When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’ John 6:5-9

We were quite early. Usually our young people meet us after they have had their first meal of the day at the homeless day center run by the Franciscans. The name of this place sounds oddly very English; “Teatime at the Priest’s”. I am not sure if this is its official name or the homeless just named it after its nature. They used to serve tea and snacks in the afternoon. Back then, there was more food available for the homeless in the earlier part of the day. Lots of things have changed since then. Restaurants no longer are permitted by law to give food to the homeless. There is nothing available for them until the Franciscans serve food about three in the afternoon. We assumed that most of our youth were there. At any rate, they were not ready to receive us yet. Whenever they come to us nowadays, they give us their full attention. Therefore, we know that the wait is worth it.

The streets were packed today. It is the school vacation. Most of the tourists are Brazilians from other states. There was hardly any empty benches. It was a miracle we found one. Just as we got comfortable, a couple of ladies approached where we were sitting. One of them was older needed the aid of a cane. Our bench had space for two more. We scooted over and they rewarded us with an appreciative smile. They got comfortable and went on with their conversations and we did the same. Just then, Rone came by holding a little box. He is amazing at finding things. Recently he found a stack of beautiful children’s books. He gave it to us to use for our church’s children’s library. On another occasion he found a beautiful porcelain teapot which has found a home on our shelf. This time it wasn’t a thing. It was a sad looking bird. He found it at the foot of a tree. It was not moving and looked hurt. He decided to rescue it before some rat or cat ate it. It looked like a young bird and we assumed that it fell off its nest. Rone tried to feed it with bread crumbs but it seemed too sick to want to eat. None of us knew what to do with it. Rone left the bird with us to eat his first meal of the day. Just then, the woman sitting next to us asked us if we wanted a cup of coffee. We did not notice that these women were having a mini picnic right next to us. They had a thermal flask full of coffee. I instinctively said “no” even though the coffee smelled good. I always refuse things when someone offers something to me. I don’t know why. Mary did the same and so did another complete stranger sitting on a bench next to us. Right then a homeless man walked by and rummaged through the trash can which was close to us looking for recyclable items. The woman offered him a cup of coffee and he accepted. Then she turned around and reiterated her offer to me again. She said that she brought extra disposable cups to share. She came prepared to share her coffee. It was her intention to share. She wasn’t just being nice. This time I accepted.

The coffee was good; slightly too sweet for my taste. I like mine black, strong and bitter. Nevertheless, I liked it for other reasons. The woman then returned to her conversation with her friend. The homeless man continued looking for recyclable items and we went back to our pathetic bird wondering if it would make it through the night. Eventually the two women got up to leave and the they wished us a good day. The older woman commented that her friend now has to drive her home all the way back to the outskirts of the city where she lived. It was apparent that the coffee woman had taken her friend out on a special outing. Rone was sitting next to us at this time and he said that they looked very familiar. He wondered if they were the same people who bought him food once. I am not sure if they were. Maybe what is really familiar about them is their spirit. It bore the essence of the Kingdom of God. We have been meeting people like that quite often nowadays.

I would like to use this simple encounter to reflect on the gospel text above. It is a popular text; the feeding of the five thousand. We have heard this story many times in church. Sometimes the most familiar stories are the hardest to interpret. We become so accustomed to them that we tend to overlook the details. However, it is the details which help us delve deeper into the meaning. This week a cup of coffee has drawn my attention to the young boy in the story. Often times he is forgotten because we tend to focus on the big things. This was the problem with Philip. He was too focused on the big things.

The gospel tells us that Jesus tested Philip. Perhaps the word is an unfortunate one. We think of a test as something burdensome and competitive. We can thank our schools for this. Jesus was teaching Philip something important. Actually, the text is teaching us something important. Philip was aware of the huge problem. He was already calculating how to resolve it. In the end, he resigned to the fact that it was something beyond their means. Most of us can appreciate Philip. The problem is that we do not need faith to come to this conclusion. We just have to be pragmatic. In this mindset, big problems need big complex solutions. A regular person like Philip or any of us for that matter cannot do anything about it. Most of the time we just are resigned to this fact and do not attempt anything at all. Maybe we might spend ample time complaining about the problem and the lack of an adequate solution. Andrew understood the situation as well. He tried to find some concrete solution. He found a young boy who was willing to share. Apparently this boy came prepared to share. He had more than enough bread for himself and was willing to offer what he had to others. Practically speaking, this boy’s offering could do nothing to solve the problem. However, it didn’t stop him from making himself available to be part of the solution. Jesus did teach us that we have to become like a child to fully comprehend the Kingdom of God.

Once we were playing games with our children in the streets when a complete stranger came to us and told us that we had good intentions but we were wasting our time. He assured us that we weren’t going to change the situation by playing games with these homeless youth. Instead we should start schools and training centers for them to become skilled. He went on to say that we needed to get aid from the government and run shelters. He kept going on and on about things we already knew. We are fully aware of the magnitude of the problem but it doesn’t change our reality. All we had was “five loaves and two fish”. Well, maybe not two fish, after all, we are vegetarians. Jesus can do something with our “five loaves”. It is small and may appear insignificant. Nevertheless, according to this story, it is enough material for a miracle.

Everyday we seat next to countless people on these benches while we wait for our children. However, these two anonymous women left their mark. They did absolutely nothing special. They just came prepared to share what they had and their love lingered on even after they left. It was a small and simple gesture but enough to remind us that the Kingdom of God starts with small and simple acts. All Jesus needs is the faith of a mustard seed to plant a tree of Love and Compassion. While thousands look for big solutions for complex problems, we should follow the footstep of this little boy who offered the little he had. We can also learn from Andrew. He was an odd duck. He paid attention to the offerings of a naive boy. Consequently, he became an instrumental figure in this remarkable miracle. It is a familiar story, this feeding of the five thousand but it still has a lot to teach us. It brings us deeper and deeper into Kingdom of God.

As for the bird, we recommended Rone to leave the bird in a safe place near an apartment complex. Hopefully, someone living there might know someone who could help it. He gently placed the bird in a box with a note and went off. He saw a creature in need. He knew nothing about caring for a bird but he knew what it is like to be alone and abandoned. He didn’t have much to offer to this bird. It doesn’t matter. God will take what we have and do miracles with it. The thing is that we need to be always prepared to offer the little that we have.

As Jesus went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. Mark 6:34

Taina’s mother recently suffered a stroke. This has catapulted her into adulthood. Technically, Taina is an adult. She is 21 years old. She bears all the signs of an adult woman. She is already a mother of three children. However, there is one important element that changes everything. She was born into homelessness. She had never lived in a house. All her infancy was spent in the streets. Everything she knows is from homelessness. She is street smart but once she is out of the context of homelessness, she is like a child. The so-called regular world is foreign to her. Her mother became homeless as a young teenager. No one really knows why she ended up in the streets but one thing was certain, being homeless was better than her home life. Her mother had five children and all of them where homeless except for brief moments in a shelter. All the fathers are either dead or missing. Her older daughters got married and became squatters in the many abandoned buildings in the city. Taina is the only one who stayed with her mother. Throughout the years, Taina’s mother tried many things to get out of homelessness.

She did not need much. All she wanted was a small room with a bathroom so that her grandchildren can be safe at night. Finally, she found a space. It is a tiny ugly room with moldy walls. It had a bathroom which I rather let my imagine figure out than actually seeing it for myself. However, for Taina’s family, this was a step up. They rented this place for a price that was too high but this is the only option available for the poorest of the poor. We visit them often and she always likes to offer us a hot cup of coffee.

Life has not been fair for her family but they never complain. Now, they are happy that they have a place to live. They often open up their tiny room for the other homeless youth who come by to have meal and sometimes a safe place to sleep. It is amazing to see how people can be crammed into that small space. Her grandchildren commented recently that they never want to sleep in the streets again. This is a good sign that the cycle of homelessness is slowly being ruptured in this family The grandmother promised them that it wouldn’t happen and we are going to do our best to help her keep this promise.

About a month ago, Taina was experiencing severe migraines and her mother decided to take to the public clinic. Another homeless youth, Anderson accompanied them. Taina went in to register and her mother waited outside with Anderson. When she came out, she saw her mother unconscious and Anderson was holding her. He managed to catch her fall before she hit the concrete ground. She was not responding and her face was all distorted. It was obvious she had suffered a stroke. Taina called me immediately at 3 am in the morning. She was sobbing and saying that the doctors thought her mother needed immediate surgery. This is the worst news for our homeless youth. Many of their friends and family who had surgery never came out of it alive. For them, it was a death sentence. Taina thought that she was going to lose her mother forever.

We met the family at the hospital the next day. Her sisters were with her, too. Taina has never dealt with the hospital alone. It was always her mother who handled these things. She wasn’t aware of any of her rights. They were not even allowed to see their mother. We advised her to speak to the social worker for assistance. We encouraged her to be forceful so people would take her seriously and eventually the nurses allowed them to be with their mother. When her sisters left us to be alone with Taina for a moment, she burst into tears. She was so afraid that her mother was going to die. We cried with her and prayed for her. Her mother was discharged in a few days but not because she was ready to go home. The hospital needed the space. Taina had to take her mother home without any wheelchair and without receiving any advice on what do with her partially paralyzed mother. She got her home with the help of some of the homeless youth. They carried her up to their tiny room.

Her mother was completely bed ridden. Taina has to do everything by herself. She cooks and gets all the grandchildren ready for school. Then she cleans and changes her mother. Some of the homeless youth come by and help her carry the mother into the bathroom so that she can have a shower. After she is dressed, the boys carry her back to her bed. We help in whatever ways possible. Some of the neighbors help her too. They stay with her mother when she goes to get the children after school. Some of the youths beg for food and take it over to her place. They make sure that the family always has enough to eat. In one of our regular meetings with her, we asked her if she was getting tired from all these chores. Surprisingly, she said that she enjoyed taking care of her mother. She is just happy that her mother is alive.

Recently, Taina told us that she received some upsetting news. A local pastor informed her that someone had hexed her. After receiving this news, she was so bothered and frustrated. One could imagine that her mind must have been filled with anger and hatred towards this imaginary person. The homeless youth are vulnerable to anything which people of religious authority say to them. They look up to them and believe everything they say. Unfortunately, they are subjected to much abuse as a result. Superstition is very prominent among the general population here. Although Taina had her doubts, she shared this with us. This pastor saw the whole drama which Taina’s family was going through and instead of offering words of encouragement and consolation, she chose to provoke hatred and anger in Taina towards an imaginary person. The worst of it is that it makes Taina suspicious of her friends because according to this pastor, it could be any one of them. This false pastor is an agent of resentment and discord. She told Taina that the only way to be free from this curse is to attend her church.

It is quite sad to see that kind of false gospel being preached to those who are already abandoned and alone in the world. The good news is that we have a Shepherd who does not abandon us to the elements. Instead of helping Taina identify the presence of the Good Shepherd during this momentous passage through the valley of shadow of death, this false shepherd is pointing to the darkness and instilling in Taina fear and despair. We prayed with Taina and assured that our God who created the universe and gave His only Son for our salvation is much more powerful than any hex based on false gods. Taina has more evidence for the goodness of God in her life at this moment than for the presence of any curse. Obviously, if we were to just look superficially at her life, we could only see despair. Taina was born into homelessness. From the moment she came into this world, her life has been hard but she has amazing courage and determination. She is able to recognize God using people around her to help her in this time. She knows that she is not alone and abandoned. Most importantly, for her, Jesus resurrected her mother. Her mother is her Lazarus. She thought that she had lost everything but she had gained her mother back and now she has a renewed zest for life.

She was a sheep without a shepherd. Many false shepherds have tried to install lies into her life. However, the Truth prevails. The Good Shepherd prevails. God has used many people to help her understand that the world might abandon her but God will always be her Shepherd. There will always be passages through the valley of death in our lives; not just for Taina but for all of us. During this period, we should not waste our time asking the wrong questions. The false pastor was trying to make Taina focus on the wrong things. There is no logical explanation for tragic things which happen in our lives. At least, nothing that is satisfactory. However, it is important to know that no matter what happens, the Good Shepherd will always guide us through it. The valley of shadow of Death might seem intimidating to us but the Good Shepherd always guides us through to the banquet of life. Taina and her family know that this banquet is not an illusion. They are eating at its table even though many may not see it. You can not see this reality unless you have faith to perceive the Good Shepherd.

We were all once sheep without a shepherd but the Good Shepherd is eternally present in our lives now.