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!

Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:1-2

A Funeral

Some one very close to us passed away this week. It was Patricia. It came as a shock. I still haven’t processed it yet. Maybe I am not quite ready to do it. Thankfully, Mary was able to write a brief reflection about her and I will include it here.

At the funeral, I wore my clergy attire. Almost none of our youth has ever seen me in my priestly gear, except for Patricia’s daughter. I used it to visit her mother in the intensive care unit when she suffered a stroke last year. It is interesting that they did not make any comments about it. They just accepted it as something normal. The wake gathered some of Patricia’s immediate relatives. None of them have been present in her life since she was a teenager living in the streets. None of them visited her in the hospital when she had a stroke. None offered any help when she was partially paralysed. However, they were all present at the funeral. They were a little taken aback when I asked for the youth to gather around the casket. These young people were there for Patricia. I saw their tear stained faces looking at me waiting to hear what I had to say. Mary was among them. Each and everyone of them helped Patricia the best way they could. The last year Patricia was showered with so much love. No one can say that she departed this life not knowing that she was loved. I said several prayers improvised from the funeral rite of our Prayer Book. I did a short reflection about God’s judgment and grace taken from the gospel (Matt. 25:31-40). I emphasized that these were the words of Jesus and not a doctrine invented by my church or any other church. At this point, I will insert Mary’s reflection because it bears the essence of my simple message at the funeral.

Mary’s Reflection

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. Matt. 25:35

Patricia’s heart stopped beating three times on Sunday afternoon. Now she is with our Lord.

We met Patricia in the city square where we used to spend time with the kids. She and her children and their children lived in a tent which they had to move according to the whims of the police in the area. Over time our relationship with this three generational family grew and we were privileged to be part of their journey from their tent to a small rented room.

In this room, the size of my living room, Patricia received many of the homeless kids and shared whatever she had to eat and whatever space was left over in their two beds. When we came over, she would make a pot of coffee for us, too.

Last year Patricia suffered a stroke and was no longer able to make coffee for us or to cook for the others, but that never could stop her from opening her heart and home to whoever showed up at her door.

I was a stranger and you invited me in. Matt. 25:35

Patricia became our friend never allowing our differences of education, class, or nationality stand in the way. Whenever we visit Florida, the nice people in the churches say we are blessing to the people on the street but they would be surprised how Patricia’s gracious acceptance of us is a rare and special thing, even though we are foreigners and I (Mary) have strong accent and make numerous mistakes in my Portuguese. Sometimes folks in the church can not get past our foreignness to see the real people we are. This was never an issue with Patricia. She accepted us as her good friends.

Today, we remember Patrica and how she invited us in. So thank you, Patrica, and goodbye.

Well done, good and faithful servant!

After the Funeral

The funeral was held at the end of the world. For us and the homeless youth anywhere beyond the center of the city is no man’s land. After the burial was done, Patricia’s blood relatives got into their cars and drove off. The rest of us had to walk about thirty minutes to catch a train. Obviously, Mary and I could have caught an Uber and made it back home in 40 minutes. However, we decided to walk back with the youth. It ended up taking about three hours to get home.

Cida walked up next to me and asked where Patricia was at this moment. She told me that she hoped that Patricia had said the so-called “sinner’s prayer” so that her soul would have been saved. I knew exactly who told her this. Cida herself had just buried her infant daughter a few months ago. We were going to buy her a tub for her baby and ended up paying for a tombstone. Therefore, it wasn’t just plain curiosity on Cida’s part. She needed to know if God is merciful enough to receive Patricia into His arms. It made me sad and angry at the same time. Sad that our youth are being tormented by doctrine purely based on speculation. Angry because the people who spread these doctrines never lift a finger to help these youths in their moments of need. Tomorrow, Patricia’s daughter, Taina will be in danger of losing her room and becoming homeless again with her three children. Purveyors of these doctrines are never found at these moments.

I told Cida that no one knows what happens to the soul. This is beyond our limits of understanding. However, we can take comfort in Jesus. He is real and present. He taught us that God is a Loving Father. I shared with her that we need to discard this false image of God who is angry and needs to be appeased for our sins. At this moment, the parable of the prodigal son came to my mind. However, I think that the parable is really about the Loving Father more than anything else. The sons, the younger and the older, never appreciated nor understood the Father. They thought of the Father as someone preventing them from enjoying life. Even the young son’s decision to return was not based on the knowledge of the Father’s love. He formulated an argument to convince His Father to accept him. He never knew the Father who waited anxiously for him to return even though he spent his entire life with Him. His decision to return to the Father’s home was just as egoistic as his decision to leave. They were both based on self-preservation. Nevertheless, the Father accepted him back lovingly. The Father did not care what brought the Son back. He was overjoyed that he was back. This is the main focus of the parable; not the younger son and much less the older son. The parable asks us if we understand the Father’s unconditional love. God is not waiting for us to fail. He just wants us to understand that He loves us unconditionally. The so-called “sinner’s prayer” is not our savior. If anything, it reduces the wealth of the gospel message. God the Father is the loving God who sent His Son into this world so that we will know that we are loved and accepted unconditionally. Jesus is the manifestation of God’s powerful and creative Love to the world. The resurrection is proof of God’s creative Love. It takes a hopeless situation and transforms it into something new, joyous and eternal. Therefore anyone who receives this unconditional creative Love cannot but be transformed by it. This Love is too powerful to be ignored and too creative not to provoke change in our lives.

This is the Father who is going to receive Patricia. He has always been with her. He has guided her through the worst moments of her Life. According to the parable Jesus taught, God the Father is not going to wait for arguments to accept Patricia. He has accepted her already before she even knew it.

Taina called us after a few days. She needs some help with the rent. We promised that we would help with what we could. However, she really just used it as an excuse to say that she really missed her mother. She told us that her mother always wanted to spend time with us even when she was partially paralyzed. We shed tears together. We will move on because we are confident that our Loving Father will fill our hearts with the creative love to move forward.

Then he told this parable: A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” He replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.” Luke 13:6-9

A few interesting things happened this week; nothing remotely exciting, just normal stuff. The first was a message from a clergy friend. She asked if I could share about our day to day ministry. The other was my friend’s decision to participate in our ministry. This friend has been a regular guest at our home for years. Every time we sat down to have a meal together, we tend to talk about our interactions with the homeless young people. Our friends know the names of our youth because we talk so much about them. Finally, he asked us if he could be part of this ministry. He wants to join us at least once a week and last Monday was his first day. Two simple events but interesting enough to inspire serious reflection. I want to add a third element; the gospel parable about the kind and compassionate gardener.

My clergy friend’s request is simple and straightforward. However, she is not just asking for information. She is looking for a door to participate in our ministry. Therefore, it makes it a deeply spiritual request. I could easily describe our daily activities in a couple of lines. After all, we have done the same thing everyday for almost 12 years now. We meet the young people in the streets where they sleep. For the present moment, it is in a city square. We usually talk about an hour or so sometimes even longer. Then the same youth comes by every day asks us to start a game of Uno. It has been the same game for a few years now. We tried changing the game but they did not take too well to it. In general, changes are not well received. They live in the streets where things are constantly changing. Therefore, they want some things to remain the same. It is not just our homeless youth. It is our human nature.

Our games usually last for a couple of hours. We play with just three or four youths. The others tend to gather around us and talk among themselves. Yesterday, they were talking about strange people they have met. They like sitting close to us. It gives them the feeling that we are a little family. In many ways, we are one. Someone looking from the outside might see all this as a waste of time. It would seem like a fruitless manner to spend our time, in our case, our lives. They are right but we would do it over and over again if possible.

Our friend joined us for the first time on Monday. The young people received him and even the dogs. I forgot to mention them. We do have some dogs thrown into the mix. They can be very protective but they welcomed our friend. He played several rounds of Uno with us. The conversations flowed naturally but something was different. The youth were cordial but a connection was lacking. The topic of conversation was the same but there was a lack of trust. In our interactions with the youth, many times they like to fib. They don’t do it in an intentionally way. It is their way of filling the gap in their stories in order communicate something. Sometimes they do it because they don’t want to look ignorant. They know that we know when they are lying. However, they know that we understand too. With a new person present there, they don’t feel so confident. This is just one small aspect of the disconnection. There is something more profound and I am unsure if words could express it. This disconnect made me miss the youth even though they were right front of us. They weren’t able to be themselves. One new person changed the dynamics of the group. It is our hope that as our friend comes more frequently and consistently, the youth would open up to him. For the time being, if I am honest, I am glad that he comes only once a week. Maybe I am being a little selfish. It has come to be that we need the connection with our youth as much as they need it from us. Therefore, when there is a disconnection, something essential is missing from our lives.

Our homeless youth have many people going through their lives on a daily basis. There are groups who serve them food. These people deliver the food to them and leave. There are health workers from the public clinic. They do their rounds among the homeless and attend to whatever medical needs they have and then they leave. All these people come to address a specific problem of homelessness. Once the need is addressed, the connection between them and the homeless youth evaporates too. All these people provide important services to our youth. However, no one just “wastes” time with these young people. It is through these so-called “useless activities” that the young people know that we just like being with them.

A ministry that follows in the footsteps of the Incarnate God cannot be problem focused ministry. Jesus did not come into this world to solve a problem. He came to show us how to live our lives to the fullest.

There are some religious groups which reduce the gospel to a problem solving gospel. They preach that Jesus came to save us from our sins. Sometimes the message is extended to say the things Jesus can do for us. Jesus becomes a functional being. Then the focus is always on this aspect and nothing more. However, Jesus spent a bulk of His time on earth just living Life like your everyday person. In other words, He sanctified our everyday lives. His words and ministry are powerful and enduring, not because He used beautiful words and did amazing miracles. It is because He was connected with people. He participated in the life doing things like sitting around talking with his mother and brothers. Maybe he spent time with friends doing absolutely nothing “productive”. Maybe He spent a lot of time playing with children and this is why the children were drawn to Him. These are mere speculations but the fact is that for thirty years Jesus just lived a normal life. These times were essential for Jesus to create a deep and profound connection with the people. This is not a mere sentimental attachment. It is deeply spiritual. It creates a unity between our Lord and the people. It helped Him become One with the people and it helped the people become one with Him.

The parable from the gospel is interesting. I used to interpret it as if God the Father was asking the tree to be removed and God the Son was interceding for a second chance. However, this would be inconsistent with the essential message of the gospel according to Jesus. He came to reveal the Father and not Himself. I see it now as two conflicting ideas we have of God. We have an image of God which is still common and active in the imaginations of many as a God who is demanding and detached from the world. The Gardener is the true image of God according to the gospels. He sees things from a different perspective. He looks at the tree from a perspective of someone who participates in the life of the tree. Even though the tree has failed to produce fruits, it is still His fig tree. He cultivated it and has taken care of it from the time it was seedling. He understands what it needs to flourish. The owner thinks it is not worth the time and energy because he is detached from the life of the tree. The gardener participates in its growth and the tree becomes spiritually part of Him.

Our friend who has just joined us will understand all this one day. For now, he is still a little detached from the youth. He needs to waste some time with them doing the same and repetitious things. It is not going to happen overnight. It might take a few years. Participation always takes time. It took our Lord 30 years. Don’t expect things to be easier for us. There is no quick and easy way. We have to be willing to pay the price to gain a space in someone’s heart. This is what participation is all about. If we are not willing to waste time with the other, then we won’t appreciate being one with them. Our Lord, however, thought it was worth it.

At that very hour some Pharisees came, and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.”
Luke 13:31-33

“Tragedy is an imitation of life.” I am pretty sure Aristotle said these words. At least, some have alluded that these are his words. I am not entirely sure. At any rate, they sum up his views on the subject of poetry or theater. He goes on to say that tragedy invokes in us two important sentiments; empathy and fear.

The gospel reading above is not poetry, nor a play, but it unfolds as such to us as modern readers. We tend to read it as spectators of a drama. However, it brings about the same effects that Aristotle talked about. We are brought into the life of Jesus and at the same time made to confront our own mortality. In other words, our fear of death.

The Pharisees claimed that Herod was trying to kill Jesus. It is really doubtful that they were concerned about the welfare of our Lord. In all likelihood, they hoped that the fear of death would paralyze His active ministry. This does not mean that Herod wasn’t indeed a menacing threat. Jesus did not exclude this possibility. He made it clear that as far as probable death was concerned, it made no difference to His ministry. Jesus continued to do what He has been doing, perhaps to the chagrin of the Pharisees. Our Lord even went a step further. He predicted His own imminent death in the hands of the very people who were supposedly trying to protect him from the corrupt king. Jesus accepted that death was inevitable and he boldly walked towards it. Jesus confronted the fear of death by accepting death.

No one has power over the wind to restrain the wind, or power over the day of death. Ecclesiastes 8:8

St Augustine, in his book, City of God, wrote that death is the one thing we know for certain from the day we came into this world. He wrote this when the city in which he was living was being sieged. He died shortly thereafter. In modern times, talk about our mortality is very often avoided. This attitude hasn’t done any favors for us except to make us more superficial. If we avoid reflecting on one aspect of our life, then it is only natural for us to avoid profundity and intimacy in other aspects, too. We end up living our lives from one superficial experience to another without ever enjoying the full depth of any of it. In the past, the Christian faith embraced the spirituality of “Memento Mori” *. I wrote about this in my previous Lenten reflections and I won’t repeat myself here. However, the season of Lent is a time we reflect on the humanity of Jesus and His mortality plays a significant role.

A famous Brazilian singer, Gilberto Gil, in his advanced age, composed a song about his own imminent death. The chorus repeats an universal human sentiment. It says, “I am not afraid of death but I am afraid of dying.” He explains one is after the fact but the latter is a present reality. Jesus had to deal with this sentiment throughout His life or at least when He became fully aware of His vocation.

There is an unspoken belief among Christians that Jesus was some kind of superhuman who had perfect knowledge of everything from the day He was born. This is perhaps left over from our polytheistic past where gods disguise themselves as humans to experiment human life. Jesus did not come into this world to experiment with human existence. He was a complete human being. Therefore, He lived the complete process of human development. He grew into the knowledge of who He was and had to confront the fear of losing His personal identity in the face of death. The doubts and insecurities we feel towards death, Jesus sensed them too. He knew that each day that passed brought Him closer to His own brutal death. The Pharisees hoped that this thought or realization would paralyze Him. They made the mistake of thinking that Jesus was just like them. We know that His spirituality transcended that of the Pharisees.

The Pharisees lived their lives dominated by fear of death. All their decisions were influenced by this fear.

A very dear friend is celebrating her birthday this Sunday. She lives away from her home city. She has been living in this city about three years. She wanted to celebrate the day with her new family of friends here. She lives in a tiny apartment and we offered to plan a special celebration at our place since our place has the space. She was overjoyed and invited a dear friend. Unfortunately, this friend is terrified of the neighborhood where we live. She imagines that people here get robbed and murdered left and right although where we live is safe, if not safer than where she works and lives. There are people in the streets at all hours of the day. Many times I have seen elderly women walking their dogs at midnight here. Unfortunately, fear is much stronger than reality. She turned downed the invitation, refusing to participate in a celebration of life because of the fear of death. Of course, this does effect the friendship. Our friend is too kind to say anything about it.

Our fear of death is a real thing. It is part of our evolutionary development. We would not exist today as a species if it wasn’t for this defense mechanism. The fear of death was strong in Jesus, too. He overcame it so that we too can overcome it. Nevertheless, we don’t overcome the fear of death just by being fearless. Fearlessness borders many times with stupidity. Jesus never taunted death, nor lived recklessly. He overcame the fear of death by engaging in the ministry of healing and casting out demons. He was involved in the sufferings and pains of his fellow human beings. He also participated in their joys and celebrations. We must not forget that part of Jesus’ ministry involved eating and drinking, too. The Pharisees accused him of being a glutton and drunkard. At least, Jesus said that they did. This is also part of healing and casting out demons. Therefore, it is important for us to consider what it means for us to participate in healing and casting out of demons. It will help us to face death with boldness.

Today we have doctors and hospitals. As for demons, we have priests to exorcise them if we believe in literal demons and spirits and we have psychologists for medications for those who believe otherwise. Therefore, what is left for us as regular people? We have to figure out for ourselves what it means to heal and cast out demons in our everyday lives. In Jesus’ time, sickness and demon possession were elements which robbed people of their humanity. These ailments kept people isolated from the rest of society. We, humans, are social beings. When we are cut off from the world, we feel lost and our sense of identity is threatened. Consequently, we lose the zest for living. Presently, we live in a world where we see a slow and gradual process of dehumanization. People are losing their jobs and with this they lose their connection with the world. Better said, they lose their place in this world. Parents are losing contact with their children and feel a loss of their identity especially mothers. The value of friendship is no longer considered important nor essential. We are surrounded by people but no one is truly a friend. We are slowly slipping into slow and premature death. There is a need for the healing touch of love in this world. There is a need to cast out the demonic lies which reduces a human being into a mere machine which only exists to serve a function. The ministry of healing and casting out demons is as relevant today as it was in the time of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is able and willing to use anyone who is open to participate in the life of our Lord. He led the way and now He beckons us to follow Him.

As for the fear of death, the Bible teaches us;

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 1 John 4:18

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

The season of Lent is upon us once again. I started writing this reflection on Sunday. It was also the day of the Oscar award ceremony. Usually this does not interest me. However, this year’s Oscar was a little different. A Brazilian movie was nominated for best foreign picture as well as best picture of the year. The whole city was waiting in anticipation. There was a good chance for it to win and it did for best foreign movie. Almost everyone we know has watched the movie. We watched it a couple days ago. We were impressed. We have joined the crowd hoping that it would win. For those who are curious, I am talking about the movie, “I am still here”. In my opinion, it is well-written and directed. The cast were impeccable in the execution of their respective roles. It is based on actual events. In fact, the very final scene of the movie was shot close to where we live. The real life protagonist lived close to our neighborhood and very close to where we meet with our homeless youth. The story is about a former politician who was kidnapped by the military dictatorship. Eventually he was classified as someone who disappeared even though the regime’s secret police had tortured and murdered him and then disposed of his body. This is, by no means, a spoiler but a mere backdrop to the story. The real story is about how the mother and her five children survived the ordeal. It is really a story about a family. The director spent a great part of the movie focusing on the day to day life of the family. For those of us who like to get straight to the point, these trivialities could be a little frustrating. I wasn’t interested in knowing the idiosyncrasies of the family. The movie showed scenes where one of the daughters liked to wear her father’s old shirts. There were long segments of the children playing on the beach and narrating to their father their adventures. There was so much time spent on trivialities. However, these trivialities brought them closer to us. They became more human and real. Finally, when the tragedy struck, we felt the impact together with the characters. There were no explicit scenes of violence. It wasn’t necessary. We could the sense the violence of the situation by seeing how it disrupted the lives of the family. I realized that participating in the trivialities of their daily lives helped us to empathize with their sense of hopelessness and despair. The story is not a complete tragedy. It is about our human struggle. It is about hope.

Perhaps you are wondering what’s all this have to do with Lent. Maybe you are wondering how I am going to make this connection. Well, I am not going to attempt to do it. There is no need for it. The season of Lent highlights the voluntary participation of our Lord in the trivialities of our human existence. We can forget this. We can skip to the main thrust of the gospel narratives; the Passion of our Lord. However, in doing so, we might end up dehumanizing Jesus. We make Him into some object which serves a purpose. He becomes a mere tool to ensure our salvation. Jesus is not a tool!! He is God Incarnate. The gospel is not about the Cross. It is about God Incarnate. Jesus’ ministry did not begin at His baptism. It began the day He was born. God lived as a human being without any special privileges for thirty years and then He spoke of the Kingdom of God based on His experiences as a human being subjected to the trivialities of Life.

I recently heard a Jewish rabbi talk about the term, “Allah”. He was asked what he thought about the Muslim’s concept of God. He claimed the word, “Allah”, is a corruption of an Hebrew word for God. In other words, he stated that the Muslims and the Jewish people worship the same God. However, he emphasized that Christians do not worship the same God as these two religions. We worship a man named Jesus. This wasn’t a criticism but a careful assessment. We part ways with other monotheistic faith because of our faith in the God Incarnate. To imagine God becoming Human is a concept so strange and unbelievable to them. On the other hand, the polytheistic religions have mythologies portraying gods taking on the disguises of humanity. It is not so foreign to their doctrines to imagine the God Incarnate. Obviously, we are not talking about the same thing.

Jesus was not disguised as a human. He was a complete human being. He was subjected to the daily routines of our lives. He lived most of his life doing what we considered the monotonous routines of life which never get done nor completed or, as Albert Camus termed in his book, the Myth of Sisyphus, the absurd repetitious monotony of Life. At least, this is what I understand it to state. Besides this, Jesus spent most of His life as an unknown; a nobody, just like the vast majority of us. Most of us are a mere number in the eyes of the world’s authorities and Jesus was one of us. For Muslims and the Jewish people, it is scandalous to call such a person God Incarnate. Not just the people of these faiths but even the peers of Jesus. They could not believe that Jesus could be the Messiah because He was their mere carpenter.

“Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?” Matthew 13:55

A Muslim friend once asked me this question. ”Why would God waste precious time subjecting Himself to these mundane things?” It is a good question. It is an existential one, if I am allowed to get technical here. Of course, we can take refuge in doctrinal answers like, “Because He came to die for our sins.” In the history of humanity, many great people sacrificed their lives for the sake of friends, family and strangers. We honor them but we don’t worship them. There is something more profound about Jesus than His sacrifice. At the same time, I could not give my Muslim friend a satisfactory answer. Yet, the answer does not elude me. It is present in my soul. His earthly Life transformed the way I see my daily life.

The humanity of Jesus breaks down the barrier between God and humanity. The Father doesn’t seem like a distant figure oblivious to the tediousness of our human struggles. He came to participate in them so that we could learn to participate in His Life. God could have chosen to be born into any household. He could have been born or raised in household like Moses where servants abound to do the mundane things of Life. He chose instead to be a commoner. A life which is common and assessable to a vast majority of the world especially to the poorest of the poor. Jesus used examples of daily life to teach the profound things of God. He showed us that we can learn of God’s hidden mysteries through our everyday trivial interactions with Life.

In the present time, we heard people term the time spent on doing the trivial things as “unproductive” or “dead hours”. Everything is reduced to function. However, participating in these trivial things is essential in relationship building. Most of our ministry is spent on trivialities. Often times, I wonder in my head, “could we be doing something more productive?”. To be honest, I used to think those thoughts but not anymore.

Recently, the homeless youth informed us that a young man, Igor, was looking for us. He asked for us by name. In the streets, there is never a lack of people named “Igor”. There must be about ten with the same name about the same age. My mind was running through all the Igors we knew and none fitted the description. Finally we ran into him. He just recently got out of prison. He is handsome young man covered with tattoos. His tattoos could not hide his childlikeness. He was genuinely happy to see us. We responded appropriately but both of us were sure that we had never met before in our lives. Finally we asked him how he knew us. He told us that he has seen us playing games with the children and sometimes just coloring pictures with them. Once we bought him a meal. It must have been during the Pandemic when food was scarce. We bought food whenever the youth asked for it. In regular times, it wasn’t necessary because there is ample supply of food. We must bought something for him without thinking much about it. It was just routine stuff for us. However, for Igor, this simple and trivial act meant a great deal for him. It was a special moment. I wished I had paid more attention to it. Thankfully Igor did. He needs some documentation done. He is determined to stay away from crime and wants to register into a government program to help him with jobs. The documents are going to be a long and tedious bureaucratic process. We are going to spend longs hours in life-reducing offices. We told him that we will help him. It seems like an excellent opportunity to grow into the likeness of Christ. This is what we are doing for Lent: paying careful attention to the trivialities of Life.

Have a Blessed Lent!