Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ They said, ‘Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” Mark 10:2-8

It is hard to talk about divorce. It is a sensitive subject and much suffering has been associated with it. One day we had a discussion about it at a clergy meeting. A wise clergy commented something interesting. He addressed the argument that rampant divorce was a recent phenomenon. He pointed out in the past espousal abuse and murder was abundant albeit still an actual problem. The possibility of divorce has improved the lives of many not to mention has saved many lives. My clergy friend has been happily married for more than thirty years. He wasn’t defending something personal. He was and is a person who confronts reality as it is. He is not saying divorce is a good thing. It is a tragic reality but a necessary one. This is really the issue here. Jesus confronted the harsh reality of life. He read the Law in a compassionate manner recognizing the frailty of our human nature. However, He did not compromise God’s perfect and holy will. He did not say God turns a blind eye on our failures. His presence in the world is to reconcile this discrepancy between our human reality and God’s perfect Law.

In a way, this gospel episode is very relatable to our ministry. Many people are appalled when they hear about children and teenagers living and sleeping in the streets. We have been here for some time now and we are still disturbed by it. Some people say that a child should be in a safe environment with adults to orient and help them. They should get a proper education and they are right. There are tons of things that should be done for the sake of the children and teens but, unfortunately, this is not the reality. In every country children and teens are constantly neglected and abused on a daily basis. Many suffer things that none of us want to imagine. Our children and teens live in the streets because they found a way to escape these things. In countries where there are no homeless children and teens they still have tons of broken children and teens who suffer without any reprieve. This is the sad reality of life. The hardness of the human heart prevails in every society. Jesus confronts the ugliness present in every human society. God’s Law are given for us to have an abundant life but our hearts are not always attuned with His goodness.

I don’t believe that humans are inherently evil. Some churches teach this doctrine. However, if we were inherently evil, then people would never respond to any goodness in the world. No one would flock to Jesus. He would have been murdered the very moment He appeared with His message. Jesus recognized that people are good but at the same time there was a problem in humanity. St Paul expressed our human dilemma perfectly in Romans 7:19-20,

“For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.”

God sent His Son into the world because He knew that people want to be good but their hearts lead them the wrong way. The ministry of Jesus is to reconcile us with God’s divine Law. He said that He did not come to change God’s Law. He came to show us how we can overcome our weaknesses. Therefore, the big question is how do we overcome our sinful nature which insists on walking down the wrong road?

“Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” Mark 10:15

A superficial reading of this gospel episode could give someone the idea that the author has a problem with attention. He appeared to have changed the subject from divorce to the acceptance of our children in Jesus’ fold. However, the author is constructing an argument. The Pharisees have a problem with Jesus because they were trying to trap Him into their way of reasoning and thinking about the world. However, in order for us to understand Jesus we need to abandon our old mindset and embrace the new. An old wineskin cannot contain new wine. In order to embrace the new, Jesus tells us that we need to become like children.

Recent research in neuroscience tells us that a brain of a child under five is much more advanced and sophisticated than the most advanced computer that we have now. A child’s brains can absorb and process information about the world at a faster and more efficient rate independently than any computer. A computer is completely dependent on an outside party for these processes. During Jesus’ time, this knowledge wasn’t available. However, adults knew that children could not be included in adult matters because they were still in the process of organizing their world view and understanding of humanity. Perhaps they didn’t use such words to express this but they had the same idea. No one then thought children were innocent and pure. This is just a romantic notion of modern times. Ask any school teacher and they will tell you that children can be quite scary. In the streets, most of the homeless adults are afraid of homeless children under 12 and we completely understand. They are usually the most cruel and dangerous ones mainly because they have yet to understand the consequences of their actions. They know stuff; in the streets unfortunately they know how to do bad things, but they don’t quite understand how everything is linked together.

The disciples did not allow the children to come to Jesus because they thought that they do not have the capacity to figure out who Jesus is. Our Lord rebuked them for this rational action on their part.

We, modern people, can look to neuroscience to help us understand why Jesus disagreed with them. Research on the subject at this time tells us that children look to the adults to help them organize all this information that they receive from their senses and experiences. They watch adults deal with the world and formulate their own mindset based on it. The children flocked to Jesus because they saw in Him someone whom they would like to become. They wanted to formulate their worldview according to His way of thinking. Jesus recognized this and He not only welcomed them but said that we should all become like them. In order for us to understand the Kingdom of God we need to have a mindset organized around the character and life of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

Many times Jesus confronted the spirituality of Pharisees showing that they displayed a religiosity that was not any different from the pattern of this world. His death on the Cross, based on their lies and manipulation of the crowds, revealed this more clearly than anything else. None of us reading this can undo the values of the world implanted in us by ourselves. Perhaps we can do something to stop feeding them by not listening to people like the Pharisees who twist and manipulate God’s Law to fit their view of the world. However, there is a more positive way to transform our mindset. It is by following the example of Jesus’ life. Jesus told us that He did not come to condemn the world but to save it. The word, ‘save’ can also be understood as to heal. Maybe it might help us understand better how to walk in His footsteps if we substitute the word for healing. Jesus healed many in His ministry. He always sought to find those who needed healing and many times they found Him even when it was inconvenient for Him. His healing ministry allowed Him to see the harsh reality of our existence. He saw how people were abandoned and left on their own. He saw the hardness of the human heart but He overcame it with love and compassion. The Pharisees resolved this situation by separating and condemning these people as hopeless sinners. This is very much aligned with the ways of this world. However, God’s ways are different. He addresses the harsh and brutal realities of Life and He shows how to live our lives in a way that will reconcile our human fragility with the perfect Love of God. He showed us the path of Life, albeit a difficult one. It is a straight and narrow path but one filled with grace, compassion and forgiveness.

Jesus knew the hardness of our hearts and yet He believed in our capacity and desire to be good. He treated us as such. Perhaps this might explain why Judas was among His apostles. Despite knowing what Judas would do, Jesus still believed that he had all the potential to be good. This is something hard for our human nature to comprehend but Jesus thinks differently from us. His mind is conformed to the Love and Mercy of God the Father. We need to become more like Him in order to understand the good news of the gospel. Unfortunately, we are still taunted by the persistent mindset of the world. We need not fret. God’s grace and forgiveness will help us to become like little children and transform our minds to think and act like our Lord and Saviour.

Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, ‘See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.
John 5:14

Healing is not synonymous with transformation. Healing is the first step. When someone is in pain and despair, they are unable to process things clearly. They need concrete help. When we read the stories about healing in the gospels, Jesus does something in a concrete manner. Prayer should not be a substitute to concrete action. It is always a prelude to it. However, healing is never the finality. It opens the door to speak about “sin”. In the gospels, “sin” is not reduced to certain actions but a lifestyle. The word means we are missing the mark, or rather, aiming at the wrong thing. All of us want to have a good life yet, most of us base this on the wrong things. Getting the aim or purpose of life wrong leads us to a chaotic and self destructive lifestyle. Healing gives people a moment to reevaluate their lives and make a concrete decision. Unfortunately, many who are healed do not change their lifestyle. This is why Jesus advised the man, “Do not sin any more”.

One of the most significant incidents which happened this year in our ministry was the stroke suffered by Patricia. In 2013, we were dealing mainly with children and teenagers and maybe young adults. Today, we have expanded our age group. Our young people grew up and became adults. Patricia is 43 but she has been living in the streets since she was 14. Today she is the matriarch of two generations of children born into homelessness. It has been a lifelong struggle for this family to break the cycle. Her two older daughters found a place to squat, not the best circumstance but better than sleeping in the streets. As a result, they are able to send the grandchildren to daycare center and preschool. Patricia and her other children including Tainá are renting a tiny room. Three grandchildren under seven and three adults sleep in this tiny space. Patricia tries to hold the family together which is not an easy task. The constant financial struggles coupled with the proximity of easy money through criminal activity always pose a challenge for this family. Consequently, Patricia’s stroke was a big blow to the family. She was left partially paralyzed. We spent many hours at the intensive care with Tainá. This young girl had to carry the family now. She is only 21 years old but is already a mother of three. In many ways, she is still very much a child herself. Naturally she was completely devastated. In a private moment with us, she broke down in tears and thought that she was going to lose her mother forever.

Patricia was eventually sent home and the family struggles began. Brazil has universal health care but there are still lots of financial burdens incurred by this illness. Patricia needed diapers and a wheelchair, as well as constant care which included a control diet. Besides these, there is the expense of getting her to and fro physical therapy. All these are a challenge for a family which can hardly feed everyone. Besides these, Tainá has three young children under seven to manage. We thought that she could eventually have a mental breakdown. Instead, she stepped up to the plate. Perhaps for the first time in her life, she felt that she was capable of doing things responsibly. She had to put aside all her insecurities and low esteem to ensure that her mother was getting the necessary care. We helped as much as possible with the expenses so that the family could get through this time. Even some of the other homeless youth helped. One in particular begged for rice and other staples to take over to the family. On one of our home visits, Patricia shared that she was afraid that she would never be healed. We prayed with her. After a short period of physical therapy, Patricia is able to walk again. She still needs lots of work on her arm. However, the healing process has began. Patricia is able to do many things on her own, learning to be independent as much as it is possible.

Tainá did not come out of this situation unscathed. She has been suffering with anxiety attacks recently and has frequent migraines. Finally she sought help. The Universal Health Service here includes mental health treatments too. Tainá talked with a therapist and she was able to figure out one of the primary causes of her anxiety. The whole experience has presented Tainá a different way to live her life. She enjoyed helping and taking care of her mother. Now she did not want to go back to the life she led before. Technically, she was not homeless but there are still many of the negative aspects of homeless youth subculture which are strong in her. Her boyfriends were into crime. She was comfortable with many criminal elements in the streets. Now she wanted change. She did not want things to be better: she wanted a transformation. She decided to walk down to a church near to her house and pray. She told us that she made a decision to leave behind everything and make living her life for Jesus a priority. She did this on her own without any manipulation from outside. She is like the prodigal son who returned to the Father’s home. We ensured her that we will help her in her journey. She started attending church every other day because she wanted to fill her mind with new things. She has a renewed hunger to know all things pertaining to God. The church has a spiritual retreat this weekend. She did not have the finance for it but some of the church members seeing her genuine thirst for God decided to pay for her. This will be her first time participating in an event outside her comfort zone. She realized that a simple thing like a weekend spiritual retreat requires some expenses. She does not have toothpaste nor shampoo nor other basic stuff. In her family, they have one of each for the whole family. We ensured her that she will get all the things she needs to help on her journey to transformation. This girl is truly changing. She is able to see God’s hand in her life.

As a final thought, both healing and transformation in this particular case are a communal affair. Healing does not happen with a mere waving of hands. Jesus is not a magician. He is the King who ushers in the Kingdom of God, a community of healing and transformation. In a way, all Christian ministry involves going into the world and becoming a community of healing and transformation. Both healing and transformation are difficult. Therefore, it is necessary that there is always a community of love and compassion standing behind us whenever we take a step towards them.

But immediately a woman, whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, “Let the children first be fed, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Mark 7:25-28

This is one of my favorite stories in the gospels. It has the perfect dose of everything. There is controversy involved; Jesus uses a racial slur to refer to the woman. It addresses the unsettling theme of racism; not the kind that is blatant and confrontational. It addresses its more subtle and persistent cousin which lingers in every culture. It also registers the only time in the gospels when Jesus loses an argument. This is quite amazing in itself considering that Jesus often argued with the great religious minds of his period and always left them dumfounded. This time the tables have turned. Jesus was left speechless. The woman belonged to an ethnic group which was especially despised in Israel at that time. In some translations of the Bible, it states that she was also a widow. In all aspects, this woman had all the odds stacked up against her; an outsider, a woman and one without any male relatives to vouch for her in a male dominated society. In spite of all this, Jesus did not make it easy for her. We don’t see a Jesus who is easy going and welcoming here. Instead, He seemed to be indifferent to her plight. Therefore, this text leaves us with a great challenge today. We need to interpret it without tarnishing the image of our Lord and down playing the uncomfortable elements involved.

“Therefore Jesus had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.” Hebrews 2:17-18

Jesus was born into a community. Inevitably He was part of a society which inherited values as well as prejudices. The latter is present in all societies and sometimes it is present in us without us realizing it. In this passage, Jesus displayed some unfavorable attitudes towards this woman just because she belonged to a certain ethnicity. We might feel uncomfortable saying this. Maybe we might try to find a way to justify this attitude although it is unnecessary. Some say that Jesus was testing her. I am not sure this makes it better. It makes Him out to be cruel and callous to her desperate situation. Perhaps, it is worthwhile to consider that Jesus was addressing something that is part and parcel of every human culture whether we want to admit it or not. Jesus did not shun away from it. He confronted it in His own life. Jacques Ellul, a well-known French theologian, put forth a possibility that Jesus was challenging those around Him to face their prejudice. He did not do this by pointing the finger at others. The Pharisees would have done this. Jesus, on the other hand, started with Himself. Jesus was fully human and therefore, the temptation to treat and reject someone based on their nationality was very present in His life. It took the faith of a Gentile woman to help Him overcome this temptation.

Before I venture too far, I would like to emphasize that this whole episode is about faith. It is not the kind of faith which is often interpreted as an reasonable submission to something beyond our capacity to understand. This woman’s life was in a state of chaos. Her only child was living in a chaotic existence. At least, this is how we can understand the essence of demonic possession. It hurls a person into a relentless chaotic state. This woman needed order to be restored in her life. Faith is not about believing in things that are unreasonable. It is a conviction that there is something which brings an unshakeable order into our lives in an otherwise chaotic and constantly changing world. This conviction led her to Jesus. This conviction gave her the courage to go to a place where she knew she was not wanted nor welcomed.

The gospel of Mark tells us that Jesus was in a house and this woman entered the household. It was not permitted for a Gentile to be in a Jewish household. This did not stop her. Her faith brought her to the feet of Jesus. Her faith informed her that Jesus was different. She was convinced that He was not one to be held back by the prejudices of His people even though Jesus called her a dog, a derogative term for the period. Her faith was unshaken. She knew that there was more to Jesus than meets the eye. She had eyes to see and ears to hear. Something which the religious leaders who were instructed from infancy in the Jewish faith were unable to see and hear in the person of Jesus.

The story also addresses the faith of Jesus. It is not common for us to reflect on this subject. We tend to think that Jesus was born with a fully developed faith. However, He was fully human. As human beings, our faith grows as we mature. Jesus was not any different. His faith informed him of His true vocation and our faith does the same. He allows His faith to reveal to Him how His ministry was to unfold. Our faith informs us how to live out our lives in the new Creation which His ministry has ushered. In this story, His Faith helped Him overcome the prejudices which we inherit from the communities to which we belong. He listened to this woman confront all the obstacles against her through her unwavering faith. Jesus allowed Himself to be taught by this woman because He is Humble and Open. This woman knew that despite her lowly status, she still could have order and healing in this chaotic life. She went home richer and wiser than any of the religious leaders of her time. Besides this, she is the only one in the gospels who has ever won an argument with Jesus. This is quite a feat. Consequently, she has earned a place in our reflection on the redeeming power of the gospel.

The social elements in this story are important but they are not the principal focus here. There will also be discrimination and racism present in every society. It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do anything about it. However, this story is about the faith of the person who suffers. It is about those people who don’t have the political voice and status to do anything about the tragic realities of life. However, this does not mean that they are helpless. This story brings hope to these people. In reality, this woman represents the majority of us. Most of us are in reality considered insignificant in our society. We are just a number for the most part. Even if we have some status now, eventually we will also slip into anonymity. Such is life but there is nothing to feel depressed about. There is faith and hope. This woman shows us that faith is able to give our lives the stability in a world of chaos. This faith is able to confront the mountains in front of us. We should not pretend that these mountains don’t exist. Jesus brought it out into the forefront. The woman listened to her faith and went home knowing that no matter what the world tells her, through God’s mercy and grace, she was not just worthy to receive crumbs but she was given the Bread of Life. Her faith helped her understand that she has a place at the table of the Lord as a child of God.
Her simple faith did much more for her than all the religious knowledge and social privileges had done for the Pharisees of her time. It is not about what we know but how we allow our faith to guide us to the Table which our Lord has prepared for us. We are not worthy to gather the crumbs under His table but our faith will open our eyes and ears to discern through our Lord’s grace we always have a seat available for us at the table.

This is definitely one of my favorite gospel stories.

Jesus said to them, ‘Then do you also fail to understand? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?’ (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, ‘It is what comes out of a person that defiles. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.’ Mark 7:18-23

Religion has always been concerned about what we put into our bodies. Jewish people have their strict kosher laws. Muslims can only eat halal food. Hindus have their own dietary restrictions and I am sure that there are many others. They believe that what goes into you has the possibility to defile you. This is not just true for religious groups. It happens among the non-religious, too. We have countless of diets out there. There are people who restrict what they eat because of ethical reasons. Whatever diet we follow, we cannot help but feel we are better than others for following our choices. It is human nature. However, this is not what Jesus is talking about here. He is addressing the idea that we are not better people morally because we don’t put certain things into our bodies. We judge those who do harshly.

In my neighborhood, there are many crack addicts. They are not hidden in some corner. They are very visible. I do not know if this is just true for this city or if it is a phenomenon in every mega city. The media loves to report on them. Almost everyday, reporters call the addicts all kinds of derogatory names making no qualms in painting them as the dregs of society. People paint a horrid picture of crack addicts. However, we encounter them everyday. Most of the time, they are oblivious to the world. Sometimes they apologize just for being here. It is quite sad. Recently one was begging outside a grocery store where Mary, my wife, was in line buying something. For no rhyme or reason, a woman in back of the line yelled out to the addict sitting outside the store to get a job and stop being an useless being. Another woman in line commented that she wished that she could be like him, sitting around and doing absolutely nothing all day long. My wife is a brave soul. She turned to this woman and asked her if she really wants to spend the night sleeping outside on the cold floor and eating leftover food everyday. Besides this, she would have to endure insults hurled at her all day long. The woman was taken aback from this statement. Then she changed her tone. She admitted that the addict’s life is nothing to be envied. However, the first woman that yelled at this addict was adamant. She thought that she was right in her opinion. I don’t disagree with her. She was right in her opinion. Jesus would have agreed with her although he definitely would not have expressed it in her way. The addict needed to seek a better life. However, the problem is not her opinion. The problem is her heart. It was full of hate. She hated this addict because of what he put into his body. Most likely, it had nothing to do with the addict. She just had a lot of hatred to vent and it was socially acceptable to pick on a crack addict. She assumed that he was someone evil and morally corrupt and, therefore, felt at liberty to discharge her words of hatred on him. I am sure that she left feeling justified. The Pharisees would have felt the same way.

A few days later, Mary and I had an opposite experience. We decided to take a walk in a neighborhood where we lived before. It just happened to be one of the seediest parts of the city. I know this is far from any romantic place one would go with one’s beloved. It just so happened that we were close to this area where we once lived in the 90’s. I was curious to see whether there was any changes. The neighborhood ironically is named, “Light” (Luz) when it is really quite a dark and depressing place. The buildings looked rundown and abandoned. Most of them should have be condemned decades ago. This area is also infamous for its drug addicted sex workers. Most of them look like the caricature of thin and haggard addicts. It is quite unsettling. A homeless man walked past us and then he stopped and said something. At first, I thought maybe he was asking for some money. He smiled and said that he knew us. Then he went on to say that he has seen us working with the homeless youth. He shook our hands and continued, “It always gave me great joy to see you working with the children.” He was really happy to see us. We told him that we were still working with them. He smiled and repeated, “I knew that I knew you!” He walked away smiling. The strange thing was that many years ago in the mid 1990s, around the very same area, as I was walking by, a sex worker approached me thinking I was a possible client and another worker stopped her and said, “Respect him. He helps us.” She then apologized and said that her friend did not recognize me. I never met any of them before and we did not minister to sex workers. However, she understood the meaning of the gospel wherever it is lived and that it cannot be contained to just one group. Its joy and hope always spreads all over. I will never forget her. Her kind words are imprinted in my soul. I will never forget this homeless man, too. His words, as simple as they were, came out of the abundance of his heart. They were words spoken out of love and they have a permanent and lasting impact in our souls. His personal situation is quite dire. Most likely he is an alcoholic as many homeless adults are. It wasn’t the alcohol which brought them to the streets. It was something else. They need alcohol to cope with the sense of hopelessness. However, despite his situation, there is still something hopeful in his heart. He is able to take pleasure in seeing hopeful things happening around.

There are two types of Christianity striving in this world. One follows the footsteps of the pharisees. It is a religion which judges people according to what we put into our bodies. In other words, it is a spirituality seeking to divide us into two groups, one that is worthy of love and the other which deserves all our hatred. Then there is the Christianity of Jesus, the only true expression. It preaches the good news for all peoples. It is a message that comes from the depth of God’s heart. It is not a message which tries to put a positive spin on everything. It is one which engages in the harsh realities of Life and yet always proclaims hope. It proclaims life-giving words of genuine Love; the most essential thing necessary for every human person in this world in order to derive meaning for their existence. It is a message of healing and restoring Love. It is a message proclaiming the goodness present despite the circumstances and situations. It also recognizes hope when hopelessness reigns. It is able to overcome the hatred which paralyzes and cripples the souls of many. In order to preach this gospel, we first need to allow the divine Light of the gospel to expose our desire to hate and allow His love to transform our heart. Only then, we can become agents of the gospel of Jesus and reject the religion of the pharisees.

‘Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’ He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’ John 6:56-60

It seems like we have been on this same theme for the past few weeks. Repetition in the gospel texts usually means they are really important. I have to admit that this is not the easiest theme to understand. There are no shortcuts nor simplistic formulas to comprehend its meaning. It requires much reflection and ponderation on our part. At the same time, this does not mean that it is beyond the capability of the common person to grasp it. It is meant for every single person because it deals with a subject which concerns everyone. It is about eternal life. Jesus said that if we eat His flesh and drink His blood, we will live forever. In this reflection, I will focus on these words, “to live forever”, sometimes thought of as “eternal life”.

There is a tendency to think about eternal life as life after death. It is interesting, as Christians, we hardly consider about life before birth. It wasn’t always the case. We have some early church fathers like Origen who did think about it. The word, eternal, means without time. Therefore, it stands above our time frame of the past, the present and the future. In some religions, there is a concern about the time before birth. In our apartment building, the ground floor is rented by a religious group which believes in the doctrine of reincarnation. Almost every night, we hear their drums and chants. It is not a teaching that I have ever considered in any shape or form but their presence reminds me of the question of life before birth. They believe that their past lives have an effect on this present life. In Hinduism and Buddhism, the reincarnation is not a blessing but a dreaded cycle. The adherents of these faiths do not want to live forever. They want to free from their past lives so that the cycle of reincarnation would end. In some branches of Hinduism, they believe that the ultimate goal is to be united with the eternal life-force.

During Jesus’ time many believed that when a person died, he or she passed into a shadowy existence in Hades. The word for ghost is similar to shadow in most ancient languages. It was a life that was a mere memory of something that “once was”. Naturally, death was feared because it was the end of a real and concrete existence. It was no wonder that during Jesus’ time, the philosophy of Epicurus was very popular. He was given the title of a savior because he taught convincingly that there was not such thing as life after death. Only this life mattered. People found joy in this message. They did not have live in fear of the dreaded future.

In our ministry, the subject of life after death hardly comes up except on certain occasions. The most memorable and honest conversation I had on the subject was with Bruno. It was something which cropped up in our conversations. He asked me if the Bible described what life was like after death. He shared what he had heard from people. All of it were mere speculation. It seems like people have avoided the subject of eternal life by taking refuge in speculative ideas of life after death. I told Bruno that Jesus taught about living life in the here and now. However, eternity was always the foundation of His actions. He did not tell us to wait for eternal life. He gave it to us now. No one knows what comes after death but we have a life to live now. He was satisfied with this answer. It does not mean he understood it.

Let’s address the challenge that reincarnation poses. It believes that we originate from something eternal. However, our actions from the past keep us from being fully reuniting with the eternal. It teaches that the actions of the past have an effect on our lives. In some senses, we can appreciate this without subscribing to this doctrine. We believe that our past has marked our lives in a way. Past traumas or blessings can either cripple or enrich our lives. The difference is that we do not go beyond the time of our birth and Reincarnation does. However, Jesus goes even further. He goes to the origin of everything existing in this world. He tells His disciples that He comes from the Living Father. It was not the merits of His past life that has transformed Him into the Savior but His special relationship with the Eternal Progenitor of all things. He shares His nature and lives according to it. This very union with the Father gives Him the courage and authority to live in the present. Therefore, when He offers us His body and blood, He invites to participate in His nature. It is not something we earn. It is something we receive from him. Feeding on His Body and Blood takes us beyond our past history to define our identity according to our eternal link with the Father. Our past identity can no longer restrict us because we are given new flesh and blood to live our lives in accordance with the Father of all things. The Living Bread of Jesus frees us from all the shackles of our past to be connected with the eternal Life who is the Father.

One of our greatest fears of death is linked with being forgotten. None of us want our names to be completely erased from pages of the living. In many Anglican churches, there are portraits of the priests who served in the parish. Their names and faces are registered but it does not mean that they are remembered. I think I have my picture in a church in the Northeast of Brazil. Most likely most of its members don’t even look at it. It means nothing to them because they never had a relationship with me. Those who remember me still have an affection for me and I for them. Eventually they will pass on as I will and all of us will together slip into anonymity. This is the tragic state of death. Despite all our efforts, we will eventually become forgotten. Therefore, striving to be to remembered is the wrong approach to understand eternal life. Instead, we should seek to feed on the living bread which gives the wisdom and courage to live our lives in accordance with living Father.

Living our lives in accordance with the Living Father is not something left to our interpretation. It is revealed through the Life of Jesus. It is revealed to us as we interact with the Living Bread and allow this Bread to transform the very being of who we are. John the evangelist used strong symbolic words to express this profound truth. In some churches, they have attempted to reduce this into something literal. I am afraid the literal observance of these precious words do not make them more powerful but instead it makes them lose some profundity. We cannot feed on the Body and Blood of Jesus on our terms. We cannot be connected with the eternal Life which Jesus offers through our rituals and rites. It comes to us through grace. Our rituals and rites serve to remind us that this Bread of Life is eternally present in our midst. They are not substitutes for the Bread of Life but they provide us with the opportunity to say to our Lord that we want to feed on His body and blood so that we can become like Him.

This is really the essence of eternal life for us. We become like Jesus just as He is like the Father. The Bread He offers to us is His Life. The testimony of His Life and teachings are revealed to us in the gospels. All we need to do now is to receive His body and blood and these will transform His words into eternal Life in our souls.

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.’ John 6:52-57

We need to avoid our tendency to soothe these words by spiritualizing them.
By the way, this still doesn’t even tone it down. The odd choice of words makes it almost impossible to make it sound less offensive. After all, any suggestion of cannibalism should always be offensive in any circumstance. Nevertheless, Jesus chose these words deliberately. John decided to register them in His gospel because he believed that it was important for his readers to understand. We are challenged with the task of interpreting these words in a way which is meaningful in our everyday lives. I have to interpret them to our homeless youth in a way in which they will understand. We have a great task before us. I am going to try it now. Maybe I need a little bit more of maturing but for now, I will work work with what I haver.

Let us to go back to the verses which started this whole conversation. The people came after Jesus after He had fed five thousand in the desert. Jesus told them,

“Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” (John 6:26-27)

Philosophers who were critics of religious faith in the ancient world used to say that people sought the gods because they wished to fill their stomachs. It seems like Jesus is echoing their words. Stomach is here used metaphorically to signify all our base needs and desires. By no means it is a negative statement. We need things to survive whether it be food or shelter. Many times it is a struggle for us to acquire the basic things of life. Many underprivileged people in Jesus’ time and in the present too feel like they need divine intervention to just survive. In the gospel reading, the people acknowledged that Jesus had a special divine gift and they followed Him because they believed that he could help them in some way to achieve what they needed and desired. The critics of religion were not questioning this attitude but just wondered if God was really relevant after our stomachs are full.

This week we had a special encounter with a former crack addict. Once upon a time this poor soul was completely lost in a desolate place known as “crackland” in this city. Thankfully, he decided to attend a treatment center operated by the Catholic Church. We know of this center. They have very peculiar practices. The participants wake up early in the morning and say their rosary for about an hour. They also follow a rigorous communal prayer life throughout the day. The idea is to pray the addiction away. This young man went through the program successfully. He had gone through several treatment centers before but none had a lasting effect on him. This time he was able to stay off crack for years. However, he confessed that he still was an alcoholic. He showed us a bottle of hard liquor which he had with him. He was not drunk by any means when he spoke to us. He was waiting for the vet to treat his canine companion. We actually met him at a free veterinary clinic. Now we have to add accompanying our homeless youth to get medical help for their animal companions as part of our job description.

This young man is satisfied with his life. He wanted to overcome his debilitating addiction to crack and he did. This was not an easy thing. We strongly believe that he could not have done it if he did not sense the love of God in his heart. However, Jesus has more to offer than being a mere cure for addiction.

All our homeless children and youth are satisfied with their lives. Most of them would even say that they are happy. They have grown accustomed to their homelessness. In spite of their tragic situation, they have learned to find joy and peace. They are satisfied but Jesus wants to give them more. It does not mean that Jesus is going to wave His hand and change their social circumstances. Homelessness is a complex social and political problem. I am not going to deal with it here. I just want to interpret these tough sayings of Jesus for our daily lives.

We, humans, have an incredible capability. We can adapt to any given situation and find satisfaction in it. It does not mean that this is all there is in life. Jesus is offering something higher and aligned with our true vocation as human beings. He is giving us His flesh and His blood. His flesh or body is how He lived His life in this world. His blood is Life connected with God the Father. Jesus is inviting us to open our hearts and souls to allow Him to live out His life through us. He doesn’t want to possess us. He wants to become united with our individuality. It is the definitely not the same as asking ourselves, “what Jesus would do” in any given circumstances in our lives. I know that one time this was a popular spiritual practice. However, it still keeps Jesus at a distance and we conjure Him up whenever we are faced with a dilemma. In this gospel passage, these words are talking about a complete integration of Jesus into our lives. In other words, we need to allow the person of Jesus to live through us in this world. We need ask ourselves this question, “Is this actually possible?” The greatest enemy of the Christian church, Nietzsche thought it was impossible. This is why he wrote his infamous words, “There is only one Christian and He died on the Cross two thousand years ago.” The philosopher wasn’t making a mockery of the Christian faith. He understood the words of Jesus in this gospel passage. The essential message of the gospel is that we become Jesus. We feed on His flesh and drink His blood so that He will become integrated into our entire being.

With God, all things are possible.

One of the young people is an addict. He uses drugs every night. We have had a very close relationship with him for ten years. Even though he is an addict, his major preference is to engage with people in the neighborhood where he sleeps in the streets. I told him once that his situation does not stop him from being a blessing to people. He can still allow Jesus to live His life through him. To my surprise, he took my words seriously. In most cases, my words usually don’t go very far. This week we spoke to a lady who lives in the building above where this young man spends most of his time. She told us how her life has become richer through her friendship with this young man. She said that she had to deal with depression and in a strange way this young man was part of her healing process. There is also an old widow who lives by herself and everyday she cooks a lunch for two and brings a hot plate to him. He is the only person she talks to during the day. There are tons of lonely and neglected people. For some of these, this young man is their only human contact. They sense his genuine interest and they feel connected to him. He is also very proud of his friendship with them. He never asks for money but always receives more than what he needs. He uses some of it for drugs. Sounds sad, but there is a great improvement. He used to be someone who used drugs all day long. Now, he only uses them at night when there is no one around. During the day, he has found something better to do. He spends time with the people whom he loves. Eventually drugs will lose their grip in his life.

Feeding on His flesh and drinking His blood is a lifelong process. However, it starts where we are now. It is not for perfect people. Those who are well do not need a physician. Those who are satisfied with their lives do not want to change anything. Jesus is irrelevant for these. However, there are those who sense a strong hunger for something more concrete and eternal in their lives. Jesus offers His Life to these so that He can live through them. Perfection is a not prerequisite, only openness and willingness. We can start where we are spiritually. We can start with reading His words and allowing them to speak to our souls. We can start by trying to imitate Him and love people like He did. It will not be easy. We need to feed on Him daily and eventually His body and blood will slowly transform our hearts and minds to become like Him.

Jesus became human so that humanity can become Him.

I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. John 6:48-51

We often read these verses without paying much attention to them. Our minds skim through these words without dwelling on them too much because they are familiar words. For those of us in the Eucharistic traditions, we hear these words weekly, “This is my body which is given unto you!” We partake in the bread of the Holy Communion. We do not think too much of the fact that we are symbolically consuming His flesh. If we did, it should disturb us. Once I was talking to a friend who is a devout Christian and very well read when it comes to the Bible. She was appalled when I told her that Jesus told his disciples to feed on His flesh. She was shocked and asked half jokingly if it was in all bibles or just the Anglican one. Well, it is the gospel. We read it today. This verse is not the end of the argument but the mere beginning. It becomes progressively controversial and difficult to digest. However, for now, it is good for us to take these tough sayings in small doses. Jesus is the Bread of Life and we need to feed on Him.

These words of Jesus separate Him from all the prophets and priests of the past. They separate Him from the all the sages and religious leaders of the world. Buddha never told his disciples to feed on his flesh. Mohammad would have never imagined saying such a thing. It would have been scandalous and most likely diminished their status as religious leaders. The people who heard Jesus utter these words were scandalized, too. According to the gospel of John, many of them deserted him at this point. It was too hard for them to accept. They wanted Jesus to be their miracle worker. They wanted Him to be their great teacher. They even considered Him to be their prophet. The verses before these narrate an attempt of the people to crown Him as their King. All these were lofty roles and titles but none of them were worthy of our Lord. He is the living Bread; something which was common in that culture. Jesus used an everyday item to highlight the mystery of His work.

A miracle worker, a great teacher, a prophet or even a wonderful King are people who play a small role in our everyday life. You just need a miracle worker when you or a loved one is ill or in some sort of calamity. A great teacher is there to guide and help us. We can listen to him or her or we can just simply ignore them altogether. A King really has very little do to with the life of the common people. Anyway, bread, in the culture of that time, was essential for survival. It is something even the poorest of the poor had and needed on a regular basis. Without bread, we become weak. Without bread for sustenance, we will slowly die.

Everyday when we walk to where the children are, we pass by many churches. I know sometimes I sound like a broken recording and I cannot help it. I draw inspiration for my reflections on our everyday experiences. The first church we walk past is our own Anglican Church. Every Sunday, we have a Eucharistic celebration where we commune the Body and Blood of Jesus in our hearts by faith. Then we pass by another church that has daily celebrations. Each day the focus is different. On Mondays, it is to free the people from the curses. On Tuesday, it is to bring prosperity and happiness to one’s life. On Wednesday, it is about financial prosperity. I am not making this up. There are many more churches in a similar fashion. All of them focus on one aspect of the ministry of Jesus and some are based on local superstition. Our church might seem closer to these words of Jesus in their celebration but it does not mean that they are any different from the other churches. Feeding on the Bread of Life is not a question of believing nor knowing the right doctrine. Jesus said these words to deliberately shake the foundations of the people’s spiritual faith. If these words do not shake our spiritual foundations, then maybe it is possible that we do not comprehend them entirely.

These words of Jesus marked a turning point in the ministry of Jesus. People followed Jesus to benefit from what He did. Some followed in a manner of a spectator. The invitation to feed on Him is in reality to become like Him. His Life provides us the means to be transformed to become like Him. He becomes the focal point of our lives. He becomes the sustenance of our life here on earth. He is our daily Bread and this Bread needs to be manifested in our lives. It is an invitation to be transformed in our daily lifestyle to become more like Him. It does not mean we become more religious. This is many times defined according to the churches we belong. It goes beyond this. It is to allow His life to transform the way we think and act in accordance with His Life.

The problem with Truth expressed through faith is that there can never be a satisfactory answer to someone who does not participate in it. I have some agnostic friends and sometimes I imagine them asking me questions whenever I write these reflections. I am sure they would want to know how one feeds on the Bread of Life. In fact, some of the people who were discussing this very matter with Jesus wondered about this. We cannot go beyond the answer that Jesus gives them,

No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. John 6:44

Of course, like most things Jesus says in the gospels, this verse raises up more questions. It is not in my capacity here to address all of them. I am sure some might think that God is playing favorites by drawing some and rejecting others. There is no mention of rejection in these words. The invitation is open to all. The world is there for all to appreciate and admire. The marks of God are present in the universe. God is present in all the beauty and even in the darkness. However, most people are too busy or not interested to perceive His presence, or rather, His bread in the world.

Once as we crossed a busy pedestrian bridge we noticed an old woman who from her simple appearance looked like someone from the poorer class in this city. She was looking intently at something on the ground. Hundreds of people just walked past her without noticing her. Usually people like her are invisible to many. Some might have thought that she was out of her mind. She did behave a little odd. She was looking intently on the floor. Mary, my wife, said she was looking at an insect. We went to her and she pointed to it and asked us what it was. She said that she observed it walking across and avoiding the people. She was amazed with this tiny creature. I picked up the insect and we looked at it up close. I told her it was a praying mantis. She smiled. We stood there admiring this tiny creature peacefully moving around my hand. Tons of people passed by it oblivious of its existence. In a strange and simple way, it was a special moment for us and the woman. I actually talked about her with our youth yesterday. Among the hundreds of people who passed the bridge she was the only one who noticed this tiny creature. It was there for everyone but only one person noticed it. She was not more special than any one of these people. However, she was attentive and ready to be amazed by the simple things in Life.

Jesus is the bread of Life. It is a simple thing. It is present in our everyday life. However, only those who are attentive and open to be amazed will discover and feed on this bread. Some will feed on this bread and their lives will be transformed. They cannot claim this transformation as part of their personal merit. This is given by the grace of God. However, God does not play favorites. He calls everyone but only a few feed on Him. Only a few want to be sustained completely by His Life. Most people just want small doses of Him. Jesus does not want to be our Christ for occasional purposes. He wants to be our everyday live giving sustenance.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ And his disciples said to him, ‘You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, “Who touched me?” ’ He looked all round to see who had done it. Mark 5:30-32

There is a church around the corner from where I live, maybe about a two minutes walk. This church is named after what they believe to be the four essential elements of the gospel. One of which is miraculous healing and I can’t remember the other three. They believe that physical healing from illness is part and parcel of the gospel. They have healing services. They claim that many people have been healed in their services. Nevertheless, many more who sought healing were never healed. These churches claim that the problem is their lack of faith. It seems like the one of the essential elements of the gospel, according to this church, is only reserved for a select few with great faith.

Just across the street from this church is our church, the Anglican Church. Yes, I live about a three minutes walk from my local church. We believe that miraculous healings do happen. However, we do not believe that this is the essential aspect of the gospel. The Anglican church usually uses liturgy derived from a book called the Book of Common Prayer. Our spirituality, in many ways, is defined through this book. It is really the Bible in prayer form. However, the most important element in this liturgical book is its name; Common Prayer. Pretty much like the other church across the street, we believe that it is important for the church to be defined by the essentials of the gospel. In our Prayer Book, we attempt to define the essence of our gospel as an experience available to “people of all sorts and conditions”. We need faith to perceive it. Jesus said that faith of a size of mustard seed is enough. In other words, God is not limited by the smallness of our faith to act. The Book of Common Prayer has a simple message for us. God is present in everyone’s life and the message of the gospel is for every person.

Today we visited a mother who lost her newborn child. She is one of our homeless youth who has over the past few years managed to get out of homelessness although she still struggles. She was expecting a baby girl. This gave her a renewed joy for life. She always wanted a baby girl and planned to name her Leticia. She had everything prepared for her infant except for a baby bathtub. We promised to get it for her. On Monday we received a call saying that the tub was no longer necessary; Leticia was no more. She died at birth due to some complication in the womb. The mother buried her child yesterday. She was expecting to have a joyous time with her new born child and instead she laid her lifeless body in a tomb. In the same building where this young mother lives, there is another family from the streets. They were homeless for a long time and it has just been two years that they were able to rent a tiny room. The mother of the family suffered a stroke and is partially paralysed. Immediately after praying for the grieving mother, we went up to see Patricia. She tearfully confided in us that she has this persistent fear that she will never walk again. We tried our best to console her. I truly believe that there will be a positive outcome in her case. However, there is not going to be resurrection for Leticia in this life time. Her mother has lost her for good.

It seems like we see the stories of the gospels unfold before our very eyes in our ministry but without the positive results found in it. The grieving mother might read today’s gospel and wonder why Jesus did not heal her daughter. She is not the only one. There are thousands of mothers and fathers who wish that this miracle would be a daily occurrence but it is not. They might wonder if these stories in the gospel have anything concrete to say to them.

If we focused just on the healings, then the message of this gospel text would not be relevant to many. However, the good news is not about Jesus the miracle worker but about Jesus revealing the true nature of the Father. Throughout the Old Testament, we read stories about God and His interactions with the people. These people are often the Patriarchs, judges, prophets and kings, not the simple and common person like majority of humanity. There is one about Ruth but she was only mentioned because she was part of David’s genealogy. In the gospels, however, the main characters are people whom the world does not see. The common fisherman, the lepers, the old mother-in-law ill in bed at home, the woman who suffered an illness which isolated her from society, the child who is usually hidden from the rest of the community…. These people take the center stage in these stories. They are very much like our grieving mother and Patricia. The healings which occurred in the gospels were sacramental acts to reveal to these people that they are very much in the scope of God’s grace and love. They do not have to be leaders nor occupy prominent places in a community to be deserving of God’s grace. Most importantly, perhaps the essential lesson in these stories, God does not accuse them of the pain and suffering which they bear. It is a human tendency to blame the victims for their pain. I do not know why, but we do it. Sometimes even the person who suffers blames oneself. On contrary, Jesus never blamed anyone. He was not interested in accusing people. He wanted to restore their life. His healing served to restore Life for those who suffer. However, it is not an escape from suffering which is part and parcel of our life. We read these stories of healings in the gospels but they only tell us part of the story. The daughter of Darius eventually died. The old woman shared the same fate. Their healing did not free them from sufferings. Jesus healed many but He Himself did not escape the painful death on the Cross. In fact, some of his accusers even challenged Him to do so. Jesus’ healing is not about escaping the harsh realities of Life. It is about having Life and Life abundantly, despite all the harsh conditions which Life throws at us.

I do not know of a satisfactory answer for the grieving mothers and fathers around us. I cannot explain why some people never recover from their debilitating illness. I cannot guarantee that Patricia will ever walk again. The gospels have many healing stories. However, it is also true that almost all the apostles died terrible deaths. Stephen, the first martyr, died soon after he became a deacon. It seemed like an untimely death. We could take refuge by saying that it is God’s will or talk about the immortality of our souls. These arguments do not bring healing to the souls of the grieving person. At best, it might help us to say something to those who are grieving but it does not help to alleviate the pain. Jesus did not explain away the hard things of Life. He brought Life to situations which seemed hopeless and tragic. Jesus said that His disciples will do greater things than Him (John 14:12). It is hard to imagine. This is the problem. We have limited imagination. Sometimes, we need to surrender and allow the Holy Spirit to give us the wisdom to bring healing in hard situations.

We knew of no magic words to heal the grieving mother nor to guarantee Patricia of her healing. We have the faith of a mustard seed but we are not sure that we can move mountains which are not meant to be moved. The grieving mother did not want a miracle from us. Patricia did not expect us to have a magic cure for her. We just listened to both women. We prayed with them and ensured that our prayers were accompanied by concrete actions. Our actions were merely sacramental to show that these women are not alone and abandoned but God is actively present with them. Both women just did not want to be alone and abandoned in this journey. They wanted to know if Life is possible after such tragic situations. We have our mustard seed faith to have the boldness to say to them that God is with them and He will manifest Himself in their lives. This is the gospel message which Jesus preached. This is the only thing we can guarantee through faith.