I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. John 16:12-13

Some days nothing happens. Sometimes something which seems like nothing turns out to be something important. Today, Kawanna was just thirsty.

She did not ask us to buy her some water. She wanted to know if the other children and teens could spare her some. No one had any. It is strange that no one talks about thirst. Water is such a visible commodity and is hard to imagine its scarcity. It is easier to get food than water. I mean potable water. Quite frequently, the homeless would wander around at night seeking for a place which would give them a cup of water. They would wake up extremely thirsty and unable to sleep until their thirst was quenched. The concierge of our building told me that he is instructed not to give out any water even from the tap. The management is afraid it might be become an habit. I did not realize thirst was a habit. Thankfully, our concierge disobeys this order and secretly has two liter bottles of water ready each time someone comes by asking for it.

We decided to buy Kawanna a big bottle of water. It is such an easy thing for us to do. There is a convenience store right where the children hang out. It is one of those nondescript stores which have cropped up ubiquitously ever since the city has attempted to regain normality. Surprisingly, the children and teens are comfortable entering this establishment. They are prone to avoid stores because they feel like everyone is eyeing them suspiciously. This one is different for them. It’s their store. They mostly buy water or drinks there. Thirst is a truly a problem.

Mary entered the store with Kawanna and I stood outside because I was too lazy to put on a mask. As I waited for them, I saw a young teen coming out of the store. I have known him since he was a very young lad but he hardly does anything with us. He used to be annoying but now he has mellowed a bit. He saw me and gave me hug. Anyone observing us would have thought that I have a strong relationship with this boy. I was quite taken aback myself. Nevertheless, he chatted for a while, just small talk, nothing profound and gave me another hug and left. Then two other older teens came by. They belonged to the group which was involved in crime. These do not usually interact with us so much, albeit they are always respectful. One of the boys hugged me before going into the store. I do not even know this boy’s name and never realized he was even aware of our presence but he knew my name.

Two teens who hardly gave us any attention when we are with the other children suddenly are showing warmth and affection towards me. Maybe I was standing in a neutral area and they felt free to be themselves. All in all it was a pleasant experience. Mary and Kawanna were taking a long time. Then before I knew it, someone hugged me from the side. It was Daniel. This one was expected. He is one of our favorites. I was getting lots of love just waiting in front of this store. Again, a casual observer might think that I am someone really popular with these homeless teens. There were a couple of policemen looking at me. It was not the kind of attention which I wanted. Mary and Kawanna finally came out. There was an issue.

It was really nothing, not worth going into details at least, just a rude older customer trying to provoke them. Thankfully, Kawanna did not take the bait even though she was upset. She confessed that she wanted to react and say something but controlled herself instead. Mary tried to explain to her at times it is best to just ignore these antagonistic people. Kawanna shared a recent incident where a random stranger attacked one of her friends for no apparent reason. She had to defend her friend by punching the guy until he released his choke on her friend. She added that it made her feel awful as she hates violence. This is quite interesting hearing from a girl who spent years in the juvenile detention center for being an accomplice in a violent crime. She was divulging something to us which she may not have the freedom to say with others. It is important to put on a tough exterior in the streets especially for the girls. All of us can imagine why this is necessary. However, they know that with us they can be themselves without any fear.

Perhaps you might be wondering how this is all connected with the Holy Trinity. In a way, it has nothing to do with it if we are talking about the doctrine. The doctrine itself can be a monotonous and tedious concept wrought with technical terms. For most of us it might sound mild fascinating but mostly irrelevant. We just want to discover and understand the Love of God. It is good to remember that the fundamental intention of this doctrine is to discover how God’s love operates in this world. A full knowledge of the complexity of the Holy Trinity is not necessary. The Holy Trinity is about encountering God, not about learning a doctrine.

Our children and teens need to encounter the Trinity in their daily life. Most of them are orphans and it is important for them to know that they are not abandoned, despite the fact that the world rejects them. They often say that their only true parent is God. They are not saying this because they are in a so-called religious culture. It is based on their experience and hope. Furthermore, they need guidance to live their lives in a way of Love. They need to encounter the person of Jesus in the lives of people so they have a means to understand how to imitate Him. Most importantly, they need the strength to face the Truth about themselves. Most of them are afraid to do this. However, one can never understand Love without facing the Truth and one cannot face the Truth without the strength and power of Love. It is an almost impossible task for us to reconcile both of these. Most of the time, we tend to adopt a sentimental expression of Love without the Truth or we speak the Truth in a harsh and loveless manner. Thankfully, what is impossible for humans is possible through the divine act of the Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, Truth and Love cannot be reconciled.

Therefore, every attempt to share God’s Love is essentially living out the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

Kawanna was thirsty. We just wanted to buy her a bottle of water but we ended up giving Jesus a glass of water without thinking about it. Where Jesus is present, Truth is seen and heard clearly. These boys who are apparently cold and distant are actually thirsty for Love. They were not hesitant to show it when there was an opportunity. Maybe we need to hang out outside the store more often, maybe not. I think that the Holy Spirit will open doors for us at the right moment. We just have to make ourselves available and not discard an opportunity just because it appears to be insignificant. After all, we serve a Lord who can turn water into wine. I am glad that we did not disregard Kawanna’s thirst because of its simplicity. In reality, the most profound moments of Love are encountered in the simple things and actions.