Then the scribe said to Jesus, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘He is one, and besides Him there is no other’; and ‘to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question. Mark 12:32-34

I was sitting outside a bank on the ground with a cat on my lap and next to me a sign, “Need Help for Food!” The teens were sitting next to me. There were tons of people passing by and I was feeling a little self conscious. An old man looked curiously at the cat. It is a new addition to the group. One day, one of the boys found it snuggling up next to him under the bridge. It appeared out of nowhere and took refuge among the children. It was a miracle that it safely crossed two busy roads to get to the children. No one knows why the cat was there but now it is part of their family. Besides, it also helps to have an animal when begging. One of the boys asked the old man for some change. Instead he snarled some rude comment and walked away. The boy became quiet for moment. It was obvious that he was offended. Then he turned around and said, “I know that no one is obliged to give us any money but why do they have to say such things?” I did not have an answer. He was right. It was completely unnecessary and cruel.

Then a young woman passed by and took an interest in the cat too. The same boy asked her for something. She did not say anything. Then the boy said, “Why do you keep looking at the cat if you are not going to help?” Immediately, he looked at me and laughed. He realized what he did. He had done exactly what the old man did. He was embarrassed about it. It wasn’t necessary for me to say anything. I needed to use the restroom so I left the children for a moment. When I returned, someone had given the same boy a plate of hot steaming food. He was dividing it up to share with the others. He set aside a generous portion and went out looking for Henrique. He was in a different corner begging for food. He wanted to make sure that everyone received a portion of the food even though a few minutes ago he had told me that he had not eaten anything the whole day. I was almost going to buy something for them but I am glad that I waited. The boy told me that this elderly lady comes by everyday and gives them food that she cooks for them. Henrique added that she hardly says anything but she always remembers them.

I don’t know anything about this woman but I have seen her before. She looks like a timid person but she was determined to show some love and tenderness to these children. The teens speak of her affectionately. I even heard once one of the boys tell her, “We appreciate your kindness.” These are not mere words. Her actions have inspired them to be kind and generous with each other. On the hand, the rude remark of the old man did not do anything but foster anger and bitterness. I do not know anything about her religious background but she definitely has represented the Love of God to these children and if course, the cat benefits, too.

The gospel text is an interesting one. The story itself reflects a light in the midst of darkness. The religious authorities were trying to entrap Jesus to say something contradictory. However, there was one scribe among them who had eyes and ears to see and hear that Jesus was different. His question was not an attempt to push Jesus into a corner. He wanted to know if Jesus truly grasped the essence of the Law. Perhaps, he wanted Jesus to confirm what he was discovering himself. The most powerful words of this man were his realization that these two commandments were more important than burnt offerings and sacrifices. Perhaps for modern people like us, this statement does not impact us so much. We live in a time where rituals and rites do not define our cultural outlook nor identity. In Jesus’ time, a statement like this was considered a taboo. It was considered an attack on the things which unify the nation. The whole episode reveals a shift in defining the characteristics of our identity in God.

“If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” 1 Cor. 13:1-3

When I was a parish priest, I considered myself as a Rite 1 priest (Episcopalians will understand). To be honest, I liked the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. To those who are not part of the Anglican tradition, it means that I was very traditional liturgically. I wasn’t always like that. I grew up with a more contemporary style of liturgy. I was even part of the Charismatic Movement which means I spoke in tongues. Later on, I was inspired by the Franciscan Order, especially its vow of simplicity. I was really into classical theology. Now, sitting with these children and teens outside the bank, I realized that none of these things are going to help me show love to them. They mean nothing to these teens. I am not saying that these things are useless. The traditional liturgy and classical theology are excellent tools if they reveal to us how to love our neighbors. I believed that they helped me communicate God’s love when I was in a certain parish but now many parishes have changed venue. I need new tools. I have to learn to put aside my old ones and listen to God to show me how to love these young people. Without God, it is impossible to love them in a way in which we can grow together.

In many ways, things are simpler now for me. Jesus has made it simple but far from being easy. It is easy to talk about liturgy or theology or politics. We can even have a spirited conversation about these things but it is not necessarily love. Loving someone is intentional. It also demands our time. A friend of mine once commented that he used to be part of a group which fed the homeless regularly. He thought it was an easy and gratifying experience until one day a homeless person started engaging him. He realized that listening to him was hard. He realized that he had to feign interest when he just wanted to hand over the food and leave. Now he had to give his time. This was when he realized that he was feeding the homeless without any genuine interest in them as people.

There is a saying, “Preach the gospel always, use words if necessary.” Unfortunately, it has become a cliché over the years. Allegedly, St Francis said these words. I am not sure about that. There is a legend about him traveling thousands of miles to preach the gospel to a sultan. Obviously he did use words quite often. It is impossible not to talk about Love when we encounter it. I do understand to what these words allude. We have heard lots of empty words spoken in this world. However, this only makes it more important that we talk about genuine love when we encounter it. There are tons of people who give something to these children but they only talk about this woman who hardly says anything to them. It is impossible not to talk about love. If we experience the love of God in our hearts, then it is impossible not to share it with those around us. Nevertheless, we need to learn to use the right tools to share His love.

Every time, I get up to leave to go home, the teens thank me. I often thought that it was strange. Most of the time I have done nothing for them. I just sit and talk with them. Today, Henrique came up to me and shook my hand. It was a simple gesture but a little unusual for him. He hardly talks to me. In fact, we have known him since was a tiny lad. Now he is almost six feet tall and only 15. He smiled at me in an appreciative way. For some reason, it made my day. Perhaps, there was an environment of Love in the place. The initial remark of hatred could not smother the power of eternal Love manifested in the silent old woman.