“The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:25-26

There was an elderly retired English missionary in my first parish in the coastal city of Santos, just about an hour away from this city of São Paulo. The church was built as a chapel for the English who came to construct the railway system in Brazil. Most of them eventually left but a handful remained and the church continued to minister to these remnants. It wasn’t an easy place to start my ministry. Betty knew it. Her husband was my predecessor. He passed away just a few months after he retired as the parish priest. Initially, they came to Brazil as missionaries to the seafarers. For almost forty years, their home was a place of refuge for seafarers seeking a safe and loving environment to rest before embarking on another long journey. Life for this couple never was easy. There were moments Betty wanted to give up and return home to England. After all this, she promised herself that she would do everything within her power to make sure others would not go through what she did. She was always there for us. She was always in the background doing small things which might seem insignificant for others but they brought much joy and peace to our lives. Her home was our refuge. She always had a pot of tea and some English cookies. We would just sit and chat for hours. Whenever we left her cozy apartment, we felt ready to face whatever challenges awaited us.

One day she confided to me, “Reverend, I know my time is near. I hope that I did my part in showing God’s love and kindness in this world but one can never be sure. I have been a selfish person many times and I pray that God will forgive me.” Betty was not being modest. She was being honest. Her attitude did not come as a surprise to me. She walked in the company of the saints of the past. They always sensed the love of God in such a deep and profound way that they knew whatever they did would never reflect the tiniest fraction of the love and generosity they have received from God. Betty passed away peaceful the same year we returned to Brazil. She continues to be alive in our soul. I think about her always, especially when we serve in the streets now.

I think I have said enough about the unruly newcomers in the streets in the past few weeks. Suffice to say that they are like the characters from William Golding’s novel, “Lord of the Flies.” It might sound like I exaggerating but I actually might be understating. It does not mean that these children are worse than the previous ones. By no means this is true. They are exactly the same. They are just children hungry for something but it is not bread which they seek. They have stolen even gold chains to turn stone into bread. It appears now that the novelty is slowly wearing off and the excitement of getting away with thievery is growing old. The tempter’s lure is becoming weaker and the children are seeing the wisdom of Jesus’ answer to the devil,

“One does not live on bread alone but every word that proceeds from God.” Matthew 4:4

In the streets, there are tons of preachers screaming at the top of their voices the written word of God. The new children are within hearing distance of these people. Yet, they are untouched by the message. These are just empty words recited without compassion nor love, many times seasoned with anger and bitterness. Jesus spoke about the Living Word. It brings life and hope and can be only be encountered when Love is present. Our children need to be fed with this love so that their agitated souls could be brought to calm and peace. However, the challenge is learning how to communicate this love to them. One would think that we should be experts on this subject by now. After all, we have being doing this for almost ten years. However, anyone who claims expertise on any subject relating to human behavior does so from a distance, isolated from reality. Whenever we are faced with actual living human beings, we realize that there is no easy formula. Love cannot be reduced to a strategy. Every child is different. Every person is unique. Each one sees and understands Love differently. We need to learn the best way to communicate to them. Thankfully, we have met many Bettys in our life. They know exactly what to do in times like these. They would do the same thing that they have always done. They would serve and love quietly in the background. This is our approach; to unite ourselves with those whose lives reflect the Presence of the Living Word. We follow the footsteps of Betty.

The children and the young adults are always fascinated with art. We decided to bring some material which would teach them how to draw. Unfortunately, nobody wanted to try it. They just ignored us initially. Then one came and then another slowly approached us. Mainly because we are always there in the background. The drawing intimidates them. They asked if they could color with us. One of them who behaved like a vicious robber a few weeks ago now sits and and colors with us. Each day when we arrive, she asks us to sit with her so that she could color. She never says a word but every time we can see that she enjoys being with us. Then, there is Henrick. I have to say this teenager is quite annoying. He likes to whine in the most irritating manner, not a very likable character. To my surprise, he sat next to me and asked if he could try drawing. We have known this boy for almost five years and he never took an interest in us. I taught him how to do it. I am not an artist by no means but I am getting better at following instructions. He drew a face of a bulldog. It looked more like one which had suffered massive head injuries but it didn’t matter. He did it. Then he asked me if he could draw something else on the condition that I help him. He did not want to do it alone. Then as he was drawing, he shared a story. He shared the story of Job with me. He said that he heard it in a rap music. He found it meaningful that Job did not turn against God despite all the pain and suffering. He shared about his family and it was obvious he suffers deeply from his mother’s rejection of him. After he completed his drawing, he said that he felt spiritually recharged. It was like being in a retreat, he said. He came back several times to thank me for the time together. He is not as annoying as I thought he was, well maybe a little less, but I like him now.

We are going through a lot of drama in the streets now. However, there is never a lack of drama in life especially in churches and politics. In the midst of all these Jesus beckons us to be united in Love; a unity which is sadly lacking in many churches. Nevertheless, in every parish whether big or small, there are people like Betty working in the background. Sometimes, smaller churches are blessed with more than their fair share of these people. These saints never changed what they are doing no matter what happens in the world around. Scandals come and go. Disagreeable people eventually leave. The “Bettys” of this world remain in the background to show love and care to everyone they meet. I am grateful that I have met enough of these saints to know that the unity which Jesus prayed about is not unity in a general manner but being joined together with the spirit of these saints who display God’s love no matter what happens. Their love brings peace and tranquility to the hearts of those whom they touch. They feed hungry souls who are seeking for than the bread this world offers. If you know a Betty in your parish, give her a hug for us. Let her know that her example is helping us to become better servants to these lost and hungry children. Her example and life is instrumental in any ministry done in the Name of the gospel.