“Lead us not into Temptation but deliver us from Evil”

Felipe is a young man in his late twenties. He has been homeless since he was eight. He asked me once if God allowed the children and youth to be homeless in order to test their faith. This is a topic of discussion among our youth when we are not around. They often wonder why they are homeless. They don’t lament about it. They don’t want to blame anyone for their situation. They just need to know for themselves. They want to know if all this is part of God’s plan.

In the New Testament, there is a distinction between trials and temptations. Sometimes trials can be seen as something coming from God but not temptation. God never tempts people. However, if we were to think that God made our children and youth homeless just to test their faith, it would make Him look rather cruel and callous. We need to be careful. We don’t want to inadvertently turn God into a demon.

The Bible doesn’t help much but makes things a little complicated. The story of Abraham and Isaac and of course, Job, give us the idea of a God toying with the lives of His children. This is a complex issue. I am not going to delve too deeply into it here. It is something theologians and philosophers have dabbled with for centuries. I am not going to make a fool of myself and try to come up with a simplistic answer. However, as priest, I have to find a way to interpret this in a manner consistent with the image of God revealed to us in the gospels. Especially to Felipe and the other homeless youth.

Jesus revealed to us a Heavenly Father who waits for those who rejected him to return home. He receives them back unconditionally. He is a Father who drops everything to seek the one who is lost. He is willing to give us His Son to reveal His divine Love to the world. Most importantly, at the Cross, we have an image of our God who would rather suffer injustice and die a brutal death than to justly destroy humanity for its wickedness. Therefore, it seems incoherent to say this God would make children and youth suffer just for the sake of testing them. Besides, God does not need to create situations and circumstances to make people suffer. This world does a great job making life miserable.

Jesus left His Life as carpenter in a small village and confronted the broken world. He suffered the consequences and become the beacon of Hope and Salvation for all humanity. God did not make Jesus suffer because He was testing Him. The world made him suffer but it could not stop Jesus from becoming the source of Living Water. Therefore, when the Bible says God is testing us, let us consider this possibility. It does not mean God is tormenting us to drive home a point. It means to say that suffering and pain cannot stop us from discovering the abundant Life Jesus promised. However, if we live our lives constantly in fear of the harsh realities of Life, then we will lose out on discovering the eternal Love which is able to overcome all things.

Perhaps this is not a perfect argument. Maybe it is a little weak if confronted with philosophical arguments. It satisfied our youth who felt deeply the injustices of living in a fragmented world.

Now, let us confront temptations.

The epistles of James tell us that God never tempts anyone. Temptation is an enticement to do and become evil.

Let us put aside the caricature of evil which is often portrayed in this world and seek more biblical understanding of evil. In the Bible, evil refers to anything which dehumanizes the person. It seeks to destroy the very thing God created us to be; images of God.

In our ministry, we are confronted with evil regularly. We see many people treat the homeless as if they are invisible. I have to say that indifference and apathy are the worst form of evil. They are an attempt to deprive the person of an existence. We also see our own homeless youth engaging in acts which dehumanize the other. They dehumanize their victims without any consideration for their pain and suffering. It is vanity to imagine that we are not affected by evil. It is contagious. It attempts to seduce us to accept its logic and reasoning. It constantly tempts us to give up hope and accept things as they are. Sometimes we are tempted to submit to evil’s lies and normalize terms like “necessary evil” or “fighting evil with evil”. It is constantly trying to seduce us into believing that the “other” doesn’t deserve to be treated as an image of God.

Last year I was punched in the face. It is not a metaphor, it really happened. Mary and I stopped a group of police who were brutally beating up a homeless man in public. His crime was that he sat in an area reserved for tourists. He refused to leave and they got violent. However, it wasn’t the police who hit me. It was passerby who took delight in the brutal act of violence. He was upset that we stopped the scene and punched me. At the moment, evil took dominance of my heart. Thanks be to God, Mary yelled out, “If you love me you will not do anything.” This brought me back to my senses but my heart was filled anger and hatred. Then we met with our homeless youth. My lip was swollen and bleeding. I related what happened. Then one of the the young people said, “Just let it go, (Uncle) Stephen, we are not like them. We don’t act in violence.” At that precise moment, I felt my soul being delivered from evil. I was also proud of the young man. He became an instrument of God and delivered my soul from evil.

The Lord’s Prayer is a communal prayer. When we pray to be saved from the lures of temptation and deliverance of evil, we are putting ourselves in a position to become God’s instruments to help each other from straying into the path of evil. The community who prays the Lord prayer should not be lamenting how evil has triumphed in this world. The Lord’s Prayer gives the confidence to confront evil and together we can overcome it. It is not based on our strength and wisdom. We can overcome it because we have a Lord who showed us exactly how to overcome this world with Love. The Cross triumphed over all the lies and deceit of this world. God has not abandoned this world. However, we have to stop looking for deliverance from evil in the wrong places. For me, it came from a place least expected. Now, I wear the punch on the face as a medal. God has revealed to me where to look for His comfort and love when temptations assail me.

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.”

This part of the Lord’s prayer touches on the subject of sin. It is interesting that our Lord addresses the question of sin only towards the end of the prayer. Furthermore, He emphasizes forgiveness and not punishment nor condemnation. In the streets where we do our ministry, there are many street preachers. They meet at the same spot every day, in the same vicinity as where we meet with the children. These preachers like to highlight specific sins, especially those they perceive in others. It is often a message of fear and condemnation. It promotes isolation rather than reconciliation. Jesus never addresses sin without forgiveness and hope. Besides, whenever Jesus talked about sin with his disciples, He always taught them to address their sins first and never the sins of others.

“Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?” Matthew 7:3

The Lord’s Prayer follows this teaching. Jesus teaches us to pray that God will forgive the “log” in our eyes so that we can forgive the “speck” in the eyes of our neighbor. Before we can do anything in the name of the gospel, it is essential that we are aware of our own sinful nature. The purpose is not to restrict us nor make us feel guilty or small and insignificant. To the contrary, the purpose is to liberate us so that we can do great things for the Kingdom of God. Sin limits us. It restricts our mind. It impoverishes our soul. The Lord’s Prayer, on the other hand, is about liberation.

The Old Testament tells us a story which illustrates the concept of sin expressed in the Lord’s Prayer. It is taken from the calling of the prophet Isaiah. Incidentally it is also part of our Anglican liturgy. The prophet sees a vision of God worshipped in His majesty and holiness and the angels and archangels proclaiming;

‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.’ (Isa. 6:3)

Isaiah was confronted by the holiness of God and he realized that he was a sinful man. It wasn’t just his personal sins. This would have been an easy problem to solve. However, he became aware of his inevitable state of sin. He confessed,

“Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’”

The Lord’s Prayer takes us through the same journey the prophet, Isaiah, took. First, it reveals to us the true nature of God. He is our heavenly Father. He manifested Himself in this world as our Father.Then it reveals to us His glory. God’s kingdom is being established and His will is irresistible. It is not a kingdom like the kingdom of violence and dominance of this world. It is a Kingdom of a Loving Father. It reminds us that God is our Providence. He will give us everything we need to proclaim His Fatherhood and His active presence in this world. Now, we come to the obstacle. The only thing which could hinder us from fulfilling our divine vocation is our sin. The sin here is quite specific. It is not our misgivings and faults. It transcends these concepts. It is actually our mindset. We often forget that we live in a broken world and we are broken people. Therefore, our thoughts and ideas are fragmented too. In other words, like Isaiah, we need to be constantly purified by the Holy Spirit.

I went into this ministry with the mindset that the homeless children and youth are a problem that needs to be solved. I forgot that God is the Heavenly Father. He never waits around for anyone to show His Love to the world. I lost track of this God. I was so busy trying to solve a problem which no one asked me to solve that I was not able to perceive God’s active presence in the streets. Consequently, I did not have anything significant to communicate to the homeless youth. I could not testify of God’s love because I did not see it. I did not see it because I was too busy trying to be God instead of participating in what God is doing.

I also lost my own personal humanity in the process. The very essence of being a complete human being is found in the enjoyment of the presence of another human being. I could not enjoy the presence of our children and youth if I only considered them as problems needing to be resolved. I needed to take the log out of my eyes so that I could clearly see who these young people are in the Father’s eyes.

We live in a broken world. Only our Heavenly Father who is perfect and holy can create something new and perfect in the midst of the ruins of this world. He is creating something new. He has been doing this from the very beginning of time and has never abandoned His project. Unfortunately, if we hold on to our broken views and ideas, we may not see it clearly. The Pharisees were not able to see something new and wonderful in the person of Jesus because they refused to let go of their broken thoughts about God and the world. They did not see the “log” in their eyes. The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to give up our sinful way of thinking so that we will be liberated to see the great and wonderful things God is doing in our midst.

The prayer also requires us to forgive those who have imposed their limited and broken mindset on us. If we recognize our limited mindset, then it would be only natural for us to understand why others insist on holding on unto it. We should look at them with compassion. We should be able to understand how easy it is to be locked into an old way of thinking. However, recognition of one’s sin can only come from a direct encounter with God. It is not something we can convince others. It is something that only God the Father is able to bring about in our souls. Remember the preachers in the streets. They have spent decades talking about sin. No one listens to them because there is no hope in their message. Hope comes from God and God alone.

Our homeless youth are no different from us. They formulate their ideas about themselves and God from this same broken world.

A person once said that fifty percent of what the homeless youth say is lies and the other fifty percent is untrue.

Bruno loves to talk about movies especially the classics. If you were to meet him, he will tell you upfront that his favorite actress is Bette Davis. It doesn’t matter if you are interested in movies. He will tell you everything about movies that you never wanted to know. After a few minutes, you might be convinced that he is genius who just got lost in the streets. There is no doubt about his intelligence. However, it is doubtful if he has ever watched a movie from the start to finish. He definitely has not seen any movies with Bette Davis. At first, we found his lies a little draining. Then we realized that Bruno wasn’t lying to be deceitful. He wanted us to think highly of him. His whole life is one of rejection. He believes that he would be accepted if he could prove his worth to us. He embraced this genius persona so that he could be recognized as a person. We have known Bruno for more than ten years. The sad reality is that he will never leave the streets. The day he was placed in an orphanage, he completely lost his sense of identity. He never understood why his mother rejected him. His lies are just a way of finding someone to accept him. Today he lies less. Sometimes he knows that we know he is lying. However, it doesn’t matter. We took the log out of our eyes and saw Bruno is just like us, living in this broken world and trying to find someone who would accept him unconditionally. I believe Bruno is discovering that he is accepted. We are discovering that God’s love knows no boundaries. All this because the Holy Spirit gave us the courage to remove the log out of our eyes and discover our Heavenly Father acting in a manner beyond what we can imagine with our broken fragmented mind.

It is easy to mistake familiarity with knowledge. Familiarity just means that we have heard or seen something many times. Knowledge comes when we are seized by the Truth that these words convey.

I realized in my preparation of these sermons that the Lord’s Prayer uses the personal pronouns, “our” and “us”; instead of “my” or “me”. Perhaps this detail is more relevant today than ever. We are living in a time where the world is being divided into “us” and “them” categories. It is important for us to start with the premise that there is no “them” in the Lord’s prayer. It just “our Father” because He is the Father of all things created. Then there is “us”, His created beings. Therefore, when we pray for our daily bread, we are not praying for my daily bread. We are praying for all of us to have daily bread. Then there is also the challenge to understand what this “daily bread” means in our lives. Many reduce it to its literal meaning. Sometimes this is problematic because bread alone doesn’t suffice.

Whenever we mention homeless children and youth, people always want to know whether we feed them. Food is always the first thing which comes to mind. It is understandable. This is the most visible need. We are made of flesh and blood. We can’t survive on mere lofty thoughts. Sometimes I tell people that our principal focus is on their spiritual needs. People often say, “yes, yes. That is all good but how do they get their food?” However, it is also important to remember that the gospel is not about filling our stomachs. Most importantly, people don’t exist merely for their stomachs. In the gospels, the devil wanted Jesus to use His miraculous powers to turn stone into bread. It was a logical suggestion if we think about it. Jesus was hungry and He had the power to do miracles. In a way, the devil wanted to reduce the gospel to a mere satisfaction of our bodily needs. Jesus responded,

“One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

The homeless in São Paulo never lack food. There are always religious and non-religious groups serving at least two meals a day. Many times the food donations come while we are with the young people. Whenever the donations arrive, the homeless line up to receive their meals which consists of rice and beans and a protein. Then each individual sits alone in some spot to eat it. There is no social interaction between the homeless and the people who provide the meals. They don’t even talk among themselves. Their meals are consumed in the same total isolation in which they live. Their stomachs are filled but there is no joy nor peace in the process. It doesn’t matter if they are served with the most delicious and choicest food in the world. They eat their food without any enjoyment. This is not the daily bread which Jesus taught us to pray for.

Eating has become an isolated event without any social nor spiritual significance. This is not true only for our homeless youth. It is a modern phenomenon.

In Jesus’ time, meals were a communal affair. They did not just meet a physical necessity but they were moments to enjoy the company of the ones whom we love. Think about this. Whenever we invite someone for a meal, it is usually because we want them to have a greater role in our lives. We recognize that their presence can enrich our lives.

“Give us today our daily bread”

This is not just about satisfying our stomach. It is about enjoyment of life. It is about having relationships. It is about knowing that you are loved.

Jesus never just gave bread away. He broke bread with the people around Him especially with those who were usually excluded from the table of many households. Jesus overcame the barriers of “us” and “them” by breaking bread with them. The bread He gave satisfied not only their physical hunger but it also nourished their souls. In the streets, the stomachs of the homeless youth are filled but their souls are still hungry. They did not make the streets their home because of their empty stomachs. They made the streets their home because they could not find the love they needed at home or anywhere else. In fact, most of them are in the streets because no one ever acknowledged their presence as a person.

Recently, Mary, my wife, wrote about our encounter with Igor on our blog. Our relationship with Igor began in the streets and then it continued at the table with the bread which God gave us.

He was one of the first youth we met in 2013. He had been living in the streets since the tender age of 9. His mother was tragically murdered. He ran away because he had no one to prepare and eat a meal with him at home. He spent a great part of his young life in and out of the detention center. He was violent and used drugs heavily. However, when we meet him for the first time, he showed us his gentle and kind side. He expressed an interest to learn English. In reality, he just wanted a connection with us. We took him out for coffee and had our first English lesson. Then it eventually became a meal. After a while we had him over to our apartment for lunch. During this time, he made a decision to leave drugs and crime behind. He asked us to accompany him to a pentecostal church. It was the kind of church which was familiar to him. He made a commitment to God and tried his best to change his life. He was successful at first. Unfortunately, he never found a place where he could break bread. He eventually went back to the streets; disappointed in himself and with life. The church he went to only gave him support for so-called spiritual things. We supported him as much as we could but he needed more. He disappeared for a while. This happens. Sometimes our children and youth disappear for a while. They usually move to a different area.

We ran into him on several occasions. Once, he was with young men who looked like they were deep into crime. They were just lost as him. He even offered to take us out for a meal. He wanted to break bread with us. It was quite saddening for us to see him in this situation. However, we believed he would find a way. We told him so and assured him that he could always count on us for support.

Just before Christmas, we ran into him. This time, his face was full of Light. He gave us the longest and tightest hug ever. He was working in a snack stand owned by his father-in-law. He is married and has two young girls. He invited us this time to have a meal with him. We promised that we would after this trip. He sent me a picture of himself having a meal with his wife and two lovely girls. He is finally enjoying His daily bread. This last Christmas, we broke bread with extra gratitude and joy. We felt privileged that we had a part in Igor’s life. Now, he, together with us, can enjoy the daily bread that the Lord bestows upon us. However, it does not mean that Igor might not fall again. Life is not a fairy tale story where every thing occurs in a linear manner. The important thing for Igor to know is that there is always bread at our table for him to enjoy with us no matter what happens to him.

To be frank, when we started this ministry, we had no idea how things would take shape and form. We prayed and told God that we were open and available to share the Bread He has given us. We had little to offer but our Lord is able and willing to take our little and do miracles with it. Our Lord never disappoints. However, miracles do not happen in a spectacular way. They happen in a quiet and simple manner. Now, our young people sit with us everyday and eat their meals together in our presence. They don’t eat alone now but as a family. It is a simple thing. Many don’t see this miracle unfold before them. However, some people do. I hope you do, too.

“Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”

I will continue on our reflection on the Lord’s Payer.

I want to start with the phrase, “Thy Will”.

All of us believe, whether we admit it or not, our lives are not random. At least, it is our hope that we have a purpose in this life. We also believe that our lives are lived to the fullest when we discover this purpose. As religious people, we call this “the will of God”. Muslims will tell you that the meaning of Islam is “submission to God’s will”. In the colloquial language, Muslims often used the phrase, “inshallah” which means, “If God wills” after every plan or proposal because they believed that God’s will is superior and better than their own rational plans. The Will of God plays an essential role in the lives of peoples of all religions.

In the scientific community, the religious phrase is substituted for “Laws of Nature”. It is the desire in some scientific fields, especially among physicists, to discover the one rule which governs all creation. They have discovered many universal rules in the process and have done great things with them. It is a similar idea to the religious notion. We believe that if we know God’s will, we can organize our lives to live in harmony with it. We are convinced that our happiness is intrinsically linked with it.

Many times people have asked us what made Mary and I leave our home countries to go the streets of São Paulo, Brazil. In my case, I was a native of Singapore and Mary, of Maine. Incidentally, we met in São Paulo. She went there before I arrived. Therefore, neither one of us followed each other to Brazil. We both went there for the same reason.

It is not any different from the reason why most people go to church or other religious institutions. We wanted to discover God’s will for our lives. We felt in our souls that it was connected with this ministry. Therefore, the most personal answer we can give to anyone for doing this ministry is that it makes us feel happy and fulfilled.

Many times I have heard preachers say that God has individual plan worked out for each one of us. I used to believe this but not anymore. I am more than convinced that God has only one single plan for every one. God has One Perfect Will for every being and creature and there is room and space for everyone to be part of this. Jesus, from the very beginning of His ministry, has proclaimed God’s plan. God desires for us to be part of His Kingdom here on earth. This is God’s will.

The way we perceive and understand God’s Kingdom in our midst will shape how we discern God’s will for our lives.

The Kingdom of God is not something we can materialize with our own personal efforts and strength. It is not based on our wishful thinking nor accomplished by our creative measures. It is something beyond our understanding and comprehension. Sometimes it appears to be illogical and impractical to our ways. Think about this; Jesus came into this world as a son of a carpenter. This is not the way to establish a political Kingdom. According to our standards, He should have been born into a influential family. Before his birth, no carpenter has changed the world in human history. Yet, this carpenter’s son has influenced the world more than any skilled and intelligent political rulers of human history.

When we pray, “Thy Kingdom come”, we are actually saying that God will establish His Kingdom regardless of what happens in this world. He establishes it according to His values and principles revealed through His Son, Jesus. The sermon on the Mount in the gospel of Matthew explicitly teaches us these values and, in the midst of this profound teaching, we find the Lord’s Prayer. The Kingdom of God is something we can only see clearly when we pray to God to open our eyes and ears. Our wisdom and knowledge won’t suffice. We need to pray that our faith will be awakened to see the eternal presence of the Kingdom of God in our midst. Where the Kingdom is manifested, there is hope, peace and joy.

To be honest, before I started working in this ministry, I never imagined working with homeless children and youth. Like I mentioned before, I come from Singapore. All I knew about South America back then was it was a place of military dictatorship and carnivals. However, I was earnestly seeking God’s will for my life. I was open and available. Then I heard someone mention Brazil. My interest perked up for no rhyme or reason. Then I felt a desire in my heart to see what God was doing in this country. I ended up in São Paulo without any plans to work with homeless children. A missionary brought me to the streets to meet the homeless youth. I saw about two to three hundred children and teens sleeping in the streets. I should have been shocked and disturbed by this sight. I was surrounded by hopelessness and misery. The number is significantly less today. However, it is still unsettling to see families living in this condition for three generations. Children who have never had a home in their lives. Young boys and girls at age of ten or less living without any adult to guide and protect them. Even worse is how society looks at them. It treats them as problems which need to be solved. The government is more concerned about clean streets for the tourist and they see the homeless children and adults as a nuisance. All this should have depressed me but I was struck by something beautiful and hopeful. In an inexplicable manner, I was seized by the Kingdom of God. I saw it with own my eyes. You may ask what exactly did I see?

It was something unexplainable but not unidentifiable. The New Testament tells us that the essence of God’s nature is Love. In the streets, we met with children and teens who have been rejected from the day they were born. They were considered outcast by society and many hold them in disdain. Despite all this negativity directed towards them, these young people are still open to love. They are sensitive to love. I don’t want to romanticize them. There is violence and deceit present too. However, it is not different than the kind you find in any middle class neighborhood. It is just that in the streets everything is open for everyone to see. Nevertheless, whenever we engage with the kids, we sense this aura of Love around us. Recently, this presence of God’s love has even drawn the attention of passerbys. Sometimes so-called regular people come and sit and watch us. Sometimes someone will ask if they can play a game with us. They sense the will of God being manifested in their midst. In other words, they see when two or three are gathered in His Name, God’s Love is manifested.

When I first started out in this ministry, I was about 25. Many said that it was just youthful idealism. Perhaps a little messiah complex thrown into the mix. All these were true. However, when we seek to do His will, His Spirit will purify our souls. Eventually I went to seminary and took the ordination route. I served in several parishes. I enjoyed visiting members and praying and comforting people in my parishes. However, I never saw the Kingdom of God as clearly as I saw it when I ministered to the homeless youth. Therefore, Mary and I chose to return to this ministry in 2013. Now, the Bible made more sense to me whenever I am among the homeless youth. My faith makes sense to me. I discovered God’s will in the lives of these young people and there was a space for me to be part of it. I am not saying what we do is superior or better than others. I am saying that when we find our place in God’s will, things will fall into places. Life won’t get easier but there is happiness and fulfillment. Some people say that it is a special vocation. Maybe it is true. I don’t know. I think it is just prayer. God responded to my prayers to see His will being done. Whenever we pray the Lord’s prayer, we are asking God to open our eyes and hearts to experience His will being done. It is not about what we do but how we see God’s Kingdom manifested in our midst. When this happens, we will easily see our place in God’s eternal will.

Therefore, I hope this simple reflection will contribute in your understanding of God’s will for your Life. There is a space and place for everyone in God’s eternal project. You don’t have to come Brazil where we are. Neither do you have to accomplish great things in order to fulfill His will. God’s will is simple. There are no hierarchy in God’s will. There is only One will and whenever we do it, we will sense the immensity of God’s love in our lives. It will bring hope and fulfillment to us. It will make the gospel more real and meaningful, not just to us, but to the world.

Let us pray together, “Thy Kingdom come and Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” and avail ourselves to be part of the great and many wonderful things God is doing in our midst.

“Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name.”

The way we pray shapes the way we live.

This is why the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. As Jewish people, they learned how to pray since they were little lads. However, they saw something unique and special in the life of Jesus. They wanted to pray themselves into living the way Jesus lived. This is the function of prayer. It is a prelude to action. In today’s religious context, people use prayer in lieu of action. Many times people say, “I will pray for you” when in reality they are saying, “I am not going to do anything but I do feel bad about it.” In order to appreciate the profundity of the Lord’s prayer, we need to return to its original meaning. It is an invitation to a lifestyle.

Many years ago, when we started working in this ministry for the first time, we participated in a special Christmas Eve meal in the streets. In Brazil and most Latin American countries, the major Christmas meal is on the eve. The one who organized it was not a Christian but an agnostic. Nothing surprising about this. Christmas celebrations are not restricted to Christians. There were also some Franciscan friars thrown into the mix. They brought a makeshift table and paper plates and plastic cutlery. Our contribution to the meal was minimum really. They just wanted us to be present because the homeless children and youth had a strong bond with us. Usually, during Christmas, the population of the homeless thins out. Some go to the shelter to celebrate Christmas. Others try to go home to whatever vestiges of family they have left. Those who remained in the streets are the orphans in the fullest sense of the word. These have no one in the world besides their friends in the streets.

The meal was quite elaborate. Everything you would find in a regular middle class Brazilian Christmas meal, except that it was in the open air in the streets. As we gathered around the table, our agnostic host said that since it was Christmas, it would be only appropriate to say a prayer before we eat. Then he initiated with the words. “Our Father…” The rest followed his cue. We prayed in a same melodic manner, very much like how we do it in churches as a congregation. However, at that moment, in the midst of this very strange congregation, it sounded like a choir responding to the voices of the angels of the first Christmas. For me, it was a “born again” moment. I sensed in my soul that the gospel was being manifested in flesh and blood. No one present at the meal has ever forgotten it. It was one of the eternal gifts God had bestowed upon us.

“Our Father who art in Heaven”

Many religions believe that there is One Supreme God who creates all things. Then, each religion differs in the definition of the relationship of this Creator God with creation. In quite a lot of religions, God is a distant figure and the need for intermediaries is necessary. In others, He is an impersonal being completely oblivious to creation. In some, including certain branches of Christianity, He is an angry and disappointed God who needs to be appeased. Jesus came to set the record straight. He teaches us that God is our Father; not my Father nor the Father of the Christian church nor this nation. He is Our Father in Heaven. He does not belong to any group. His fatherhood extends to all things He created in this world. This is good news.

God is not a distant impersonal creator but a present Father. His Love is generously poured upon all peoples and creatures of all sorts and conditions. This is perhaps why the greatest prayer in the world is so simple that even a child can say it without any problems. It is simple but not simplistic. It reveals depths of profound wisdom which are only discovered if our hearts and minds are open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. These are prophetic words which challenge our sinful nature that often times wants to exalt tribalism above anything else. It goes against our tendency of thinking of God just as our own Personal Father and not the Father of all things existent. He is not just the Father of our friends and families or community. He is the Father of our enemies. He is the Father of the person who irritates us; our grumpy neighbor or the annoying customer in the store. He is the Father of the unstable homeless person. He is our Father without any restrictions.

Only the Spirit of God can truly drive this point into our hearts. Only after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit did the disciples understand that the gospel is for all peoples and not just the Jewish nations. Only the Holy Spirit can testify to our souls and gives us the boldness and conviction to call God, “Abba, Father”. This deep and profound knowledge comes with a profound responsibility. We are now our brother’s and sister’s keeper. Our fellow human beings are no longer abstract beings. They are our siblings and we are called to be responsible for them. Only the murderous Cain rejected this role. However, we are called to follow the example of the saintly Abel who gave the best offerings to our Father.

The prayer doesn’t stop at God being our Father but we are given a task. We have to ensure that we proclaim the Holiness of His Name. You will never find in the gospel a doctrine about holiness. You will never find Jesus teaching His disciples on the concept of holiness. You will only read about how Jesus lived His Life. You will read that Jesus says that if you have seen me, you have seen my Father. This is the very essence of Christian Holiness.

There is a kind of “holiness” in this world. It is not necessarily modern phenomenon but something profoundly human. It has been there since humanity responded to the spiritual promptings of God’s spirit. This “holiness” is one which is detached from Love. Jesus recognized it in the Pharisees and He warned us that our spirituality must surpass that of the Pharisee. I don’t want to waste precious time pointing out how this kind of “holiness” manifests itself today. It is not very interesting. Suffice it to say the holiness of the Pharisees separates people from God. The holiness of Jesus gave people the courage to return to their Father’s household. Jesus hallowed God’s Name by revealing the true essence of the Father to the people with whom He interacted.

Our homeless children and youth know that God is their Father. They would say this without hesitation. It is not a religious jargon which they have learned. They truly sense this in their souls. This is the only reason why they are still alive when the world around them seemed to desire their death. However, they need help to know and understand that they too, have responsibilities as God’s children. They have the task of proclaiming His Holiness. The Lord’s Prayer is for them too. It is for their lifestyle too. However, they need concrete examples to follow. They need to see people in their midst who are willing to hallow the Name of God with their lifestyles.

Whenever we pray this prayer, God, our Heavenly Father invites us to be the person who would go into the midst of the people and manifest God’s true holiness. Now, let us be clear. God, our Father, does not need anyone to proclaim His Holiness to the world. It has always been present. Remember the meal I mentioned. God used an agnostic to provide a meal for His children. This man acknowledged the Heavenly Father even though he did not know if he believed in Him. It sounds crazy but it is something our Heavenly Father does. He constantly manifests His Holiness to the world. However, we are given the choice. We can pray and make ourselves the instruments of His Holiness. It is also an invitation to understand in a deep and profound way the meaning of God’s Holiness. One of His disciples who lived out this prayer proclaimed God’s holiness in these simple terms;

“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” I John 4:16

The simple meal in which we participated years ago opened our hearts and minds to become His instruments of Holiness. It has been a journey of understanding and discovering how His Holy name is manifested among the homeless children of São Paulo. Our task is simply allowing this Holiness to shine through our lives. In this way, we can boldly pray, “Hallowed be Thy Name.”

Every two years or so, Mary and I visit with the churches of the diocese of Central Florida. This is our home diocese and it has been our primary support since we have doing this ministry in 2013. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the prayers and love of the good people of this community. Besides preaching and sharing about the things we learn and do in the streets of São Paulo, it is also a time of personal reflection for us. It is easy to be absorbed into a ministry without taking time to step back and reflect. This is perhaps something easily overlooked but it is the essential part of everything we do. Reflection is just allowing ourselves to rise above the situation and observe what we have learned about the Truth. It is not an objective observation. I personally don’t believe that we are able to have an objective reading of any situation. In order to understand and appreciate the gospel, we have put our hearts and souls into it. Therefore, we cannot be detached from something in order to be objective. We don’t want to be detached from our homeless youth. We want to be part of their lives and we open ourselves to allow them to become part of our lives. Therefore, our reflection includes all our interactions with them and how these have helped us delve deeper into the profound wisdom revealed through the Person of Jesus. The challenge is how to put all of this into words which communicate in a clear and precise manner to people who have loved and supported us all these years.

I am also confronted with another challenge. I find it hard to just speak solely about our ministry from the pulpit. This stems from a personal conviction inculcated in me from a very young age that the pulpit is a place to proclaim the gospel. Although some might argue in our defense and say that what we do is the proclamation of the gospel. As convincing as it might be, I am too ingrained in my personal conviction to budge from it. I also find it difficult to reconcile with the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount;

“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.” Matthew 6:2

Maybe I am reading this wrongly but I don’t want to use the pulpit to blow my own trumpet. Nevertheless, we have learned valuable lessons about the gospel which are beneficial and edifying to share with others especially for those who participate in our ministry through prayer. Therefore, this is the very reason why I decided to focus our reflections in the following weeks on prayer, more specifically the Lord’s Prayer. After all, prayer has been the only constant link between us and the people who live thousands of miles away from the reality of our homeless children and youth. Through prayer, many have kept their interest in this ministry. It has helped us to find our source and strength in continuing in this work without suffering “burnout”, a common ailment of our time.

There can never be a better prayer than the Lord’s Prayer to use as the basis of our reflection. In a way, it was this prayer which helped me make the decision to dedicate ourselves to this ministry. It opened my eyes to see the opportunity that the Holy Spirit placed before us; to become part of the community God is forming among the homeless children and youth. We have become a unusual family which only Heavenly Father can create.

In the Anglican tradition, we pray the Lord’s prayer every time we approach the Lord’s table. It is the prayer which gives the courage to receive the Holy Sacraments of Bread and Wine as one people. It is a prayer which overcomes all barriers. Besides, there is nothing in the prayer which is offensive to people of any religion. It speaks universally to all of us of the divine love and the human condition.

In the following weeks, I will post a series of reflections on the Lord’s Prayer. I will divide the Lord’s Prayer into five sections. The purpose is to share the knowledge and wisdom we have learned through our ministry with the homeless youth. In a way, every Christian ministry is an attempt to live out the Lord’s prayer. In reality, this is the purpose of prayer. It is to help us have a focus before we set out to live out our faith in the world. My hope is that our reflections will help you in your reflection in the things you seek to do in your community wherever you live. We hope that our ongoing understanding of the gospel can enrich your reading and understanding of the gospel. As always, your comments and reflections are always welcomed and they always encourage us. God bless.

I love the Anglican liturgy and this phrase is one we say before every communion. After you have heard the liturgy often, it travels with you. Like Hemingway’s Paris, it is a moveable feast.

Years ago, Stephen wrote about a boy named Igor. Igor was one of the first street kids we came to know. He wanted to learn English, so we had English lessons in the street and later, we studied the Bible together. We always had a positive relationship with Igor and he truly tried to change his life. He had been to Juvenile detention many times, maybe twenty but I am not sure about that.

Time separated us and when we next saw Igor sporting two new tattoos over his eyebrows, he admitted that he was not in a good place. We thought of him often and prayed for him often, as well.

Years past and last week, a friendly young man greeted us as we walked home. It was Igor, healthy and strong with an open and happy face. Hugs were exchanged. He is much better now, stable, working, and free from crime and it shows.

Seeing Igor is a lovely Christmas gift and one that was a true surprise. That phrase, “the gifts of God for the people of God” keeps tumbling through my mind.

Merry Christmas to Igor and to you, too!

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Luke 3:1-3

We are once again in the season of Advent. I spent a greater part of my life thinking that this liturgical season was a mere prelude to Christmas. Despite growing up in a staunch Roman Catholic household, I had very little understanding of the traditional themes of Advent; death, judgment, heaven and hell. To be honest, I can understand why these traditional themes have gone by the wayside. No one wants this festive season to be tempered by somber themes.

There is a shift in the spirituality of the church over the years. I am not here to talk about the good ole days; just about the change. When I was young, my parents used to drag me to funerals. I’m sure some people might feel horrified about what I am going to say. My first funeral experience occurred when I was about five. My parents often reminded me that I asked why everyone was so distressed while my uncle was sleeping peacefully in a box. My parents had to take me aside to tell that he wasn’t going to wake up anymore. Many friends of my age and older had similar experiences. We learned about the reality of death at a very young age. Amazingly, none of us were traumatized by it. However, today we find a church which has detached itself from the discussion of death. Even the traditional themes of Advent have been replaced with more amicable ones like hope, peace, joy and love. Frankly speaking, I wasn’t aware of these new themes until recently. I guess I am a little bit of a traditionalist. I prefer the traditional ones.

Death, judgment, heaven and hell are still relevant today. People still think about them. People still fret about these themes. Just because we stop speaking about them, they do not dissipate from reality. How we face death and its aftermath determines how we live our lives today. Almost every religion and notable ancient philosophies approach the subject of death first before developing their ethics. About the time of Jesus, among the Gentile world, the title, “savior”, was given to a philosopher, Epicurus. His philosophy has often been unjustly defined as one of hedonism. Nothing could be further away from the truth. Epicurus was concerned about death, more specifically, the fear of death. We, rational beings, cannot avoid this subject. We are fully self conscious and part of this includes our awareness of our personal mortality. Thomas Aquinas wrote part of the argument of the soul’s immortality is the resistance against its demise. We believe that it is unnatural that we should just evaporate upon death. We fear and dread this possibility. In our hearts, most of us fear death, not death itself but what comes after. We are afraid of being judged. We like the idea of heaven but we cannot discard the notion that we could end up in the alternative place. Hell has its own history. During Jesus’ time, hell was less sinister. It was a place of a shadowy existence with no real influence nor impact in the real world. Epicurus came up with an convincing argument that served to placate troubled souls for a season. However, it didn’t stick.

Avoiding these subjects doesn’t make them go away. These themes are part of our reality and they cannot be suppressed. They usually come in different creative forms. Today we are confronted with an array of movies and literature which speaks about the end times. Their depictions of our end is usually worse and more depressing than any medieval art and literature of a morbid nature. Even in religious circles, there is a tendency to be fascinated with death and destruction without much hope. Recently, one of our youth who is now trying to break free from homelessness shared that she has been watching so-called Christian movies about the end times. She described a movie to us which was nothing more than a sensational horror movie peppered with a brief moment when Christ rescues His chosen ones. It doesn’t seem to have much of the gospel. Jesus seemed to be absent in all the death and destruction. The gospel always places Jesus right in the midst of darkness so that His Light would shine brightly.

The primary purpose of the season of Advent is to remind us that we are a people awaiting for the return of our Heavenly King. In the early church, the first disciples really believed that Jesus was going to return in their lifetime. Jesus said something to that extent. It wasn’t just their own impression entirely. They sold their belongings and lived in communities. They did not see the advantage of holding onto to things that would rust and rot. They had their eyes on things eternal. The early church did not build buildings. It wasn’t necessary. They thought Jesus was going to establish the eternal temple. Then it became apparent that God works on his own time table and nothing done with human hands could hasten His return. The early church also understood that no one could truly predict His return even though some so-called prophets claim that it is going to happen very soon. No one knows the time, not even Jesus. He said it Himself (Mark 13:32). The signs are there. They have been there for two thousands years or more. We can’t just go on signs alone. Despite the delay, one thing is for certain. We profess it in the creed,

“And He shall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead; whose Kingdom shall have no end.”
We, as His people, will be judged according on how we prepare for His Return to this world. We will be judged! Either when He returns in Person or at our death.

The word, “judgment” is the terrifying part of death. Most likely most people fear death because of the possibility of judgement. There are churches which preach that we will bypass judgment as believers in our Lord. They say that Jesus has paid for all our sins and now we have a “Get out of judgement card.” Even though they might say this with utter conviction, it is not according to what Jesus taught. He said that there will be judgment. He will separate the sheep from the goats. To the sheep, He will say, ”You gave Me water when I was thirsty, food when I was hungry, clothes when I was naked, visited Me when I was imprisoned. To the goats, He will say, “I do not know you.” In the same gospel, Jesus said that many will insist that they did all kinds of religious acts in His Name but their spirituality did not exceed that of the Pharisees. The sheep followed the footsteps of the Shepherd. This is how they prepared for His return. They followed in His footsteps.

In the above gospel text, all those who were in authority and power at the time of Jesus are listed. These were the people who ruled the world and perhaps in their minds they thought that they held the future of the world. John the Baptist was an unsophisticated simpleton compared to these dignitaries. However, he knew how to prepare the way for the Messiah. He set the path for our Lord in such a way that many even confused him for the coming Savior. In the gospels, we will read many instances where John the Baptist had to clear up this misgiving. In the early church, people saw Jesus in the disciples who prepared for His return.

How blessed will it be if people saw Christ in those today who are awaiting for His return? Perhaps this will be the question that will be asked of us when we are judged; Did people see Christ in us?

Death, judgement, heaven and hell are not meant to scare us into action. Hell is not about torture. It is about a meaningless existence. We as a people, aware of His return, are given the highest vocation that is available to humanity. We are called to prepare the world to receive our most excellent and benevolent King. Death reminds us of the short time. We need to use our time wisely. Judgement is on how we live our lives and whether we prepare the people around us to receive the King who is to return. Heaven is knowing that we have lived our lives worthy to be called His sheep. Advent beckons us to reflect on these things.

Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’ Pilate asked him, ‘What is truth?’ John 18:36-38

The last Sunday before Advent is the Feast of Christ the King. Therefore, the main theme of this reflection is celebrating the Kingship of Jesus.

In Jesus’ times, kings and queens ruled the world. A nation wasn’t considered a true nation unless it had a monarch. The Old Testament tells us the people of Israel rejected God because they wanted a king. It wasn’t because they didn’t want God in their lives. They felt that they weren’t a real nation unless they had a monarch. Pilate wanted to find out if Jesus wanted to be a king. It is not because he believed in Jesus’ sovereignty. He wanted to find something to accuse Jesus. He wanted to reduce Jesus to a common king so that he could treat Him as one. Jesus as Himself was too complex and strange for the Roman Governor. He wanted someone more manageable. He wanted to reduce Jesus to a common king.

This is not the first time. The gospel of John tells us a story where the crowd tried to force Jesus to become their king (John 6:15). He refused and withdrew into the mountains. Even before this, we read in the gospels of Matthew and Luke where the devil tempted Jesus and offered to make Jesus a King of this world. There was a hefty price tag involved. Kingship and power in this world always come with a price tag. It would have reduced Jesus into a mere politician. Jesus would not settle for something so low. Today, the temptations is still here but not for Jesus. We are faced with the temptations. We are tempted to reduce Jesus to the lowly status of a common King or a socio-political leader. Sometimes people use lofty terms saying that Jesus is the King of their nation. It might sound noble and great but it greatly reduces the true nature of our Lord’s Kingship.

First and foremost, Jesus would have been a terrible King of any nation in this world.

A monarch of any given nation is primarily concerned with the welfare of one’s particular nation. The same can be said of modern politicians. A good and decent politician is only concerned with the welfare of the country one is chosen to represent, albeit not always the case. Sometimes we hear discourses about monarchs and politicians making altruistic agreements with less fortunate nations. In reality, there are no such things as altruistic actions in politics. Everything comes with strings attached. In fact, this is how to world functions in many aspects of society. Nothing is done for free. Jesus would have been a terrible King.

Jesus was truly altruistic. He did not do anything for national nor personal gains. He healed and gave freely without even expecting any gratitude from the people. He did not even require them to become more religious. He never demanded strict obedience to the Law although He Himself fulfilled it according to its true essence perfectly. Furthermore, He never mingled with powerful people who could have helped him to advance his cause. Instead, he worked with people who had no power nor influence in society. He never did anything to improve the local economic status of his society. In one occasion, He caused tremendous damage to the economy of a village by expelling demons into swine causing their demise. These animals were the major economic source. He did this to save the soul of one solitary person who was considered an outcast. It was not worthy investment by worldly means. The people of the village invited Jesus to leave. His ministry was bad for their business.

If Jesus were to stand for election, no one in their right mind would vote for Him. No rational political party would consider Him as their candidate. They would be right. Jesus would have made a terrible political leader. This does not mean Jesus wasn’t political. He was and is but His politics is not of this world. It doesn’t quite fit into the ideologies that are floating around in this world. People try to put Him in box and they try to reduce Him into something that He was never meant to be.

Having said this, Jesus did not deny that He was and is a King. In Jesus’ time, kings and queens played an important role in society apart from politics. It was something that was important to the common people. Perhaps something for those of us like myself who grew up in a republic might find hard to understand. The people used to look to the monarch for moral guidance. People thought whatever the monarch did was the way things are supposed to be. Consequently the religion the monarch adopted naturally became the religion of the people. The people believed that the King knew what was morally best for his subjects. The book of Ecclesiastes, a book which is presently part of my daily devotion, talks about how to live our lives. The conclusions reached in this book have a prominent place and consideration in the Old Testament because its author is believed to be a king. Perhaps, this role of the monarch is much more important and higher than mere politics. This special role of the monarch earned them the title as Sons or Daughters of Heavens in the ancient world because they revealed to the people how to live one’s life in harmony with the divine laws. We know from history that the best of these were far from fulfilling this role perfectly. Most of them, if not all, had their hands tainted with blood and violence. Our Lord is the only one who fulfilled this role perfectly.

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Pilate wanted Jesus to be a mere political leader. It was easier for him to deal with one. Today many want to do the same because we think of politicians as our servants. It is more an idealistic view than a realistic one. However, Jesus is not our politician. He is not working for the betterment of our nation or any nation. His Kingdom has only one commitment. According to His answer to Pilate, it is to reveal the Truth. Then Pilate asked the perfect question, “What is Truth?”

Today, everyone claims to be the spokesperson of the Truth. Tons of news outlets and religious leaders claim objectivity when sharing the Truth. In reality, any such claims reveal a lack of understanding of the Truth. We, as human beings, do not have the possibility of knowing the Truth in its entirety. Relatively speaking, we have the brain of the size of a bacteria when we look at the immensity of the universe. God stands above and beyond our universe. He is the Truth, the Way and the Life.

In our Christian faith, when we say Jesus is the King, we actually mean that He is the standard for us to live our lives. The Kingship of Jesus is not the kind of Kingship where we put Him on a pedestal and admire Him from a distance. Jesus never lived in a castle and addressed His subjects from afar. He was and is a King who lives the Truth deeply engaged in the everyday lives of the people. His Truth restored and healed people. His Truth received those who were considered a menace to society. He engaged people who lived in the most difficult situations and was able to bring the Truth to them in its purest and genuine form. He was and is the King who is able to suffer injustice and cruelty and yet, never compromise with the world to alleviate His suffering. His Truth was able to forgive and love those who committed the vilest acts against His person. His commitment to live the Life and Presence of the true living God was never compromised. He remained the Salt and Light until He took His final breath. His resurrection proved that His example of Lifestyle was the only way to have an eternal impact in this world.

Jesus is our Eternal King! He is not to be reduced to a mere monarch of any nation. Kingdoms of this world come and go. Our eternal King remains relevant throughout the times among all peoples of the world including our homeless youth. The only way to celebrate the Kingship of Jesus is to make a commitment to ourselves that He will be the only King of our lives. In other words, He will be the standard and model for us to mimic in this life. He is not a King to be proclaimed with mere words. We do this for our earthly kings. Our Heavenly King is only truly honored when we walk in His footsteps.

Let us celebrate Christ our King in the most worthy manner possible!

As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!’  Then Jesus asked him, ‘Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.’ Mark 13:1-2

Once I contemplated apply for a clergy position in England. This was many years ago. The profile of the community seemed to meet my personal idea of ministry. It seemed to be a good match. However, if I was to be honest, the most attractive thing to me was the church building. Maybe I am just superficial or maybe it is because I am an Anglican. We are drawn to beautiful sacred architecture. This beautiful ancient church was built in the year 1000. I was enamored by its history and beauty. The idea of serving in a parish enthralled my soul. However, the more I thought about this, the less sure I became about the prospect. I was afraid that the church building might come tumbling down on my watch. I know some might think I am a little paranoid. Most likely, you are right. Nevertheless, nothing lasts forever. All our best constructed buildings one day will come tumbling down. All our institutions will end one day. All our nations will be nothing but a page in the history books. Nothing lasts forever. As the wise preacher of Ecclesiastes taught us; “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven”.

Everything under the sun, good or bad, has a beginning and an end. Perhaps we are relieved when a bad season completes its turn but we also have to accept that the contrary is true. This is not pessimism. It is just the nature of Life. Sometimes good things can end up being a curse. We tend to hold onto these and refuse to accept their end. We want them to last forever when they were meant to be temporary. The result is that the “good” can become a curse and blind us from seeing the eternal God present in the new things which come our way.

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.” Mark 2:22

In the gospel text quoted above, Jesus prophesied the destruction of the Temple.

The Temple played an important role in the lives of God’s people. It gave them their spiritual identity. It was a symbol of union. The people of Israel were very diverse. In the time of Jesus, many lived in different nations and consequently spoke different languages and had different customs. Most of them risked their lives to travel to Jerusalem to worship in the Temple. It was the only place where they were permitted to offer sacrifices to God who redeemed them. It also played an important political role and still plays the same role today. I am not going to address this here. The point is that the words of Jesus should have been devastating to the apostles. They believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah. The people expected the Messiah to restore Israel and elevate its glory above all the nations. The Temple was also an important symbol of Israel’s past glories and now Jesus prophesied that this symbol would be utterly destroyed. This should have disturbed them but we don’t see such reaction. In fact, they were curious about this event but they didn’t seemed to be disturbed. Nevertheless, these words of Jesus were used against Him by the religious leaders at his trial. They considered his comment to be blasphemous. The symbol came to be on par with the very thing it represented. This was not the case with the disciples. They did not allow the old symbols to hinder them from receiving the New Wine.

Recently, I was given a book published in 1857. The store owner had given up hope of ever selling it because it was in English and it was an old theological book. I had never heard of it. I later learned that it is considered to be a Christian classic; “The Christ of History” by John Young. The author argued that Jesus, without resorting to miracles nor religious arguments, can be shown to be the true divine Christ just through his earthly life and teachings. The book has enriched my reading of the gospels. It has made me pay attention to things which I have often overlooked; mainly the very beginning of His earthly ministry. Jesus chose simple tradesmen to be part of His movement. Since I come from a time when kings and queens play a passive role in society, I never paid much attention to this peculiar act. However, in Jesus’ time, this was not how a King established His Kingdom. Usually, powerful lords and nobles were chosen for the task. This makes logical sense, after all what would tradesmen know about administrating lands and issuing out orders. The success of any Kingdom demands capable people to be in power. The Kingdom of God is not one of the many kingdoms of this world. It is not something constructed out of the wisdom of humanity. It doesn’t subject itself to the seasons of Time. It is an eternal Kingdom.

Jesus chose people who had no intention of being anything great in this world. We have to remember in Jesus’ time, the social classes were more rigid. No one moved up or down the social ladder. Everyone was born into their place in society. Jesus never made any promises that His disciples would move up the social ladder. Nonetheless, their social status doesn’t change the nature of their souls. It did not diminish the clamor of their souls to be connected to something eternal. For them, the Temple is something which helped them be connected with God and nothing else. In a way, they had a purer idea of its symbolic value. This is why Jesus chose his disciples amongst these people. They were more sensitive to His message because they sought an eternal connection for their lives. Those who had other interests besides the yearnings of their souls held on to symbols as if these were the very thing that satisfied their souls.

I found this to be true in our ministry to the homeless youth. We have young parents in our midst who baptize their children in the Roman Catholic Church while they themselves attend a Pentecostal church regularly. They also seek constant spiritual guidance from us but they have never heard of the Anglican Church. Meanwhile each church tries to assert the importance and essential role of its presence in the world. Our youth just see each symbol as a connection with God. They are not devastated if a symbol stops serving its purpose as long as there is a connection with the Eternal Father who is always present in their midst in some shape or form.

In the gospel text, Jesus was talking about the end times and His imminent return. Here we are two thousands later and Jesus hasn’t returned yet. However, the warning is still relevant. First, we have to recognize the symbols for what they are. They have a season in our lives. They are good and valuable but they only serve the purpose of connecting us to the Eternal God. When they stopped doing this, then they are no longer valuable. If we insist on holding on them, then we will deviate our eyes from the eternal and idolize the very thing which is supposed to save us from idolatry. In the worst case scenario, we continue to seek other symbols which do not connect us with anything eternal but drive us away from all things holy and sound.

Someone once asked us if our youth misses us when we are away. They miss us but not as much as some imagine. They miss us because we have become part of their daily routine. However, in their lives, people come and go. They used to the transitoriness of life. They know people are in their lives for a season. They don’t fall apart when the season ends. We learned this important lesson from them. Everything has its season whether good or bad. In each season, there is something to connect us with the Eternal. Therefore, we should always seek to identify this connection in our lives. It helps us recognize the person of Jesus clearer. However, we should also be careful not to confuse one thing for another. The symbol is a mere symbol. It has its season and it will end one day.