Jesus put before the crowds another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32

Felipe wanted me to remind him again what exactly is a parable. I lost count of the number of times I have done this. Neuroscience tells us that we learn by repetition. Felipe is on the right track. He needs to hear it explained several times before he can fully grasp it. However, each time I feel less and less confident of my own answers. I used to think I knew exactly what a parable was. Now, Felipe is changing all this. I gave him an answer but I wasn’t quite sure if it was satisfactory. It is good to have someone like him around. He challenges me to rethink about what I know and what I don’t know. I realized that if I cannot explain it clearly, then it is possible that I might not totally comprehend it. Thanks to Felipe, I am beginning to think that I am not as smart as I once thought.

The subject of the parables came up because of a new bible we gave him. I met him in the streets to hand it over to him. He wanted to read our bible study passage before our regular meeting on Sunday. He also informed me that Bruno was around. He was working on getting his identity card. It appears, according to Felipe. that Bruno is having doubts about staying with his new-found family. I wasn’t surprised. Bruno has been living in the streets for almost fifteen years. Until recently, he had no memory of his sister and wasn’t even aware of the existence of his other three siblings. They were all strangers to him. It would be expecting too much of Bruno to adapt to his new environment immediately. Felipe had arranged with Bruno to meet with us.

Bruno was at his usual spot begging. While we were together, many people walked by and commented that they missed seeing him. He has left his mark in the lives of these people. He had a new haircut which made him look more handsome than before. He seem to emanate an aura of confidence and peace or maybe this was just my impression. There is no such thing as small talk with the homeless youth. They always get straight to the point after the initial, “Hi!”. He blurted out that he wasn’t going to stay with his family for long. I think that he wanted to see my reaction. The three of us sat down together and talked. It was quite pleasant. In another time and another place, people would think that we were three bank robbers planing a heist. There we were wearing masks and talking intensely with a space between us big enough to fit a table. Instead we had Felipe’s cat in the middle which Bruno needed for his setup as a beggar. However, this time, when people came by, he did tell them that this is his friend’s cat. Once upon a time the animal was used as a ploy to gain sympathy from the people. Now, it is a gateway for them to strike up a conversation with him.

We talked together for a long time. It was one of the rare moments where everyone contributed together and there was truly a sense of a creative bond taking place in our hearts. Bruno started out with an interesting statement, “I don’t want live a lie anymore!” He asserted that he wants to assume his true age. He has been 21 for the past 8 years or so. Now, he wants to be who is he. He also admitted that he liked living in the street. He has grown accustomed to it. It is where he was learned to love and discover love. This would have sounded strange to me a few years ago. Maybe, Bruno would not have told this to me back then. Now, things have changed. I am not really sure what has changed. It is not something that is easy to pinpoint. In a way, all of us have changed. We are able to listen to each other and appreciate each other’s experience. More importantly, there was no more need to pretend. Felipe and Bruno can be honest with us now.

 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:45-46

Felipe added that there are many bad things in the streets but they also discovered many good things too. I can appreciate this. It is our nature to survive in any given situation regardless of the circumstances. Our children and youth find themselves abandoned in the streets and need something good to cling onto in order to endure the hardship. In many ways, the friends they met in the streets are the precious pearls making life bearable for them. Bruno quickly added that despite all the negative experiences, they also learn to depend on God in the streets. They sense God’s protection and love in a profound way. I think that this is becoming clearer to them. Their spirituality is one which is formulated through their experiences in the streets. They discovered love in unlikely places and they attribute God for opening their eyes to see His Love always close to them. For most of us, our spirituality is derived from doctrines we learn in a comfortable and safe environment. Perhaps, we occasionally sense God’s presence when we are faced with a crisis. Then we go on with life allocating God to a tiny space in our daily life. These homeless youth need God’s presence to survive in all aspects.

One thing is for sure, these young men were not romanticizing life in the streets. They have been physically and verbally abused too many times by the police and ill-willed people to sustain such a fantasy. However, they are survivors and they attribute their survival to God’s presence in their lives. Bruno doesn’t usually express his spirituality openly like this. Actually, we hardly talked in this open manner for such a prolonged period like this before the pandemic. Back then there was always a deck of cards in the middle of us where the cat is sleeping now. We would be chatting as we played a game. Now, we have dispensed with games, our conversations have become more profound. They feel comfortable to share their thoughts about their spirituality and doubts and just about life in general. It has been a long journey to get here. We have grown together. Mary and I came here as foreign missionaries and these young people were homeless children and teens. We were two separate units. Now, we are gathered together as one in His Name. This is the Kingdom of God where there is an openness creating an eternal bond in our souls. It started out like a seed the Holy Spirit planted in our heart with a hope that one day these young people will realize their personal beauty and uniqueness. In these young people, God sowed a seed to receive us despite our strange accents and differences in age. Today, all of us sit under the shade of the tree that grew out of this seed. We can be honest and truly appreciate each others journey in discovering the wealth of the God’s love and grace.

Bruno reemphasized that he wasn’t going to stay long at his family’s home. It wasn’t because he did not like them. He is a stranger in his own family. He called his sister to share his dilemma. He wanted to make sure that they knew that he wasn’t rejecting them. She responded graciously and told him that their doors will be always open for him. I reassured Bruno that the regardless of his decision, he has come out of all this richer than before. Now, he has a family that he never had before. He wanted to share something strange that happened to him before he ended his conversation with his sister. He told her, “I love you!” He said that it was genuine statement. He said that he felt good saying these words. He never thought in his wildest dreams that he would have ever say it to his sister in this life time.