Then he told this parable: A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” He replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.” Luke 13:6-9

A few interesting things happened this week; nothing remotely exciting, just normal stuff. The first was a message from a clergy friend. She asked if I could share about our day to day ministry. The other was my friend’s decision to participate in our ministry. This friend has been a regular guest at our home for years. Every time we sat down to have a meal together, we tend to talk about our interactions with the homeless young people. Our friends know the names of our youth because we talk so much about them. Finally, he asked us if he could be part of this ministry. He wants to join us at least once a week and last Monday was his first day. Two simple events but interesting enough to inspire serious reflection. I want to add a third element; the gospel parable about the kind and compassionate gardener.

My clergy friend’s request is simple and straightforward. However, she is not just asking for information. She is looking for a door to participate in our ministry. Therefore, it makes it a deeply spiritual request. I could easily describe our daily activities in a couple of lines. After all, we have done the same thing everyday for almost 12 years now. We meet the young people in the streets where they sleep. For the present moment, it is in a city square. We usually talk about an hour or so sometimes even longer. Then the same youth comes by every day asks us to start a game of Uno. It has been the same game for a few years now. We tried changing the game but they did not take too well to it. In general, changes are not well received. They live in the streets where things are constantly changing. Therefore, they want some things to remain the same. It is not just our homeless youth. It is our human nature.

Our games usually last for a couple of hours. We play with just three or four youths. The others tend to gather around us and talk among themselves. Yesterday, they were talking about strange people they have met. They like sitting close to us. It gives them the feeling that we are a little family. In many ways, we are one. Someone looking from the outside might see all this as a waste of time. It would seem like a fruitless manner to spend our time, in our case, our lives. They are right but we would do it over and over again if possible.

Our friend joined us for the first time on Monday. The young people received him and even the dogs. I forgot to mention them. We do have some dogs thrown into the mix. They can be very protective but they welcomed our friend. He played several rounds of Uno with us. The conversations flowed naturally but something was different. The youth were cordial but a connection was lacking. The topic of conversation was the same but there was a lack of trust. In our interactions with the youth, many times they like to fib. They don’t do it in an intentionally way. It is their way of filling the gap in their stories in order communicate something. Sometimes they do it because they don’t want to look ignorant. They know that we know when they are lying. However, they know that we understand too. With a new person present there, they don’t feel so confident. This is just one small aspect of the disconnection. There is something more profound and I am unsure if words could express it. This disconnect made me miss the youth even though they were right front of us. They weren’t able to be themselves. One new person changed the dynamics of the group. It is our hope that as our friend comes more frequently and consistently, the youth would open up to him. For the time being, if I am honest, I am glad that he comes only once a week. Maybe I am being a little selfish. It has come to be that we need the connection with our youth as much as they need it from us. Therefore, when there is a disconnection, something essential is missing from our lives.

Our homeless youth have many people going through their lives on a daily basis. There are groups who serve them food. These people deliver the food to them and leave. There are health workers from the public clinic. They do their rounds among the homeless and attend to whatever medical needs they have and then they leave. All these people come to address a specific problem of homelessness. Once the need is addressed, the connection between them and the homeless youth evaporates too. All these people provide important services to our youth. However, no one just “wastes” time with these young people. It is through these so-called “useless activities” that the young people know that we just like being with them.

A ministry that follows in the footsteps of the Incarnate God cannot be problem focused ministry. Jesus did not come into this world to solve a problem. He came to show us how to live our lives to the fullest.

There are some religious groups which reduce the gospel to a problem solving gospel. They preach that Jesus came to save us from our sins. Sometimes the message is extended to say the things Jesus can do for us. Jesus becomes a functional being. Then the focus is always on this aspect and nothing more. However, Jesus spent a bulk of His time on earth just living Life like your everyday person. In other words, He sanctified our everyday lives. His words and ministry are powerful and enduring, not because He used beautiful words and did amazing miracles. It is because He was connected with people. He participated in the life doing things like sitting around talking with his mother and brothers. Maybe he spent time with friends doing absolutely nothing “productive”. Maybe He spent a lot of time playing with children and this is why the children were drawn to Him. These are mere speculations but the fact is that for thirty years Jesus just lived a normal life. These times were essential for Jesus to create a deep and profound connection with the people. This is not a mere sentimental attachment. It is deeply spiritual. It creates a unity between our Lord and the people. It helped Him become One with the people and it helped the people become one with Him.

The parable from the gospel is interesting. I used to interpret it as if God the Father was asking the tree to be removed and God the Son was interceding for a second chance. However, this would be inconsistent with the essential message of the gospel according to Jesus. He came to reveal the Father and not Himself. I see it now as two conflicting ideas we have of God. We have an image of God which is still common and active in the imaginations of many as a God who is demanding and detached from the world. The Gardener is the true image of God according to the gospels. He sees things from a different perspective. He looks at the tree from a perspective of someone who participates in the life of the tree. Even though the tree has failed to produce fruits, it is still His fig tree. He cultivated it and has taken care of it from the time it was seedling. He understands what it needs to flourish. The owner thinks it is not worth the time and energy because he is detached from the life of the tree. The gardener participates in its growth and the tree becomes spiritually part of Him.

Our friend who has just joined us will understand all this one day. For now, he is still a little detached from the youth. He needs to waste some time with them doing the same and repetitious things. It is not going to happen overnight. It might take a few years. Participation always takes time. It took our Lord 30 years. Don’t expect things to be easier for us. There is no quick and easy way. We have to be willing to pay the price to gain a space in someone’s heart. This is what participation is all about. If we are not willing to waste time with the other, then we won’t appreciate being one with them. Our Lord, however, thought it was worth it.