one noticed us even though we were in a crowded area in the entrance of a busy subway station.

We called out the other teens to help us. This caught the attention of the passers-by. Soon a small crowd gathered around us. Mary quickly went out to get some water for Gabriel. I was trying to see if he was conscious and able to say something. Suddenly the floodgates of unsolicited medical opinions opened. Everyone became a doctor armed with a diagnosis. Gabriel was coming in and out of conscious and I was trying to talk to him. However, well-intentioned people were drowning his voice with their comments. I wished that everyone would just be quiet for a moment. It is a mystery why complete strangers think that they have answers without knowing the questions. A woman dressed in a nurse-like attire gave us some advice. I asked her if she was a nurse and she never said affirmed it. She used an applicative on her cell phone and checked his pulse. She said that he was fine. However, he was obviously in a daze and completely disoriented. Gabriel mumbled a few words which was lost in the midst of the brouhaha. Mary brought some water. Someone commented loudly that giving water was the most dangerous thing to do. This further confused Gabriel. He refused the water. In the meantime, no one was calling the medical emergency attendants of the subway station. Eventually Gabriel started slowly recovering his color. Another woman brought him a sandwich to eat. The same person who said water was dangerous. Then the pseudo nurse turned her attention from Gabriel and started making disparaging comments about the homeless children and teens. She said that all these children do is sniff paint thinner and rob people. She started even warning Mary that they were going to rob her as soon as they get the chance. I just really wanted her to leave. She was aggravating the situation. Then the same woman proceeded to show the sandwich woman all the children and that the bottles they had was paint thinner. Now they became social commentators and made some superficial observations of the state of things. Fortunately, Gabriel gradually recovered and the first thing he wanted was the water that Mary bought. He grabbed it and gulped everything down to its final drop. The sandwich woman seeing that Gabriel had recovered decided to address him authoritatively. “Young man,” she said, “There is only one thing you need and do you what it is?” I cringed. I knew the words that would proceed from her. Gabriel was still trying to get his bearing and the woman gave up waiting for his answer and finished what she wanted to say, “Jesus! All you need Jesus. He is the answer to everything.” Then she turned around and went on her way. The spectacle was over. Everyone left leaving us with Gabriel and the rest of the teens.

So many words were spoken in one incident and none of them were really helpful. People were trying “help” someone in need but their prejudices and self-righteousness dominated their actions. They spent more time talking negatively about the children and teens than trying to get help for the boy. Not even in a moment as such, they could refrain from passing unfair judgments on these children and teens. Gabriel was not even given the chance to suffer in peace. No doubt, he needs a lot of things in life; more compassionate doctors, an educational system that is more concerned with educating, a home where it is safe and secure for him, and the list can go on and on. Saying that all you need is Jesus and then walking away doesn’t bear any resemblance to Jesus or His message. It seems like taking the Lord’s name in vain. It is like saying, “Yes” to Jesus and then “No” to be His instrument of Love to those who are in need.

I can understand why Jesus said that when we call our brother or sister, “You fool” we will be liable to the hell of fire. People designate all kinds of derogative terms for our children and teens. They have grown accustomed to calling them these things so much so that they cannot see their humanity anymore. We also taught by the world to call people who commit crimes as criminals, murderers, robbers, drug dealers…as if this is their nature. In reality, they are just people like you and me that have committed a crime. It is not their nature to be a criminal. To call someone a fool or criminal is to reject their humanity and regard them as sub-human. It is murdering their humanity. Without a doubt, society will continue to address them as such. Jesus told us that our spirituality is to be superior than that of the Pharisees. The people who gathered around Gabriel wanted to help but they still could not see him as a human being. He was able to talk and even say what was happening to him. Unfortunately, no one was interested in listening to him.

For me, the most disturbing part of the incident was the woman proclaiming the Name of Jesus and then walking away. It reduces our Lord to some magical spell or product. When we say, “Yes” to Jesus we accept a sacred task. We receive His Name which is sacred. It requires us to speak out in His Name with fear and trembling. It is a name that sums up the definition of Love that many desperately seek in this world. Once we speak His Name, it is our responsibility to be the instrument of His Love. If we are not willing to do this, then it would be better if we just say, “No” to Him. It would be better than saying “Yes” and then living a “No”. This is something that is not from God. Jesus has told us exactly where this comes from.