At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. ” Luke 13:1-3

An elderly woman commented to me not too long ago that only bad people died from Covid. I can not remember what prompted her to say this. It was during the worst period of the pandemic and I suppose the topic was on everyone’s mind. She occasionally helped the children and teens with food and some of the teens liked her. She was not a callous or cold person even though her comment was bizarre. Needless to say, it disturbed me profoundly. One of our friends died from Covid here and some friends have lost their parents and siblings. None of them were saints nor sinners. They were just regular people who did their best in life and definitely none were remotely bad people. However, it is not necessary for me to engage in every battle. This woman was just being like any human being. She wanted some sort of assurance of her own survival and therefore, she made up something in her mind giving her an illusion of protection. Unfortunately, this meant blaming the victims for their own demise which we often do. I walk alone at night sometimes in places reputed to be dangerous. I am often confident that nothing bad will happen to me even though many have been robbed and hurt in these same places. I justify my attitude by imagining that these victims were not careful like me. Somehow I have convinced myself that I am special and different and consequently I am entitled to differential treatment in life. I am happy to dwell in this illusion and so are many around me. Jesus is telling us to snap out of it. Having this illusion is not going to help us live our lives to fullness. In fact, it is a hindrance. We need to repent, in other words, have a change of mind and face the reality before us. Unless we do this, we can never be fruitful in this life.

In the streets of São Paulo, there is never a shortage of preachers yelling at the top of their voice for everyone to repent. We do not want to be another of these voices. They have reduced repentance to mere acceptance of a doctrine; more specifically, the concept of accepting Jesus as their Lord and savior. Jesus becomes a ticket to heaven and a better life according to them and nothing more. The first person who spoke about repentance in the New Testament was John the Baptist. He asserted that repentance needs to bear fruits. Eventually he was beheaded. Before this, he was unjustly imprisoned. John was a repentant soul but it did not spare him from suffering. Jesus, perhaps, is the only person, according to our faith, that did not need to repent. Yet, he suffered and died. There is no scriptural evidence to support that conversion is a guarantee that we will be protected from pain and suffering. Sometimes it can increase and most of the times, if we are fortunate, we can lead quite a normal life with minimal suffering. It doe not mean that we did something to deserve it. It is just the way life functions. Jesus did not explain why these poor Galileans deserved such a diabolical death. He just warned us that we too can suffer such fate. We are not special. We just need to be aware that Life is unpredictable and incredibly brief. Our conversion does not change how life functions but it changes how we function in life.

Last Wednesday, when we went to the streets, Wesley was sitting alone in the corner. I went to greet him and he insisted that I give him a hug instead. It was strange because I hardly know him. He is relatively new to us. He showed up during the beginning the pandemic. We have not had the chance to get to know him yet. He seemed to be a nice kid about fourteen years old. He looked like someone with whom we could have had a strong relationship in the future. Unfortunately, the very next day he was brutally murdered. The details are irrelevant. They will not bring him back. Suffice it to know that he was well loved by the other teens. He had a sweet nature and loved to be the clown. Although we did not know him well, his death still affected us. I am glad that I was able to give him a hug just before he left us. I have something to remember him. He died but he did not perish from our existence.

Jesus shared the parable about bearing fruits. I have heard teachings complicating this whole idea. Bearing fruits, some say, is converting people to our faith. Some say it is living a successful life without any clear definition of what that means. Jesus told the parable in the context of terrible things that had happened to people; things that are reflective of the times in which they were living. There are many choices to make in these situations confronting us. In our present times, the same hatred and violence that was present in Jesus’ time are evident now. The difference is that we have more advanced technology to disseminate them. However, the repented soul still has the same task which is to bear fruits. To the common person in our Jesus’ time, fruits played a simple role. They were not too concerned about the propagation of a tree when they saw fruits hanging from it. They saw something that was going to nourish them and even bring a moment of sweetness to their life. Fruits fed hungry souls in their long tiresome journeys and even Jesus sought figs to feed himself when he was traveling. Furthermore, in other parts of the gospel, Jesus used salt as a reference for the kind of role repented souls should play in this life. We can delve into the subject of salt preserving food and how we need to preserve the world from corruption. We can also see salt as something that magically enhances the flavor of food making it pleasurable and delightful. This world is going to function the way it has always functioned with all its in justice and violence. However, those who have their minds transformed by the power of the Spirit can bring joy and hope to those who are weary and overburdened in this world.

Sometimes we think that we need to do great things in order to count as spiritual fruits. Most of the times, they are simple things that anyone can do. I wanted to have a long-lasting relationship with Wesley. However, I was only able to give him a hug. At least, he knew that he was loved. His life was not in vain. He did not perish into the great unknown. His name is written in the repented souls who know that Wesley was and is a child of God.