A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Matthew 21:8-9

“What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked.
They all answered, “Crucify him!” Matthew 27:22

We are at the final leg of the season of Lent. Everything comes together during Holy Week. Well, from another perspective, we can say everything falls apart this week culminating in the crucifixion of our Lord. Of course, we know what is coming up after this. However, we need to hold off on the ending for now and focus on the path to the Cross. It is an important path for us to walk on this week. It is a time of coming to terms with our humanity.

We begin Lent with the reminder of our mortality. We heard the words;

For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.

This verse is from Genesis 3:19. In the context of this verse, we learn that these words are not a mere reminder of our mortality but of sin. Our mortality was never part of God’s plan. Our souls bear witness to this Truth. We were not meant to die. This is why we resist the idea of death so strongly. Death is present in our lives because of sin. There is what I consider an unhealthy attitude towards our mortality. I believe that it goes against our Christian spirituality. In my experience, this attitude is more common among those of a privileged background who can afford to distance themselves from any remembrance of death. They avoid all talk and mention of our mortality. They think any mention of death is morbid and weird.

I belong to a generation and a social class where funerals were part and parcel of my childhood. I never was traumatized. I am glad that my parents did not shelter me from this aspect of life. It has helped me grow in my spirituality. Facing our mortality is important because it makes us reflect on the seriousness of sin. Death is not a punishment but it is a protection from sin. Can you imagine a world where people can live their sinful ways without any restriction? Death is ultimate restriction against sin. It stops us from further propagating sin.

The concept of sin has been abused and spoken of in a way which is hypocritical and meaningless. Nevertheless, we need to talk about it in order to liberate ourselves from it. It should not be spoken of in a way to manipulate or instill fear in people. The essential message of the gospel is liberation from sin.

Despite all its abuses, we cannot refrain from talking about sin. It is an important word. It is a word which best describes our disconnection with existence. It is the word which best describes why we find it hard to comprehend God. It is the best word to describe the dilemma we, as humans, confront in the very fundamental depth of our souls. This dilemma is well expressed in the liturgy of Palm Sunday.

There was no hypocrisy in the joyous reception of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem. The people were genuinely excited to welcome a King who was so different from all the kings they had known in their lives. Jesus was a King who rode into the city on a donkey, the humble animal of the common people. The manner that Jesus entered the city revealed something important to the people. Jesus was not a common politician. Politicians, in Jesus’ time, did not need the approval of the people. They distanced themselves from the people and ruled with an iron fist. They were afraid of the people because they incurred such hatred amongst them. Jesus rode fearlessly among the people because He loved them. The people sensed His love and saw His love in actions. Jesus was not a revolutionist. Today we have a romanticized idea of revolutionaries. However, violence generates violence. Usually the people who suffered the main bulk of this violence were the common people even though revolutionists often fight to improve the conditions of these. We can see this acting out today in the world we live. Jesus was not a revolutionist, at least not in the traditional sense. There are preachers and theologians who would like to force Jesus into one of these molds. Don’t get me wrong. Jesus was political and he was a revolutionist but it was radically different in nature from the politics of this world. The Cross reveals this to us. No revolutionist nor politician willingly goes to the Cross.

The common people of first century suffered the consequences of failed revolutions and corrupt politics. They did not need one more to add to their plight. They wanted someone who would help them see something beyond what was presented before them. They wanted to reach a higher ground. They wanted a glimpse of something to help them reconnect with a reality beyond their grasp. In Jesus, they saw a King who would guide them to a place where their deepest yearnings would be satisfied. He was their Pastor. He was their Good Shepherd.

Just a caveat, they were not looking for pie in the sky. These people were pragmatic people. They did not expect an easier life. They wanted a meaningful Life. They saw this King on a donkey and they saw Life in Him. The kind of Life which gives them treasures that will never rust nor be stolen. They followed Him because their hearts were burning with Hope of knowing that God has finally remembered them.

For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. Romans 7:19-20

The problem with Jesus is that He did not come into our existence to change what is outside of us. He came to transform what is within us. The Pharisees wanted to change the outward nature of things even though, to be fair to them, this religious sect started out with good and holy intentions. Unfortunately, they needed someone to reveal to them that the problem is deep in our souls. The apostle, St Paul, being a former Pharisee, discovered this Truth after his personal encounter with our Lord. The problem is within. Sin is found in the depth of our soul preventing us from doing the good which we were made to do. God created us to be agents of His goodness. In our souls, we know that we will be the happiest when we do good. The presence of Jesus stirred the souls of the people to live out their true vocation as agents of God’s goodness.
Unfortunately, there is also something within us which hinders us. St Paul rightfully identifies this something as sin.

St Paul is not talking about sins in the plural which is something which many preachers and churches like to talk about. They highlight particular sins and forget about the ones which concerns them. This is how Pharisees talked about sin. However, our spirituality must exceed that of the Pharisees. We need to confront the sin in the singular which plagues all of us in the depth of our souls. The sin that hinders from doing the good that we want to do.

I recently read a sermon by Austin Farrer, the priest and confidant of C.S. Lewis, and I found his insight on the nature of sin to be worthy of Holy Week reflection.

“For my sin is not what I think about myself, it is what I do to God.”

The story of the Fall in the book of Genesis begins with an idea. It wasn’t about being disobedient but the impulse to eat the forbidden fruit was to become like god. Sin is removing God from our lives. Consequently, our reconciliation with God is giving Him back His true place in our souls. There is no middle ground. In fact, most ancient religions that withstood the test of time have come to this conclusion. God has to have the ultimate and exclusive place in our lives. However, these religions differ on how to achieve this. In our Christian faith, we see the answer in the person of Jesus. He came into Jerusalem as a King who was a servant. He was a King who lived His life in service to those who were considered weak and unworthy. He is the Lord who showed them how to live their lives in complete communion with God where the Father has a rightful place in the soul of Jesus. In ancient times, kings were not just mere authoritative figures. Kings were also the moral compass of life. Kings showed the people how to fashion their lives after themselves. The King of King showed the people then and now how to live their lives in complete reconciliation with God, giving us power to overcome the dominion of sin in our lives. Unfortunately, the people chose to allow sin to dominate them. Their enthusiasm for the King diminished and they allowed sin to dominate their actions.

Religious enthusiasm is good but it is not enough. Just because we are excited about all things religious and holy doesn’t make us followers of Christ. The joyous welcome of Jesus was genuine and so was the hateful cries to crucify Him. These were the same people of Jerusalem. They did not want to confront the sin in their souls. They did not want Jesus to be their absolute King in their souls. They would rather that the world outside them change without they themselves being transformed by the Love of God within their souls. Outward religious enthusiasm, as sincere as it might seem, still put Jesus on the Cross. We need transformation in our souls. We need to follow Jesus and take up our Cross.

You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. Matthew 5:13

There was a time when I interpreted being the salt in the world as meaning that Jesus wanted us to keep the world from decay.

You know, salt was used to preserve food in Jesus’ time and still is used as preservative in some parts of the world.

I heard preachers say that we are to keep the world from self destruction. It would be great if it was true. The world seems to be falling apart at the seams. This is not a recent occurrence. The world wasn’t any better during Jesus’ time, perhaps even worse. Moreover, it didn’t get better during our Lord’s lifetime either. In fact, there is no indication in His teachings that we should be encumbered with the task of making this world better. The world has and will always be bent on self-destruction.

I am not saying that we should throw in the towel and completely give up on this world. I am saying that maybe we should not take upon ourselves something that is too difficult for us to bear. Jesus did say:

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:29-30

Having the task to keep the world from decay seems to be a heavy yoke. Jesus would never place this responsibility upon us. Perhaps, we need to think about what it means to be the salt the world in another manner.

I grew up Roman Catholic and I joined the Anglican Church when I was 15. One of the things which drew me to the Anglican Church was the local priest at that time. He was a saintly man and extremely interesting. Nevertheless, I could never stay awake during his sermons. I was a teenager then, perhaps my immaturity had a part in my lack of attention. I don’t remember any of his sermons except for one. He preached about the events which led to his own spiritual renewal. He had many health problems. One day, his doctor told him that he either give up salt altogether or he was going to die. He said that this brought to his knees for the first time in his life. He asked God to take him. He would rather die than eat tasteless food for the rest of his life. I remember these words as if they were spoken yesterday. He wasn’t a shallow person. He just didn’t think Life was worth living if he had to forego salt. I know it sounds frivolous. Let’s go a little deeper with this.

A little salt does wonders to food. Even the most tasteless food can be brought to life with a little salt. Food plays an important role in our spirituality. In fact, all the major events in the New Testament and the Old Testament occurred around the table. Some of them were mandated with a threat of punishment. God was serious about feasting.

The philosopher in the Book of Ecclesiastes states,

So I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat, and drink, and enjoy themselves, for this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that God gives them under the sun. Ecclesiastes 8:15

Perhaps I am stepping into dangerous ground here.

Strangely, I know that this verse makes some religious people a little uncomfortable. It seems like enjoyment of life is a controversial topic. Somehow and somewhere in our spirituality, enjoying life is considered taboo. We forget that Jesus came to give us abundant Life. Enjoyment of Life is an essential part of having abundant Life. This joy of living is not reserved for the afterlife. It is for the here and now. The philosopher of the Book of Ecclesiastes is not saying anything which it is not written into the spirituality of the people. The Jewish faith is one of festivity. The Old Testament makes it a Law for people to enjoy themselves if not, they would be punished.

I have to admit that it is strange but it is there.

The Law of Sabbath, for example, is simply a day for us to sit back and enjoy Life and all its beauty like God did after He created this world.

Being the salt of the world is bringing joy into a tasteless existence of pain and suffering. This does not mean we, as followers of Jesus, are obligated to become the Life of the Party. This would be a shallow interpretation of this text.

When Jesus commanded us to become the salt of the world, He is asking us to bring joy into this world. His ministry was one of joy despite the suffering and injustice surrounding Him. He brought healing to those who suffered. He brought sight to the blind. Most importantly, He brought hope to those whom society considered as hopeless. Joy cannot be found without hope and hope cannot be perceived without faith.

Joy is found among those who can through their faith see hope even in the most seemingly hopeless situations. The joy of these people renews their zest for life.

When we first started this ministry in the mid-nineties, we were many things except the salt of the world. We tried to be social reformers. We tried to be personal counsellors. We tried to rescue the young people from homelessness. None of these efforts were very successful. Maybe one or two managed to leave homelessness. However, we are talking about hundreds of homeless young people. Now we realize that we were carrying a burden which Jesus never asked us to carry. When we try to do things beyond our capacity, joy slips through the cracks. Service unto our Lord becomes burdensome and consequently we are unable to transmit hope to those whom we serve.

A wise clergy once advised me upon my ordination to just love the people under my charge. The Holy Spirit used these simple words to communicate to my soul the meaning of being salt of the world. God sent us out into the world to just love the people whom He puts in our lives. Not just our family members, not just our friends, everyone who comes into our lives; our co-workers, the person whom we meet at the grocery store, at the library, the person living next door. We don’t have to impose ourselves on people. There is nothing joyful about being an irritant.

Jesus wants us to be the salt of the world. We are to be always open and available to be God’s channel of Love to those around us. In our case, it is the homeless young people.

This is what Jesus did in his earthly life. He loved the people around Him. He did not try to change society nor reform the corrupt religious system. He loved the people unconditionally. His Love stirred in their souls faith and hope and these gave them the courage to challenge the situations and circumstances oppressing them. However, none of this would be possible without Love.

St Paul writes,

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. I Corinthians 13:13

This is found in the famous Love chapter which has been mistakenly restricted to marriage ceremony. It is the definition of what Jesus means by the word, charity. He has also showed how to live out this charity in practice. It was His last act before His suffering. It is only recorded in one gospel; the gospel of John, the apostle who is also affectionately known as the apostle of Love. Jesus took the role of a servant and washed the feet of his disciples.

In Jesus’ time, most servants, if not all, were slaves. We try to avoid this term in our readings for obvious reasons. However, it is worth nothing that an enslaved person did not have a choice whom one served. In the same way, Jesus did not just wash the feet of those who were nice to Him. He also washed Judas’ feet. In our our judgment, we might think that Judas did not deserve His feet to be washed. However, our Lord washed his feet because He loved Judas. He hoped that His action would reveal to these disciples how much He loved them. These simple men who came from humble backgrounds and were even despised by their society had their feet washed by the King of Kings. This simple act would have stirred their faith and given them hope. It added joy to their life. Their life was given a generous pinch of salt.

Our homeless youth have really dirty feet. There is no way I am going to wash them, let alone touch them. Even we did, they would be weirded out by the experience. However, they want to be loved and this love has to be expressed in a practical manner. The most important way we share this with them is spending our time with them. We have spent 12 years with them. During this time, we play games with them. We talk with them. We listen to them. We help them get their documents. We visit them in the hospital. We allow them to cry in our presence. In some cases, we have buried their friends. Now, they ask to pray with them and help them find some meaning in their lives. Most importantly, we allow them to become special and important to us. We allow them into our lives. Recently, when we were planning to go the cemetery to visit the grave of one of our street friends, a complete stranger walked by and was curious to see this strange group gathered together and making plans. He asked one of the young people who we were. The young man said these people are our parents in the streets. They take care of us.

Simple words. They were salt to my soul as much as we are the salt they needing their lives. They need a good pinch of parental salt in their lives. Divine charity made this possible.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…. Matthew 5:1-12

It is interesting that there are many who argue for the Ten Commandments to be placed in public spaces. However, no one advocates for the Beatitudes.

If you have to wonder, why not?

Maybe because they are a little too personal. They are not concepts or ideas. The beatitudes point to people who really exist in our midst. People, who no one in their right mind, would consider to be blessed if we are honest.

The very first beatitude is very problematic. It talks about the blessed poor. Being poor is never considered a blessing. We try our best to avoid poverty. Mary and I work with the poorest of the poor. We know what it is like to be poor and we try our best to avoid it. We are concerned about our funds. We think about our future when we are older. We worry about health. We want to prepare ourselves for anything which could drive us into poverty. We are afraid of being poor. No one would consider it a blessed state, not even the poor themselves.

A famous ex-president of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, was strangely known for his austere lifestyle rather than his political views. An interviewer once asked him why he chose to live like a poor person despite having access to wealth. He immediately opposed the idea. He said that he was living a simple lifestyle but wasn’t trying to be poor. The poor are people who live in a constant state of lacking their basic needs. He chose not to possess many things because they were not necessary for his happiness.

I think this is a good definition. Poverty is a constant existence of lacking basic things. It is not a condition to be desired and yet Jesus calls the poor blessed.

Jesus never said we need to be poor. Neither did he mean for us to be mourning constantly and not be happy. When he mentioned peacemakers, it doesn’t mean that we have to engage in diplomatic peace relations. When He said about those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, it doesn’t mean that we have to participate in a social movement fighting for the justice and equality for all people.

I am not going to go through all the beatitudes. I think you understand where I am going with this. Jesus is not commanding us to become these people. He is talking about people whom he knew.

Our Lord spent thirty years in a poor community. Jesus came from a poor family. In most likelihood, his mother was a widow or a single mother if you want to modernize the idea. Life must not have been easy for Mary to raise Jesus on her own. Jesus dwelled among people who struggled to survive. They were the nobodies. Maybe they wouldn’t have used these terms in His time. Nevertheless, they would be considered the voiceless people with no prominent place in society. Frankly speaking, no one even cared to hear their voices. This was a time before democracy. There was no need for the people in power to woo the votes of these people. They were people to whom no one would pay attention to in an everyday situation. They were the last people whom society would aspire to become. They were considered the insignificant lot.

Very little has changed today. Perhaps some things have become worse since then. I am not the kind of person who believes that the world is getting worse each day although things are not that great now. Nevertheless, we are not especially doomed.

We are just as doomed as the people in Jesus’ times.

One thing seems to be quite prominent in today’s world which is cruelty. Don’t get me wrong, the world has always been a cruel place. The difference is that we live in a time where all the people mentioned in the beatitudes were mocked. The poor were blamed for their poverty; the meek were jeered for their lack of assertion. Those who mourn were ridiculed and called whiners. The pure in heart were considered gullible and naive. We have negative names for all those represented in the beatitudes and mockery has somehow has become a virtue in this upside down world. Actually, the beatitudes is in reality a denouncement of this perverted world.

The beatitudes calls all those whom the world considers as hopeless and useless to be blessed. In the gospel of Luke, the evangelist goes a step further, Jesus even calls all those whom the world considers to be successful to be cursed. However, we will just limit ourselves to the gospel of Matthew.

Jesus begins His public ministry with this strange pronouncement. Jesus is not saying that we should become like them. This is not a new law for us to follow. It is introducing a new mindset. One which is completely incompatible with the world.

The hope revealed in the Kingdom of God is not found in those whom the world deemed as successful. In fact, those who are well adjusted and happy in this world are not interested in what the gospel offers. They won’t be open to understand this hope because they are doing alright in this world. What would motivate them to seek for something better and greater that is able to overcome all darkness? Only those who recognize that this world is broken and hopeless are ready to receive the Kingdom of God.

However, let us not get caught in this the wealth vs poverty mindset. Understanding hope in the Kingdom of Heaven requires us to transcend this mindset. We never understand what it means to have hope in the Kingdom of God without renouncing the illusory hope which this world offers.

This is really a challenge. If it wasn’t challenging then we wouldn’t need to be here in church. We wouldn’t need the sacraments nor the Bible. We live in a world where we are constantly inundated with the false hope and promises which this world offers. Therefore, we need to change our mindset as St Paul aptly tells us,

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2

Some, however, like to maintain the mindset of this world. Therefore, they avoid all signs revealing the brokenness of this world. These signs are the poor, the homeless, the destitute, the abandoned elderly, the foreigner who meekly submits to humiliation and violence, the family who mourns for those who were so abruptly taken away from them.

However, as followers of Jesus, we cannot turn a blind eye to these living signs because our relationship with them is essential to our spirituality. They are not blessed in themselves. When we walk with them, together we will discover what it means to be blessed in the Kingdom of God.

Recently, someone asked me how we feel keep ourselves from being discouraged in our ministry to the homeless. It is a fair question. I have to admit before this question was asked, I drew a bleak picture of the future of the young homeless people in our ministry. I shared that most of them in all likelihood would never leave homelessness. Besides these, most of them won’t live long either. Our homeless youth have been in the streets since they were young children. Their diet is unhealthy. They are constantly exposed to the elements; not to mention their substance abuse. Moreover, their intellectual development is stunted due to lack of motivation and stimulation. Therefore, the future looks bleak to them.

All these might be news to us. We, as a middle class people, tend to think that their lives can only be fulfilled and happy when they achieve some of the middle class benefits which we possess. We tend to think that the gospel’s promise of abundant life is the middle class life. We can’t help ourselves from thinking this way because this is who we are. We don’t have to reject who we are but we have to be open to be transformed by the Holy Spirit.

Now getting back to the question. We will only feel discouraged when we keep insisting that the hope of the gospel is related to success in this world. The situation is only bleak and hopeless when we stand from the outside and observe. Jesus lived among His people. The whole point of Incarnation is participating in the lives of the people. Jesus participated in their lives and He called them blessed.

Our homeless youth are not upset that they will never leave homelessness. They never thought that it was an option. They never thought that this world would be just to them. They never imagined that was possible. They never thought this world would one day comfort them in their suffering. They never imagined it cared about them. Despite all this, they are people who have hope. Perhaps one would ask hope for what? They have hope for Life. Despite having nothing that we would consider as essential for a good and comfortable life, they have hope that they will have a good Life. However, their Hope for Life is to be known and loved.

After all, this is what all of us want when we drive our fancy cars and go to our so-called successful jobs. We hope that these things we possess would draw the attention of those around us. Somehow we think that the things we possess would justify our existence. Our homeless youth have nothing of these things and yet they have hope that they will be known and loved. This hope is present not because they are saintly. The poor are not saintly neither are anyone else mentioned in the beatitudes. Not even those who are pure in heart. Sometimes these can be a little irritating. The hope is present because faith is activated in their hearts. This faith is stirred within their souls because Jesus is present amongst them. Our Incarnate God never left us. He came back through the Holy Spirit and lives more powerful than before. He is present everywhere and wherever He is present, hope abounds.

To answer the question of being encouraged while serving in an apparently dark situation, our encouragement does not come from outside this circumstance. It comes from allowing the Incarnate God awaken our faith to see that the Kingdom of God can bring hope even in the most unlikely situation. Our faith has taught us to listen to the ones whom the world considers as unfortunate. When we allow our faith to be joined with their faith, hope springs forth. This hope renews our understanding of God. This hope renews our souls. We do not get tired or discouraged when we are with the young people. To the contrary, we are healed from the false promises of this world. Our eyes are opened to see that God is building something new and powerful in our midst. It does not involve better material possessions nor career opportunities. It opens our hearts and minds to understand that the Kingdom of God is about being loved and learning to love unconditionally. This Love empowers all of us to live our true identity in Christ. This is what it means to be truly blessed. This beatitudes points us to go and participate in the lives of the people whom the world has deemed as hopeless in order to discover our Savior present among them.

He invites us to join Him.