And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:14

Thirty people died while waiting to be attended in the hospital on Thursday. On Friday, Covid claimed one life every 4 minutes in this city. Just a few days prior to this, on my way home from the streets, I walked by an area where there were bars and saw hundreds of young people drinking and partying. No one seems to be concerned. We have been having the highest number of deaths these past few weeks. The hospitals are almost fully occupied. We hear daily news of young people dying from the new variant of this dreadful virus. None of these things have hindered people from flirting with death. This is because Life has very little value here.

This is not just my observation. A local doctor known for his work among the prison population shared this in a recent interview. He was essential figure in changing the fate of many during the Aids pandemic in the eighties. He lamented that nothing has changed over the years. Lack of empathy was present then and is still prevalent now. Perhaps, this year all things hidden are accentuated. We are in the worst possible times but no one seems to care. They did not care when they saw children and families sleeping in the streets. They did not care when a homeless man recently walked into a restaurant to ask for help. Everyone ignored him as he laid there in pain and slowly died. Not a single soul called for help. Now, this attitude of indifference is coming around and hardening the hearts of people in regards to their own lives and welfare. An ethical life is not living one’s life for the benefit of others. It is about recognizing and valuing the importance of Life.

Today the streets are almost empty. The local government threatened to impose a fine if the businesses did not cut down their operating hours. I found the children and teens in the same spot, near the Asian grocery stores. Daniel was sitting with William. His first question was about the pandemic. He asked if a lot of people were dying? Our youth are cut off from the world. No one tells them anything. They just sense things intuitively.

I commented that it is amazing that none of the homeless have been infected. I asked them if they knew someone in the streets with the virus. They thought about it hard before responding. Apparently, no one in their immediate group had the virus. It is strange and good at the same. I don’t want to make precipitate judgments and say that it’s a miracle. Besides, many people have died. Many good and kind people lost their lives. Their families would be wondering why God did not act in their situation. We can be grateful that nothing has happened to our children and teens. However, it is not over yet. We still have a long road ahead. For now, we are still intact. I remember Felipe once shared that he believed that every time we escape a close brush with death, it is a reminder for us that we should not waste opportunities and seek to to do the truth always. Felipe is a simple young man. When he understands an aspect of the Truth, he applies it immediately where as most just stop at the knowledge of it.

But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. John 3:21

There were less people in the streets but I met more of our youth whom I haven’t seen for months. Unfortunately, there is a baby in the streets too. In the past year one of the older girls gave birth to a child. We are thankful that Felipe and his wife have a place to stay even though it is quite precarious. They have an infant child just a few days old. The streets is not a place for anyone much less a baby. This baby is not so fortunate. He doesn’t sleep in the streets but he is homeless. His mother spends her day in the streets and she finds some shelter in the evenings. Nothing permanent. Her baby was all smiles because he was surrounded by the youth who are constantly showering him with attention. I was disturbed and I want to be disturbed. I don’t want to get used to this scene. At the same time, I cannot let this distract me. This is their reality. They are not being irresponsible. They have lost everything. There is no gospel in trying to find someone to blame. It’s an exercise in futility. Nothing is going to change. I have to find hope in this seemingly hopeless situation. Some days it feels hard to find it. Thankfully, today wasn’t one of those days.

Actually, Hope found me. It came into my living room in the night before as I was reading into the early hours. I heard it strange buzzing sound of an insect. Initially, I thought it was a cockroach. Like most human beings, I find them repulsive and a little bit afraid of them. I grabbed something to squash the revolting thing. Then I realized that it was Hope. She landed close to my desk. Maybe it was a “he”. It doesn’t matter. She is a beautiful and charming little insect probably in the same species as a grasshopper. The locals understandably find this creature to be endearing. It is a nocturnal insect and not very commonly sighted. Brazilians have nicknamed it “hope”, or rather, “Esperança”. They believe that when they visit you, they bring hope to the household. I have never been superstitious and I am not going to start now. However, I do appreciate symbols. Seeing this gentle insect and saying its name out loud to myself brought a strange sense of peace to my heart. Hope comes when we least expect it. It is not something we can create within ourselves. It is not an illusion nor a defense mechanism. It is as real as this tiny creature and brings a sense of delight to our souls. It cannot be control or domesticated. It choose to come as it please and when it does, it comes to remind us. I can’t really say of what exactly. I am not convinced things are going to get better. This would be wishful thinking, almost a cliché. Besides, Hope is much morenthan this. It makes us look deep into a hopeless situation and discover something. I am not sure what. I just cannot quite find the words for it. In the meantime, my little “Esperança” was quite comfortable in my apartment. I have ample supply of plants here. However, her place is out in the world. She was looking for a way out. She has many homes to visit tonight. I gently picked her up and she rested in the palm of my hands and I brought her to the window. She flew and then came back briefly to rest on my head. Just for a second or two, then she left to visit some other soul. I am sure that her presence might bring joy to many even though everyone knows that she is just an insect. It is not what she is but what she represents. She is Hope. She needs to be out there in the world. She doesn’t belong to me. She belongs to everyone.

Jesus said that the Son of Man must lifted high so that everyone can see and believe that eternal life is given to them. Many have reduced this to life after death. Our children and teens who live so close to death on daily basis don’t think about eternal life in the same manner. Perhaps they don’t think about it at all. For them, they learn everything intuitively. Daniel was keen to change the subject. He had enough talk about death. H wanted to share something he saw recently. He said that there was an artist who used trash to make a sculpture. He was really impressed with it. He liked it that things which people throw away are used to make such beautiful art. He asked me to look for it on the internet. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it. It doesn’t matter. I saw its magic in the eyes of Daniel. Our youth always find something to remind them of the beauty of life. Nothing is considered trash. Society might think that they are worthless. Yet, an artist can see beauty when others see nothing but problems.

Perhaps this is what hope is all about. Recognizing beauty in the midst of death and destruction. Seeing hope in the presence of an insignificant creature. Seeing eternal life in a man hanging on a cruel instrument of death.