Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ Matthew 1:18-21

The best sermon I heard on this gospel text was given by unassuming deacon in my final year of seminary. I can not remember her name but I will never forget her. Actually, I think her name is Gladys. She was a conditional candidate for ordination. This means that she did not need to complete the full theological education like the rest of us because her priestly ministry was restricted to a specific community in an isolated region of Ontario, Canada. The area was only accessible by air or sea. Understandably, most of the priests from away found it hard to endure living in such an isolated place. Gladys is part of the community. She grew up there and had always served her parish as a lay person. She did everything; cleaned the church, set up the altar and said the morning prayers, attended to the sick and buried the dead. There was not much marriage going on there. All the young people have moved away to the city for better job opportunities. In many ways, she was more prepared for ordained ministry than the rest of us who spent many years studying theology.

We were asked to prepare a sermon based on the above text. There were four of us. It was not a competition but it did not stop our egos from wanting to be the best of the lot. This was not the case for Gladys. She always expressed that she felt insecure and small compared to the rest of us “intellectuals giants”. Nonetheless, she preached the best sermon. It was simple and beautifully crafted. I still remember it today and from my own sermon I can not remember one word. It doesn’t matter. It was most likely drivel next to this simple servant’s sermon. No attempt at false humility here; I am just stating a fact. Therefore, it is only fair to state that this reflection is inspired by her sermon.

She focused on the person of Joseph, someone whom I tend to overlook when reflecting on the Christmas story. There are so many strange and wonderful things going on; the virgin birth and Jesus, the angelic visitation. Joseph just appears as a humble Christmas ornament in the midst of all these things. Gladys saw it differently. She perceived the significant role of this simple man in the Christmas story.

In reality, Joseph was an exceptional man for his time. All signs showed that his betrothed was unfaithful. According to the societal norms, he had every right to lash out against her but instead he chose to act in compassion and mercy, an attitude we see manifested in Jesus’ life down the road. Of course, we know that an angel came to Mary’s rescue and Joseph realized that he was going to be part of something great and wonderful. However, this did not shelter him nor his family from being subject of gossip. First century Israel is not much different from our present times. People then loved a scandal as much as today and Mary’s pregnancy would not have gone unnoticed. Joseph must have endured a lot of things in his brief life. It never stopped him from protecting Mary from the harsh judgments of society and providing Jesus a safe place to grow up. Something which most of the parents and adults in the lives of our homeless children have failed to do. Nevertheless, it does not mean that our children did not have a person like Joseph in their lives.

In reality, this world would be a living hell if it was not for people like Joseph. They are always present in our lives but very often they are overlooked unless we allow people like Gladys to shed some light on them. Moreover, it is the nature of these servants not to attract attention to themselves. They prefer to serve in an unassuming manner. They do not do this to be humble or anything of that sort. This would be attracting attention indirectly. They are just practical saints. They see a need and they try their best to fulfill it. The best place to look for these saints is behind the scenes. It is easier to find them in the churches. In fact, our churches would not have endured all the difficulties and challenges through the ages if not for these servants. They keep things running. They are usually the ones who dress the altars to make them look beautiful and festive on Christmas Day. Usually in my life experience, these saints have almost always been women. They do not just set up the altars. They also bring the flowers to the sick and lonely people who are unable to participate. They are the ones who literally pray for everyone on the prayer list. In my experience, they have been my personal consultants sometimes they advised me even when I did not ask for it. I remember on one occasion after a long tedious sermon preached by a visiting missionary, one of these saints came up to me and said, “Stephen, when you become a priest, please don’t preach long sermons, don’t torture the poor people!” I am aware that it was an indirect criticism towards the priest. These quiet saints have strong opinions. Their quietness is not to be mistaken for passivity. They do not hesitate to make their voices heard. I heard her words. Ever since then, I was made sure that I followed her advice and she has helped me become a better priest.

The children and teens who respond in a positive manner to us in the streets are those who have been touched by a quiet saint previously in their lives. Usually, it is a grandmother but sometimes it is a neighbor or someone they met in the state orphanage. Most of the time, they are also women. It is the love and compassion of these quiet saints which opened the doors for us to minister to these children. We are just fortunate to reap the fruits of the seeds planted by these saints. Unfortunately, there are ones who never had anyone like that in their lives. They are the ones who struggle with violence and bitterness. However, these are a minority. I am not going to jump to the conclusion that there are many quiet saints in the world. I think that the broader picture proves this to be untrue. They are few and far between. Therefore, when we come across one in our lives or communities, we need to treasure them. They are the ones who pave the way for the rest of us to recognize love and compassion in this world.

In a way, I am where I am because of many conversations with these saints. One of these quiet saints once told me, “You will get your instructions from the Holy Spirit where to go and what to do.” She said this in regards to our ministry here the streets in 2012. She passed away before we could return to thank her for all she has done for us. Thankfully, I did write her a long letter which she received before she passed away. She was the Joseph of our lives. She did everything in her power to make sure we were able to do what we were called to do. Above all, she reminded us that only one voice matters in this life and we need to heed it. She did the same too and this is why she was a blessing to many. Perhaps there were some blessed by her life and never realized it. The problem is that they did not have a Gladys in their lives. She opened up my eyes to see the beauty in the person of Joseph. I am fortunate that I met Gladys. I think she is still serving in a community of neglected and abandoned people. I can not know for sure because no one writes anything about someone like her and other quiet saints. They are always in the background. However, without them, our lives will be a like an altar without any flowers and decorations. It would be plain and dull.

This Christmas I want to thank all these quiet servants who are happy to serve silently in the background. I want to acknowledge their love and dedication to the Living Christ. Our ministry would not be where it is today if it were not for these quiet saints.

Our ministry here is one mixed with tragedy and joy. Unfortunately, you can not have one without the other. Very often, we find moments of joy in the midst of a tragic situation.

A 17 year old boy died. His name was Henrique. We have known him since he was just seven years old. He came to the streets together his brother, Eric, who was just a year older. They were just two tiny kids back then but they made up for it by being terrors. It is normal for newcomers to act out. They were trying to establish their ground. The problem is that they were too young and they did not know when to stop. Initially most of the children avoided them. They were convinced that these brothers were aggressive lunatics. In reality, they were merely acting act what they learned in their home. Their mother clearly suffered from mental illness. She was very unpredictable and even violent at times. The other adult in their lives was their step father who was violent, too. The boys used to tremble when they saw him. This was the sad reality of young Henrique and Eric. They had to escape to homelessness to find some peace in their lives. However, they did not always sleep in the streets. There were periods when they were interned in a state orphanage but they always kept coming back to the streets. When they turned thirteen, they remained in the streets for good.

We have a stronger bond with Eric than Henrique. The latter is more of an introvert. Eric tends to interact more with us and he will call us collectively as “Uncle Mary” even though he knows our names individually. Henrique used to be one of the kids who ignored us. When he was younger, he played games with us, However, after he turned thirteen, he thought it wasn’t cool to hang out with us. He was trying to integrate into a group of teens who frequently robbed. Then he was caught and spent a few months in the juvenile detention center. Upon his release, he saw me in the streets and gave me a hug which surprised me. I guess that we were a familiar face that he missed while he was locked up. Ever since then, he always made an effort to say something to us. It was obvious he had affection for us. One time in his feeble attempt to connect with us, he sang the words of the Yellow Submarine, the song almost all non Beatle fans know. His efforts were much appreciated.

Once, he came up to us and asked if we could buy some lunch for him. He had been trying to get food all day to no avail. Henrique was growing teenager and he had a healthy appetite. Among our homeless teens, there is an unspoken rule that we are the last resort when it comes to food. Even one of the older youth told us that they did not want to abuse our goodwill by asking for something which they can get themselves. We bought Henrique lunch at an all-you-can-eat restaurant and in the process, I got into a little argument with the restaurant staff. He thought Henrique got too much food which was not true. The staff was being prejudiced. I guess it made an impression on him and afterwards he kept thanking us and offered to share his lunch with us. On another occasion, he asked us if we could buy a pair of flip-flops. He had lost his shoes and his foot was hurt from walking barefoot. We got him a pair and then months later he called out to us to show us that he still had them. It is strange that when we did these things for him we never thought anything of it. Now, they are the strongest memories I have of him. I am glad we were given the opportunity to show him that we liked and cared for him. I am glad that he sensed it too.

He died a tragic and violent death. The details leading to it are unnecessary. He was gravely hurt and suffered internal bleeding. He agonized for hours before his death and thankfully, his girlfriend was by his side. She called for the ambulance and it only arrived hours later when it was too late even though the hospital is only a couple blocks away. This is the sad reality. The poorest of the poor are the last of everyone’s priority list. Throughout the time, he was crying out for his mother: the very woman who made his early childhood a living hell. He still hoped that she would comfort him in his most painful moment. Unfortunately, she was coherent in her response. She did not even show up at his funeral after all the effort his girlfriend made to get in touch with her. In the process, they found out that Henrique and Eric have a brother and sister whom they never knew existed. Both are much older than them and were adopted at a very young age. Their sister lives in France. Coincidently, she was in Brazil searching for them at this time. Through her, they found out that their older brother lives in another state in Brazil and now is a lawyer. Only their sister reached out to Eric. However, he is not sure about living with a complete stranger. Eric does suffer from mental illness. However, for the most part, he is a lovely person.

Kawanna called us immediately when she found out about Henrique. As she was no longer sleeping in the streets, she only found out about his passing much later. She is trying her best to leave everything behind to find a way forward. However, it has not been easy for her. We have been helping them in the process especially with food and emotional support. She has a strong emotional connection with her still homeless friends. They are the only family she knows and Henrique was one of them. She wanted to process his death with us. She remembered that there was a family who wanted to adopt him when he was in the orphanage. In Brazil a child of a certain age can choose to accept or reject adoption. Henrique was older then, maybe about 12 or 13. He chose to reject the adoption even though he liked the family. In his heart, he was afraid that they might reject him. Besides, he still hoped that he would be reunited with his mother. Kawanna encouraged him to return to the orphanage and accept the adoption. She thought that it was a good chance for him to escape this cycle of misery and poverty and maybe one day he could come back and help others in the same situation. As much as I liked Henrique, he was not that kind of person. It is not saying that he was self-centered or ungrateful. He just was not that kind of person but Kawanna thinks about these things. She is always concerned about the well-being of those around her. She says that she wants to get herself established so that she can help others. Maybe this sound like wishful thinking, like those who claim they would help people when they strike the lottery, then when it finally happens they forget all their promises. Kawanna together with Erica left the streets to become squatters in an abandoned building. They frequently go to the streets and share whatever food and clothing they gather with the other children. On one occasion, I saw them buying bread with the little money they had to feed the others. Many times, I saw them even take some of the younger ones back to their place so that they do not have to spend the night in the cold streets. Some days both these girls will leave a message for us at night just to say, “Good night”. They know that they can not give anything materially to us but they can share their love. Something we accept with gratitude. Listening to Kawanna share what she said to Henrique brought comfort to our souls. Maybe one day she will be there with the children and teens doing what we do and maybe even more. For the time being, we can encourage her to pursue her goals and help in whatever ways necessary for her to achieve them.

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Matthew 3:7-10

I rather like to use the word, “religious”, to describe my spirituality. For a while there, I was prone to use the word, “spiritual”. I was taught that religious people were like the Pharisees and Sadducees whose faith was bogged down with painstaking observances of rituals and works. Unfortunately, in time I realized that most so-called “spiritual” people have the same attitude and posture as the very people they criticize. It did not take much to conclude that changing the term around is not going to hinder us from becoming like Pharisees. I am not saying that we should not forego using certain terms especially the ones with derogative connotations. We cannot be so naive to believe that changing terms will automatically change attitudes. For this to happen, we need something more profound to occur in our hearts. John the Baptist warned the Pharisees that a mere splashing of water is not going to modify their attitude. They need to show fruit of repentance, another word often thrown about without much ponderation. Surely, John is not advocating a system of merits. He was preparing the world to receive the gracious gift of God. Therefore, what does he mean exactly by the fruit of repentance?

The worst thing we can do is reduce this to acts. There is no indication that John is saying we should do good works to show that we are truly repentant. This would be more in line with the spirituality of the Pharisees and other religious leaders of his time. They displayed their charitable works as evidence of their piety. This practice is still carried out. Many believe that charitable works will cover a multitude of sins. In many ways they do. People can tolerate tyrants and corrupt religious leaders if they see them giving a plate of food to a poor hungry soul. This is not the fruit of repentance but an appeal to sentimentality. In the same gospel, we can read Jesus had some harsh words to say about such actions. Good works should be done in a quiet manner without drawing attention to the deed itself. These words are very much overlooked and neglected in this age of social media.

In the streets, there are people who distribute food to the homeless. I am grateful for their actions. They are meeting a concrete need which we (Mary and myself) do not have the capacity to fulfill on a large scale. Most of the homeless including our children only get one complete meal a day. Furthermore, the homeless population is growing on a daily basis here. The demand is growing everyday. However, once a homeless person commented that the people distributing the food never hide their disdain towards them. At first, I was shocked by this comment. Then we saw it for ourselves. We still do not understand why someone would humiliate the very people they are serving. It never occurred to me that it is possible to do something good and at the same not acknowledge the humanity of the person who is on the receiving side. During this festive season, people often come to the streets bearing gifts. They distribute them to everyone especially the children. Then they take tons of pictures and after that, we never see them again until next Christmas maybe. All these are good actions but I doubt that these are the fruit of repentance.

My attitude towards the Pharisees and the religious leaders changed over the years. There was a time when I associated them with the other person. The ones I believed who did not follow or understand the teachings of Jesus unlike myself, of course. I did not realize that I was espousing the attitude of the Pharisee in my criticism of them. Today, I see the Pharisee as a mirror. I realize that they represent who I am or can become. After all they were people just like myself. Therefore, I have to imagine myself in their shoes and listen to the harsh words of John. What is my fruit of repentance? Just because we are in the streets with the homeless children does not automatically mean that we are bearing the fruit of repentance. Maybe most people might be impressed with what we do. The Pharisees liked it when they impressed people with their charitable acts. Our spirituality needs to be better that this!

A few weeks ago, I shared that we witnessed three consecutive acts of violence in a span of ten minutes. They disturbed us profoundly especially because one of the teens who committed the act has a close connection with us. Seeing him in this dark state made us feel a little repulsed towards him. It was hard for us to separate the deed from the person. I know these are harsh sentiments to harbor but we can not help our feelings. Last week, this same boy approached us and apologized. Well, he said that he was sorry that we saw this side of him. He tried to explain that he was going to buy a bicycle so that he can start working with food delivery. I know that his justification does not make any sense and he knows it too. However, it was obvious that he was appealing to us not to think of him as a monster or a hopeless case.

Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:12-13

The world will consider this young man as a hopeless criminal at best or a monster at worse. We live in a harsh society. Many times people including the head of state made comments such as a good criminal is a dead criminal. In some instances people have told me that human rights are for righteous people. These things are said out loud without any reticence. In the act of baptism we symbolically die to the world. If we participate in this gesture without its implication taking root in our lives, then we are nothing more than the Pharisees of Jesus’ time. However, if we are willing to listen to the voice of our faith, then our baptism means we stop thinking and judging like the world. We are dead to its standards but now alive in the person of Christ. We espoused the Spirit of Christ and we bear the fruit. of this new lifestyle. This young man was asking us to be merciful to him. Not in the superficial manner but in genuine love. We found the incidents to be extremely disturbing because we know that this young man is much more than his actions. We told him that it made us sad when we saw him doing those things because we know that he is a much better person than his actions. He sat down next to us and was moved to tears. He knew that we meant it.

We realized that bearing fruit has nothing to do with proving our repentance but it is seeing these lost and abandoned children in a different light through the merciful eyes of the Good Shepherd. It benefits no one but ourselves. It helps us understand what it means to be in the gracious love of God.

For now, I will consider this as the fruit of repentance. Perhaps in the future I will discover more things about it. I am sure that our children and teens here are going to help us in the process and when they do, I will definitely pass this learning along to anyone interested.