For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. – Matthew 18:20

It is amazing how a tiny thing can change everything.

I had the perfect plan for this week. I was going to read the above verse to some of the teens and ask their opinion about. After all, Jesus describes the church in its simplest state. I thought it was a good opportunity to talk to some of the teens about it. First, I was going to meet Bruno at the place where he usually begs. I was hoping to run into Daniel and Gabriel and maybe even Wallace. I could ask them what they thought about this verse. Then my final stop would be at Felipe’s place to read the same text with him. It was quite a good plan if I say so myself except that… a tiny sting of a scorpion ruined everything.

On the day I was going to the streets, I woke up to several urgent messages from Felipe. He was stung by a scorpion. Obviously, he was in pain since the early morning and now it was spreading to his arm and shoulder. He asked for our advise. Needless to say, we were completely clueless. Thankfully, we have access to the internet. It gave some information about the danger signs. Naturally I had to forget about all my plans and focus on Felipe. There was a possibility that he might need urgent medical attention. I went to his place immediately.

It is worth mentioning that Felipe and his wife are squatters in a tiny abandoned space under a highway bridge. It used to be a storage unit for the state and now several families have divided the area into small rooms. Unfortunately, it is infested with cockroaches and these in turn have attracted the scorpions. It was either this place or homelessness. This is the sad reality of the thousands of squatters in our area. The scorpions are not usually harmful to adults but they can be deadly to little children. It all started with a nightmare. It almost sounded like a premonition by his description. Felipe dreamed that something terrible was going to happen to his son, Davi. He immediately woke up to get him from his crib. Unbeknown to him, there was a scorpion just above the toddler’s head. It stung Felipe’s hand just at the moment when he gently placed his hand on his son’s head. At first, it was just felt a minor irritation. Then, it became a burning sensation. Eventually his hand went numb but the pain crept to the rest of his arm and shoulder. This is when he sent a message to us.

Thankfully, I found him waiting for me when I got to his place. He was smiling. It was a good sign. He told me that the pain had subsided. His hand was still sore. I did give him some money to go to the hospital just in case. As usual, Felipe was a little embarrassed to take it but he knew that it was important to have some emergency cash. I was going to leave immediately so that he could rest. He had a tough morning. However, he was in the mood to talk.

We went for a short walk. He asked lots of questions about scorpions and other deadly creatures. This is something new in Felipe ever since he left the streets. He has developed an earnest desire to learn about everything under the Sun and beyond. In the past, his life was too conflicted with a sense of meaninglessness which kept him from pursuing things of his interest. Now the obstacle is removed from his path. He is ready to embrace life. This particular day he wanted to talk about life and death.

He is aware that the venom from the scorpion was not deadly to adults. Even then, he spent the whole morning thinking about death. He shared that the common way people talk about life after death sounded strange to him. For him and the other homeless youth, they have frequent brushes with death. For him, life after death is when you have a renewed understanding of life after a close encounter with death. The whole incident with the scorpion has refreshed his zest for life. I did not realize that he really had a scare about death this morning albeit understandably. Most of us in is shoes would have rushed to the emergency ward. Unfortunately, for Felipe and the very poor like him, they usually endure the pain in their tiny room without much medical assistance. He asked me if I thought that God was giving him an opportunity to live longer in this life for a purpose. I told him that God gives us life in this world to experience and enjoy His love in this world and when we do this, His love will flow through us to those in our midst. This was what I believe is the purpose of our life.

The moment was ripe for me to share about this week’s lectionary reading. Felipe was more than ready to read from the Bible with me. He read the verse above aloud and asked almost immediately, “Does this mean that every Sunday, when we meet together to read the Bible and pray, Jesus is physically present with us?” This is what Jesus appears to say, I responded. According to Him, all we need to be a church is to gather one another person and be open to receive and share God’s love.

“What comes to your mind when you think about the person of Jesus?” I asked Felipe. He said without any hesitation, “Acceptance, compassion, joy, and peace and even a sense of fulfillment.” Sometimes, he said, when he leaves us to go home, he feels like his soul has been enriched. I told him that we sense the same feeling too. Perhaps, this is what means to have Jesus in our midst. He awakens something in our innermost being. We may not be able to explain it but it gives us a sense of joy and peace. Felipe went on to say something very interesting. He told me that when he was still living in the streets, he and some of the children and teens gathered together to pray by themselves. Other times, when they went to the coastal town during the hot summer months, they had to hike through the woods on certain parts of the journey. Consequently they saw breathtaking scenery and sometimes came across some wild animals. They always said a prayer to thank God for these things. Many times they felt a sense of peace and belonging when they prayed together. He claimed that they were not very articulate in their prayers but nevertheless, they sensed God’s presence in their midst. He said that he never knew it but they were being a church back then. According to what he read, Jesus was present whenever they were together and prayed.

It is quite amazing through all these years we have been with these young people, this was the first time I have heard this. I always knew God was actively present in their midst but this was the first time I heard about their religious life. It was something they did without anyone encouraging them. It came from their souls. They responded to the voice of the Holy Spirt in their hearts. A door has been opened to us now. Felipe and the children have invited us to see their hidden spiritual life. Their faith has always been very private to them. Perhaps they thought that many would not take it seriously. Now we know that when they told us even though they are orphans to the world, God was always their Father and Mother that these weren’t mere words. They were an expression of their spirituality.