Author: fr.stephendass@gmail.com

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Celebration of Life: New Words for a New Life

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

On Felipe’s birthday it was raining heavily. It had been rained for the past few days. On days like this, the children and teens take shelter under the highway bridge. They won’t come out unless the sun comes out. I don’t blame them. The streets are usually wet and flooded with dirty water and a grey and gloomy sky only adds to the overall melancholic atmosphere. It is better to find a dry place and say put. No one dares to complain about the rain. We just came out of a severe drought. The rain is much needed even though a slight relief from its onslaught might be greatly appreciated. We were really hoping for sunny weather this particular day. We wanted to give Felipe his present. Unfortunately, it looked like it wasn’t going to happen. Felipe has spent many birthdays in the streets. Many times even he forgot his own birthday. He was not expecting any gifts or anyone to remember the day. Perhaps it is his defense mechanism. He won’t be disappointed if he doesn’t expect anything. On Christmas, we gave him a simple gift. He felt a little awkward. It was obvious that he does know how to receive a gift. He is accustomed to receiving lose change and leftover food but not gifts. Gifts are special. They are given with thought and consideration. Felipe has forgotten what it means to be remembered and considered. Maybe he had never experienced such sentiments. Consequently, he has no idea what to say or do when someone gives him a gift. He was lost for words. Maybe he didn’t possess the necessary words to express gratitude for something given with love and consideration.

Felipe lives in a world where people are a means to an end. His only connection with people outside his circle is through begging. It is a simple transaction. The people give out of pity and he receives and thanks them without much emotion or eye-contact. We have watched this exchange countless times. It is very dehumanizing for everyone concerned, as well as degrading for the person begging. They feel humiliated and so treat those who give as nothing more than human ATM machines. Sometimes people who give try to treat them with humanity but they are too close to recognize the kind gesture. It is quite heart breaking. No one escapes the degradative effect of begging.

Receiving a gift is different especially when it flows out a relationship. It is an invitation to a deeper and long-lasting relationship. This is something new for Felipe and the other children. They don’t know how to relate to people who remember them on special days or occasions. It is something new and perhaps even strange for them. They know that it demands a deeper response than the mere words of gratitude that they easily dispense in their begging. The gift forces them to open themselves to the giver. They have to respond to the love that is behind the gift. It makes them feel unsure and insecure because it is new. They don’t feel comfortable stepping out of their comfort zone but at the same time the lure of love is very attractive. They like the fact that someone remembers them on their birthdays. They like receiving letters from people whom they never met. They are touched that people are taking time to pray and think about them. All this is new to them. They know that it is something good and new. Now, they have to find the words to express this new thing that is unfolding in their lives.

“The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit.” John 3: 8

In search for something concrete and enduring, the kids come to the street. They want relationships that would help them discover their own self-worth. However, they only find others like themselves who are just as lost. Eventually they give up on finding anything good and worthwhile and drown themselves in whatever is available to help them escape their miserable situation. They have grown accustomed to this misery but things are changing. It is shaking the foundations of their existence in a good way. They don’t have the vocabulary to express their feelings and maybe their fears. Everything is new for them. They talk about it among themselves. They say that we are connecting them to people around the world whereas before people would just ignore or avoid them. They are accustomed to this. Now the foundation of their world is being shaken. They are not alone. Our personal foundation is being shaken as well. Our world is being transformed. We miss the children when it rains. Our day seems a little empty without our time with them. It seems almost pointless. We look forward to our time with the children and teens. They renew the hope in our lives. The hope that God is creating something new and eternal in our midst.

It rained for two days straight before we had a brief reprieve. Felipe was waiting for us. He looked as if we was waiting for us for two days. His face lit up and he wore a big welcoming smile. He said out loud, “You missed my birthday!” He wasn’t mad or sad. He was glad that he could say these words to someone who cared about his special day. We told him that we didn’t forget it. We had a small gift for him. He did not open it immediately. It is almost like he wanted to savor the moment for a while. Finally I had to prompt him to open the package. It was a comic book that he had wanted for a while. He smiled and thanked us. We told him that we had some letters for him as well. We sat down and read one. He wanted to write a reply immediately. In it, he wrote these words,

“God has sent many people to show us that He will care for us.”

It seems like he is discovering new words to express what is happening to him and the other children.

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Celebration of Life: The Fabulous Purpose of the Gospel

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

I made a pleasant mistake of picking up a copy of the “Imitation of Christ” in the beginning of this year. I read it before but this time I found it to be annoying and yet, I could not stop reading it. I found myself disagreeing with it while at the same time, I could not disregard what it says, mainly because it exposes my own struggles with pride and insecurity. It was as if it was written for me. Then, I realized that I was again being an egocentric person. There was no winning with this book. It was written for all peoples; everyone is flawed with a tendency to confuse the message of the gospel with our own personal ideas. I began the year thinking that I should have goals for our ministry so that I can show myself that I have achieved something. However, this is not my ministry. It belongs to God. We either serve His purpose and set aside our personal desires or we aren’t part of it at all. There is no middle ground, only God’s goal established in His gospel matters.

God does not have resolutions like us. He just has one simple eternal plan for the world laid out in the gospels. The gospels testify about the person of Jesus. In all the four gospels, we know that Jesus is notorious for not giving a straight-forward answer. If Jesus were to be present in the flesh in our midst and we asked him what is the essence of the gospel, I am sure that Jesus would answer with a question. He gives nothing away on a platter. He wants us to have the joy of discovering the answer. Thankfully, we have St Paul who attempts some answers. He sought to live the gospel in its plenitude. His complex and rich summary of the gospel was that it was a message of reconciliation. My own plans and goals seem pitiful compared to this lofty aim and purpose. God wants to reconcile the world. With division and strife surrounding us, it is a powerful notion. Our situation is not something new. It has always been like this ever since Adam and Eve had their first children. This is why the ministry of reconciliation is such a controversial and powerful message in every age.

Our responsibility as Christians is to stand in the place where God has called us to be His witness and ask what does it mean to part of this ministry of reconciliation. In our streets, the Holy Spirit is opening our hearts to understand that it means celebrating the lives of the children and teens who have been forgotten and despised by many. St Paul, who was a strict Jewish leader who once disapproved violently any idea of reconciling with the Gentiles, became the champion and model of reconciliation with the very people he despised. They became part of his identity and he loved them and celebrated their lives.

Reconciliation goes beyond saying affirmative statements about an individual. We recognize that our lives have become richer through our relationship with such and such person. St Paul said that everything he lost for the sake of the gospel he considered as dung in comparison to what he had gained. These were not mere words; he laid down his life for these people. He discovered something greater and more precious than his previous status could ever offer. He found God’s beauty and love in the people he once despised or disregarded. He had genuine reasons to celebrate the lives of those whom he served.

We are in a moment in our ministry here where we can say we want to celebrate the lives of the children and teens. Part of celebrating is sharing. There can never be a true rejoicing in isolation. The deep joy of being part of something wonderful and precious is being able to share it with your friends and family and even total strangers. However, evangelical celebration of lives must be done in Truth. If not, it would be reduced to something sentimental and there is no future in this. We can only perceive the true value and beauty of our children and teens through the Holy Spirit. We can only be sensitized to the presence of the Holy Spirit through faith. One of the keys to unleash our faith is through prayer. Before we can truly celebrate, we need to pray; not for God to change things but for Him to change the way we see and understand people. I noticed that whenever I pray, I see more clearly how special and precious these children are even when they are difficult.

I want to begin this year praying that God will reveal to us how to celebrate the lives of the people who He has put into our lives and neighborhood. It doesn’t matter how the world considers these people but God has given them to us so that our lives would be richer. I want to share this wealth with you. I invite you to pray with me as you read about these treasures that we share with you. I am sure that prayer will unleash your faith to celebrate the lives of these little ones together with us in a genuine way.

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Children Connecting with Children

People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16

I made a simple challenge to write letters to our children and teens in the streets. Quite a few people took up the challenge. The letters came in slowly but steadily, then we got a package. It was a bunch of letters written by children from a church in a small city in Florida. The letters were open and honest in a way only a child could write and get away with. We decided that we were going to read these letters first. We decided to read one letter at a time. We did not want to overwhelm our children. Most of them have never received a letter in their lives.

We read the first letter to a young man named Sandro. I wrote a brief description of Sandro to the churches and in it I stated that he liked airplanes. Two children wrote to him. One was older and the other was obviously a very young child. The latter drew a picture of a plane and wrote his wish for Sandro;

“Maybe one day you could get your own airplane and fly around.”

Sandro listened intently while smoking a cigarette. He smiled and said that this was his wish too. He is twenty but he still is very childlike. Listening to the words of another child just brought out the childlikeness in him in spite of the cigarette in his hand. He looked at the picture. It was the artwork of a eight year old. He liked it and said that he was going to keep it. He is good at art. He wants to draw a picture as a present for this young boy. The other letter was from an older girl. She talked about airplanes as well. She shared that she wants to learn how to fly as well. Something that she shares in common with Sandro. They both ended their letters saying that Sandro was in their prayers and they want to hear back from him.

Oh yes, there was another question from the young boy. He wanted to know if where Sandro lived there were cars, buildings and an airport. He wrote that where he lived there were just cars all around and buildings. Sandro thought about the question for a while. He said that he should write that São Paulo has everything that the city where this boy lives has. I told him that this wasn’t true. The letter was written in a small town in the Florida. São Paulo has a hundred times what they have there. We were surrounded by gigantic skyscrapers as we were having this conversation. I told Sandro that it was hard for someone who never been to this city to imagine the immensity of São Paulo. Sandro smiled and was trying to process what I said. In his mind, everything in America is big and wealthy. He could not fathom that he was living in a city bigger and richer than the one where this boy lives. However, the wealth of the city where they live has little bearing on their personal lives. They both come from two extreme realities. However, this difference did not stop them from having a simple connection through a thin slip of paper and with some rudimentary drawings.

The next letter we read was for Felipe. It was from a young girl this time and from her letter, we gather that she must be about ten years old. Felipe lost his dog whom he loved dearly and I mentioned this in my letter to the churches. The young girl used this to create a connection with Felipe. She seemed to understand what it means to lose something or someone precious.

“I hope that you are not lonely without your dog. If you are, you won’t be anymore because I am your new best friend.”

There was no ceremony or hesitance in her offering her friendship to Felipe. He listened to it and had a shy smile on his face. He was touched by this offer. This child did not hide her motivation for writing this letter. She wanted to have a strong connection with Felipe. He did not laugh it off as a childish gesture. He was able to perceive the genuine intention of this child. However, it wasn’t just a one sided offer. She thought that Felipe could help her as well. I wrote that Felipe likes the Old Testament stories. She wrote a verse from Hosea 12:1-2.

“Ephraim feeds on the wind; he pursues the east wind all day and multiplies lies and violence. He makes a treaty with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt. The LORD has a charge to bring against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.”

She asked if Felipe could write back to her and explain the meaning of these verses. I want to see what he is going to say about it. It seems like a random verse but that again, it could mean something special to her. I reckon that it is just an attempt to say that she believes that Felipe has something to offer to her as well.

The final letter that we were able to read this week was for Ruan. It was a simple letter and it said,

“I want to let you know that we are praying for you and when you get into trouble, God is with you and He will forgive you.”

It brought a smile to Ruan’s face immediately. He is always getting into trouble. He is a mischievous boy. However, it wasn’t the words that touched him. It was the intention. The child who wrote this letter did not judge Ruan and focused instead in a gracious and forgiving God. Ruan said immediately that he wanted to write to her back.

There are many more letters from children and adults. I have read letters from adults above the age of seventy. The children marveled that people lived that long. They thought Mary and I were ancient. Now, we were introducing people to them that were older than us. All letters were received with a shy smile. Even those feign that they were not interested, could not help but listen to the words of people who have written to them. They were happy to hear their names being mentioned in the letters. It was a sign that someone out there knows their names. Besides this, we are seeing some unforeseen consequences developing. Felipe who has a low self-esteem started getting interested in English. He is beginning to show interest in learning how to draw and improve his writing skills. Ruan is beginning to read simple words and has been doing his exercises with Mary faithfully. These are just some of the consequences. However, there is something that is also something else happening that is deeper and more meaningful. It is opening doors for us to talk about their responsibility to people. They have lived most of their lives abandoned by their families and society. They have lived without having any responsibility to fellow human beings. Now, they are receiving unconditional love in form of letters from children and adults who have nothing to gain from them. It is an invitation to be connected to them through the bonds of friendship. Now, they have to learn how to respond. I believe that they want to do it but they don’t know how. Perhaps, this is something we can help them to do this year.

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Eternal Moments: An Unexpected Encounter

“And he took a child, and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”- Mark 9:36-37

As I stepped out of the apartment building, I caught a glimpse of our neighbor hugging a young boy. He was about eleven. There was something emotional about the embrace. He looked a little sad and she was trying to comfort him. He was too young to be her son and I have never seen him around before. I was pretty sure that he doesn’t live with her. Anyway, it was none of my business. I said my customary “hello” and “goodbye” and went on my way.

As soon as I stepped out of the building, I heard a soft voice calling out, “Mister, mister.” I assumed that it was for someone else and walked on. The “Mister” persisted until it was right next to me. I turned and saw it was the neighbor’s young relative.

“Do you live in apartment 5B? I live next door, well, at least until tomorrow, I am moving.” He didn’t wait for me to answer and immediately asked the next question; “Do you play the guitar late at night?”

I was a little embarrassed. I have a habit of practicing my guitar late at night. I thought the walls were thick enough to buffer the sound but apparently I was wrong.

“Did I keep you awake?” I asked. “I am sorry if I did.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” He retorted. “Every night I lay in bed listening to your playing. I find it very comforting.” Then his face slightly turned red after saying this. Maybe he felt that he was revealing too much. He waited for me to say something. I wasn’t sure what to say. Finally, I asked if he played. He nodded affirmatively and said that he liked to play Brazilian rock. However, he liked the finger-picking style I played. He asked about it. I told him that it was a classical form. He went silent for a minute. Then he said that his name was Lucas but he was moving tomorrow. It was the second time he said this. He held out his hand and shook my hand. He smiled shyly and said goodbye and went on his way.

This boy seemed like an introvert and it must have taken a lot of courage on his part to approach me. He belongs to a generation of internet and Facebook, a world inundated with virtual friends and relationships but lacking in any real human contact. Every night he heard a real person making some noise on his guitar. I know where I am musically and I won’t say that it was great playing that kept him company. I believe that it was the human contact. Through music, he had contact with a real person but there was a wall separating us. Today he overcome this barrier and made the connection. As I made my way to the bus stop my mind was reeling over our simple interaction and lo and behold, he was there waiting for his bus. He did not see me and I wasn’t going to get his attention. I am kind of an introvert as well. I don’t really feel comfortable approaching strangers. Then, all the sudden, like before, I heard the voice again but this time, it was a question; “Where are you going?”

I told him that I was going to a bookshop. He automatically said that he was going for some extra lessons with a tutor. He asked what I did for work and I told him that I worked with homeless children. He kept quiet for a while. I could see that his mind was thinking. He wanted to say something but he wasn’t sure what was appropriate. I asked if my neighbor was his grandmother. He said no but did not elaborate. I did not pursue the subject. I don’t need him to unravel his complicated family background. Besides, it wouldn’t add anything to this encounter. Then, there was a silence between us but it wasn’t awkward. It was just silence. When my bus arrived, he shook my hand again. He smiled and I could see that he was happy that he made the connection with me. I was grateful for this opportunity.

There was a wall between us. The barrier would have separated us forever. He took the initiative to overcome the wall. Now, we had this moment together. He has seen my face and I know his name. Maybe there will be other moments like this and maybe we will never see each other again. After all, he is moving. No matter what happens we had this moment together and it will remain with me. Something mysterious happened in my soul. I cannot explain it. It reminds me of the beauty of Christmas; God overcoming barriers and making Himself known to us.

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Eternal Moments: Learning to Receive

Igor was relating the parable of the Good Samaritan to us. To be honest, I was wondering throughout the whole time why he was painstakingly telling us all the details of this parable. Surely he must know that this is a well-known parable and we are well aware of this story. After all, I am a minister and that should count for something. Igor knows this. We even did a bible study together on this story. Now he was recounting the parable to us as if we never heard it before. Then, it occurred to me. Maybe, just maybe, I should just listen and stop whatever I was doing mentally. He wants to tell us something important and the Good Samaritan is central to it. It is his story and I have to put my ego aside and listen as if it was the first time I heard this parable. After all, it is the first time ever hearing it from Igor. He believes that he has something new to bring to the table.

He called us a few days ago and wanted to meet with us. At first, I thought something was wrong. Unfortunately, my mind is prone to pessimism. We haven’t heard from him for a while and we tend to take comfort in the no news is good news mindset. However, we know that this is not always the case. This is why hearing Igor’s voice on the phone, I got a little nervous. Igor is living with his aunt presently. He is reconciled with his aunt after fifteen years. His mother was murdered trying to protect this very aunt. Despite his mother’s sacrifice for their sibling, Igor and his aunt were never on good terms. We are not sure why. However, whatever the problem was between them, it got resolved. She accepted her nephew into her household.
He had been living in the streets for 13 years prior to this. At the age of 20, he decided that he did not want to be homeless anymore. It took a lot of courage on his part to leave everything behind. Both parents were dead. His brother was shot by the police in a robbery attempt. The only family he had known since he was seven was the other teens and children in the streets. He was loved by them too. However, Igor knew that this adopted street family was volatile. It did not have the foundation for something more concrete and lasting. He wanted something better and durable for his life. He yearned for peace and fulfillment. He knew that it required sacrifice and determination. He was willing to make the former but it was hard to be determined and persevere to reach his goal on his own and alone in this world. It was at this time when God brought us together.

Igor took the initiative. He approached us first. He asked how many languages we spoke and expressed an interested in languages. This was really just his attempt to connect with us. We naturally grabbed this opening and offered to teach him English; something he accepted enthusiastically. We started meeting with him regularly for English lessons. We took him to a public library which was ironically situated in the square where they slept. However, he would have never entered this place on his own. It was such an irony. He was so close to place filled with all kinds of information and knowledge that he was interested in knowing and yet his low self-esteem was the only obstacle that prevented him from entering its doors. Even with us, he was just comfortable sitting outside on the benches of the library to learn basic English conversations.

Our lessons usually ended with long conversations about life in general. Needless to say, our friendship got stronger as Igor found the courage to confide in us. Igor even commented once that he never had friends who were like parents to him. This was three years ago. Here we are today, sitting with this young man who had been to the Juvenile detention at least ten times since he was eight relating the story about the Good Samaritan. A few years ago, he would have been talking about drugs and crime and today he is interested in sharing about God. He has been going to church twice a week and is actively involved in the youth program. His greatest struggle has been finding a job. He hasn’t held a steady job since he left the streets. All the jobs available want someone with experience. Igor has only dealt with crime most of his life. Money was never an issue for him when he lived in the streets. Nowadays, he can barely pay the bus fare to visit us. However, he wanted to see us. It has been months since we last spoke. Recently, he started a woodworking course. He received some financial aid from a church to pay for his bus fare to and fro from this course. He managed to save some of this money and use it to visit us. It was important for him to be with us now. It was important for us to listen to what he has to say even though I knew the story by heart.

Finally he got to the moment when the Good Samaritan appeared in the story. Igor went on to explain that Samaritans were considered outcasts and yet it did not hinder this particular one from helping a man who despised him. He concluded that God uses people whom we least expect. Then he said that we were the good Samaritans in his life. He never expected people like us to appear in his life and God used us to bring him hope and peace in a moment when he thought that he was just abandoned for dead. This was the insight that Igor wanted to bring to this story. He continued to say that the other teens and children did not see what God was doing through us. He doesn’t know why he felt something different and decided to take the step to approach us. He hopes that one day his adopted street family will see what he saw in us.

Mary and I responded with silence. I was humbled by what he said and at the same time, I was a little embarrassed and ashamed of myself. My mind was obsessed with our knowledge of the biblical stories and I almost missed a wonderful gift this young man was giving me. He thought that it was important was us to know that he understood our presence in his life. He was giving us a Christmas present. Igor reiterated that one day God will reward us for the time and energy we put into our relationship with him. Mary said that waiting wasn’t necessary, we have already received it. She is right. Igor is our reward. We don’t need anything else. He is our eternal Christmas gift from God.

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Eternal Moments : The Christmas Season

I have been quiet since Thanksgiving. My thoughts have been on Christmas. For a while there, it appeared to be too early to talk about Christmas. I know that as an Anglican clergy that the season of Advent precedes Christmas. However, everywhere around us, there are lights and decorations. The music everywhere sings of the joys of the season. It is impossible to pretend that Christmas is not here yet. Personally, I don’t want to wait. I love Christmas. It’s the most wonderful…..no, I won’t succumb to that. However, it doesn’t change the fact that it is indeed an amazing time of the year. People are thinking about others for a change. They are shopping for others. They even consider giving gifts to people that they don’t normally think about. Perhaps they are influenced by sentimentalism and commercialization. Nevertheless, there is something that occurs deep within the souls of the people which inspires charitable attitudes. People tend to be more generous. Money doesn’t seem to be a concern. People are giving money to our children and teens in the streets. They, on other hand, are more reflective. This year, in particular, they seem to be open with us about their sentiments about Christmas. One even suggested that we do secret Santa with them. It is not going to happen because it would take planning and organization. These two things are not in the general vocabulary of our children and teens. However, the invitation itself is special. They want us to be part of their Christmas celebration. Every year, for a short period, we are given an opportunity to stop and reflect on something wonderful that happened to humanity. It disrupts our hustle and bustle of daily strife and makes us reflect. Some, perhaps, only reflect for a very brief moment. Others take a step closer to discover the Truth presented to us in the Person of Jesus. This is the best we can do really. Each season, we take a step closer in understanding the mystery of the God who became Man.

The first Christmas disrupted our cycle of life, work and death. Eternity entered into the conversation of life. The peaceful night of the shepherds were disturbed by an angelic choir pronouncing a new beginning. Noble wisemen were forced to go into places reserved for lowly servants and bow their knees on the soiled floor of a stable. The peaceful daily routine of life was disrupted because the Eternal One came into our reality. Interestingly, none of the first celebrants of Christmas questioned the inappropriateness of the birthplace. They were not scandalized that the Hope of the world could not even afford a nice room. The first Christmas was an invitation to reflect beyond the limitation of our reality. All the material wealth of this world failed to give the King of Kings a decent room. It failed to honor the One who deserves the utmost. However, this did not stop the Eternal One from transforming this humble abode into a glorious temple of hope.Today we complain about commercialization and trivialization of Christmas. We forget that all this cannot destroy its meaning. We don’t give the season its worth. It is our Eternal King that makes this time special. He presents Himself in the most unlikely places. The joy of Christmas is not a mere celebration of an event that took place in Bethlehem but, as the beautiful hymn* proclaims, it is an event that continuously occurs in those who would listen to the gentle beckoning of this humble child. Christ enters into our humble reality.

“How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still,
The dear Christ enters in.”

Jesus came into this world to call us to stop and turn our eyes to Him. He brings a new dimension into our souls. He presents the Eternity to our limited world of time and space. It changes everything. It gives us hope to overcome the pain and suffering that our reality brings upon us. It reminds us that there is more to life than just what is presented here. It may sound like a “pie in the sky” theology. Well, it sounds like it because it is exactly this that is being presented in the coming of the King. He brought an eternal pie but it is not in the sky. It is here and now in the person of Jesus. He came to dwell among us and He is still present among us. It is easy to forget this Truth. We spend most of our time thinking about Jesus and sometimes defending doctrines about Him. However, Christmas makes us go beyond the “about Him”. It challenges us to meet Him who is eternally present in our time and space. We are taken away from our busy schedules and transported to a moment where all time-tables and datelines become irrelevant. We reminded that there is an eternal reality. This is the universal appeal of the season. God introduces His reality into this temporal world through Jesus. We don’t make Christmas special. Therefore, nothing we can do can jeopardize and banalize it. It belongs to God. It is His gift to us. However, those who are too busy might just miss it. Sometimes the most unlikely people might appreciate it.

Just like the first Christmas, we cannot choose the place and time where the Eternal One presents Himself to us. We go to the streets everyday trying to discern His presence. Some days are easier than others. Our minds are not always aware of His presence. It is easy for us to be distracted. Some days, when we least expect it, the Eternal One appears to us in the most unlikely places. It is moments like these that give a glimpse of what the first Christmas was like. God came into our reality in an unexpected way. He came and opened our eyes to see the joy of living and filled our hearts with peace that the world cannot comprehend. These moments are a glimpse of the eternal reality that dwells among us. We hope in the coming days to share some brief encounters with the Eternal One with you in our posts. Perhaps in some small way, we can contribute to your reflection on this special time of the year.

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A Culture of Life

Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas,[a] and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’-Luke 19:11-14

“For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”-Luke 19:26

It seems like the wrong person is always getting elected. This is often coupled with the fact that he or she always belongs to the party that we oppose vehemently.

With every new president, some things get better and others worse. It doesn’t matter who they are or their party affiliation. It is a cycle of life just like everything in nature. It goes on independently of the presidents and the politicians. We spend our time investing our passions and energy on something that just happens naturally. Jesus definitely did not participate in it. When he was asked about his political affiliation, Jesus simply responded, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jewish authorities: but now is my kingdom not from hence (John 18:36).”

Each election cycle tends to bring out the worst in people and we have to ask ourselves this important question; what is our role as Christians in all of this? It is understandable that those who do not subscribe to the Christian faith put their faith and hope in this political reality. They believe that this material kingdom is the be-all and end-all. They judge it as the foundation and basis for all endeavors and even perhaps their access to God or some sort of spirituality; not unlike those who attempted to construct the Tower of Babel. As Christians, we know the end of this story: utter chaos. We should also be wary of any talk about utopia or greatness or unity. All these illusionary goals can indeed become dangerous idols. Without God, none of this is possible. However, having said this, God does not need our manipulation to achieve them in this world. Historically, political entities that have attempted to establish utopian-like existence have resulted in many disastrous things. When we unite people without true love and God’s grace, we need a common enemy or a scapegoat to hate. Hatred for a common enemy becomes the basis for unity or utopian societies. This is not just an opinion; there has been extensive study on this done by a renown sociologist and philosopher, Rene Girard, in his major work, The Scapegoat. Nothing good comes out of this. If we want peace and greatness, then politics is definitely not the way to achieve this, especially the kind of politics presented by this world through its deceiving media. As Christians, we should ask ourselves; why do we insist on constructing the Tower of Babel when the inevitable result is chaos? Perhaps, we should focus on something more concrete as Christians. There is more to life than politics. The people in the text above asked Jesus a political question and Jesus responded with a parable. It wasn’t the answer that they were expecting.

We also have lived through a tumultuous political period in the Brazil in the past few months. A couple of months ago, sirens and helicopters were constantly heard from our apartment because of riots and protest. These were daily occurrences. However, everyday whenever we went to the streets, it was business as usual for thousands of people. The political climate did not change the basic reality of the everyday people. Eventually the protests died down and everyone realized that politics was just getting in the way of everyday life. I would say that this is not true politics. It is the media trying to stir up dissent and strife while pretending to be purveyors of the truth. What they say has very little to do with everyday life. When the people asked Jesus about the coming of Kingdom of God, they wanted to hear media politics. Jesus gave them an answer, showing them something completely different. He revealed how to be really political in the Kingdom of God.

I would recommend reading this parable in its entirety.

It was strange that Jesus would use a ruthless nobleman as the protagonist. In other places, Jesus said that the Kingdom of God was not like the kingdom of this world and yet the nobleman in this parable was very much like the princes of this world. Therefore, we can take it to understand that the nobleman is not a definitive depiction of God. I believe that his role is used to emphasize the chasm between those who are in the “know” and those are not in this political system. This system operates on violence and dominance and Jesus presented it as such. It does not mean that he condones it. Whatever the noble does is beyond the control of the servants but they are not helpless spectators. The interactions between the noble and his subjects are nothing out of the ordinary in this parable. He behaves exactly the same way as any king of his time. It wasn’t a democracy: it was a tyranny. Even in such hostile conditions, we, as servants of God, are not helpless. We can still be real participants in the political life of the God’s kingdom. It has everything to do with using our gifts that God has given to us.

I have to confess that I find it tedious when people say that they feel blessed to born in such and such place whenever they hear the plight of the poor in other countries. Their criteria for being blessed is material wealth. This is fine for someone who is not a Christian or rather, for those who are not interested in being a citizen in God’s kingdom. However, true blessing is gauged by our application of the gifts that God has given us to do something productive for the Kingdom of God. Saying that we are blessed and doing absolutely nothing is very much like being the the servant who said, “Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.”(Luke 19:20). God does not need to be reminded that He has given us something we can share. He wants to know how we use what we are given for the greater good.

We have heard countless of times that the world is promoting a culture of death. It has said been so many times that it has become a cliche. Electing politicians into office is not the way to avoid suicidal traits in society. If anything, it would be the weakest way to counteract against the tragic trajectory of the world. Policies are not going to bring the hope of life into the hearts of people. Material wealth does not going to bring joy: if so, suicide rates would be the lowest in wealthiest countries, but the opposite is true. Only the gospel can bring hope and joy. God has given us the gifts that we can use within our capacity to promote the culture of life that the gospel proclaims. It is not just voting pro-life which may be just a tactic of media politics. The Kingdom of God demands that our lives promote the joy of life in others through loving them. Loving others is not pointing out the mistakes in others but living our lives in a way that would make our neighbors desire to know the life and person of Jesus who is the foundation of our hope and joy.

This week, Ruan surprised us. He invited us to go to his house with him. It was the first time in three years that we got such an invitation. He informed us that he told his family about it and they were open to the idea. We have known Ruan for a while now and he hardly mentions anything of his family. Suddenly a letter from a church member in Florida is opening all kinds of doors. He wanted to send a picture of his family to this person and this was the main reason for our invitation. We met his mother and sisters. We did not know that Ruan had a new step-father whom he mentioned minutes before we got to his house. He was also very excited to introduce us to his grandfather who is just a few years older than us. It seems like he is the most consistent male presence in his life. The house was small but it was cramped with things. It contained most of the modern conveniences including a large TV. Ruan’s mother was mad that he preferred to sleep in the streets than at home. She believes that she provides everything to entice him to stay at home but he just refuses. He did not say much but he wanted to tell his mother about us and that he was learning to read and write. Unfortunately his mother was too busy being mad at him to listen to him. It was a little tense and we decided to ease the tension by taking pictures and explaining why he wanted to take them. It was our first visit and I don’t foresee any future visits unless Ruan initiates it. This first visit was important for him. He wanted us to meet his family and we are glad that we did.

We don’t know why Ruan is in the streets. Besides having all the material conveniences, his house was tiny and they had more than five people in a space of a small living room. However, it wasn’t the lack of space that brought him to the streets. One thing we know for certain that no child in his or her right mind would want to be far away from her/his mother and sleep in the filthy streets. Ruan prefers the streets more than his home. Something happened to cause this. We cannot change this something. It is beyond our capacity. We cannot change his family dynamics. It is the way that they have learned to function in this life. They don’t see anything wrong and we have no right to tell them otherwise. However, there is something that we can do. We can show Ruan that he is indeed a valuable person to us. We have the capacity to care and love him within our limitations. To do this, we don’t need the approval of the government; we don’t need a proper social and political climate or the ideal family situation. All we need is to recognize God’s presence in our lives and in the lives of others. However, we cannot do this work alone. We need the participation of others who are interested in Kingdom politics and not media-frenzy spectator politics. Real godly politics is where people reach and touch the hearts of their neighbors and help them see Life. From what I have been seeing, partisan politics regardless of which side we choose, promotes death; death of relationship, death of love and death of intelligence.

I am not saying all political systems are the same. Some systems appear to build good towers of Babel, but they can never be the Kingdom of God. This is a Kingdom of Grace and Love. It is not brought about by our workings. It is given to us through the person of Jesus. We did not vote Him into office but He chose us. He has given us the power to be His instruments of Life in this world. One day, He is going to ask each one of us what we have done with our gifts. We hope that on this faithful day, we can bring Ruan forward and say, “Our gifts have taught us to see the beauty of Life in this little child.”

This, my faithful Christians, is the culture of the Kingdom of God.

 

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Letters, Literacy and Related Events

“Do you know what I want for Christmas?” Ruan asked Mary. She was a little hesitant. On one occasion, Ruan asked for a cell phone for his birthday present. The other children just laughed when they heard this. They reminded him that presents are not something we demand from others. Now, he was talking about Christmas gifts. She thought that it was going to be another absurd request. He did not wait for her response. He just came out with it and said, “I want to learn how to read and write before Christmas.” It was definitely unexpected.

About a year ago, Ruan came up to us and told us that he wanted to learn how to read and write. He is thirteen years old and completely illiterate. He has been to the public school but never learned the basics. He is not the only one. In fact, most of our children and teens are illiterate. Only a handful of them are able to write their own names. However, none of them ever displayed any interest in learning or education in general. All of them have had negative experiences in the school system. After hearing stories about the precarious schools in the poor neighborhoods, we can understand their aversion. Recently we have noticed a change in their attitude towards learning. They are asking us to do more educational activities with them. The amazing thing is that the initiative comes from them and not us. We can’t really pinpoint one single incident that awakened this growing intellectual curiosity. I believe there are a series of events which contributed to this and they share one common denominator, which is relationship. The children have discovered the value of education within the context of human relationship. Prior to this, they have associated school and learning as something institutional and distant. They did not see the relevance of their knowledge in real life. Now, they want to learn because it makes sense to them within the context of a friendship.

I believe Bruno has a major part to play in this but his participation is unintentional. He loves to learn English and is self-motivated learner. Everyday he waits for us with a list of words that he wants us to translate into English. He is always coming up with new phrases and he wants to know the meaning of certain words and how to use them. The children noticed that Bruno has always tons of things to talk about with us. They wanted to be part of this but they did not know how. Some would sit next to us and just listen quietly. They noticed that the subject was about a movie or a book and it always connected to something educational. Ruan was the first one to ask our help. He wanted to read the books like Bruno and have access to the things that we talked about. Then Felipe started asking questions about the English language. Alex approached us and wanted to know if we have books about animals. One by one they begin to open up to us about their specific interest. They saw that their interest could be a means of building a stronger relationship with us. In a way, they are right. Their interests give a glimpse of the things that they like and care about. When they share it with us, they are giving an access into their souls.

Then the letters started coming. Ruan was the first one to receive one. It was from a church member in Florida. When I read the letter to him for the first time, he hardly said anything. He was impressed that someone would take the time to write to him. Then a few months later, we received some more letters for the other children and teens. The reaction was always the same. They listened quietly and all of them smiled when I told them that they were written by people from a far away land. After a while, nothing was ever said of these letters in our presence. However, unbeknownst to us, these letters were topic of conversations in the evenings when the children and teens were by themselves. The letters have created such an impact that some of the children began ask us why they did not receive any letters. They want to correspond with someone in the churches in Florida. I told them that letters are like a conversation. We don’t have to wait for someone else to initiate the conversation. They can do it as well.

In the past month, Ruan has been practicing writing with Mary. He even decided to forego a trip to the beach with the rest of the children because he did not want to miss his lessons with Mary. A couple of days ago, he asked if we would help him write the letter. Mary wrote down what he dictated;

“Dear…I really liked the letter you sent me and especially the Christmas card from last year. I thank you for praying for me. I want to tell you about my family…..I, Ruan, have three sisters but my favorite sister is four months old.….I want to make a Christmas card for you and hopefully I can send it to you with this letter….By the way, have you ever seen a alligator, if you can, please send me a picture of one…Please continue to pray for me and my family. By the way, my mother’s name is Andrea…”

Every single word written here flowed out of his heart without any guidance from us. This is the first letter Ruan has ever dictated in his life. I am sure that it won’t be the last. Maybe he might attempt to write the next one by himself.

“What do you do in your free time?”

The children have been become increasingly curious about our lives. They want to know what we do when we are not with them. We told them that we don’t have a TV at home. They were shocked. It is something unimaginable for them. We told them that we like to read and having a TV takes our away time away from books. Bruno, trying to find something common with us, started talking about books that he wanted to read. He threw out names of some classical literature. The others got a little jealous because they did not know names of any books. Some of them have never had any access to books in their lives. To rectify this, I decided to take a Roald Dahl book to the streets recently. He was one of my favorite authors when I was a young boy. I have acquired several of his books in Portuguese with the hope that some day I can give it to our children to read. For now, I just wanted to share some of my favorite books with them. I showed the book to Ruan and told him that if he learns how to read well I will give him a book like this one. His face lit up. He immediately grabbed the book out of my hand and showed it to the other children and said, “Look what Uncle Stephen bought for me to read one day.” The others looked on and I could see that they were a little envious. I did not say anything. Hopefully their jealousy will give them the desire to read as well. Bruno asked about the author. I told him that he was the one who wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This led into a long conversation about other books of this author that were made into movies. The children were familiar with the movies but they never knew that they were based on a book.

My most memorable time in school was when we had lessons with our favorite teacher. It did not matter what the lesson was. It was almost irrelevant. If the teacher was a loving person who truly cared about us, whatever subject he or she taught was interesting. Education is fun and exciting when it helps to bring us closer to one we love. I had forgotten about this essential and crucial aspect of education. Education on its own is dull and uninteresting. However, if it opens the door to wonderful world of warm human relationship, then it becomes marvelous and exciting.

Ruan is progressing gradually everyday. He recognizes new words every day. He likes to sit next to Mary and listen intently to her instructions. He has developed a ritual. He practices writing or reading first and then he wants to play checkers with me. He has been faithful in his lessons everyday. I think that this Christmas he is going to get his wish.

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Limited Space

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” -Luke 19:1-5

The children like this story. It is a story to which they can easily relate. They identify themselves with Zacchaeus. At first glance, it is hard to see the connection. The man in the story was wealthy and corrupt. He did not lack anything materially. Our children are homeless. They sleep under a bridge. They don’t have any possessions. Besides all these differences, they see something in Zacchaeus reminds them of themselves. Many of us may not want to identify ourselves with him. We prefer to think that we are better than him. For most of us, this story is an example of the power of God’s grace. We liken the person of Zacchaeus to that of a drug dealer, or a politician standing for Presidential election or someone we would like to easily allocate into the cesspool of objectionable personality. However, our children see a complex human being in Zacchaeus not unlike themselves.

We know how this story ends, even our children are very familiar with it. We tend to focus on the ending and ignore some interesting details in the story. The author of the gospel saw that it was important that we knew about Zacchaeus’ physical stature. His small stature wasn’t a physical ailment or some other impairment that warrants special attention. It was just something that helps to give an insight into Zacchaeus’ personality. The gospel wants us to go beyond the superficial assessment of a person in society. It requires to question why a person is the way he or she is. The story tells that, because of his height, Zacchaeus could not participate in the event of the day; the arrival of Jesus in Jericho. Even though he possessed wealth and power as a tax collector, it did not give him privy to the one of the most important events of the city. He was an outsider and most likely had always been an outsider. No one cared that Zacchaeus couldn’t see Jesus. In fact, no one cared if he existed or not. This must have been the story of his life. He was alone and had to make his way in this world. He chose the wrong way to do it. He was ruthless and unkind. He stole from people and the flaunted his wealth. People began to notice him. They despised him but he apparently did not mind this as long as they were forced to acknowledge his existence.

The more we get to know our children the easier it becomes for us to see the connection between Zacchaeus and them. The thing that brings them to the streets is not poverty; it does have a small contributing role but it is not the major reason. Our children don’t mind being poor. They can adapt to it. However, they do mind being neglected and ignored. They don’t demand too much attention but they want to know that their existence is important to someone. Most of them have suffered a trauma which caused them to flee to the streets. It is not even the tragic circumstance itself that brought to the streets. It is the unfortunate fact that no one cared enough to notice or help them through their traumatic experience. They take refuge in the streets hoping that someone will notice them. Those who engage in criminal activities don’t do so because of survival. They can have food and clothing without stealing. They can even buy drugs with the money they get from begging. However, people only notice their existence when they steal. People only think of the homeless children when they do something negative. Most of the time, they are invisible because they occupy such a small space in their lives or society just the like the man of small stature in the story from the gospel.

Zacchaeus was hidden from the crowd but Jesus noticed him anyway. This was a dream come true for him. He did not need to do anything to be acknowledged. Jesus knew him by name and broke bread in his household. The people despised the fact that Jesus wasted his time and energy on this person. People liked to crowd around the person of Jesus. They often spoke of Him. Unfortunately most of them hardly understood what He came to do. He came to look for those whom we want to forget in society. In this story, it was a wealthy man; in others, this person was a forgotten widow or a homeless beggar. They come from different social backgrounds but they share a common trait. All of them occupy a small place in the hearts and minds of people, so small that it is easy to forget that they exist. Most of the time, people don’t even think that they deserve God’s grace. Strangely, God chooses these people to help understand the meaning and immensity of His grace. However, if we choose to remain in our hatred and apathy, then we won’t be able to see or appreciate it.

Zacchaeus had been taking from people all his life. He found his identity in possessing things aggressively. However, now he discovered that this was unnecessary. He changed. He became a giver.

One remarkable change in our relationship with the children over the past few months is the fact that they are beginning to offer things to us. Usually it is some simple snacks. They have done this before as a courteous gesture but now there is a subtle difference. They offer us things that they buy with their own money. They even insist that we take it when we politely refuse. They want us to have something of theirs. They don’t want our relationship to be one-sided. They want it to become a mutual relationship. They want to be generous with us. This is a sign of genuine spiritual transformation; generosity always begets generosity.

Zacchaeus experienced God’s generosity and he could not help but become generous himself. However, he did not try to give to Jesus anything. There was nothing he could offer Him that would measure up to what he had received. Jesus had given Zacchaeus his existence. He realized that even though the world around him had ignored him all his life, Jesus knew him by name. No amount of money or power could compensate for this gift he had just received. The only thing he could do was to follow the example of Jesus. He gave to those who couldn’t reciprocate and he also undid the wrong he had done in his life. He had spent his life taking and now it was time to give.

There are Zacchaeus all around us. Some are rich and powerful and some are poor and isolated. They are people whom we like to forget. However, they are not different from us. They are just like us trying to find a place in this world. They are just like us trying to find a reason to justify our existence. The only difference perhaps is that they are more aware of their anonymity in this world then the rest of us. God chose Zacchaeus to show that even though you are despised and hated by the world, this does not disqualify one from God’s grace. The children understand this valuable lesson. They are glad that Jesus chose to dine at Zacchaeus’ home. It gives them hope. It gives us hope as well.

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The Weak and the Strong

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”-Luke 18:11-14

A fight had broken out. We were in the middle of it literally. Ruan and Alex were fighting where we were sitting. We were unintentionally the cause of the fight. Alex was being difficult and he used some foul language. Ruan confronted him. He thought that it was inappropriate to use that kind of language in our presence. The next thing we knew they were throwing punches at each other. Ruan is only 14 but he is almost twice Alex’s size who is two years older. Things went from bad to worse. Alex emotionally disintegrated right before our very eyes. His face turned red and tears flowed profusely. We pleaded with them to stop but their passions had taken control of them completely. Before anything could be done, a punch landed on Alex’s face and he lost his balance. His head hit the steps. Blood started to ooze out a gash just above his right eye. Alex became hysterical at this point. He was screaming away at Ruan and was wailing like a two year old. Ruan just sat down in silence.

Alex went to the side of the cathedral and sat there alone. He couldn’t stop crying and he then laid down on his side. To make matters worse, he started to hyperventilate. He looked like he was going into shock. We tried to calm him but he was inconsolable. Ruan became remorseful for his actions and came over to apologize. However, Alex was not in the right frame of mind to accept anything from anyone. We began to get worried. It seems like he needed medical attention, and then he slowly started to breathe normally. Throughout this time, Ruan sat behind him and said that he was sorry. Alex continued to bleed from his wound but he refused any first aid from us. He stood up and walked away in a daze. We remained at the steps. Our minds were reeling from the whole incident. We have never seen any of our children or teens break down in this manner before. We have never seen them in such a vulnerable and fragile state.

All it took was a simple altercation. It is something that happens on a daily basis in the streets. Everyday we walk by people fighting over the silliest things. Maybe it sounds strange to some readers but it is the reality in the streets here. Alex navigates in this world daily. He always appeared to be comfortable in this environment. Maybe he believed that he was immune to the violence until a punch landed on his face. The aggression revealed to him that he was just as fragile as anyone. Perhaps it was too much for him and he couldn’t handle it. For us, it was heart breaking scene. We saw a teenager revert to the young lonely child. We had a glimpse of the hidden frighten child in the teenage body of Alex. There was nothing we could do or say that would help Alex.

There is something in us that wants to show the world that we are strong and better than others. This was the basis for the fight between the boys. In the end, the only thing that was obvious was how weak we are as human beings. We stood and watched Alex in tears and broken emotionally. There was hardly anything we could do to make it better. Ruan has physical strength and sometimes he does things to appear like a bully. In reality, he has a tender heart. He wants to be a good person but ends up doing things that hurt others like Alex. He is unable to do the good he so desperately wants to do. Alex wanted to show everyone that no one can push him around. The only thing he managed to reveal to the world was how fragile he really is.

The Pharisee in the above parable wanted to believe that he was better than the tax collector. He thought that he was stronger than the tax collector who has succumbed to the temptations of life. Unfortunately, in his attempt to show off his strengths, he ended up revealing that he was much worse. The tax collector showed the better way. He acknowledged his utter weakness. Maybe because he did not have much of a choice. Society had already condemned him for being a traitor. His weakness and vulnerabilities were open for everyone to see and judge. In a strange way, this involuntary exposure of his personal and moral frailties made him open to receive something better and greater. It has given him the wisdom to discover a different and a more lasting and powerful source of strength.

We saw Alex and Ruan a few days later. They were talking and joking around together. Ruan came up to us and said that we were late. We were not. We arrived at our usual time. Ruan and Alex were early. They usually show up later in the day. There was something different about them. Ruan was more affectionate. Alex approached Mary and started telling her about things that happened to him over the weekend. There was a tenderness in the way they interacted with us. I think it has something to do with being vulnerable. The fight was a simple altercation in the eyes of many. However, the Holy Spirit transformed it into an encounter where all our frailties were revealed. It has given us the courage to admit that we are weak and now we are ready to discover our true strength in the redeeming power of God’s love. Perhaps this is why the boys were not afraid to share their love and affection with us. They no longer needed to pretend to be tough. They just needed to be themselves. The strength will come from the One who is truly strong.

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