Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.- Matthew 4:1

Let us consider the temptations of Jesus in the desert and what they mean in our daily lives as Christians. Our Lord came to show us how to live out our humanity in this world. These temptations are not foreign to the average person. They are present in our everyday lives and we need to learn to confront them. Failing to do so might create the risk of allowing them to dominate our spiritual life. However, before we dive deep into the temptations, we have to consider the fact that Jesus fasted in the desert. Fasting brought Jesus to a place of vulnerability and awareness of our weakness and limitations as humans. We often avoid being in this place but Jesus welcomed it. The desert is also a place of isolation and loneliness. It was usually a place one avoids. In the Bible, it is also a place where the people encounter God. The importance of these temptations will be meaningless for those who avoid the desert and the state of vulnerability in their lives. At the same, we cannot live to the fullness unless we confront these elements of our existence.

The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It is written,
“One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’ Matthew 4:3-4

I just returned from a short break at a touristic historic city in the state of Rio. We have been to this place several times. However, this time I was impressed by the overwhelming presence of the indigenous people. Maybe I paid more attention to them now because they have been in the news recently. There was a recent tragedy which caused the death and starvation of hundreds of indigenous people in the Amazons. It was due to the greed and corruption of high ranking officials. The case is being investigated but most of us are doubtful if any justice would come of it. Besides, the indigenous people have always been marginalized and considered irrelevant by society. Seeing them in this place reminded us of the grave injustice they have suffered throughout the centuries. They were selling their handicrafts but very few tourists seemed interested. One cannot avoid observing a tinge of melancholy in their demeanor. Finally, a young man took a guitar and started gathering all the children and they sang a song for the tourists. It was obvious that it was just meek attempt to gain some loose change. These once independent people who lived off the abundance of the land were now reduced to a state of almost beggars because their bread was stolen from them.

While waiting for Mary outside a cafe, I noticed a young indigenous man looking curiously at me. Finally he got up the courage to ask if I could speak Spanish. I told him that my Spanish was far from perfect but we could talk. He is from Peru and from the indigenous Quechuan community. He was selling his handmade jewelry and it was obvious that he was going attempt to get a sale off me. However, the conversation took a different route. He shared about his experiences traveling from Peru to Brazil. His country is in a state of political unrest and has been for several years now. One of the many conflicts is between the indigenous people and the powerful and dominating minority who persist in outdated colonial attitudes. However, it was not politics which he wanted to talk about. He wanted to share about his journey here. He started sharing about his most memorable times in Peru with his grandmother and how difficult it was for him to leave her behind to seek a better life. There was something special happening and then he became silent for a moment. He had to sell his wares and at the same time he did not want to it to ruin the moment. Furthermore, he needed to fill his belly with food but not at the cost of sacrificing something much more meaningful. We, in turn, were enriched by his openness and precious stories. He connected us with something real which is completely foreign and unattainable in our everyday life. Finally, he asked us if we were interested in his handmade necklaces. We were not. It wasn’t our style. He didn’t mind and gave us a hug instead. We thanked him for giving something special and we could see that he received something too. We also made sure that his belly wasn’t empty for that day.

He and the rest of the indigenous people came to this place seeking for bread but we need to know that there is more than bread involved. There is something eternal we can receive from them and they from us.

Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,“He will command his angels concerning you”, and “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”’ Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’ Matthew 4:5-7

We went to visit a young homeless youth in intensive care. The way things are arranged here, only one person can be in the room at a time. Mary had gone in to see him and I was in the waiting room. The nurse who was coordinating the visits came and sat next to me. She knew that we ministered to the homeless children and teens and was curious about it. She was apparently a religious person and was curious to know what kind of results we saw in our ministry. I explained that there were no results involved because they are irrelevant. In fact, there was a time when we sought for results. We realized that the quest of results and impressive victory stories became our objective and not the children. Not too mention that often times these victories were short lived. Sometimes these “results” serve more to elevate our own egos than the Kingdom of God. Today, we learned that our faith is here to help us discern and discover what God is doing in our midst together with the children. Sometimes it means walking in the desert and being willing to be vulnerable like the children. Maybe this is the result that our faith brings us. It helps us discover what is special and precious in God’s eyes. The nurse listened attentively. She understood what I was talking about. She works in the intensive care, the place where much tragedy is witnessed. She knows what it means to be helpless and vulnerable and she also knows that in this state much hope is discovered too.

The devil brought Jesus to a religious place to disguise egoistic goals that are often portrayed as something meaningful and useful for the propagation of the good news. However, Jesus did not submit to such superficial notions. He knew faith has a higher goal than serving mere shallow sensationalist objectives.

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written,“Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” Matthew 4:8-10

What can be said of this final temptation except that its warning is constantly ignored. We are quick to rush into an alliance of the ruler of this world. Jesus was tempted throughout his life to create an alliance. He was tempted by the religious authorities. He was tempted by an invitation to be a friend of Herod. Pontius Pilate tempted Jesus to reach out to him, Jesus only had to plead with him and his life would be saved. Jesus refused to submit even at the point of suffering a painful and tortuous death Today, many willingly and easily ally themselves with rulers of this world for a mere plate of lentil soup. It is not that they are all bad. It is that their values and principles have nothing to do with the Kingdom of God. In this world, violence, lies, slander and greed are essential for success. We cannot be unequally yoked with these diabolic values. We need to ask ourselves whether we, at a personal level, are allying ourselves with the world when we submit to the temptations of self promotion using the tools of social media. No doubt the social media have many good things but at the same time, they can be a vehicle to promote the values of this world. The temptation is to justify it as a means of creating a network. However, we have to ask ourselves whether it is worth creating a network and allowing principles so contrary to the gospel slip into our lives. Only a deep and thoughtful reflection will help us discern this. We need to go to the desert for this.

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. (Gen. 3:19)

Maybe this is common knowledge or maybe it is not. The four days before Ash Wednesday are the time of Carnival in Brazil. Therefore, all the revelry associated with it has a somewhat religious foundation riddled with bad theology. It is thought to be the last chance to indulge in our sensual pleasures before giving up everything for the season. It is just like the Shrove Tuesday in our Anglican tradition except with less pancakes and more dancing, loud music and lots of alcohol among other things. Needless to say, the meaning of Lent is lost in the midst of this. Many just view Ash Wednesday as the prelude to carnival and nothing more.

Our children and youth don’t even know that there is such a thing as Lent. They have seen people with ashes on their foreheads but are often confused by it. They imagine that it is some strange Catholic ritual. I tried explaining to them that it is reminder of our mortality. This further confused them. Initially, I didn’t understand why but it became clearer eventually. They find it strange why anyone needs to be reminded of their mortality. They are always reminded of it. They don’t have the privilege to hide from it like most of us. We can afford to fill our lives with noises and “important” things to do in order to avoid reflecting on our mortality. After all, who wants to think about their impending death? It sounds like a killjoy. However, the contrary is true. We cannot begin to truly appreciate life until we address our mortality. Until we accept that our time here is limited, we will never be able to live a fulfilling life. The season of Lent is not a season to forego pleasures. It is the opportunity to discover Life but first we have to accept that we are dust. Whatever we achieve in this world or whoever we come to know in this life is not going to prevent us from returning to dust.

This is not meant to put us down and make us feel small and insignificant. It is to remind us of the frailty of life. Just as the wind blows the dust away that is here today and gone tomorrow. Our lives are just as vulnerable to the winds of time. We do not have control of the time we possess here in life and it doesn’t take much for us to lose our existence. Many find this rather uncomfortable but it is something we must confront. It is unavoidable. Any time someone we know passes, even when the person is not particularly close to us, we are reminded of our mortality. Our children cry whenever one of their friends dies tragically. They shed tears for the one who is gone but they also mourn for their own imminent end.

Recently we visited Wanderson in the intensive care. Just a few weeks ago, he was on life support and the doctors thought his chances of survival are slim. He had contracted tuberculosis and his immune system is greatly compromised due to HIV. We were mentally preparing ourselves for his passing. He is only twenty and we have known him since he was 11. We have had a close relationship with him from the beginning. Thankfully, he survived the worst of it. Maybe it was due to prayers. Wanderson looks good even though he is reduced to skin and bones. He has a hopeful demeanor. He told me that he wants to live a new life, or rather, a more meaningful life. These are really my words gathered from what he said. He has difficulty expressing himself. His mental age is that of a ten year old. Thankfully, this does not hinder him from wanting a fulfilling life. The world has nothing to say to Wanderson on this matter but Jesus has the Words of Life.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

It is very possible that this verse is the only biblical reference that most Christians have memorized. It is a good verse. It is a promise made by someone who never falters in His word. Eternal Life is promised but not after our death. It is for the here and now. Perhaps, if we think of it as a meaningful life, it might help us to bring it into our reality. Wanderson does not want to wait for changes in the hereafter. He wants it now. However, all the promises of a better life which the world promises are not open to him. He may never fully leave homelessness. No doubt he will never be able to have a good steady job. Despite all this, eternal life is still available to Wanderson. Perhaps it is something that he might be able to appreciate more than most people who are very successful in this world. The challenge is how do we make this eternal life a living reality for Wanderson and for ourselves.

Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Matthew 6:1

As social creatures, we are always concerned about what others think about us. We want people to affirm that we are worthy of salvation. We want others to see that we are good and holy people. In the process, we end up living a spirituality which is void of God but full of selfish motivations. No one is immune to this. Jesus helps us cultivate a spirituality to help us perceive His gracious gift in this life. The first step is for us to understand that life is too short for us to engage in the futile activities of impressing others. Wanderson lived his life trying to be seen by others in the streets. Now, he wants something different. He doesn’t know what he wants exactly but he is ready for something new. Most of us can appreciate his feelings. Maybe we share his sentiments too. We want to live a meaningful life but are unsure if eternity is within our grasp.

Jesus invites us to discover eternal life which is given graciously. However, first, we need to free ourselves from the things blinding us from perceiving His eternal gift. Fasting, praying, giving alms, serving the poor, trusting in God for our security..all these things are not meant to ensure our eternal life. Pharisees did many of these things but they did not perceive eternal life in their midst. Jesus teaches us that these are mere tools to help us to become open and spiritually available to perceive the free gift of eternal life bestowed upon us now. We don’t need to bring anything to the table except ourselves. It is a special gift for each one of us. Wanderson’s perception of this gift will be different from mine but it will definitely enrich my understanding of it. Eternal life is too rich and deep to be confined in any doctrine or theory. It is too mysterious to be explained away. It doesn’t mean that it is incomprehensible. However, it can only be understood through the power of faith and it must be grasped by the individual involved. No one can do it for me nor Wanderson. We each have to discover it for ourselves. When we do, it will give us hope in the face of uncertainties of Life. It will give us the assurance to confront our own mortality and not be afraid nor paralyzed by it. Wanderson walked through the valley of the shadow of death. He survived and knows that our Lord was with Him but he could not see Him clearly. He also knows that the danger is still not over but this time he wants to see the hands of the Good Shepherd who has always guided with him. Like Wanderson, we can face the valley of the shadow of death knowing that the teachings and life of Jesus will guide us through it to a meaningful and eternal existence.

The season of Lent is not about giving up certain things or practices but it is about salvation. It is about discovering Life. It is about living a meaningful life.

Have a Blessed Lent.

You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire. Matthew 5:21-22

In the past, I would have skipped these verses altogether in my sermon. It is not that I didn’t think they are important. I always found it hard to add anything more to them. However, many things have happened in our lives and ministry in the past few years. We have experienced a government that has neglected people in the worst crisis in modern times. Many times we have felt helpless and angry. In these situations, I found these verses disturb ing. I am sure that many might think that these verses are not too hard for anyone to follow. We just have to watch our language. Treat people with respect. You know the drill. However, these are easy things to do when things are comfortable in our lives. A few years ago, our friend lost her kind and well-beloved daughter to an accident. The driver responsible for the accident was texting and did not pay attention to a stop sign. Our friend’s daughter ended up in a coma and a week later she left a two year old child and a grieving husband to be alone in this world. The driver instead of showing any remorse posted her picture saying that she got a new car out of the whole deal. One can’t help but say that this driver is a complete….wait a minute. Jesus said that this is the same as murder.

Violence is a constant presence in the streets. Our children suffer from it and they also commit it. We have witnessed this countless times. Each time there is a sense of disgust and anger which arises in our souls, sometimes even thoughts of violence towards the perpetrators. Again, the words of Jesus haunt us. They reveal that murderous attitudes are lying dormant in our hearts. We use words like “fools” or “idiots” instead of physical violence to express our disdain. Jesus says this is giving into our murderous nature. It seems to be a little unfair. After all, we do have the right to be mad at those who treat others in a cruel and unjust manner. I thought that there is room for righteous indignation. However, Jesus warns that this is a dangerous road. It can ruin our worship. It can contaminate our faith. It can make us become like the Pharisees and the Scribes whose spirituality we are to surpass.

Jesus says difficult things about adultery and divorce. Let us go deeper into these teachings and let us be clear here. This is not about sex. It is about being unhappy in one’s life and some times this is justifiable. People can be in abusive relationships and desire to be with someone else who will treat them the way they should. This seems like a good thing to do. After all, Jesus desires for us to have abundant life too. However, He has a problem with it when we use the instruments of this world to achieve our goal.

There is a saintly theologian who says all the ten commandments can be summed up into one law. “Thou shall not covet.” Often times, we tend to think that the last is the least. However, this theologian interprets it as a summary of all the things which came before it. The sin of covetousness is the desire to possess the thing which doesn’t belong to us. We believe that we should have these things and use any means to attain them. Consequently, we adjust the image of God according to one that satisfies our desires. We create an idol that will condone our use of violence, slander, manipulation and selfishness to achieve our happiness. Everything which Jesus warns us against doing. However, it doesn’t mean that as followers of Jesus we are to surrender to whatever life throws at us and do nothing about it. Fatalism is not the message of the gospel.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Remember these verses. They came before these teachings and are connected to them. The beatitudes represent people who are dissatisfied with what the world offers to them. Jesus has high hopes for us. He is speaking to us as if we are these people. He wants to make sure that in our frustration and dissatisfaction, we do not use the resources of this age to carve a place for ourselves in this world. Jesus is offering something new but we cannot see and comprehend it until we stop trying to build our own version of the Kingdom of God with all the wrong tools. This is why Jesus tells us,

“Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”

Our spirituality is a composite of “Yes” and “No”. We say “yes” to the things that are within our power to do and “No” to those things which are beyond our ability and capacity. It is humbling to discover that most of the time, we have to say “No” but it makes our “Yes” even more powerful.

In the streets, Taina is one of the most difficult homeless girls. She is, by no means, a difficult person. She is quite a shy person and has never been rude or disrespectful to us. She is difficult because her condition makes us feel helpless and lost. She is a second generation homeless girl. She had four children before she turned 18 and all of them are third generation homeless. Taina is not an irresponsible person neither a promiscuous one. She just doesn’t know anything else besides being homeless. She sleeps in the streets and has done so from the day she was born. On rare occasions her family were squatters in one of the many abandoned buildings in São Paulo. To make matters worse, she is quite an intelligent and artistic person. We see her potential but she doesn’t believe anything will come out of it. Her mother is in the streets with her. She has spent her whole life being homeless too. This is a family who have accepted that homelessness is the only option for them. Sad to say, they are not wrong. There is nothing they can do which will change this. We feel helpless and useless when we see this young girl. We cannot make any promises that will guarantee a better life for her. There are just countless of “No”. We can only say “Yes” to being present in the streets for her. It seems rather weak and insignificant compared her needs.

Usually we stay in the streets until all the children and teens get a little bored with our presence. Thankfully, especially for our personal ego, we are leaving the streets later than usual nowadays. Since there are about two hundred children in the area, so we don’t get to see everyone every day. One day as we were on our home, we heard someone running after us. We turned around and it was Taina. We thought maybe she needed some help with money for food or diapers. Instead Taina came up to us and said that she just wanted to say hi. She had seen us but didn’t get the chance to come around and just wanted to make sure that we didn’t think she was ignoring us. She hugged us and even gave us a kiss. Then she just left. We were quite amazed with her little deed. We felt like we received a special gift.

There is something Taina saw in us even though we can not do much to improve her lot in life. We saw something in Taina which many don’t see because they cannot see beyond her homelessness. Taina doesn’t want us to change her condition. She knows better than us that it is an uphill battle. However, she wants people to love her as she is and she wants to love people, too. However, not many are giving her the opportunity to do so. Like ourselves, Taina also has to say “No” to many things but she is able to do much with the limited “Yes” in her life. On that particular day, Taina saw an opportunity and shared her love with us. She wanted to share the little she had with us. Now, it remains with us for eternity.

Instead of lamenting about the countless “No” we are forced to say, we realized that God can do much with our limited “Yes”. Like the other story about two fish and five loaves. We will save that one for another time.

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. -Matthew 5:20

Prior to this, Jesus mentioned that we are the Salt and the Light of the world. These are important things that shape our daily spiritual lives. However, before we reflect on these things, we need to heed Jesus’ warning. We are to be different from the Pharisees and the Scribes. These also believed that they were the salt and the Light of the world. We always tend to think of them in a negative light. It is not entirely our fault. They were represented as the primary opposition in the gospels. Jesus defined the Pharisees as people who lived their lives on the surface. They did not dare to go deeper than what it was written. They were satisfied dwelling in the superficiality of life. Consequently, they interpreted their roles without much depth nor insight. They believed that they were the salt. They were convinced that they preserved the identity and vocation of the Jewish people. They believed that they were the Light because they upheld the purity of the Law. They believed it was their duty to point out to others the error of their ways and maintain the pure doctrine of their faith. There are many who follow the footsteps of the Pharisees today. It is an easier path to follow. This is why Jesus warns against walking down this road.

In Jesus’ time, one of the uses of salt was to heal. Salt was also used to preserve food and even as a form of currency. In the gospels, the most prominent part of Jesus’ ministry is healing. Wherever He went, He healed. Therefore, I want to focus on this aspect of salt because it plays an essential role in our ministry. Our children and teens need healing. One of the messages they have received since they were young is that they are not wanted. They have accepted this message as the truth even though it paralyses them. Sometimes people with good intentions unknowingly contribute to this lie. They go to the streets and try to convince the children that they will be accepted if they do such and such a thing. We were one of them. We thought that if the children got a good education and started working, they would be accepted. There is nothing wrong with this. However, unknowingly, we were implying that their rejection was their own fault. Besides, it is not easy for someone who has been homeless since 10 or younger to get an education which is considered worthy of a good job. It is also not easy for someone that has experienced rejection all their lives to overcome their sense of inferiority and get a regular job. Our children carry a deep wound in their souls and they need healing. However, they will never show their wound to anyone. It is too personal for them. In the same manner, we never want to reveal what is deep in our hearts. There are things that we experience which are so deep that we don’t even understand them. Most of us put up barriers that keep people out. We are afraid that we will be rejected if people can see our vulnerability and imperfections. Our children are no different from us. They are fearful to show themselves to the world but at the same time, they don’t want to be invisible to the world.

Our children need healing. They desire to know that they are accepted. It cannot be an acceptance with conditions. This is the spirituality of the Pharisees. They only accept people when they follow their doctrines and traditions. Jesus accepted people unconditionally. It was His unconditional love which helped us find our way in this world. We were once and maybe still are people who are wandering aimlessly without knowing our true purpose. This is, in essence, the definition of sin in the Bible; missing the mark, or rather, not knowing why we exist at all.

We cannot be just the Salt. We need to be the Light so that we can see where and how to apply the healing salt. These two elements are inseparable. Sometimes we are afraid of the Light because it exposes everything we keep hidden in the dark. We only have reason to fear the Light if we think of it as a force which judges and condemns us. This again is the message of the religion of the Pharisees. Their message is a message of condemnation. However, Jesus did not come to condemn but to heal. This is the biblical meaning of the word, salvation. It means healing.

The Light reveals who we are truly. We can see how God sees us and we can see the obstacles before us which hinder us from being the person we are meant to be. There is conflict in our souls. We are polarized. There is a lot of talk that this country being polarized. It is not just restricted to a particular country. It is a worldwide phenomenon. However, it goes beyond politics. This divide exists in our souls. We see children and teens who have much goodness and love in their hearts and yet sometimes they do things which are completely contradictory to their nature. They sense and know this but they are helpless to change it.

“For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” Romans 7:19

There are about two hundred homeless children and teens who live in the streets where we minister. As you can imagine, the streets is a tough place and you have to be tough to survive. The girls, for obvious reasons, have to be tougher than the rest. One of the most intimidating girls is Dyana. Often times we saw her yelling at the other kids or her boyfriend. No one messes with her. Initially she hardly spoke to us for months but not because she did not like us. Even though we did think so initially. Eventually we realized that she is quite shy girl. One day she approached us and asked if she could do something with us. We were little surprised and happy at the same time. It was almost as if she became an entirely different person when she was with us. She revealed her more gentle and tender side.

On another occasion, there was a new trans teenager in the streets. As usual, the new ones are always a target for the others. One of the older boys got in an altercation with her and it was gradually escalating. I was keeping an eye on the situation. Then I saw Dyana stepped in and protect the trans teen. She stood between the teen and her aggressor. At one point, she even yelled at the aggressor saying that he would have to hurt her first before laying a finger on the newcomer. Eventually things calmed down and I never saw the newcomer again after that day. The next day I told Dyana that what she did was very special and kind. She smiled and said, “I can’t just sit there and let this poor girl be bullied.” We don’t know anything about Dyana’s background but it is obvious that she did not have it easy. She did not choose to be homeless but she is not going to allow her condition stop her from showing compassion and love to those who need it. She doesn’t do many activities with us but is always respectful and gives Mary a hug whenever she sees her. This is the real Dyana. The Light has revealed her heart to us and now we can become agents of healing too. Now, we cannot see her as that intimidating person, instead we see a kind person trying to get out of the tough exterior.

Being the Salt and Light of the world is not a chore. It is actually one of most wonderful aspects of the gospel. Jesus invites to participate in seeing the beauty and depth of God’s love in this world. Many have passed by the streets and think Dyana is an unruly teenager girl. We are the salt and the Light of the world. We see what others cannot see. We had a glimpse of the beauty which God sees in this young girl and now we can proclaim God’s healing into her life. However, we will not be able to recognize this beauty unless our spirituality goes beyond that of the Pharisees.