I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. Luke 12:49-52

I usually go to bed late at night. It is so late that I am a little embarrassed telling anyone the exact time. I have always been like this. As a young child, my parents would send me to bed early because of school. I needed to be up by 6 am. Instead of sleeping, I would lie on my bed in the dark wide awake while my siblings slept soundly in their beds. I grew up in Singapore which is a big city trapped on a small island. Only the wealthy could afford houses. The rest of us lived in tiny one or two bedrooms apartments. Space was a luxury. We have to be creative to find a private space in our home. My father used to wait for everyone to go to bed and then he would sneak into our room and say a short prayer in the dark. He wasn’t aware that I was spying on him.

I come from a strong practicing Roman Catholic family. Like most Catholics I know, we never talk about our faith openly unlike the protestants. Even in my household, spirituality was a private matter. My father prayed in the dark every night. After he left the room, I would mimic his actions. My mother was a home maker. She would wait for everyone to leave for school and work and then recite her prayers. I was the youngest in the family so I used to watch her sit and use a prayer book every morning and evening. She never said anything about it to me. I never asked. However, it impacted me.

Every Sunday, our family would walk to church for the 7 a.m. mass. It was sheer torture for me to listen to the ramblings of the priest at such an ungodly hour. My parents thought it was important to give the first hours of the first day of the week to God. Eventually I enjoyed going to church but not for religious reasons. I had a lot of friends there. My friends and I never discussed anything religious. Like most good Catholics, our religiosity was restricted within the four walls of the church. Things followed this routine until I was sixteen and I visited an Anglican Church for the first time.

My neighbor who was about my age had recently become an Anglican and wanted me to visit his church. It was about the same as the Roman Catholic Church, liturgically speaking. However, just before the communion, the congregation prayed the prayer known as the Prayer of Humble Access. Nothing in the actual words were new to me. However, reciting the prayer in the midst of a congregation of all ages touched my soul in a profound way. I felt a fire being kindled in my soul. I realized that I had only heard about Jesus until then. At that moment, I felt His Love consuming me in a real and special way. Despite all the warnings I heard about taking communion in a Protestant church, I went forth to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus. It was as if I received it for the first time in my life. Something in me changed. I went home excited to share this new and wonderful thing with my parents. They were the ones who taught me everything about God. I shared what happened. My mother thought it was the end of the world. My father warned me sternly that I was never to return to the Anglican Church. I thought that there was going to be peace and joy but instead there was division and tears.

I was truly confused. The love I felt in my heart gave me the confidence that everything would get better. This is what Love does to our souls. It gives the assurance that God’s love will overcome all obstacles which prevent us from living full and abundant lives. However, in order to overcome these obstacles we need to confront them. Many times these obstacles come from the very ones who taught us everything about Love. You might wonder why is this so? There is no adequate answer and maybe there shouldn’t be one. It suffices to know that Love is a purifying force. It is a fire burning away all impurities so that we can grown into a richer and fuller understanding of God’s love. Sometimes it is necessary to leave behind false notions. The process of purification is not pleasant. It is painful. It requires a change of mindset. Sometimes people are not ready for it.

The words we heard from the gospel text today are considered part of the tough sayings of Jesus. These sayings are not rules to make our lives more difficult. They are meant to prepare us for reality. They also free us from false illusions. We tend to think that the goodness and love of Jesus will be readily received by everyone. In fact, many times it is rejected and misunderstood. Love is a purifying force. It always guides us to take a step closer to God. No one can say that they don’t need to grow in the knowledge and understanding of Love. However, there are many who would prefer that Love remains in the small limited space of their lives.

Even Jesus faced this difficulty with His family. Jesus often spoke out of His own life experiences. The gospel of Mark tells us that his family thought Jesus was out of His mind. It is strange to see that even Mother Mary was included with this lot. One would think that she, of all people, would understand what Jesus was doing. She experienced God’s love in a manner that no human being in this world could have ever experienced. She was God’s chosen instrument to bring Jesus into this world. She paid a price for this special place and suffered willingly for God. Therefore, we might think that she shouldn’t be too shocked with what Jesus was doing. The problem is that Love of God acts in mysterious ways. It was so strange and different that even Mary wasn’t quite prepared for it. There is a lesson here for all of us. We should never think that we know how God’s love will manifest itself. It is a mystery in the sense that we can not reduce God’s Love to a mere formula. God’s love is free to act in the way He pleases. All we can do is to be open to His Love. One thing is for sure. God’s love opens up our world. It never closes nor restricts it. We will never know why His family thought He was out of his mind. One thing we know for sure is that Jesus was revealing God’s love in a way that was radically different from what was unexpected and this was divisive.

My parents prohibited me from entering the Anglican Church again. I obeyed for two weeks. Finally, I decided to have a heart to heart conversation with my parents. I told them that something had happened to my soul and my whole body is yearning to be a place where I can learn about this fire in my soul. It wasn’t about a church denomination but about being in a place where I can grow in the knowledge of God’s love. To my surprise, my father understood. It took my mother a while. He asked me to attend Roman Catholic mass every Sunday and I could go to the Anglican Church after. He did not want me to make a definite decision until I turned 18. For two years I attended two churches and then I chose the Anglican Church. Eventually my parents embraced the fact that it was the Love of God that led me to where I am today. They realized that it wasn’t a defiance against the things that they taught me. It was something that flowed naturally from the lessons their spirituality had imparted in me.

The Love of God which purifies our hearts and souls will bring divisions in our relationships. We should not be discouraged or offended when this happens. It is the kind of Love that is incompatible with the values of this world. It is the kind of Love that exposes the obstacles we, as humans, create in our relationship with each other. Some might want to hold on these obstacles. However, this does not mean that God’s love is unable to penetrate their souls. His Love will always overcome. This is the assurance we have. However, let us also pray that we don’t become the ones who become an obstacle to God’s love. There is a danger that this might happen, too. We need to be always be open to the purifying power of God’s love. Sometimes, it is very human for us to doubt when God’s love does something new in our midst. It is in our human nature to resist these changes.

We can follow the example of Mother Mary. She was on the side of Jesus’ brothers and sisters and then we read that she was at the side of Jesus at the foot of the Cross. She was open to God’s love even though she had some doubts initially. The most important thing is for us to be sensitive to God’s love burning in our hearts and always open and humble for this Love to transform us.

Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’ Luke 10:38-42

There is a tendency to think that this gospel lesson is about “doing” versus “being”. At least, I have encountered many people who interpret it as such. I have heard preachers argue that we need Marthas and Marys in the church. I even heard a sermon on “Being a Martha”. It struck me profoundly. I think I mentioned this several times over the past 12 years in my reflections. It seemed to totally disregard what Jesus was saying. No doubt, there were good intentions in the preacher’s conclusion but, like Martha, he missed the point. Martha invited Jesus as a guest into her home. He wasn’t like any other guest. Jesus was special. Unfortunately, she failed to see this because she was too concerned doing things that did not really matter. The uniqueness of Jesus dissipated in her mind the moment He entered her house. She treated Him like any other guest. She concerned herself with things which would not have a permanent impact in her life, unlike Mary. Furthermore, it is unfair to assume that people like Mary don’t do any work. In fact, Mary Magdalene did extraordinary things. We cannot read the gospels without acknowledging her importance. Her presence is noted in all the significant events of the gospels. It can be argued that she was one of the greatest disciples according to Jesus’ standard. She was definitely a servant of all but the most important thing she did first was to sit and listen to our Lord.

In our experience both in the parish and our ministry now in the streets, we have encountered many “Marthas”. Their good intentions are never doubted. They usually plunge in head first into the ministry. Their enthusiasm is many times contagious. However, it doesn’t last long. They get frustrated and angry. Then we don’t see them anymore. They are like the seeds in the parable of the Sower that fall into rocky ground. They spring up fast but wither away just as quickly because they have no moisture.

Martha invited Jesus into her home. Obviously she saw something special in Jesus. However, the moment Jesus stepped into her household, He became a problem for her. It was not a bad problem but a problem. She wanted to get everything ready for her guest. Therefore, she busied herself trying to solve little problems to make her guest happy. There is nothing wrong with this. However, Jesus is not an ordinary guest. He was, well, Jesus!

The gospel text tells she got distracted. This is never a good thing. If I could put this in another way, she missed the point of having Jesus in her home. She invited Jesus the person and then treated His presence in her home as a problem to be solved. Whenever we deal with problems, we are obsessed with finding solutions. She got distracted from the real purpose of having Jesus in her home. Mary sat and listened to Jesus. This is really what Jesus wanted. Many times He has said so in the gospels. He wanted to share with the world the message of hope and love. If we don’t listen to Him, we won’t understand His message. If we don’t understand His message, then we won’t know how to serve Him. We might go about doing things which don’t really matter. Some might argue that someone needs to feed Jesus and Martha was doing something real and practical. However, Jesus was no ordinary guest. Martha failed to recognize Jesus was an unique individual and instead He became a generic guest when He stepped into Her home. Mary listened to Him. She wanted to hear what He has to say first before acting.

In my youth, I read a spiritual book called “Sit, Stand, and Walk”. I have forgotten the name of the author. Of course, I did an internet search and found out his name. However, it is not quite relevant to what I want to share. I don’t remember much of its content. The title alone spoke volumes to me. It is a good summary of the Christian spirituality. It transcends the theological arguments of “works” versus “grace” which is often times not very interesting for the person in the pews. Most people want to know how to live their faith in meaningful ways. This is the idea behind “Sit, Stand and Walk”.

In the Old and New Testament, we have countless of examples of prophets and disciples who began their spiritual vocation by sitting. When we sit, we wait expectedly for God to speak. It is not something easy. In the gospels, listening to Jesus requires a lot of work and reflection. Even the apostles, on many occasions, asked Jesus to clarify His teachings. Most importantly, when we sit and wait, we are acknowledging that God is a personal God. In other words, we believe that He will speak and reveal Himself to us. Many times, we feel like we are too busy to sit and wait and we outsource this part to others who end up doing the same. Unfortunately, these never hesitate to pretend that they are His spokespersons. In the end, we get distracted with the wrong things.

There was a time when I was a little conflicted with the idea of a personal God. I did not question His existence but rather the idea of a personal God portrayed by the churches. Unfortunately, it has been trivialized to such a point that the personal God seems very similar to the misconceived idea of Santa Claus. I looked to the Jewish tradition to gain a better understanding of a personal God especially Hasidic Judaism. After all, we inherited this concept from Judaism. I started reading Jewish mystics like Abraham Herschel and Martin Buber. The first thing which struck me was their uttermost reverence for God’s name. It is not mere religiosity but a profound understanding of having a personal relationship with God. We must not forget that even though the most sacred Being comes to our level to speak to us, we must not reduce God to our level. His Name is still sacred and must be treated with reverence. We must never forget that God wanting to communicate with us is the uttermost gracious act of God. Therefore, it would be disrespectful on our part to act in His Name without listening first to His voice. These Jewish mystics teach us that God is constantly speaking to us through people, things, and circumstances. However, we need to listen. Listening entails waiting. God cannot be rushed. He speaks when He is ready. His words always compel us to act.

Our spirituality begins with sitting and waiting to hear God’s voice. The New Testament helps us to discern God’s voice. The whole ministry of Jesus is about teaching us to discern God’s voice. Jesus taught some hard things. He taught us not to serve two gods. Neither one will be the true one when we try to do this. We must love our enemies. We must go and heal and restore lives. God’s voice will compel us to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Anything contrary to this is not from God. God revealed His fulness in the person of Jesus. Therefore, He is our standard through whom we discern difference between what is of God and what is of our own sinful nature.

When we hear and listen to God’s voice, then we will have the courage to stand and walk in this world. Mary did some things which were extremely bold for her time. She anointed Jesus’ feet. We can imagine that, in the first century, this act would have been frowned upon. Mary did it knowing that she would receive criticism. Jesus commended her actions. She was at the foot of the Cross even though it was painful and uncomfortable for her. When all the disciples were thinking about throwing in the towel after Jesus’ death, Mary went to the tomb to anoint His body. Mary was a doer. She walked the talk but before she did anything, she sat and listened. Her actions had lasting effects on our faith. Jesus said she chose the right thing. Therefore let us follow in her footsteps and sit and listen with confidence. God will speak and then we can stand on His words and walk with boldness and confidence like Mary.

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’ But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Luke 10:25-29

The gospel text above ends with a question and Jesus answers this with a parable which is very familiar with most of us; the parable of the Good Samaritan.

There was a time when we were doing a weekly bible study with one of our homeless youth. This is a young man who has been homeless since he was 8. He had never heard of parables and wanted to know what they were. In the years of leading bible studies, no one has ever asked me this question. It is because we who are in the church are so familiar with them that we think we know their meaning and significance. Familiarity is sometimes confused with knowledge. They are not synonymous. I found this out when I tried to explain it, it wasn’t that easy.

Parables are not allegories, even though they contain symbolic references like allegories. They are not moral tales like fairy tales, even though they do contain sometimes moral teachings. Parables deal with real life. They contain things which the common people can easily recognize to demonstrate a profound spiritual truth. The parable of the sower is a good example. The people lived in an agricultural society and sowing seeds was part and parcel of everyday life. The parable of the lost sheep is another example of something happening frequently in that community. In the gospel text above, Jesus goes on to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan. This is quite interesting one. It tells about a reality which is often ignored about Jesus’ society. It was a dangerous and violent society. However, we will get to it in a moment. Let’s dwell on the parables in general for moment. Jesus’ use of parables
reveals something more important and relevant to us as modern people. It teaches us about the spirituality of Jesus, something for us to emulate as His followers. Jesus participated completely in the everyday lives of the people. He did not learn to use parables from a book. He learned them through his daily life with the common people. He looked for spiritual truth revealed in the simple and everyday things of life. Just like we use the common elements of bread and wine and through faith we see something deeper and spiritual in these common elements. The parables invite us to seek for God in simple and everyday things. The world tends to look for God in spectacular things. In the gospels, often times the Pharisees asked for signs. Jesus refused to succumb to their demands. Instead, He reveals that the wisdom of God present in the mundane things of life. This is why He often says in the gospels,

“The reason I speak to them in parables is that “seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.”” Matthew 13:13

Jesus uses parables to answer a question. The parable of the Good Samaritan is an answer but not to just to the question of “who is one’s neighbor”. It is an answer to the original question; “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Perhaps people might get worried whether this parable is promoting actions over grace. In other words, the argument that we are saved not by actions but by grace. This argument dwells on the idea that eternal life is something after death. It promotes an idea that God will judge us with a scale where our good works are measured against our faults. However, Eternal Life is living in a loving relationship with God.

Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.
1 John 4:20

The parable of the Good Samaritan is quite sophisticated. Literarily speaking, it is quite brilliant. Jesus sets the stage. A man suffers a fate beyond his control. His clothes were stripped so that there was no way of anyone knowing his religious and ethnic identity. Back then and even in some places today, people’s religious and ethnic identity is recognized by their attire. No one who passed him knew anything of his circumstances. He could have been a robber himself who was lynched by a mob. Nothing is known to the passerby except that he was badly hurt and dying. Everyone who passed this man had good religious arguments for their actions. The priest walked on the other side because he was not allowed to touch an injured person or a corpse. He was not close enough to know if the man was alive or dead. The Old Testament is clear about this.

“Whoever touches a human corpse will be unclean for seven days.” Number 19:11

The priest had liturgical duties. He could not forfeit them for the sake of helping this man. He believed that he had higher priorities than helping this man. The Levite had good reasons too. He was a teacher of God’s Law. Today, he might be considered a theologian. He had an obligation to teach. He needed to keep himself pure too. They did not act this way because they were merely selfish. They did it because of their convictions. Let’s just allow them this argument because this thinking is still present in today’s society. They are always religious arguments to back up acts of omission. However, Jesus wasn’t trying to attack anybody. This is important to remember. He was answering an important question. This parable is about eternal life.

The Samaritan was considered by the Jewish society as a heretic at best. The religious authorities believed that the Samaritans did not have a perfect understanding of God’s Law and their liturgical practices were corrupted and were an abomination to the priestly tradition. In other words, the Samaritan did not have a proper understanding of all things religious. However, according to this parable, this was irrelevant. The Samaritan was sensitive to God’s Spirit. The parable doesn’t tell us this but the Life of Jesus does. The ministry of Jesus is about healing. It is not about religiosity. It is not about rituals or theology or philosophy. It is about healing. This man needed healing. God wanted to heal him. The Samaritan responded to God’s prompting. Every act of Love is a response to God’s grace calling us to act. God’s grace invites to participate in His loving actions in this world.

This is how the Samaritan responded to God’s call. He committed himself to this man. He became his servant. He did not know anything about this injured man. Maybe in another circumstance this injured man might have despised the Samaritan. It was very possible. However, in his most vulnerable state, the Samaritan was God’s chosen instrument of Love.

There is a word in the English language and Portuguese has its equivalent too which I find annoying and condescending. The word is “gratifying”. People have said to me that it must be very gratifying to help someone. The problem is that it reduces something important and eternal into a mere emotional experience. The Samaritan did not help the injured man because it is gratifying to help someone. He was moved to help because he responded to God’s prompting. He was moved to help because God’s compassion touched his soul. Something marvelous and wonderful happens to us when we respond to God in this manner. Hope becomes real and alive in us. The kind of hope which is only found when we respond to God’s love. Hope which opens our eyes to see the Light of God shining brightly in this world even when people around us think we are enveloped in darkness.

Recently, someone asked me if we ever get distressed in our ministry because the situation always seems hopeless. In a way, she is right. Most of the young people we know and have a good relationship with will never overcome abject poverty. Many of them might die homeless. Their lifespan is short, too. Bad food and harsh living conditions besides the stress coming with homelessness contributes to this tragic reality. On the outside, this is a depressing and hopeless situation. However, Jesus never stands on the outside and observes. He participates. He is involved. He serves. He loves. He invites us to do the same. When we listen to His voice, we join Him. Then we discover His presence, wherever Jesus is present, there is eternal life. Whenever Jesus is present, there is Love. Love gives us hope.

This week I was talking with Bruno. Now, this young man, on the outside, looks like your stereotypical homeless person. He wears mismatched clothes. He eats leftover food from restaurants. He complained that sometimes people walk pass him and comment that he is in such a sad and tragic situation. They shake their heads and walk on the other side. Bruno told me that he does not believe his situation is bad. In fact, he thinks that despite his situation, he is quite happy and hopeful. I actually understood what he meant. Bruno is a very sociable person. He has many friends. We have had many good moments and frustrating ones, too. However, Bruno knows that he is loved. Therefore, he has hope. It might not be hope in the mindset of this world. It is hope that comes from Love and it is eternally present. However, we would never discover this if we did not commit to the voice of God beckoning us to participate in the ministry of Jesus in Bruno’s life.

His voice is always beckoning us to join Him. Let’s be attentive and open to His voice.

Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, “Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.” I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.
Luke 10:5-12

Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me. Luke 10:16

The most devastating thing to a person’s soul is rejection. Our youth can overcome abuse in all its forms. They can overcome the devastating effects of abject poverty. However, rejection causes them to question the very core of their identity. It shapes the way they see the world. After years of relationship building, some of them share their experiences of rejection with us. Many times it is not rejection per say but a result of a tragic situation. One young man doesn’t remember his mother’s face at all but only remembers that she left him at the orphanage when he was eight. He waited until he was fifteen. She never came. Now, he erased the memory of her face. The pain was too great. The truth was that his mother could not afford to raise him. She made the tough decision and chose one of her two children. As a child, he interpreted her decision as a personal rejection. Others have parents had to work to support their children and left them alone locked up in a tiny shack made out of scrap wood. Most of these parents did not deliberately reject their children. However, the child reads all these as such. This is the tragic situation of life. In the gospel text today, Jesus sent the seventy out as healers. This is the goal of all disciples that we become agents of healing in this world. It is important as healers that we don’t interpret the world like a child. As Paul said,

“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.” 1 Corinthians 13:11

The healer needs to have a good grasp of the complex nature of Life. Discernment is of utter importance. Healers need to know the difference between rejection and obstacles which life throws at us. Sometimes people misinterpret obstacles as rejection and formulate negative ideas and concepts which become rooted in our souls. Sometimes healers are too quick to shake the dust off their feet when they really need to stay and overcome obstacles hindering healing. I have done this several times. I have misread obstacles and thought that I should leave. I almost made this mistake with our ministry in 2008. I thought I was done because of some obstacles. In the process, I nearly forfeited a blessing which has enriched my life in ways I never imagined.

This reflection is for those who want to be healers. It doesn’t matter if we want to be healers to a specific community like myself or one lonely person we know or a relative who is an addict. Part of the process of being a healer is overcoming obstacles. There are some obstacles which require lots of wisdom. Being a healer, or in other words, a messenger of the good news, requires maturity. Jesus did not send out all his disciples, only seventy who were ready.

In the gospel episode above, Jesus used some key words; “peace”, “listen” and “reject”. Let us ponder a little on these words.

The ministry of Jesus is a ministry of peace. In our final blessing in the Anglican Liturgy, the priest says these words, “The Peace of God which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.” In a poetic and succinct manner, these words define the gospel meaning of peace. The peace of this world is an attempt to appease all sides involved which tends to fail continuously. The gospel is talking about bringing hope and joy to the hearts of those who are spiritually and emotionally exhausted. The young man whom I wrote about in the beginning grew tired of waiting for his mother’s love. Now, he takes solace in things which are detrimental to his body. He needs the peace of the gospel. The peace of God brings hope and joy. It doesn’t overburden the soul. Religion tends to do this. This is why Jesus tells us our spirituality needs to surpass the spirituality of the Pharisees who were the epitome of all things wrong with religion.

Then Our Lord mentions “listen”. In order for people to listen, we need to learn how to communicate. We need to communicate in the language of the people whom God has called us to share His peace. I am not referring to a foreign language. We need to learn to use the proper symbols and expressions which would open up the people’s hearts to receive the healing message of the gospel. This takes time. We cannot learn this “skill” unless we ourselves are open and willing to participate in their lives. We need to listen to them first in order to learn their language. Only then we will know how to use the words of love which will penetrate the walls built around the hearts of people.

Finally Jesus uses the word, “reject”. Now, rejection is real. Some of our children did not just misinterpret rejection from their families. In some cases, there was real rejection. The blow is more devastating to them because as a child they were always ready to love and receive love. When Jesus sent His disciples out, they were challenged to be like little children. They went out into the world ready and willing to love. We will never become healers without this readiness to love. When I first worked in this ministry in the early nineties, I had one objective. I wanted to convince the homeless teens and children to leave the streets. All my efforts were focused on this. Unfortunately, I never succeeded, not a single one left the streets through our efforts, well, maybe one or two. However, I was stressed out and disappointed with myself. Then I thought it was all over and decided to try a different approach, maybe even a different ministry. In fact, many who worked in this same field told me that it was a fruitless task. Then I met an Anglican priest who advised me to just love and enjoy the young people. Sounds like a simple notion but it changed everything. The young people stopped being a problem to be solved. They became people whom I enjoyed spending time with. Then the healing came and consequently their openness to receive our message of healing.

The seventy disciples had Jesus as their model. He was present with them in flesh and blood. They saw Him act and love the people. They heard His words of healing. They had a living example for them to imitate. In some way, we can argue that we don’t share this privilege. However, nothing can be further away from the Truth. The basic foundation of our faith is that Jesus is always present with us. We professed that Jesus is God and therefore, He is also omnipresent in a real and concrete manner. When our Lord instituted the sacrament of Bread and Wine, He commanded us to do this in remembrance of Him whenever we gather together. The remembrance part is the sacred practice of recognizing that Jesus is present in our midst in a real way. We participate in communion to remind ourselves that we need to use our eyes of faith to recognize His presence in the world. Our Lord is present in the hearts and minds of many. Those who respond to His promptings become living examples of His love to the rest of us. If we follow their examples, we, in turn, also become living proof of His real presence in this world. Personally, I believe that the best argument for the existence of God is the presence of people who bring healing love to those around them.

I have had the good fortune to meet many of these people who manifest the Spirit of Jesus in their lives. One in particular is an Anglican clergy who renounced his ordination after a brief stint as a missionary. He was an excellent priest, very well received and loved in all the congregations where he ministered. His faith is a contagious one. It permeated joy and hope. I met him in my teens when he was just a seminarian. I even attended his ordination. Eventually he asked to be send out as missionary to a predominately Muslim nation. I was initially sad for selfish reasons. I wanted him to be close by. However, I eventually left for Brazil, even further away from where we came from. He went with the intention of offering peace to the people. They received it. However, there was an obstacle but it wasn’t religious animosity. It was a peaceful region in this respect. However, the people thought that his message was exclusive to Christians and nothing more. As he tried to participate in the life of the community, he became more aware of the obstacle between him and them. He realized that they did not reject him but his office prevented him from communicating effectively with them. He returned to his diocese and after much prayer decided it was best to renounce his ordination. He did it with the blessing of the church.

To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I might by any means save some. 1 Corinthians 9:21-22

It wasn’t an easy decision. However, becoming the messenger of hope and joy was more important to him than a title. In doing so, he lived his ordination vows in ways more profound than one can imagine. He returned to the community and, now, he is well received. They even call him, “father”, which is term of endearment in that particular culture in recognition of someone who is a guide for the younger people. His faith continues to be contagious and full of joy and hope.

We should not be too quick to shake the dust off our feet. Sometimes an obstacle can be mistaken as a rejection. Some young people who once rejected us at are drawing close to us. There is a young man, Felipe, who never was friendly with us. Incidentally, there are many homeless with this name and I have never mentioned this one before. He used to be a petty thief and I think he thought that this was an obstacle between us. Recently, he started being more friendly towards us. He told us that he was “calm” now. This is a street slang to say one has left behind a life of crime. He even hugged us and talked with us for a while. Thankfully we did not shake the dust of our feet in relation with him. He just needed time. Now he is ready to receive something from us.

Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me’— for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Legion’; for many demons had entered him. Luke 8:26-30

A block away from where we live, there is a large number of homeless people, maybe about 300. In fact, they are not the only ones. Just outside our apartment building, there is a small group of them, about ten. Around the corner, there is another small group. Our neighborhood is surrounded by little groups of homeless people. This is not true for all the neighborhoods. There are places in this city where not a single homeless person can be found. People living there might think that there is no homeless problem in this city. They just have to step out a little bit and discover the truth.

There are several reasons why there are so many homeless in our region. We live what is known as the old historic center. Once a upon a time, it was where the wealthiest people lived. In early late 19th century, the coffee barons built extravagant mansions; new flourishing companies built impressive skyscrapers at that time. All the major newspapers are printed in this region. The very first skyscraper of this city was also built here. Coincidentally, it is near where we meet our homeless youth. It still stands today and it is less than tenth floors high. It looks quite pathetic by today’s standards. As time went by, the local government decided to discard the old and develop a new center. The old center was left to ruins. The mansions and once glorious buildings started deteriorating. The old city became a graveyard of the past. Eventually, it became the place to hide what society considered as undesirables. The homeless were pushed to this area. Red light districts and illegal gambling dens grew rapidly. Once a upon time, they called this region the “mouth of the trash”. The homeless children found their haven in this place. However, now things are beginning to change. There is a trend in tourism to visit old historic places. The homeless are now being constantly harassed and forced to move out without much help and assistance. Simplistic solutions are offered. Solutions which don’t correspond to the reality of their lives. The world has no patience, nor interest for these people. They treat them as problems and not as complex people. They do not care to know the names of the demons which torment these individuals.

Among the homeless, there are crack addicts. Not all homeless are crack addicts. In reality, most of them despise those who use crack. Different groups have different vices. Their use of vices are due to the different issues tormenting them. Once a crack addict struck up a conversation with me. He wasn’t trying to hit me up for money. For some reason, he wanted to share about his past. He claimed that he was once married and has two children. He also had a good job and a nice home. One day, he was offered crack by a sex worker and after this he abandoned everything and became an addict. I was a little confused. I asked him why would he try crack from a sex worker if his whole life was great. Many people walk by crack addicts everyday. We can see the devastating effects of crack on an individual. Therefore, why would someone who has a good life even consider using such a thing? There was an awkward moment of silence between us. Then he turned and walked away. Perhaps I shouldn’t have asked the question. I think it brought “Legion” out into the open. Since he just met me, he wasn’t sure if I was ready to help him in the healing process. He returned to his secluded and isolated place.

We can take this gospel passage of the healing of the demon possessed man and make it out to be something supernatural and far-fetched. There are churches in this city of São Paulo whose whole focus is on exorcism. This has become their favorite passage. It almost becomes the basis of their exorcism ritual. They focus on the “Legion” and not on the gospel. They film their conversations with the so-called demons and display them on social media. It becomes a spectacle for the devil. It reduces the profound message of this gospel passage. Rene Girard, a sociologist and philosopher, used this same passage to show the incompatible nature of the Kingdom of God and the world. Not just in terms of values but from the perspective from which they view Life in general. The world looks at Life from top down. Jesus looks for the one lost sheep. He is concerned with the one whom the rest of the world considers as irrelevant. I find this view point of Girard directly relevant to our ministry with our youth.

The man from the gospel passage was forced to stay away from the general public and sometimes abused and tortured in order to isolate him. This did nothing but strengthen the darkness in his soul. He retaliated against the violence with greater force of violence. His negative reputation must have spread to the neighboring regions. Jesus must have heard about him. He was the only person in the gospel whom Jesus went out to cure. In the other episodes of healing, the people constantly sought him out. However, this man was Jesus’ personal project.

It is likely that this place was a place of Gentiles. The Jewish people would never be a in a place where pigs were reared. Pigs are ritually unclean animals and a first century Jewish person would avoid this type of place like the plague. The gospel tells us that Jesus deliberately went to this place despite all the criticism he might have faced for doing so. Besides, from the story, we can see that the people of this place were not prepared to receive Jesus. They did not share the Jewish tradition of a coming Messiah. Jesus was a nobody to them. However, Jesus went out to seek someone important to Him. He saw Light in this demon possessed man when others only saw darkness. This is perhaps the biggest difference between the Kingdom of God and the world.

Just yesterday, a homeless youth accompanied us part of our way home. His name is Rone. This has become a regular ritual. Everyday after we are done with the youth, he walks with us to have more time with us. It has become something really special for us. Yesterday, he made the comment that we tend to look at the homeless youth with rose tinted glasses. I corrected him and said that we are neither optimistic nor pessimistic about Life. We see Life in all its expressions and seek the Light which is eternally present in people. God is real and alive in this world. His Light is burning brightly in all creation.

Jesus taught us,

‘The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!’ Matthew 6:22-23

Immediately after these verses, Jesus warned us about the impossibility of serving two Lords. The god of this world will only want us to see the darkness because its power comes from instilling fear and ignorance in the hearts of its servants. Our God is the God of Light and Healing.

Without seeing Light in the other person, we cannot be agents of healing. We can do ‘house’ cleaning by just trying to treat the symptoms. However, seeing the Light in the other person is recognizing their importance to our lives and how God can use them to help us discover the true nature of God.

The demon possessed man saw that Jesus truly loved him because Jesus sought him out. The mere presence of Jesus sufficed to convince him of our Lord’s Love. It also drew out the demons tormenting this poor soul. There can be no healing unless all the demons are confronted and expelled. This man’s violent temperament was not due to one thing or other but a series of lies and bitterness that had dominated his heart and mind. They dominated his soul to an extent that it dimmed the Light which dwelt in his soul. However, Jesus could see it and the darkness could not prevail against him.

This man was considered a hopeless case, even a useless one. Many did not see the point of healing him. They kept him from plain sight. Consequently, his healing did not bring joy to city. They were more concerned about their economic loss. They did not want Jesus to be there to bring His Light into their lives. They were perfectly happy living with their demons. They had established a well functioning system in the dark. The Light was very inconvenient to them. Jesus did not argue with them. He came just for this one man. He did not bother to convince the political leaders of the city. He was just concerned for the so-called hopeless case. He came for the one lost sheep. He came to heal the sick and not those who think that they are well. The Kingdom of God comes for those whom society considers as losers or inconvenient. The world will never understand the Kingdom of God.

Some people may wonder why we are living in a neighborhood with so many homeless people. It is because we like living in a place brightly lit by the Light which dwells with us eternally.

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
John 16:13-15

I am a gossip. This should disturb some people seeing that I am also a priest. People often share deep and personal things with me especially our homeless youth. The things they share would make good gossip. Of course, I am held back by my vocation. I made a promise to obey the canon laws. It is funny that there should be a law in the church to prohibit priests or anyone from betraying the confidence of another. It seems like a given. Perhaps, there are a lot of people like me. Most likely, I am surrounded by gossip mongers, blabbermouths, and rumor mongers. It is amazing that our language has a long list of names for gossips. It covers all the sophisticated ways we disguise gossip. Some people like to say that they don’t like to gossip but it doesn’t stop them from being informed about other people’s lives. The truth is we are all gossips.

This Sunday is Trinity Sunday. You might be wondering why am I writing about gossiping instead dwelling on the glorious doctrine of the Trinity. Well, just bear with me. I will get you there. Anyway, when the doctrine was officially formulated in the Nicene Creed, it generated a lot of gossip among the people. It was the first church council of its kind. There were bishops from all over the world at that time to debate the true nature of Jesus and His relation with God. Some of them disagreed with each other with a passion. Some considered the others as heretics and dangerous elements in the Christian faith. Historical documents reveal that common people were talking about the council at the barbershop and local butcher store. There were a lot of things to gossip about. The first church council had a good share of controversies, betrayals, and political maneuvering.

You can see this provided hours of gossip. It made them excited to talk about something which united them. Rich and poor gossiped freely amongst themselves without allowing their social prejudices to come between them. Most importantly, gossiping gives us a sense of connection with the other. At the same time, we don’t have to divulge our own personal life.

A renowned historian, Yuval Noah Harari, in his book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, claimed that historically gossip played an important role in helping people bond. Good or bad, it has been the glue holding people together. Animals which are social creatures hunt together and groom each other to bond. Perhaps, we did these at one point and today we have settled down and just talk about other people. Not just any person. It has to be someone whom we like or despise or even just know well. This person has to hold all our interest to the point that we feel united and connected with each other whenever we talk about him or her.

In the New Testament, Jesus was this person. The gospel tells us that even in His hometown, people were gossiping about this strange Carpenter Son of Mary. I am sure that they were talking about her being pregnant before marriage. The Pharisees went around spreading malicious lies about Jesus; claiming He acted in the devil’s name. Even Jesus asked His disciples what the local gossip was about His person. It is interesting that Jesus never told them to stop the gossip. He just wanted to set the record straight with his disciples. In other words, if there was gossip about Him, he wanted them to have the right information. You see, it is almost pointless to stop gossip.

I am not encouraging anyone to gossip. This is not about giving people the license to do anything. It is about understanding our nature. The better we understand ourselves, the easier it becomes for us to live a life worthy of the gospel.

There is something in us that seeks to be united with others. There is also a conviction in our souls that this something has to be something beyond our lives. Until we discover this, we will stick our nose in other people’s business.

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is an answer to this need. Actually, Jesus is the answer to our need. The doctrine of the Trinity reveals to us how we should talk about Jesus and why He is an interesting subject for our personal gossip. In the church, we use the word, evangelism, a lot. It has become a religious word and sometimes it terrifies people. Most of the times it is done in a way that is extremely preachy and irrelevant. I have often times related that there is a group of preachers in the streets who have been there since the time we first worked with the homeless youth in the mid-nineties. They have preached the same message. No one stops to listen except for their own church members or some extremely drunk homeless adult who accidentally wonders in their circle. Their message is boring. They talk about Jesus, sin, and hell. These are topics that could make interesting gossip. However, this preaching lacks life. It lacks concreteness. Good gossip needs concreteness. True evangelism is like a good gossip. Actually it is gossip. We are gossiping about our Lord who is concretely present in our world. However, we cannot gossip about someone whom we cannot see in action. This is where the Holy Spirit comes in.

The Holy Spirit is the only one who can open our eyes, ears and heart to see Jesus. I am not talking about this in a metaphorical manner. Neither am I referring to a lofty idea of some doctrine. No! The doctrine of the Trinity is not a theory but it is how we, as followers of Jesus, can experience the living God in our everyday life. The Holy Spirit can and will show us Jesus present in this world. Now, if Jesus was a mere man, He would have been dead and buried. We wouldn’t have to look for Him today. However, if He is God, then His presence in this world is inevitable. Without God, this world would not exist. This world moves and acts because God is present. Unfortunately, our eyes might be so prone to negative gossip that we only see bad things in our city. We may not perceive Jesus’ active presence. Wherever Jesus is present, there is hope. Wherever Jesus is present, there is Light. Wherever Jesus is present, we see the infinite Love of our Heavenly Father. If we are able to perceive His presence, then we have something wonderful to talk about. However, not in a dry religious manner. Jesus is doing something great and exciting in the most ordinary places. It is infinitely better than any plain gossip. Jesus works in the most uncommon places. He is present in the lives of everyone we meet. He is God. God is omnipresent. He was also a hundred percent human. Therefore, He works and acts in a concrete manner moving people to become aware of the gracious Love of the Father. Without the divine presence of Jesus in this world, the world would slip into complete chaos. Then the gossip that the local media spreads would be true. Thanks to be God, the Holy Spirit only reports what is true. We have to open our hearts and minds and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus in our everyday lives. Then we have exciting things to talk about. Then we would be engaging in holy gossip, otherwise known as true evangelism.

Almost every day after our time with the homeless youth, Mary and I stop by a grocery store. It is one of the best in our neighborhood and always crowded. Unfortunately, the grocery clerks are not always in the best of moods. In fact, some of them tend to be a little grumpy. We don’t blame them. They work long hours and their salary is very low. Most of them travel literally hours to get to work. However, recently, two of the clerks started talking with us. One is from another state and is miserable here. She misses her home. Her mother died and she had to move in with her brother in this city. The other is from the outskirts where most of the poor people live. She is a single mother who has adopted a girl. Everyday, they share a little bit of their joys and struggles in the short period when we pay for our groceries. Everyday something new is happening. Jesus is doing something here. One day we met one of them in the neighborhood. She gave us a hug and we talked for a long time. Something exciting is happening. Jesus is present here. We will keep you informed. God bless.

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Acts 2:1-4

There are many ways to interpret this special day in our Christian calendar. Some say that today marks the beginning of the Church. Others say that this is the day of Christian mission. None of these interpretations would interest our young homeless people. None of it affects them personally. However, they are interested to know how this day influences my life. I think there is something to be said here. This day is not a mere historical event, at least according to our faith. Besides, many might argue that it cannot be proven historically. They are right. It is not a dry historical detail. It is a living manifestation of God. The day of Pentecost is a day of celebration because God has come to dwell with us permanently. It is a promise fulfilled. God is permanently in our midst. We should interpret the meaning of this day according to our encounter with the Holy Spirit.

I would tell my homeless youth that this coming of the Holy Spirit is about the opening up of our minds and hearts. At least, this is what happened to me. I can argue that this is what happened to the apostles, too. All of us are restricted in the way we act and believe. It is just our human nature. Most of the time we are restricted by fear. Not just irrational fear but also fear based on true concrete facts. The apostles stayed in a upper room in a house (Acts 1:13) because they had reasons to be fearful. Many strange and disturbing things had happened. They saw their Lord unjustly tortured and crucified. Then He resurrected. An occasion we celebrate because we are looking at it from a distance. They actually witnessed something which had never occurred before. If anything, it would be the most confusing event they had experienced. Now, they were in a small space physically and mentally because they were not sure what the future held for them. Perhaps they were excited initially just like we are excited whenever something positively new happens but eventually reality sinks in and new apprehensions take hold of our hearts. It is very human to feel this way.

In 2012, Mary and I came to São Paulo for a short visit. The trip was recommended by our then bishop. He wanted us to see if we really felt that we could return and work with the homeless youth here. We stayed at our friend’s apartment who was away visiting her family. It was located just a couple of blocks away from where we work with the children. I remember clearly our first impressions. The apartment looked tiny and spartan. However, this was not the thing which bothered us. We felt a strong sense of loneliness. To make matters worse, we could not sleep at night because it was extremely noisy. Cars passed through the streets non-stop. Sometimes we heard people yelling in the streets. We did not want to look out just in case we saw something we did not want to see. This place was our upper room. We sensed that God was calling to something new. We were excited but now reality confronted us. We were leaving a lot behind. Things can be easily replaced. However, loneliness was something else. We had dear friends in Florida. Friends who shared a history with us since our time in Maine. Besides these, stepping into the unknown was unnerving. We prayed for the Holy Spirit to show us how to proceed.

There were no violent winds, neither was there any tongues of fire descending on us. Instead the Holy Spirit send an elderly woman from England who served as a missionary to Brazil for forty years. We visited her on the same trip. We shared our plans and she smiled. She told us that she always knew that we would return to the ministry. She shared that she came to Brazil as a missionary with her husband when she was almost forty. She had lived a life. She had firmly planted her roots in England. Then they sensed the Holy Spirit leading them to this unknown land. At first, everything which could go wrong went wrong. She wanted to pack up and leave immediately. However, she could not do it because, according to her, she received her “instructions” from the Holy Spirit. The amazing thing is that she was a cradle Anglican and as traditional as they come. I say this because I don’t want to give the impression that she was someone from the pentecostal church. Nothing wrong with this but Anglicans tend to feel a little hesitant when using language like this. Therefore, it made it even more powerful. The message was clear for us. Despite all the negative things she experienced, she knew whatever the Holy Spirit had in store for her was priceless in comparison. Both her ashes and her husband’s are scattered in the parish grounds where I was first a priest. We visited the church a few months ago. It was the place where we first met her and she continues to live eternally in our hearts. Her parting words to us were to receive our instructions from the Holy Spirit alone.

This is not an excuse for us to become mavericks. There are many who misuse the name of the Holy Spirit to do whatever they fancy. She meant that we should not allow circumstances and situations to restrict what the Holy Spirit can do and is doing in our midst. Most importantly, we have to remember that, according to Jesus, the Holy Spirit is here present in our midst to reveal the person of Jesus to us. In other words, when we sense the voice of the Holy Spirit beckoning us, it is really our Lord inviting us to participate in what He is doing here on earth. Our Lord is always present in an active and concrete manner. After all, He is the Incarnate God. He is God in action and only the Holy Spirit can open our eyes and hearts to perceive His real presence. Wherever Jesus is present, there is peace and hope. Only peace and hope can overcome our fears. Only peace and hope can give us the courage to open our hearts and minds to see what God is doing in our midst.

One of our greatest fears, in modern times at least, is not being able to fulfill the task entrusted to us. We are afraid to fail. Many prefer to remain in a safe place than venture out because of this. Recently, I realized that I have very little contact with the younger generation classified as “gen z”. To be honest, I am not sure if I actually believe in these superfluous classifications. Just to clarify, the youth I work with are marginalized and they don’t really fall into any of these categories. My interaction with this particular generations is mainly through our church. Because of my role as a clergy, I have the privilege of hearing some of their personal thoughts. Some have confided in me that they don’t want to become adults. These are young people in their early twenties. In other times, they would be considered adults but things have changed. My first reaction, inwardly, of course, was that this is absurd. One cannot stop the natural cycle of nature. Then upon further reflection I realized they are not very different from our homeless youth. They don’t want to become adults not because they are lazy or spoiled. This is the unfair reading which usually rises to the surface. They are really afraid of failure. This is a sentiment common to all generations. They are questioning whether this standard of success and failure that the world is imposing on them is really what it seems. They have seen so-called successful people living miserable lives. They don’t think there is hope for a meaningful life. The fear that a meaningful life might just be an illusion is real for them. I am sure that this went through the minds of the apostles in the upper room. It went through our minds when we decided to return. It still goes through our minds whenever we are faced with a challenge. It is something that is very real in the minds of our homeless youth.

The only comfort we can give to our homeless youth and the many people who are afraid in this young generation is that the day of Pentecost is a real event. The essential message of this blessed day is that there is hope because God dwells among us in the concrete form. This is not a doctrine. It is not wishful thinking. It is something within our grasp. We can sense the real presence of God in our hearts. The Holy Spirit will open our hearts and minds to see the true Hope of all humanity. However, I can’t say how it will happen. I can only testify that it happened to us. It happened to the saintly missionary. It happens daily everywhere. There are no barriers. There is only hope and where there is hope, there is joy. This, in turn, gives us the courage to move forward and face all the challenges life throws at us. God is present in a real and concrete way. This is the message of the gospel. This is the meaning of the day of the Holy Spirit. This is the message which we called to testify.

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’ John 20:24-25

For a change I am going to talk about someone who comes from the other side of the social spectrum. She is in her mid eighties even though she looks much younger than her age. She comes from a wealthy family and lives in an exclusive neighborhood in São Paulo. She is an active member of the church. I don’t really know her at all apart from our casual but superficial interactions during church. Our worlds are so apart that it was hard to find a bridge to connect us. She tries her best to be friendly even though she knows that the social barrier is a difficult one to overcome. Despite all this, we found ourselves in the same room studying the gospel of John together. It became our bridge. All our social standing was left at the door, here we were mere Christians seeking a deeper understanding of our faith.

We were talking about something concerning the divinity of Jesus and she confessed that she had no problems with the teachings of Jesus. However, she found it hard to grasp His divinity. This is a person who never misses a Sunday. She comes alone to church. Her family have, unfortunately, “grown out” of church. She goes to church seeking for a deeper connection with God and yet she has doubts. She has problems with the principal doctrine of our faith; the divinity of Jesus. For some reason, I respected her even more after she said this. She became more real and, in some sense, vulnerable. It also revealed to me her genuine desire to know Jesus intimately. It was so strong that she wasn’t afraid to express her doubts.

The gospel of John had prepared the stage for this episode with Thomas. The apostle was introduced in bits and pieces throughout the gospel. He was always the one who asked the relevant questions; the kind that everyone wanted to ask but lacked the courage.

Thomas willingly gave up everything to follow Jesus. He wholeheartedly trusted this strange Teacher who taught things of God with authority and love. He wasn’t a mere follower of the crowd. He desired a deep and profound connection with the Eternal God and Jesus helped him sense this. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that he wasn’t going to believe on secondary testimony. He needed to see the Resurrected Christ himself. Mostly likely, Thomas understood the repercussion of such an event more than anyone else. The other disciples were still disoriented with this new outcome of our Lord’s death. Thomas knew what all this meant but first, He needed to meet the Lord for Himself. It wasn’t that he doubted the integrity of his fellow apostles. The things they claimed were too important for him to depend solely on their testimony. He had no choice. He needed to see the Resurrected Lord for Himself.

Many times we are impressed with people who never question their faith. However, this is not always a positive thing. Sometimes these people don’t go beyond the superficial. Sometimes their faith may not be so important for them and they don’t have to risk anything for it. Consequently, they have no reason to question anything. On the other hand, doubts can be a sign of a maturing faith. Some time ago, there was a book or an article about Mother Theresa’s personal writings. In them, she admitted to entertaining doubts about her faith and God. This caused a reaction which bordered on absurdity. It revealed the superficial notion that the world has about faith. It is not about blind endorsement to a set of teachings on the supernatural. It is a dynamic and living relationship with a Person which transcends our reality. In other words, our faith is constantly growing. We cannot as finite beings comprehend the Infinite in one sitting. Our Faith constantly modifies how we understand life and each step of this process is a moment of decision. Consequently, it also means leaving behind ideas and concepts that we have held onto so dearly. In the case of Thomas, he knew that Resurrected Jesus meant that he had to abandon most of the things he was taught about God since he was a child. It meant that he had to embrace something entire new and unknown to him. Each one of us come into our faith with preconceived ideas about God. As our faith matures, we find ourselves in a place where we need to abandon these ideas. Sometimes the idea of abandoning them might be accompanied by a sense of despair and fear because stepping into a new and unknown territory is always risky and frightening.

Not too long ago, I received a bizarre message from a young woman who once a homeless young girl in this city. I mentioned her many times before. In fact, the very first article I wrote for this blog is about our encounter with her. We met her when she was eleven and homeless. Today she is 41 years old and, thankfully, no longer homeless. However, her life is not a success story nor the contrary is true. Life doesn’t function in terms of success or failure. She is living her life in the best way she can. She struggles frequently with defining her own identity. Her life was one of rejection since the day she was born. She often refers to us as her parents. I have to admit we don’t do much. However, we represent people who did not reject her and this is important for her personal growth. She has clung onto her faith her whole life long. It has helped overcome many obstacles.

She wrote a message to me asking me if I believed in God. I knew that this was a message which required a follow-up phone call and long conversation. Veronica, at that moment, wasn’t going through any personal crisis which is a rare occurrence for her. She was feeling quite peaceful until she looked out her window and saw the bright stars in the clear skies. She was grasped by the immensity of the universe. At that precise moment she was grasped by the fact that she was nothing but a tiny spot in the face of the universe. Suddenly she was assailed by doubts. She began to question all the things she had believed until now. She realized that most of it was just mere hearsay; things her pastor and people had told her. She wondered if God truly cared about her, after all, she was just a mere speck in the universe. She looked back to her life and all her struggles and wondered if she just invented this figure of God as a mere coping mechanism. Veronica was having an existential crisis. One could say that she was having a religious experience. I am one of these. It was an invitation for growth. Her experiences, perhaps, were not much different from the ones Thomas experienced. She needed to make a drastic decision and she needed some assurance to move on.

Then Jesus said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ John 20:27-28

At moments like this, no words nor arguments can be adequately convincing. They could lead to despair and desperation. However, this story in the gospel brings special hope to us. It reveals to us that Jesus is willing and able to respond to us in a real and genuine manner. It is an answer only our Lord could give.

Thomas did not come out of the experience unscathed. Jesus rebuked him but not for his doubts but for the conditions he set. He limited the way the resurrected Christ should manifest to him. This attitude can lead us to despair. When we limit the way God should act in our lives, them we might fail to discern His presence in His own creative way in our lives. Thomas was saved from despair because he chose to remain in the company of those who encountered the Resurrected Christ. These were able to maintain the hope in his heart of the possibility of a real encounter with the Lord. Whereas none of their words could convince Thomas, their active testimony through their lives and friendship with Thomas kept him from falling into the permanent state of unbelief.

I asked Veronica if she went to church during Holy Week. She sent me a picture of herself and several friends in church. She once told me that even thought doubts assail her, she cannot help but pray to God. I have hope for Veronica, the woman from our church, and all our homeless youth in the street that they will have a genuine encounter with the Resurrected Christ. The threat of despair is real and strong but if they are surrounded by genuine witnesses of the Resurrected Lord, then this threat is not able to consume them. The important thing is to know and maintain hope that the Resurrected Christ will manifest Himself. It may not be as dramatic as that of Thomas. Nevertheless, it will be creative and real enough for them to confess like Thomas that Jesus is their “God and Lord”. We can have this assurance because our Lord has risen and is alive today. He is present in a real way in our lives as long as we don’t limit the way He should manifest to us.

Jesus was silent during His trial. However, He wasn’t completely quiet. He broke His silence several times. He reminded the religious authorities that He lived His life openly for everyone to see. He hid nothing from anyone. He was an open book. He answered Pilate when the latter asked Him if He was a King. Jesus never said that He was even though in other places in the New Testament He is proclaimed as the King of Kings. In churches, we have hymns singing of His Kingship. However, Jesus always made it clear that it was the accusers who claimed that He wanted to be a King. It is a curious thing which demands some reflection. However, it won’t be done in this space for now. Jesus did say that His Kingdom was not of this world. Therefore, He wasn’t a king according to the definition of this world. He was a different kind of king. Jesus had a different understanding of power. Pilate represented the Roman Emperor and yet, he was helpless when it came to doing what was right. Pilate was the perfect example of worldly power. He was good at abusing his authority but very weak in implementing what was right and good. This hasn’t changed today. Power and authorities seem to be helpless and restricted when it comes to doing the just thing. Many times they don’t even know what is justice means. They are too occupied with pleasing people. Pilate spoke a lot but got nothing done in terms of justice. Jesus, in His silence, established a Kingdom which is still alive today.

Jesus was silent in the face of the accusations. This silence really goes against our human nature. We are always trying to defend ourselves. We put a lot of stock in our words. We think our words could change things but Jesus chose to remain silent. The religious authorities were very eloquent in their deceitful arguments. The crowd willingly believed their twisted lies. They took what was good and distorted it into something evil and wicked. Today we use a term quite frequently to describe such tactics; gaslighting. The fact we have a word for this reveals that what the religious leaders did was something which is part of our human nature.

The religious leaders were provoking Jesus. They wanted Jesus to be become just like them. They wanted Jesus to say things that would win the crowd over to His side. They wanted Him to become a people pleaser. The religious leaders were not interested in the Truth. They were interested in gaining the approval of the people, the civil authorities and respect of the masses. Jesus was not going to stoop down to their level. He wasn’t going to submit to their mindset. Actually, He spoke against the dangers of this mentality.

For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Mark 8:36

Jesus wasn’t going to use His words to sway the opinion of the people. He wasn’t going to use His healing powers to win the approval of the people. He wasn’t going to succumb to the temptation of the devil. Jesus chose to be silent.

Silence in itself is not virtuous. There are many who are silent because of cowardice and indifference. Even among the crowds at the trial and crucifixion of our Lord, there were many who were silent because of fear. However, at the foot of Cross, there were disciples who were silent because they never had a voice in society. In other words, they were a people who were silenced. These were the women and a certain young disciple, John, who must have been a very young teen according to tradition. They stood silently by our Lord. They did not expect our Lord to speak. They just wanted to be with Jesus. Their hearts were filled with despair because they were losing Him. However, never once did they demand that He speak. It wasn’t necessary. They knew who Jesus was and is. They knew that He had earned His right to be silent.

The accusers and mockers of Jesus did not stop even at the Cross. They provoked Him to say something in His own defense. However, no one really said what they expected Him to say. Perhaps they wanted Jesus to promise them things that they desired. Perhaps they wanted Jesus to be their personal servant. Perhaps we should ask ourselves this question too whenever we question God’s silence. Many times do we ask where God is in times of pain and suffering. Often times we ask God to answer for His absence whenever grave injustice is done. We question God which is understandable. However, what do we want Him to do exactly? Are we expecting Him to do our will? Jesus had no need to answer His accusers and mockers. He wasn’t going to change for them nor do anything to gain their approval. He healed the sick. He brought hope to the hopeless. He received those who were rejected. He loved those who were hated by society. He already revealed to the people who He was and still is. There was no need for Him to defend Himself. There is a lesson for us who like to put too much stock in words. We should seek to follow the example of our Lord and earn our right to be silent. Words can be twisted to mean many things. Our Lord’s life remains eternally present. Seeking to live our lives eternally like our Lord is better than learning to speak eloquently. Jesus was victorious in His silence.

Our Lord’s silence judged the world. The verdict was not anything that would be expected of the kings and politicians of this world. No wonder Jesus refused to be acknowledged as a king. He is nothing like the authorities of this world, then and today. His verdict would be scandalous even today. It might provoke a lot of hatred among religious people of today. Jesus was falsely accused. He died in the place of a murderer. He was betrayed by his close friend. People made a mockery of His suffering. He had the right to do away with this despicable people and yet His judgement was plain and simple,

“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34

Any judge or politician or priest who advocates forgiveness in this broad and generous manner will be rejected and hated today. These words are comfort only to those who seek the Truth revealed in our Lord. For these, He has one final thing to say;

“It is finished!”

Jesus has lived a full and complete life transcending all time and space. It is a Life which sought to build treasure in places where thieves cannot steal nor rust can destroy. This is the Life He offers to us. This is the Life which would truly satisfy us. It is not a Life which the world understands. The world will provoke and mock this Lifestyle. Nevertheless, it is the only one which would fulfill our souls. The women and the young disciple at the foot of the Cross were filled with despair but they did not realize that Jesus hung on the Cross to overcome despair. And He did!

We may all agree that Palm Sunday has a confusing liturgy. It starts with a joyful procession followed by the sorrowful reading of the Passion. Perhaps those who are accustomed to the liturgical tradition may not give it a second thought. This would be unfortunate. The Liturgy beckons us to reflect. Firstly on the person of Jesus and then on our response to Him. In fact, the whole purpose of Holy Week is to invite us to reflect on Jesus and our response to Him.

Let us start our reflection today with the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. This is not something which happened by chance. It was carefully orchestrated by our Lord. He had planned to enter into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey. This is hardly a majestic creature by any stretch of the imagination. It is a beast of the peasant. Jesus entered the city in a manner completely contrary to the kings and queens of His time who processed into cities with their majestic horses announcing their great and mighty deeds. Our politicians of today are not much different. Even the procession of popes, bishops, and priests of today do not reflect the utter simplicity of our Lord. Jesus, in His simplicity, revealed to the people who He is. This is the only thing Jesus offered to the people. No empty promises. No lies or manipulations. He just offered Himself. The people responded to this. For a brief moment, this sufficed for the people. The people were able to see Jesus as the Christ, the complete fulfillment of all things necessary for all creation to have a rich and abundant Life.

Perhaps today the title, “Christ” has lost much of its significance. For many modern people like ourselves, the title is often used as if it is the surname of Jesus. In the New Testament times, the title “Christ” was designated to the person who would fulfill all things good and necessary for abundant life. The “Christ” is the final and perfect answer to the deepest need of all humanity. After the appearance of the Christ, there was no more waiting for anyone or anything else.

Abundant Life is one thing Jesus promised to humanity. The problem is that we often have confusing ideas of what it means to have abundant life. Each generation has its fair share of confusion in this matter. Today many think abundant life has to do with material wealth. Consequently we believe that certain ideologies which we hold onto would give us abundant life. It doesn’t matter if this ideology is on the left or right, the objective is the same; material wealth. In the pursuit of this material wealth, Jesus had very little offer to us. He lived as a poor person, He came into Jerusalem as a poor person. He died as someone who had no resources to bribe and sway the opinion of the masses. In other words, He died as a poor person. Jesus has very little to offer to a world which is obsessed with material possession. If He was here today in person promising abundant life to this world, He mostly likely would be rejected if He was lucky. It is very probable that He would face the same fate as He did two thousand years ago. The abundant Life that Jesus offers still does not appeal to the vast majority of the people today.

It does not mean that Jesus is not given an important role in our lives today. We want Jesus to give us good feelings and a sense of spiritual security. However, we won’t see Him as the Christ until we accept the abundant Life that He offers us. It does not mean that we are worse than the people who welcomed Jesus in the gospel. It means that we are just like them. They recognized something powerful and special in the person of Jesus. They recognized in Him that there was genuine life. Unfortunately, they had different priorities from that of the Christ. These priorities took over their hearts and minds. The story of Palm Sunday ends in a tragic manner where the people who cried, “Hosanna to the King” ended up shouting “Crucify Him!” This is the tragic story of humanity. This is our story.

I am sure not any of us today participating in the liturgies of the Holy Week would deliberately put Jesus on the Cross. The fact is that no one who welcomed Jesus in Jerusalem thought the same. They were genuinely happy to welcome Jesus. It wasn’t just an emotional event. There was a genuine response to the prompting they sensed in their souls. It was a true religious experience for the people. However, religious experiences are not enough to transform us into good and saintly people. In fact, the most dangerous people in the world are religious people. I am not talking about fanatics. I am talking about people allow themselves to be convinced that sometimes “evil” is necessary in order to have so-called good things. The people who put Jesus on the Cross were religious people. They believed that they were doing something good. The idea for the phrase, “necessary evil” is even found in the gospels. The Pharisees said it in order to convince people of the necessity of murdering our Lord;

“You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” John 11:50

This argument of “necessary evil” still flourishes today in Christianity. It reveals to us that many in the church do not believe in the sufficiency of the life of Jesus. They believe that Jesus still needs help from our earthly wisdom. Even worse, they believe that Jesus needs the help of “necessary evil” to accomplish good in this world. This is an idea that is completely incompatible with the gospel.

The bottom line is either we believe Jesus is the Christ, the complete fulfillment for abundant Life or we reject Him as such. There is no middle road.

Having religious sentiments or even a powerful religious experience does not mean we understand the person of Jesus. It doesn’t mean we are good people. We still need to make a conscious decision. This is not a one time deal. If it was, then Jesus would not have been crucified. The people who courageously welcomed Him would have stood up for Him. We know that this wasn’t the case. They failed to recognize that He is Christ. They were holding onto the idea of what a King should. They were holding on to their idea of what abundant life meant. They could not fit Jesus into their old ideas. Instead of changing their mindset, they crucified Jesus. Jesus warned us,

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. Luke 5:37-38

Every year during Holy Week, we are challenged with the true image of Jesus. We are confronted with the Christ who broke bread with the very friend who would betray Him. He withstood insults and physical injuries without raising a finger to retaliate. He forgave unconditionally those who hurled words of hatred at Him. He showed us what it means to be a truly good person. This is the Christ of the gospel. This is the very Christ who overcame death. This Christ showed us that we can overcome this world with all it miseries and sufferings to have abundant Life. He promised us abundant Life. However, it is not a Life free from pain and suffering. It is not a Life of luxury. It is Life that this world can never offer us. It is Life that we can only discover when we are willing to give our hearts and soul to the Crucified Messiah. It is a Life which will transform us into agents of Life to those around us. This is a promise our Lord made;

“Those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” John 4:14

Have a Blessed Holy Week!