He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. John 2:16-21

We hadn’t seen Daniel for almost a year. I asked him to stand up. I heard rumors that he had grown taller. He smiled and immediately stood next to me. He was almost my height. He will be 18 this year, legally an adult. Hard to imagine. We always picture him as a petite scrawny kid who was always open for an adventure. Among all the teens, he was one of the few who went out on excursions with us. Consequently, we have taken many pictures together which coincidentally we were just looking at recently. He looks older now but his face still radiates with childlike innocence. It was obvious that he missed us as much as we missed him. Mary commented about his pictures. To our surprise, he remembered every occasion when the pictures were taken.

I asked him what he thought about the pandemic. He misunderstood my question. You know, words often get lost in the fabric of our masks. Daniel thought that the question was about life in general. He had an answer ready. “I want to meet people and have experiences and then share them with others just like you, and maybe even write about it.” I am not sure if he knew that I write about them. Maybe he did.

He mistook my question but perhaps he gave me a better answer that I expected. It’s possible that he did hear my question. The Pandemic has made many think about their lives. Daniel wants to do something which he believes will make his life meaningful. He remarked that he often goes off by himself to pray and think about life. Actually, most of the teens have been asking serious questions about their lives. It has resulted in some significant changes. Bruno told me the other day that he was done with lying about his life. Well, he does not really lie but his stories were often mingled with fantasy. I understand what he means. He is no longer afraid to face the reality of his past. This was just a preface; he wanted to share his first experience eating out. It was in a fast-food restaurant. For most of us, this is quite a common boring experience. Young Bruno thought that only wealthy people ate at these places. A kind lady whose house Bruno’s mother cleaned weekly decided to treat him on his birthday. She brought him to the restaurant and asked him to pick anything. He froze. He told me that he couldn’t do it. He felt that everyone knew that he had no business being there. He was only ten then. Finally, the woman ordered a huge hamburger with fries and a sundae. She sat with him while he ate. It was an experience that he will never forget. This story did not go anywhere. It wasn’t that kind of story. It was something that he wanted us to know. He thought that we would understand. I think I do. If not, one day it will be become clearer to me. As for now, I have treat it delicately because it is a precious gift he has given to me.

All these conversations took place in a busy business area. The children and teens have migrated to a new area. It is known as “Liberdade” which means “freedom”. It used to be where the Japanese community lived. Today most of the Nippon-Brazilians have moved into the other neighborhoods. However, the business and the grocery stores have remained here. They have many street food vendors. It is one of the most busy areas despite the Pandemic. Thankfully, most people do use masks but no one really respects social distancing. Here the major thrust is commerce. Everyone is either busy spending money or making it. In the midst of this, our homeless youth have found a temporary home. They represent the other extreme. Some people walk by and despise their presence. They don’t hesitate to show their disdain. Others find solace in their presence. The children and teens are like a temple in the middle of the market place. They have invaded a place and live a lifestyle completely contrary to its values. They are disrupting something in this place just the way Jesus disrupted the market in the temple.

Bruno sits outside a bank and…I can’t really say that he begs. He just sits there. He doesn’t say anything. People give him some change because it is obvious that he is homeless. Daniel and Wanderson run errands for the food vendors. I saw Wanderson helping to unload food from a delivery truck. They get some food and cash for their errands. The food vendors have taken a liking to them. Bruno does something different. He likes talking to people. Sometimes during their break, the employees of the stores chat with him. Bruno is not from their world of commerce and office politics. Consequently, their conversation is different from that with their colleagues. Perhaps different enough for them to keep coming back to him. There are some significant changes in Bruno too. When we first met him about seven years ago, he was constantly drugged out. He always sniffed a bottle of paint thinner while he sat and begged. Nowadays, he sits and reads and whenever someone approaches him, he gives them his full attention without asking for any money.

There is a young man who works in one of the biggest stores in the area. Everyday he sits next to Bruno on the ground and chats about everything and nothing. It was later revealed that he is the son of the owner and next in line to inherit the business. In the eyes of the world, this is a bizarre friendship. In reality, it is a very normal thing between two young men of the same age. Bruno does not expect anything from this man. This man has found something different and unique in his relationship with Bruno.

There are others too. Bruno is constantly introducing us to them. I can’t remember who is who. However, it is very uplifting to see Bruno overcome the obstacles of being considered just a homeless person. He is just Bruno to these people and he happens to be homeless. Perhaps this is what Daniel meant when he said that he wants to meet different people and become friends with them. In a strange way, these youth are providing something for people who are exhausted by the demands of the commercial world. They see someone in a situation that is the stuff of their worst nightmares and yet, they discover something beautiful and meaningful in them. They are a reminder to these people entrenched in the market that there is life beyond this world of buying and selling.

The temple provided a place where people could be free from the pressures of the world to ask themselves the deep questions of life. Unfortunately, in Jesus’ time, the temple succumbed to the market. Today is not any different. However, the good news is that the temple is no longer a place nor a building. It is a person. He is present and manifests Himself in the people whom we least expect. For now, God is using these homeless youth to be a temple in the market place known as “Freedom.”