As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem, and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. Luke 24:28-35

I remember it clearly although it happened decades ago. I was going on fifteen and just returned to school after a month of vacation. In Singapore, we have a month of vacation in June. It is not really summer holidays because it is summer throughout the year in our tropical island. Something happened to me during my vacation. At that time, I wasn’t an Anglican yet. My good friend had recently became one and he invited me to witness a baptismal service. The local Anglican Church had a practice of baptizing adults in the sea, after all we lived on a island. It was an overnight affair. The church rented a small cottage and had a mini retreat prior to the sacramental event. It was during this evening of prayer and contemplation where I felt for the first time of my life the reality of God in a deep and personal manner. I remember going home from the event feeling that something new had happened in my soul. I had spent my whole life involved in the church. I had attended countless catechism lessons. I watched countless Jesus’ movies and felt emotional whenever our Lord was crucified. I recited the Creeds from memory. I went to confessions regularly. However, I never felt like what I left that day at the baptismal retreat despite having all these religious baggage. I did not know what to make of the whole experience. It was something new. Vacation eventually got done and I went back to school a little different. I did not try to be different. I was trying to figure out what was happening to me. My friends noticed the difference. They let a few days pass and thought maybe it was just a phase. Days turned into weeks and they noticed that this new thing was perhaps something permanent.

One day in the school canteen, a close friend of mine who is a Muslim decided to get right to the matter. He asked what was happening to me. I was honest with him. I told him that I wasn’t quite sure myself. I shared my experience. I told him in simple words that a God who was once remote and distant now seems to be a someone close and real. He opened up and shared about his own spiritual experiences. At that moment, all barriers were torn down between us. We were two teenage boys transported from our temporal reality and brought to encounter something eternal. As we talked, we felt a fire burning in our hearts. Neither of us were trying to convert each other. We just shared about this fire in our souls. Not too long ago, I briefly reconnected with this friend. Both of us live in different continents now. We, like most people, have aged considerably and yet, we remember that moment as if it was yesterday. It is something that will live eternally in our hearts. A fire was ignited in our souls which only God had the match to light. Neither of us did anything for it to happen. It just happened through the grace of the Living God.

The two men on the way to Emmaus were apparently disciples of Jesus. There is nothing explicit in the story itself. We are never told if they had previously followed Jesus or not. We are just told that they were extremely perturbed and saddened by the events that happened. When Jesus asked them about the events, the evangelist records that they were saddened by the remark. It is understandable. When we are sad, we want to the whole world to cry with us. These two men were deeply concerned with everything which had happened to Jesus. However, they failed to recognize Him. The evangelist states that their eyes were kept from recognizing him. Some would say it was God who closed their eyes. This would be rather strange seeing that the God Incarnate was there right next them. Why would He keep them from recognizing Him while at the same time revealing Himself to them? Perhaps it was their personal worries and concerns. Perhaps it is another case of the Martha-Mary incident where one was so busy with the event that she forgot the guest of honor. However, in the case of these two men, there is a major difference. They had just witnessed an event which devastated them to the core. Martha was merely distracted with things that needed to be done. However, these two sensed that the world had lost something special and important. Their distraction flowed out of something deep within their souls. Their world had just slipped into a endless abyss of desperation and hopeless as only Light of Hope was murdered. This feeling is something most of us can appreciate in our present times. We are living in times where it seems like we are slipping into chaos on a daily basis. It seems like the world is bent on destroying all things good and sacred. Sometimes all these thoughts and worries, as legitimate as they may seem, might blind us from seeing the Risen Christ walking just next to us.

Some may claim that we are living in an unique period of history. They usually claim this in the negative sense. We can be never sure if this period is worse than any period before us. We tend to look back into past with a romanticized perspective. We don’t know what it was like back then but we do know what it is like to be living in this present moment with its fragility and vulnerability. We are seeing people deliberately embracing a path of self-destruction. We find ourselves walking alone on our personal road to Emmaus. Like the two men, it is easy for us to be so disturbed that our souls are laden with sorrow and pain. All these things can keep us from seeing that something good and wonderful is happening. I don’t mean this in a way like those who promote adopting a positive outlook on life. I find those people unhelpful. I am talking about understanding the meaning of Easter. The Resurrection story is one of Hope. It tells us that nothing truly good can be destroyed by the ignorance and wickedness which assails us. However, it is possible for us to be overwhelmed by these negative things and miss seeing the power of the Resurrection being manifested in our midst.

Maria spent a long time with us yesterday. She talked for the most part and we listened. We didn’t mind. It was nice to see her being enthusiastic about life. Maria is one of the young women who had been homeless since she was 8. Her mother has serious mental problems. For a long time, we thought Maria also suffered the same illness. We still think she does. Anyone who had seen Maria in the past would have said that there was no hope for this young girl. She was either extremely reserved or hostile. In fact, in the past, she would only talk to us to try to finagle some money from us. She would even be mad and aggressive with us when we refused to give her any. Needless to say, she was a disagreeable person.We were convinced that she was incapable of making any lasting relationship. Maria has changed today. The woman who spoke to us yesterday was someone full of Life. She is very articulate. She has fire in her soul. I am not saying that her situation has changed. She is technically homeless but lives in a shelter. She has been clean from drugs for months. She told us that she did it for herself. She recognizes that everything she learned about Life and most importantly, Love, was in the streets. She had never lived in a home before. Her mother never showed her love. She discovered what it was to love in the streets. In her words, she said that she learned how to eat and drink in the streets. In other words, her mother never provided the basic needs for her life. However, she also learned some self-destructive habits in the streets. Now, she has to learn to discern between the two. When she spoke, we felt a joy of hope. We felt that despite the darkness and hopelessness which surrounds us, God is able to bring genuine Hope into the lives of these young people. Maria is not holding on to false promises. She does not have impossible dreams. She just has one conviction; Love will help her find her way. For many years, her eyes were kept from seeing this undying Love present in the streets. Something or someone opened her eyes. She is able to see clearly. It doesn’t mean that in the future she won’t fall and slip into desperation. She is human. However, the Resurrected Christ will be present. Maria may need help to be reminded in the future and she can take refuge in the warmth of the fire of those who can see the Resurrected Christ alive in their midst.

There is a lesson I learned listening to Maria yesterday. The world might be constantly slipping into chaos. However, nothing can hinder the Risen Christ from walking next to us and making our hearts burn with zest for Life. There is nothing we can do to ignite this fire. There was nothing we did that made Maria realize that she is loved despite being abandoned at such a young age. We could have told this when she was younger. In all likelihood, she would have responded in a hostile manner. Only Jesus kindles this flame. All we can do is to testify with our lives that this fire is real and is burning in our hearts. Those who need its warmth will come close to us. Wherever the Risen Christ is present, hearts will burn with hope and love.

Therefore, we need not be burdened with the darkness that seems to envelope us. The Risen Christ has conquered death. Maria just reminded me of that yesterday. There is hope even when things appear hopeless and lost. He has conquered all hopeless and chaos. We know this because He is Risen.

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he 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!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’ John 20:26-29

Recently a young person in our local church was a little perplexed by a book she was reading. The author is a prominent Christian leader in the evangelical circles. I don’t think it is necessary to mention his name. I don’t have anything against him except that his ideas did not bring comfort to this young person. She recently joined our church and we found her to be very sincere and determined in her desire to follow Jesus. The author stated that in order to fully trust God it was necessary for followers to be radical in their faith. I have no problems so far with his statement. However, he went further to define that trusting God means not having any retirement plan or any kind of financial safety net and depending completely on God to provide for the future. I am sure that many reading this would find this statement rather unsettling. Needless to say this perturbed our young friend. It made her doubt about her own faith and whether she is able to trust her life into God’s hands. For her, it is a huge risk. She does not come from a financially secure family. She worked hard to get to a point of financial independence. She likes her independence and wants to ensure that she continues to have this in the future. She is just like a majority of sincere Christians in the world. However, this author, I am sure who has good intentions, has thrown something into her path that made her doubt about her place in God’s kingdom.

We can imagine her dilemma. It is not a strange feeling for many of us. We might be constantly assailed by these doubts, taking many shapes and forms. Many times people think doubts have to do with questioning God’s existence. However, for the most part, It is mainly about ourselves. We might think that we don’t have enough faith to just make the cut. Sometimes we hear stories of people having stupendous spiritual encounters and we might feel left out and even question if there is something wrong with our faith. Thomas the apostle must have felt that way. Imagine being the only one not seeing the Resurrected Lord. It wasn’t just a great miraculous event. It was a major transformative event that would changed anyone who experienced it. Thomas was the only one who was left out.

I am not going to reflect on the nature of Thomas’ doubts. I have done this many times in the past years. However, I do want to reflect about the sense of spiritual insecurity we feel when we think we are excluded from what we perceive as a spiritual blessing. This is something which is relevant for our ministry among the homeless. All our young people feel like that they have missed out on something special God is doing in this world. Many times they believe that it is because of who they are or a lack on their part. Unfortunately, there is never a lack of people pointing their finger at our young homeless people and saying that they missed God’s blessings due to their own fault. These so-called Christians forget that all our encounters with God occur through the grace of God. None of us have done anything to deserve these encounters. None of us can do anything to merit these encounters. It is only through the grace of God. It was through God’s grace that the Resurrected Christ appeared to the apostles. None of them deserved this special visitation. To the contrary, they wouldn’t have blamed Jesus if He had ignored them altogether and moved away from Jerusalem after He resurrected. After all, the city murdered Him. The apostles knew that they did not stand by Him at the Cross. They were justifiably afraid for their lives. Their faith did not enable them to walk on the waters of chaos. They swam away in fear and hid in a safe place. Their faith was weak. The Risen Lord appeared to them anyway. He forgave them on the Cross and His appearance to them sealed this forgiveness for eternity.

Thomas, unfortunately, wasn’t there. Perhaps he thought that he was lacking something. He needed reassurance. Just like the young person in my church; just like our young people living in the streets; just like all of us. We all need to be reassured that we are included in the group who is able to see the resurrected Christ and be included in this great thing that is happening. The only thing that can reassures us is a personal encounter with the Resurrected Jesus. Nothing else would suffice.

Thomas was actually in a better position than us. Jesus pointed this out to him. He could physically touch the Resurrected Christ. We don’t have this privilege. We are the ones who have to believe without seeing. However, this does not mean that we have to believe without concrete evidence. Believing something blindly without any proof is blind faith. I don’t believe this is what Jesus meant. I believe that we have ample evidence to know that Jesus is Risen and Alive. The thing is that the evidence is there but we need faith to recognize it; Faith, not verbal persuasions nor social pressure nor a religious coercion. Faith is a recognition of a truth that includes our intellect, our emotions, and our entire being; body and soul.

Our faith helps us to embrace the complete human experience. In this world, there is a tendency to divide the human being into different parts. There are so-called “truths” that appeal solely to the emotional aspect of our humanity. They are speak of things that invoke our sentimentality. This is the most common tactic today, unfortunately employed by many churches. They preach a message appealing solely to the emotions. There are those who think too highly of their reasoning power and refuse to believe anything except things which can be proven materially. They forget that are things in Life which make Life joyful and meaningful cannot be reduced to mere physical nor emotional evidence. Love is a good example. Love is neither sentimental nor racional. It goes beyond all this and it always transform the persons involved. On the other hand, emotional and rational “truths’ lack this power to transform life. They just produce short-term changes. However, faith helps to identify and receive these life-changing presences in our lives and faith unites our emotional and reasoning aspects of our souls to act in unison to produce everlasting change in the way we live.

The apostles met the Risen Lord and their lives were transformed immediately. You cannot meet the Risen Lord and not be transformed. We can only meet the Risen Lord through faith. Thomas missed this event but he was surrounded by people who were transformed by this special event. He wanted what the apostles had but he also wanted assurance that he wasn’t left out. He wanted something more which none of the apostles had experienced. He wanted to touch the wounds of our Lord ensure that He was truly the Risen Lord. It turned out that it wasn’t necessary. The evangelist did not say that Thomas actually went through with his demand. Just the mere presence of the Lord sufficed for Thomas to be transformed and be the first the gospels to confess the divinity of Jesus.

We are not going to meet Risen Lord in the same way as Thomas. We will have to believe without sensory experiences or at least without the so-called five senses. However, it doesn’t mean that our encounters will be inferior to that of the apostles. As scripture as reminded us in Hebrews 13:8,

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.

This text, in all likelihood, was written by someone who never met Jesus personally. He or she came to know the Risen Lord the same way we, in our present times, will meet Him in our daily lives. The Risen Christ who ignited the faith of Thomas is the same for all seasons and times. There are no circumstances nor situations nor experiences to hinder Him from manifesting Himself to us. He is able and willing to meet us where we are spiritually and transform our lives in the same manner He transformed the lives of the apostles.

The Risen Lord meets us where we are. This is not restricted just to our spiritual space but also includes our human nature. We, as humans, are social creatures. We learn and acquire virtues and vices through our interactions with people. The Risen Jesus manifests Himself constantly through people. We receive the truth of the Resurrected Lord through the testimonies of people. They were by no means perfect people. They were just people who were constantly transformed by their encounter with the Risen Lord. They were people who were able to sense the presence of the Risen Lord through faith in their daily lives. After all, we do not serve a God who is dead and buried. He has Risen from the dead and active in our midst. We have a long list of people in the history of our faith who reflected the living Reality of our Resurrected Christ. We also have people in the present who reflect this reality. They are not found in high places nor in social media nor on television. We can see the truth of the Resurrect Lord in their lives. God always meets us where we are. He places people in our lives to reflect the reality of the Risen Christ. These people are close to us where we can touch and feel His presence like Thomas was able to touch and feel the presence of our Lord. However, we need to have faith like Thomas did in order to encounter the Risen Christ.

Thomas kept company with those who were transformed by the Risen Lord even though he himself was assailed by insecure thoughts. He chose to remain with those who were touched by the Risen Lord and transformed.

I told the young person to forget about giving up her financial security. Maybe her desire for financial security is an obstacle or maybe it is not. She needs to sense this from the Risen Lord and not from someone who has no commitment nor responsibility towards her. Besides, we cannot earn the right to meet the Risen Lord with our actions. All we can do is offer our souls and bodies as living sacrifices and wait. The Risen Lord will meet us where we are spiritually. Once we meet Him, the reality of the Resurrection will fill our hearts with confidence. Then we won’t be afraid to die to ourselves daily because we know that God will raise us and transform us into something new and great. We will have the confidence to do things that perhaps we thought we were beyond us. The Risen Christ will give us the necessary strength to overcome obstacles in our lives. He will guide us to a place where we can see His Living presence more clearly, where there is always hope and joy. We see Him in the street and we are always filled with joy and hope. His presence gives the boldness to testify to the world;

Christ is Risen indeed!

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. Luke 23:34

Sometime ago I ventured into Nietzsche’s philosophy and I read his masterpiece, Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Anyone who knows this philosopher will tell you that this is not the book to begin with when reading this rather intriguing philosopher. Anyway I read it. I did not understand it. It was just a little too much for my brain. However, there was a character in the book whom I found to be extremely interesting. He was known as the ugliest man in the world. He was a man who could not bear God’s scrutiny over his life. He desired to escape from God’s presence because every time he sensed the divine, he was aware of his hideousness. Finally he did the most despicable thing. He murdered God. Of course, Nietzsche was the self-proclaimed enemy of the Christianity. His thoughts on Jesus are rather complex. They tend to waiver between extreme admiration and something else. He chose to take a different route contrary to Christianity from this allegory. Nevertheless, the allegory is a powerful one. It is the Good Friday story. Humanity could not tolerate God’s presence because they did not like their reflection in His Light. They saw God face to face and they murdered Him.

There are several passages in the Old Testament where certain prophets desired to see God’s face. The warning is always the same. No one can see God’s face and live. God’s true identity reveals our own hideous nature and it causes our demise. However, it seems like the passion story in the gospels reveals something different. Humanity ends up killing God. They saw the face of God and they murdered Him like the ugliest man in the world. It seems like God died. Does this mean God was wrong in the Old Testament? Perhaps He was afraid to show His face because He knew that Humanity would seek to destroy Him?

In reality, we cannot murder God. We just murder ourselves in the process. Even Nietzsche, who was an ardent atheist, wrote that the ugliest man fell into a state of depression. Now, he was an orphan without a God, aimless in Life without any Hope.

God was brutally murdered. His crime was that He was God Incarnate who revealed the true nature of God. This is the only purpose of His Life on earth. He wanted to show God’s face to the world. However, whenever God is manifested, His judgment is also present. We cannot divide God into compartments. God is not a loving God in one instance and then a terrifying judge in another. He is One God. His presence manifests the completeness of His being.

Where God’s presence is manifested, there is judgment. It is not the kind of judgment we find in this world, where there are accusers who rightfully or wrongfully accuse us. God’s presence just reveals who we are. There are no accusations; just revelation. The Light of the world shines brightly to reveal everything and nothing is hidden in the darkness. For some, this is a blessing. The man in one of the gospel healing stories, who was a paralytic, found relief when his sins was revealed. Jesus revealed His sins not to condemn him but to forgive. Jesus identified that the burden of sin had paralyzed his whole life. He received his judgment with joy because He knew that the judge was loving. Remember the gospels always stated that Jesus was different from the rest of the religious teachers. He spoke the Truth. He gave people the courage to come forth and receive Healing. Many came and were healed from the heavy burden of sin. Unfortunately, many also prefer the darkness because they strive in it. It is working for them. They delight in their ugliness. For these, God’s presence is burdensome and tiresome. They did not want God’s presence in this world. They did not want His scrutiny. They did not want to know that sin has distorted their lives and made them hideous. They want to remove all reminders of it. The only way to do this is to remove God. However, if we try to remove God, then we commit suicide. Without God, we cease to exist. Our whole existence depends on God.

For “In him we live and move and have our being”; as even some of your own poets have said, “For we too are his offspring.” Acts 17:28

The argument is a philosophical one. St Paul addressed a group of men who were interested in all things religious and philosophical. It was during the ancient times when there was no clear distinction between these two. However, it explains why in the Old Testament, God was so adamant in warning the people that they would die if they saw His Face. It wasn’t that God would kill them but the contrary was true. This is what we see in the Passion narrative. Humanity wants to kill God and in doing so, they end up destroying their own existence. Without God, nothing can exist. However, the world did not end at the Cross. Humanity murdered God Incarnate but it still continued in its existence. Nothing bad happened to humanity.

There are two options here for us. One is we could say that God doesn’t exist, that He is something we made up in our minds. This is the route Nietzsche chose even though he believed that Jesus was the most perfect man who existed. He did this in his convoluted manner. This option would require us to deny something deep and profound in our souls. It would require us to deny something in our souls seeking to be united with something higher and more powerful. In other words, the atheistic route would be a negation of an important aspect our spiritual makeup.

The other option which is essential for the Christian faith is recognizing God’s unconditional forgiveness. The greatest reveal at the Cross is that God’s presence judges but not the kind of judgment which condemns but forgives. Without forgiveness, we would cease to exist. Without forgiveness, there would be no humanity. There would just be death.

At the Cross, the words of forgiveness have become rather common knowledge. At least, common knowledge in terms of familiarity. The depth of their meaning is yet to be discovered. The verse tells us that Jesus utters these words and the soldiers continued to insult Him by dividing His clothes, completely oblivious to His powerful words. They were too obsessed in glorying in their hideousness. Nevertheless, they were included in the forgiveness. For many of us, especially Christians, this is hard to accept. We, as humans, understand forgiveness as a response to repentance. We cannot imagine forgiveness without a act of contrition. There might be some of us who are able to forgive someone without this action. However, our idea of forgiveness is something more beneficial for our own souls. We forgive someone to relieve ourselves from the burden of bearing grudges and carrying all the anger and hatred. None of these reflect the powerful words of Jesus at the Cross. This kind of forgiveness was unique. It is the kind of forgiveness only God can bestow upon us.

Only God can forgive us without confession. Only God’s eyes can penetrate into our souls and see our deepest desires, the kind of desires reaching beyond our sinful ones. The desire to be loved and known. God sees us and His Light reveals that we are going about the wrong way to fulfill profound desire. We are missing the mark but cannot see it. In our blindness, we continue to murder the only One who can fulfill our most deepest desire. Fortunately, there is unconditional forgiveness. He forgives us and refuses to retreat His presence from us.

The forgiveness of God is not a mere forgetting of our sins. His forgiveness means that His love continues to sustain despite our hard heartedness. The soldiers kept dividing his raiment among themselves but He still forgave them. The soldiers were still able to move and have their being in Him. God did not retreat His Life from them. In the same way, today God’s forgiveness rules in Life. It is unconditional but many walk through Life without realizing this unconditional Love. They go through Life as if they are abandoned and alone in this Life. They fail to see that God’s forgiveness walks with them every single moment in their lives. They fail to see because they are still dividing his raiment among themselves. They are lost in the world of their own self-hatred. Hatred towards God is really self-hatred because in the end, we just kill ourselves with this hatred.

However, Good Friday is not about hatred. It is about God’s judgment. He judged the world and He said, “Forgive them for they do not know what they do.”

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34-35

I have to admit. I am not a fan of the washing of the feet. I know that some people find it moving during the Maundy Thursday service. I am not one of these people. I always feel a little anxious whenever the celebrant calls people to the front to wash their feet. I get a little stressed out whenever this happens. It is not that I am worried that my socks may have holes and sometimes they do. It is just that I feel a little awkward. I mean it is not a custom in modern times or at least where we live to wash one’s feet. Besides, if I were to suggest doing this with one of our youth, they might be think that I am an odd fellow to say least. This does not mean we shouldn’t stop doing something just because it makes us feel awkward. I think liturgy should challenge us. It should make us think about how we live our lives. The symbols used should remind us of our higher vocation. There are many things in the liturgy of Last Supper which are challenging and speak directly to our present reality. Perhaps they might even be a little disturbing if we think about them more profoundly. I am referring to the new commandment.

As a young child I used to sing a Catholic hymn based on this commandment. Maybe some of you might know it. “They will know we are Christians by our Love, by our Love.…” Now that I am older, I have my fair share of experience with disagreeable characters, I find it a little harder to sing this hymn with the same enthusiasm. However, this commandment goes beyond just being patient with people who are not quite likable. Jesus is commanding us to love them like He did. The fact that He waited all this time to drop this bomb on his disciples was because He wanted to show them and us how to love exactly. It is not open to our personal interpretation of love. His Life is a living example of how this Love should be manifested. This is really the essence of Jesus’ ministry. He wanted to clear all misconceptions about God and Love. He came to reveal the true nature of God.
In the Old Testament, the people had an idea of a tribal God. They thought God’s actions were only favorable to one nation of tribes even though God had sent prophets now and again to remind them that He was a God who acted in all nations. However, they could not erase from their minds an image of God who was a warrior fighting political battles like a regular King. Their idea of God could be appeased with sacrifices and violence towards whomever they thought was against Him. Jesus taught us throughout His ministry that He came to fulfill the Law. The objective of the Law is to reveal the essence of God to all people. This new commandment is the consummation of this ministry. His passion operated on the basis of this New Commandment. It showed us how to face a world invested in dividing each other through hatred. Jesus, through His life and death, revealed to us a superior path. He commands us to do the same.

I recently read a disturbing comment by a so-called prominent Christian leader stating that this commandment was restricted to fellow Christians. In other words, we should only love fellow Christians as Jesus loved us. This interpretation relieves them from expressing love and compassion to anyone whom they deem as unworthy of God’s love. This is the spirituality of the Pharisee which Jesus told us time and again that we should supersede. Jesus is the standard. He loved people who were not Jews in His time. He attended to Syrophoenician woman and the Roman centurion. He welcomed people who were considered as outcasts. He even transformed a Samaritan woman with a dubious background into a prophetess to her community. The list goes on and on. Jesus, at the Last Supper, broke bread with Judas whom He knew was going to betray Him to a certain death. Judas might not have thought that Jesus was going to die an horrific death but despite this, betrayal is still an hurtful and hateful thing to do especially to someone who loved him unconditionally. Jesus did not refrain from washing Judas’ feet. There are some Christians who argue that Jesus did not wash Judas’ feet. I don’t understand why this is an issue. Jesus’ washing of Judas’ feet is coherent with our Lord’s lifestyle. He loved His enemies. St John Chrysostom gave an insightful interpretation of this action. He said that perhaps Jesus was hoping that this act of Love might convert Judas’ heart. Every act of Love is an act of evangelism. It is also an act to persuade our souls to look beyond our lives to discover true divine Love.

The thing about this Commandment is that is impossible for us to love one another like Jesus loves us. The bar is too high. In our ministry, we have some undesirable characters who also like our companionship in the streets. I cannot say that the feeling is mutual. To the best our abilities, we tolerate them. However, Jesus is not encouraging us to tolerate the disagreeable personalities of Life. He wants us to love them like He loves us. Jesus served without prejudice. He healed and restored the lives of many. However, only a handful returned to express their gratitude. The rest just left and maybe even forgot about our Lord. Jesus loved them nevertheless. We, as mere mortals, like to receive feedback. We want to love people who appreciate our efforts. Jesus loved unconditionally. Loving someone is difficult even when we like the people. People are complex and not always easy to love. The Holy Week liturgy reveals this to us. People can shift their opinions from enthusiastic love to complete hatred. This is not just something we read in the gospel passion. This reality is experienced in everyday life. I have known people who once upon a time loved working with the homeless youth. Their enthusiasm made us feel a little ashamed because we did not have their same zealous love. Then, we met these same people again and they seemed to have changed their position. They say hateful and hurtful comments about the homeless in general. People are complex which makes them even harder to love them like Jesus did. To make matters worse, Jesus said this Love would be the sign proving we are His disciples. In other words, we are not followers of Christ unless we love one another like He loved us. Neither our baptism certificate nor regular church attendance is going to prove that we are His disciples; only the presence of unconditional love in our lives.

On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?” Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.” Matthew 7:22-23

Jesus, then, goes on to say;

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. Matthew 7:24

As wise people, we need to know how to construct our lives on this new commandment.

This new commandment is not something that came out of nowhere. It is the summary of our Lord’s ministry. He came to live among us to show us how to live our lives in this world. The unconditional Love that He freely bestowed upon us is not only for us but for the world. He wants to continue to testify to the world the everlasting presence of Unconditional Love in our midst. However, Love is not something which can be expressed in words. It cannot be reduced to doctrines nor some fanciful words of an eloquent preacher. Love is an action. It is something that we have to live out. Unconditional Love is not merely tolerating certain difficult people. Jesus did not tolerate people. He loved them with concrete actions. His Love was always active and never a passive nod to the idea of unconditional Love. However, all this still does not answer the question whether it is even possible for us to love like He did. The short answer is that it is humanly impossible. We need His divine presence to guide and empower us to love. It is difficult even to love those whom we find agreeable and pleasant. People are complex and Jesus loved them in all their complexities. The proof of this is one of His final words on the Cross,

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots. Luke 23:34

It seemed to me that they knew exactly what they were doing. However, Jesus was able to see beyond the obvious and many times we just see what’s in front of us. We need Jesus to guide and show us how to love one another like He loves us. The Eucharist reveals to us how. We need to constantly feed on His Life. His Life and words are powerful and living. They are not mere concepts but they are living words moving our souls to spring forth living waters. We need to be in the company of people who have been touched by the power of God’s unconditional Love and are willing and open to share this powerful Love with their lives and actions. We need to listen and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit who wants to use us to become instruments of Unconditional Love. The Lord’s Table is the symbolic place where all these necessary elements are united.

The Lord’s Table is where we come together and listen to the living words of our Lord and allow these words to transform our hearts so that we can live out this new commandment. It is humanly impossible for us to follow this commandment. However, we have Jesus to guide us. He will always be there waiting for us and all we need to do is to be willing and open to His unconditional Love.

A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Matthew 21:8-9

“What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked.
They all answered, “Crucify him!” Matthew 27:22

We are at the final leg of the season of Lent. Everything comes together during Holy Week. Well, from another perspective, we can say everything falls apart this week culminating in the crucifixion of our Lord. Of course, we know what is coming up after this. However, we need to hold off on the ending for now and focus on the path to the Cross. It is an important path for us to walk on this week. It is a time of coming to terms with our humanity.

We begin Lent with the reminder of our mortality. We heard the words;

For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.

This verse is from Genesis 3:19. In the context of this verse, we learn that these words are not a mere reminder of our mortality but of sin. Our mortality was never part of God’s plan. Our souls bear witness to this Truth. We were not meant to die. This is why we resist the idea of death so strongly. Death is present in our lives because of sin. There is what I consider an unhealthy attitude towards our mortality. I believe that it goes against our Christian spirituality. In my experience, this attitude is more common among those of a privileged background who can afford to distance themselves from any remembrance of death. They avoid all talk and mention of our mortality. They think any mention of death is morbid and weird.

I belong to a generation and a social class where funerals were part and parcel of my childhood. I never was traumatized. I am glad that my parents did not shelter me from this aspect of life. It has helped me grow in my spirituality. Facing our mortality is important because it makes us reflect on the seriousness of sin. Death is not a punishment but it is a protection from sin. Can you imagine a world where people can live their sinful ways without any restriction? Death is ultimate restriction against sin. It stops us from further propagating sin.

The concept of sin has been abused and spoken of in a way which is hypocritical and meaningless. Nevertheless, we need to talk about it in order to liberate ourselves from it. It should not be spoken of in a way to manipulate or instill fear in people. The essential message of the gospel is liberation from sin.

Despite all its abuses, we cannot refrain from talking about sin. It is an important word. It is a word which best describes our disconnection with existence. It is the word which best describes why we find it hard to comprehend God. It is the best word to describe the dilemma we, as humans, confront in the very fundamental depth of our souls. This dilemma is well expressed in the liturgy of Palm Sunday.

There was no hypocrisy in the joyous reception of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem. The people were genuinely excited to welcome a King who was so different from all the kings they had known in their lives. Jesus was a King who rode into the city on a donkey, the humble animal of the common people. The manner that Jesus entered the city revealed something important to the people. Jesus was not a common politician. Politicians, in Jesus’ time, did not need the approval of the people. They distanced themselves from the people and ruled with an iron fist. They were afraid of the people because they incurred such hatred amongst them. Jesus rode fearlessly among the people because He loved them. The people sensed His love and saw His love in actions. Jesus was not a revolutionist. Today we have a romanticized idea of revolutionaries. However, violence generates violence. Usually the people who suffered the main bulk of this violence were the common people even though revolutionists often fight to improve the conditions of these. We can see this acting out today in the world we live. Jesus was not a revolutionist, at least not in the traditional sense. There are preachers and theologians who would like to force Jesus into one of these molds. Don’t get me wrong. Jesus was political and he was a revolutionist but it was radically different in nature from the politics of this world. The Cross reveals this to us. No revolutionist nor politician willingly goes to the Cross.

The common people of first century suffered the consequences of failed revolutions and corrupt politics. They did not need one more to add to their plight. They wanted someone who would help them see something beyond what was presented before them. They wanted to reach a higher ground. They wanted a glimpse of something to help them reconnect with a reality beyond their grasp. In Jesus, they saw a King who would guide them to a place where their deepest yearnings would be satisfied. He was their Pastor. He was their Good Shepherd.

Just a caveat, they were not looking for pie in the sky. These people were pragmatic people. They did not expect an easier life. They wanted a meaningful Life. They saw this King on a donkey and they saw Life in Him. The kind of Life which gives them treasures that will never rust nor be stolen. They followed Him because their hearts were burning with Hope of knowing that God has finally remembered them.

For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. Romans 7:19-20

The problem with Jesus is that He did not come into our existence to change what is outside of us. He came to transform what is within us. The Pharisees wanted to change the outward nature of things even though, to be fair to them, this religious sect started out with good and holy intentions. Unfortunately, they needed someone to reveal to them that the problem is deep in our souls. The apostle, St Paul, being a former Pharisee, discovered this Truth after his personal encounter with our Lord. The problem is within. Sin is found in the depth of our soul preventing us from doing the good which we were made to do. God created us to be agents of His goodness. In our souls, we know that we will be the happiest when we do good. The presence of Jesus stirred the souls of the people to live out their true vocation as agents of God’s goodness.
Unfortunately, there is also something within us which hinders us. St Paul rightfully identifies this something as sin.

St Paul is not talking about sins in the plural which is something which many preachers and churches like to talk about. They highlight particular sins and forget about the ones which concerns them. This is how Pharisees talked about sin. However, our spirituality must exceed that of the Pharisees. We need to confront the sin in the singular which plagues all of us in the depth of our souls. The sin that hinders from doing the good that we want to do.

I recently read a sermon by Austin Farrer, the priest and confidant of C.S. Lewis, and I found his insight on the nature of sin to be worthy of Holy Week reflection.

“For my sin is not what I think about myself, it is what I do to God.”

The story of the Fall in the book of Genesis begins with an idea. It wasn’t about being disobedient but the impulse to eat the forbidden fruit was to become like god. Sin is removing God from our lives. Consequently, our reconciliation with God is giving Him back His true place in our souls. There is no middle ground. In fact, most ancient religions that withstood the test of time have come to this conclusion. God has to have the ultimate and exclusive place in our lives. However, these religions differ on how to achieve this. In our Christian faith, we see the answer in the person of Jesus. He came into Jerusalem as a King who was a servant. He was a King who lived His life in service to those who were considered weak and unworthy. He is the Lord who showed them how to live their lives in complete communion with God where the Father has a rightful place in the soul of Jesus. In ancient times, kings were not just mere authoritative figures. Kings were also the moral compass of life. Kings showed the people how to fashion their lives after themselves. The King of King showed the people then and now how to live their lives in complete reconciliation with God, giving us power to overcome the dominion of sin in our lives. Unfortunately, the people chose to allow sin to dominate them. Their enthusiasm for the King diminished and they allowed sin to dominate their actions.

Religious enthusiasm is good but it is not enough. Just because we are excited about all things religious and holy doesn’t make us followers of Christ. The joyous welcome of Jesus was genuine and so was the hateful cries to crucify Him. These were the same people of Jerusalem. They did not want to confront the sin in their souls. They did not want Jesus to be their absolute King in their souls. They would rather that the world outside them change without they themselves being transformed by the Love of God within their souls. Outward religious enthusiasm, as sincere as it might seem, still put Jesus on the Cross. We need transformation in our souls. We need to follow Jesus and take up our Cross.

You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. Matthew 5:13

There was a time when I interpreted being the salt in the world as meaning that Jesus wanted us to keep the world from decay.

You know, salt was used to preserve food in Jesus’ time and still is used as preservative in some parts of the world.

I heard preachers say that we are to keep the world from self destruction. It would be great if it was true. The world seems to be falling apart at the seams. This is not a recent occurrence. The world wasn’t any better during Jesus’ time, perhaps even worse. Moreover, it didn’t get better during our Lord’s lifetime either. In fact, there is no indication in His teachings that we should be encumbered with the task of making this world better. The world has and will always be bent on self-destruction.

I am not saying that we should throw in the towel and completely give up on this world. I am saying that maybe we should not take upon ourselves something that is too difficult for us to bear. Jesus did say:

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:29-30

Having the task to keep the world from decay seems to be a heavy yoke. Jesus would never place this responsibility upon us. Perhaps, we need to think about what it means to be the salt the world in another manner.

I grew up Roman Catholic and I joined the Anglican Church when I was 15. One of the things which drew me to the Anglican Church was the local priest at that time. He was a saintly man and extremely interesting. Nevertheless, I could never stay awake during his sermons. I was a teenager then, perhaps my immaturity had a part in my lack of attention. I don’t remember any of his sermons except for one. He preached about the events which led to his own spiritual renewal. He had many health problems. One day, his doctor told him that he either give up salt altogether or he was going to die. He said that this brought to his knees for the first time in his life. He asked God to take him. He would rather die than eat tasteless food for the rest of his life. I remember these words as if they were spoken yesterday. He wasn’t a shallow person. He just didn’t think Life was worth living if he had to forego salt. I know it sounds frivolous. Let’s go a little deeper with this.

A little salt does wonders to food. Even the most tasteless food can be brought to life with a little salt. Food plays an important role in our spirituality. In fact, all the major events in the New Testament and the Old Testament occurred around the table. Some of them were mandated with a threat of punishment. God was serious about feasting.

The philosopher in the Book of Ecclesiastes states,

So I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat, and drink, and enjoy themselves, for this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that God gives them under the sun. Ecclesiastes 8:15

Perhaps I am stepping into dangerous ground here.

Strangely, I know that this verse makes some religious people a little uncomfortable. It seems like enjoyment of life is a controversial topic. Somehow and somewhere in our spirituality, enjoying life is considered taboo. We forget that Jesus came to give us abundant Life. Enjoyment of Life is an essential part of having abundant Life. This joy of living is not reserved for the afterlife. It is for the here and now. The philosopher of the Book of Ecclesiastes is not saying anything which it is not written into the spirituality of the people. The Jewish faith is one of festivity. The Old Testament makes it a Law for people to enjoy themselves if not, they would be punished.

I have to admit that it is strange but it is there.

The Law of Sabbath, for example, is simply a day for us to sit back and enjoy Life and all its beauty like God did after He created this world.

Being the salt of the world is bringing joy into a tasteless existence of pain and suffering. This does not mean we, as followers of Jesus, are obligated to become the Life of the Party. This would be a shallow interpretation of this text.

When Jesus commanded us to become the salt of the world, He is asking us to bring joy into this world. His ministry was one of joy despite the suffering and injustice surrounding Him. He brought healing to those who suffered. He brought sight to the blind. Most importantly, He brought hope to those whom society considered as hopeless. Joy cannot be found without hope and hope cannot be perceived without faith.

Joy is found among those who can through their faith see hope even in the most seemingly hopeless situations. The joy of these people renews their zest for life.

When we first started this ministry in the mid-nineties, we were many things except the salt of the world. We tried to be social reformers. We tried to be personal counsellors. We tried to rescue the young people from homelessness. None of these efforts were very successful. Maybe one or two managed to leave homelessness. However, we are talking about hundreds of homeless young people. Now we realize that we were carrying a burden which Jesus never asked us to carry. When we try to do things beyond our capacity, joy slips through the cracks. Service unto our Lord becomes burdensome and consequently we are unable to transmit hope to those whom we serve.

A wise clergy once advised me upon my ordination to just love the people under my charge. The Holy Spirit used these simple words to communicate to my soul the meaning of being salt of the world. God sent us out into the world to just love the people whom He puts in our lives. Not just our family members, not just our friends, everyone who comes into our lives; our co-workers, the person whom we meet at the grocery store, at the library, the person living next door. We don’t have to impose ourselves on people. There is nothing joyful about being an irritant.

Jesus wants us to be the salt of the world. We are to be always open and available to be God’s channel of Love to those around us. In our case, it is the homeless young people.

This is what Jesus did in his earthly life. He loved the people around Him. He did not try to change society nor reform the corrupt religious system. He loved the people unconditionally. His Love stirred in their souls faith and hope and these gave them the courage to challenge the situations and circumstances oppressing them. However, none of this would be possible without Love.

St Paul writes,

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. I Corinthians 13:13

This is found in the famous Love chapter which has been mistakenly restricted to marriage ceremony. It is the definition of what Jesus means by the word, charity. He has also showed how to live out this charity in practice. It was His last act before His suffering. It is only recorded in one gospel; the gospel of John, the apostle who is also affectionately known as the apostle of Love. Jesus took the role of a servant and washed the feet of his disciples.

In Jesus’ time, most servants, if not all, were slaves. We try to avoid this term in our readings for obvious reasons. However, it is worth nothing that an enslaved person did not have a choice whom one served. In the same way, Jesus did not just wash the feet of those who were nice to Him. He also washed Judas’ feet. In our our judgment, we might think that Judas did not deserve His feet to be washed. However, our Lord washed his feet because He loved Judas. He hoped that His action would reveal to these disciples how much He loved them. These simple men who came from humble backgrounds and were even despised by their society had their feet washed by the King of Kings. This simple act would have stirred their faith and given them hope. It added joy to their life. Their life was given a generous pinch of salt.

Our homeless youth have really dirty feet. There is no way I am going to wash them, let alone touch them. Even we did, they would be weirded out by the experience. However, they want to be loved and this love has to be expressed in a practical manner. The most important way we share this with them is spending our time with them. We have spent 12 years with them. During this time, we play games with them. We talk with them. We listen to them. We help them get their documents. We visit them in the hospital. We allow them to cry in our presence. In some cases, we have buried their friends. Now, they ask to pray with them and help them find some meaning in their lives. Most importantly, we allow them to become special and important to us. We allow them into our lives. Recently, when we were planning to go the cemetery to visit the grave of one of our street friends, a complete stranger walked by and was curious to see this strange group gathered together and making plans. He asked one of the young people who we were. The young man said these people are our parents in the streets. They take care of us.

Simple words. They were salt to my soul as much as we are the salt they needing their lives. They need a good pinch of parental salt in their lives. Divine charity made this possible.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…. Matthew 5:1-12

It is interesting that there are many who argue for the Ten Commandments to be placed in public spaces. However, no one advocates for the Beatitudes.

If you have to wonder, why not?

Maybe because they are a little too personal. They are not concepts or ideas. The beatitudes point to people who really exist in our midst. People, who no one in their right mind, would consider to be blessed if we are honest.

The very first beatitude is very problematic. It talks about the blessed poor. Being poor is never considered a blessing. We try our best to avoid poverty. Mary and I work with the poorest of the poor. We know what it is like to be poor and we try our best to avoid it. We are concerned about our funds. We think about our future when we are older. We worry about health. We want to prepare ourselves for anything which could drive us into poverty. We are afraid of being poor. No one would consider it a blessed state, not even the poor themselves.

A famous ex-president of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, was strangely known for his austere lifestyle rather than his political views. An interviewer once asked him why he chose to live like a poor person despite having access to wealth. He immediately opposed the idea. He said that he was living a simple lifestyle but wasn’t trying to be poor. The poor are people who live in a constant state of lacking their basic needs. He chose not to possess many things because they were not necessary for his happiness.

I think this is a good definition. Poverty is a constant existence of lacking basic things. It is not a condition to be desired and yet Jesus calls the poor blessed.

Jesus never said we need to be poor. Neither did he mean for us to be mourning constantly and not be happy. When he mentioned peacemakers, it doesn’t mean that we have to engage in diplomatic peace relations. When He said about those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, it doesn’t mean that we have to participate in a social movement fighting for the justice and equality for all people.

I am not going to go through all the beatitudes. I think you understand where I am going with this. Jesus is not commanding us to become these people. He is talking about people whom he knew.

Our Lord spent thirty years in a poor community. Jesus came from a poor family. In most likelihood, his mother was a widow or a single mother if you want to modernize the idea. Life must not have been easy for Mary to raise Jesus on her own. Jesus dwelled among people who struggled to survive. They were the nobodies. Maybe they wouldn’t have used these terms in His time. Nevertheless, they would be considered the voiceless people with no prominent place in society. Frankly speaking, no one even cared to hear their voices. This was a time before democracy. There was no need for the people in power to woo the votes of these people. They were people to whom no one would pay attention to in an everyday situation. They were the last people whom society would aspire to become. They were considered the insignificant lot.

Very little has changed today. Perhaps some things have become worse since then. I am not the kind of person who believes that the world is getting worse each day although things are not that great now. Nevertheless, we are not especially doomed.

We are just as doomed as the people in Jesus’ times.

One thing seems to be quite prominent in today’s world which is cruelty. Don’t get me wrong, the world has always been a cruel place. The difference is that we live in a time where all the people mentioned in the beatitudes were mocked. The poor were blamed for their poverty; the meek were jeered for their lack of assertion. Those who mourn were ridiculed and called whiners. The pure in heart were considered gullible and naive. We have negative names for all those represented in the beatitudes and mockery has somehow has become a virtue in this upside down world. Actually, the beatitudes is in reality a denouncement of this perverted world.

The beatitudes calls all those whom the world considers as hopeless and useless to be blessed. In the gospel of Luke, the evangelist goes a step further, Jesus even calls all those whom the world considers to be successful to be cursed. However, we will just limit ourselves to the gospel of Matthew.

Jesus begins His public ministry with this strange pronouncement. Jesus is not saying that we should become like them. This is not a new law for us to follow. It is introducing a new mindset. One which is completely incompatible with the world.

The hope revealed in the Kingdom of God is not found in those whom the world deemed as successful. In fact, those who are well adjusted and happy in this world are not interested in what the gospel offers. They won’t be open to understand this hope because they are doing alright in this world. What would motivate them to seek for something better and greater that is able to overcome all darkness? Only those who recognize that this world is broken and hopeless are ready to receive the Kingdom of God.

However, let us not get caught in this the wealth vs poverty mindset. Understanding hope in the Kingdom of Heaven requires us to transcend this mindset. We never understand what it means to have hope in the Kingdom of God without renouncing the illusory hope which this world offers.

This is really a challenge. If it wasn’t challenging then we wouldn’t need to be here in church. We wouldn’t need the sacraments nor the Bible. We live in a world where we are constantly inundated with the false hope and promises which this world offers. Therefore, we need to change our mindset as St Paul aptly tells us,

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2

Some, however, like to maintain the mindset of this world. Therefore, they avoid all signs revealing the brokenness of this world. These signs are the poor, the homeless, the destitute, the abandoned elderly, the foreigner who meekly submits to humiliation and violence, the family who mourns for those who were so abruptly taken away from them.

However, as followers of Jesus, we cannot turn a blind eye to these living signs because our relationship with them is essential to our spirituality. They are not blessed in themselves. When we walk with them, together we will discover what it means to be blessed in the Kingdom of God.

Recently, someone asked me how we feel keep ourselves from being discouraged in our ministry to the homeless. It is a fair question. I have to admit before this question was asked, I drew a bleak picture of the future of the young homeless people in our ministry. I shared that most of them in all likelihood would never leave homelessness. Besides these, most of them won’t live long either. Our homeless youth have been in the streets since they were young children. Their diet is unhealthy. They are constantly exposed to the elements; not to mention their substance abuse. Moreover, their intellectual development is stunted due to lack of motivation and stimulation. Therefore, the future looks bleak to them.

All these might be news to us. We, as a middle class people, tend to think that their lives can only be fulfilled and happy when they achieve some of the middle class benefits which we possess. We tend to think that the gospel’s promise of abundant life is the middle class life. We can’t help ourselves from thinking this way because this is who we are. We don’t have to reject who we are but we have to be open to be transformed by the Holy Spirit.

Now getting back to the question. We will only feel discouraged when we keep insisting that the hope of the gospel is related to success in this world. The situation is only bleak and hopeless when we stand from the outside and observe. Jesus lived among His people. The whole point of Incarnation is participating in the lives of the people. Jesus participated in their lives and He called them blessed.

Our homeless youth are not upset that they will never leave homelessness. They never thought that it was an option. They never thought that this world would be just to them. They never imagined that was possible. They never thought this world would one day comfort them in their suffering. They never imagined it cared about them. Despite all this, they are people who have hope. Perhaps one would ask hope for what? They have hope for Life. Despite having nothing that we would consider as essential for a good and comfortable life, they have hope that they will have a good Life. However, their Hope for Life is to be known and loved.

After all, this is what all of us want when we drive our fancy cars and go to our so-called successful jobs. We hope that these things we possess would draw the attention of those around us. Somehow we think that the things we possess would justify our existence. Our homeless youth have nothing of these things and yet they have hope that they will be known and loved. This hope is present not because they are saintly. The poor are not saintly neither are anyone else mentioned in the beatitudes. Not even those who are pure in heart. Sometimes these can be a little irritating. The hope is present because faith is activated in their hearts. This faith is stirred within their souls because Jesus is present amongst them. Our Incarnate God never left us. He came back through the Holy Spirit and lives more powerful than before. He is present everywhere and wherever He is present, hope abounds.

To answer the question of being encouraged while serving in an apparently dark situation, our encouragement does not come from outside this circumstance. It comes from allowing the Incarnate God awaken our faith to see that the Kingdom of God can bring hope even in the most unlikely situation. Our faith has taught us to listen to the ones whom the world considers as unfortunate. When we allow our faith to be joined with their faith, hope springs forth. This hope renews our understanding of God. This hope renews our souls. We do not get tired or discouraged when we are with the young people. To the contrary, we are healed from the false promises of this world. Our eyes are opened to see that God is building something new and powerful in our midst. It does not involve better material possessions nor career opportunities. It opens our hearts and minds to understand that the Kingdom of God is about being loved and learning to love unconditionally. This Love empowers all of us to live our true identity in Christ. This is what it means to be truly blessed. This beatitudes points us to go and participate in the lives of the people whom the world has deemed as hopeless in order to discover our Savior present among them.

He invites us to join Him.

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
Matthew 4:18-20

I often wondered what I would do if a complete stranger came up to me today and said, “Follow me”. In all likelihood, I would swiftly walk away; trying my best to avoid any confrontation with this crazy man. I think most sensible people would do this. It doesn’t mean that we lack faith nor are we negative people thinking the worst of everyone. It means that we are wise. We should not follow anyone who pops into our lives promising the sky and the moon. Even Jesus warned us to be careful;

“At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Matthew 24:22-24

The gospel skips over a long passage of time. It doesn’t mention anything about Jesus’ life prior to His public ministry. We tend to forget that a major part of His Life as God Incarnate was spent doing the most ordinary things of Life. He lived among the common people. He interacted with them daily. Therefore, we should be surprised that Jesus was not a stranger to these fishermen.

He lived in the region of Galilee. This is a small area. People lived in close proximity of each other. Everything had to be within walking distance. Consequently, faces were familiar and people interacted more frequently with each other than we do in modern times. In our present reality, it is possible to live in a place for decades and not know your neighbor’s name. This wasn’t the reality in Jesus’ time. Everyone knew this carpenter’s son. Jesus also knew the fishermen.

The fishermen, on the other hand, were not simpletons who trusted anyone who came along. They were pragmatic people. These men believed that their lot in life was to be fishermen and they would die as fishermen and nothing more. They were not dissatisfied with this idea. It was just the way things were back then. The fishermen had no aspirations anything beyond this. They were not looking for new career opportunities. They did not see in Jesus an opportunity to escape the mundane life of a fisherman. They saw something else in Jesus which stirred their souls. We call this “something” faith.

Some critics might say that this is blind faith. Blind faith is believing in the impossible just because we desire the impossible or even the absurd to be real. Blind faith is found everywhere even among those who don’t believe in God. As G. K. Chesterton once wrote,

“When people cease to believe in God, they do not then believe in nothing, but in anything.”

Blind faith is found in politics. People believe some political leader is able and willing to solve problems of society. History has proven again and again that this is nothing but a mere fantasy. However, people still blindly believe this. Blind faith is found in ideology. Many blindly believe that certain political actions or theories would make the world better and more just. I could go on but I won’t. Blind faith is everywhere. Blind faith is a consequence of pseudo faith.

The first disciples did not blindly follow a complete stranger. Jesus lived for thirty years among this people. Our Lord did not hide away in his workshop and then suddenly appear as the Son of Man. The gospel tells us that Jesus was self-conscious of His identity. Even as a child, He could not deny His true identity. The ministry of Jesus did not begin when He was baptized. Jesus became our savior the very day He was born. Jesus is the gospel; the good news can not be limited to certain actions nor teachings. Jesus’ life was and is the good news from the moment of His birth. The very fact that these pragmatic fishermen were willing to drop everything and follow Jesus reveals that the Life that our Lord led before His public ministry was much more powerful than anything else. They followed Him even before they knew He could perform miraculous acts. They followed Him even before they heard His powerful teachings. They followed Him because the way He lived His Life stirred in their souls a faith that they never thought they possessed. It opened their eyes to see that Jesus could help them transcend their mundane lives.

Ever since I was a lay missionary more than thirty years ago, I have had contact with street preachers. In fact, I have written about them many times. They are ubiquitous. There is a small group in particular that has been in the same region as where we work with the homeless youth from the mid-nineties. Strangely, they remained strangers to us and we to them. My attitude towards them changed over the years. Maybe some might say it matured. When I was younger, I admired them.

Maybe admire is not quite the right word.

I felt that my spirituality lacked the boldness which they possessed. I felt a little embarrassed to stand in the open and preach to complete strangers. I felt a little guilty feeling this way about it. I also felt a little awkwardness whenever I used religious jargons like, “Jesus loves you”, and so on. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe these things. I sensed that something was lacking. However, I did it anyway because I felt that it was the thing to do. It was never effective. Our youth perceived my insecurity and they, in turn, weren’t too convinced of the words I proffered. The conversations resulting from these interchanges were usually very superficial. They told me what I wanted to hear and I heard their words without much conviction that they were sincere. There was never a real genuine interchange. Back then I did not understand why this was so.

I think after so many years of ministry, the penny finally dropped.

The answer is in above the gospel reading. However, it is not explicit. The answer is found in-between the lines.

Jesus spent 30 years living out His faith among the people. The gospel always tells us that Jesus was different from the religious authorities. They had head knowledge. Outwardly, they possessed all appearances of what was considered pious. This kind of religiosity tends to exalt oneself and exclude others. However, Jesus was different. He lived out His faith, others were drawn to Him. Genuine faith is contagious. However, Jesus could not make it contagious by His own effort. Yes, even Jesus, our God Incarnate, could not make His faith contagious by His own effort. It is the Heavenly Father who takes His offering and glorifies it. Jesus tells us this Himself,

If I glorify Myself, My glory means nothing. The One who glorifies Me is My Father, of whom you say ‘He is our God.’ – John 8:54

Jesus’ Life made others desire to live in the same way as Him. The disciples did not follow Jesus because they wanted to be famous. Jesus was a carpenter in one of the most insignificant fishing villages in Israel. Nothing great came of this place, as some religious leaders even commented in the gospels. It wasn’t fame or the promise of a bright future which attracted them. They desired the same faith which Jesus possessed. The good news is that this is possible through grace.

Perhaps, we need to think about what is faith exactly. There are many theologians and philosophers who have pondered upon it. I am not going to quote them. I will share with you what I understand it to be through our ministry and experience. Faith is the desire of our finite soul seeking a connection with the Infinite and when this connection happens, we are able to transcend our reality to something more real and meaningful. In other words, our faith will help us understand our true vocation. We are made for God. Our souls long to be connected with God. Our faith is the nagging feeling within us causing us to desire to be connected with something bigger than ourselves. It is present in all of us. It is present in our homeless youth even though they have been in the streets all their lives and many times eclipsed from the religious institutions. Our homeless youth, like the fishermen in the gospel, believe that they have no place in society except what life has dealt them. However, despite their limited place in society, their faith tells them that they have a higher vocation. Unfortunately, many times, this faith is buried under years of rejection and lies. It becomes dormant. They need Jesus to awaken this faith in them and we, the living church, are God’s chosen body. We are called to manifest the Life of Jesus in our midst. We are to live the faith of Jesus in our lives. It is only this faith which can stir the souls of those who desire to be connected to the infinite.

The Life of Jesus cannot be reduced to certain doctrines or teachings. It cannot be reduced to strategic formulas. The only way we can transmite the faith of Jesus is by offering our souls and bodies to be living sacrifices unto God like Jesus did. This means we use our bodies to live His Life here on earth. Jesus spent thirty years offering Himself doing the most mundane things. Mary and I have just spent 13 years now in the streets doing this ministry. We still have a long way to go. However, it appears that God has graciously accepted our offering. We see the faith in our youth coming alive. They are asking us genuine questions about faith. They are expressing their desire to be connected with the Infinite. Most wonderfully, some are beginning to understand that their finite beings have a place in the heart of the Infinite God of Love.

Jesus spent thirty years. He spent it wisely. He participated in their lives. He wasn’t spectator observing them from the outside. He was one of them. As a result, His faith became contagious to those around Him. We are all called to follow in His footsteps. Our faith has to be contagious just as His faith was. St Paul teaches how it can become contagious. He tells that there are three virtues that every follower of Jesus should desire; Faith, Hope and Love. The greatest of these, he taught, is Love. Without Love, our faith will never be contagious. It was this Love that the faith of Jesus revealed to all those who dropped everything to follow Him. This is the only Love which gives us the confidence to remain where we are with our homeless youth.

Our faith is not quite contagious yet. We need more time. In fact, we have lost track of time. We are just patiently waiting for His love to transmit this contagious faith to our homeless youth. They are drawing close. They are sensing that they too can drop everything and be connected with the Infinite Father in Heaven.

It has been slightly more than two weeks since we returned from our trip to Florida visiting our home diocese and churches. It was a blessed time for us and we thoroughly enjoyed visiting with people who have constantly prayed and supported us throughout this 13 years of ministry among the homeless young people. We also made some new friends who further enriched our lives with their faith and love. We are so grateful to be part of a body which is able to transcend borders and cultures for the sake of the gospel, the only and most powerful thing able to unite us eternally.

Every visit to our diocese is a time for personal reflection. People want to hear and know how the gospel is manifested and lived in situations completely foreign to their very own. We are challenged to share the wonderful lessons which God has revealed to us through our homeless young people in a way that is relevant for people living in a completely different circumstance. I had to take special care not to transform these lessons into universal formulas to be applied in all circumstances. This is not the purpose of our ministry. We don’t want to reduce our encounters into special formulas or strategies. More often than not, these attempts subtract the human element involved. Our goal is to share how the gospel empowers individuals regardless of their circumstance and situations to discover the person whom God has created them to be. Each individual is a reflection of God’s image and when we are able to see the Light of Christ shine through these individuals, we, in the process, catch a glimpse of God’s beauty and grace. The best metaphor I can think of is stained glass windows. These are not just there to satisfy our esthetic desires. They serve to awaken faith and hope in those who contemplate their beauty. It is our desire to share this beauty with people so that together we can walk in confidence knowing that the gospel is the gospel in every situation and circumstance. In doing so, we can boldly proclaim together with St Paul;

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

I would say that the essence of this ministry is to go to the young people whom society and the world have judged as hopeless and irrelevant and proclaim these words of Paul without shame nor hesitation because they are the absolute Truth. If these words can be said without embarrassment among our abandoned children, then they can be proclaimed even in the most hopeless situations in which anyone reading these posts can find themselves. As the author of Hebrews has said, “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.” The same Jesus who brings hope and peace and love to our homeless youth is able and willing to do the same to anyone who seeks Him regardless of their lot in Life.

In our ministry, it is important for us to be able to see in a genuine manner the things Jesus is doing in our midst. Many times it is easy to fill the gaps in our vision of God’s actions with cliches and ready made answers taken from experiences of other Christian leaders. We need to confront reality as it is and trust that our own eyes and ears can see and hear our Lord in our midst. However, we cannot see Jesus unless He opens our eyes and ears. In other words, we cannot do what we do if we weren’t able to discern the voice of Jesus beckoning us to this place of ministry. The voice of Jesus cannot be heard without faith. It is our faith which led us to this city of São Paulo. It is faith which opened the doors for us to remain here after all these years. We started with this ministry with very little resources and we are still here. Our resources are still limited but faith has sustained us. Faith is the foundation of our action here and it has led us to a deeper understanding of Hope and Love. Therefore, I decided that in our time in Florida in the last month to focus on these three theological virtues which St Paul articulated so wonderfully in 1 Corinthians 13. The reflections are written in sermon form and I will publish them in the followings days. I hope they will help you understand and inspire you to reflect on the place of your personal ministry in the Kingdom of God.

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. Col. 1:27-28

A young man from our local church spoke with us about his experiences in an impoverished indigenous tribal community. He spent a week on a medical mission. The tribe belongs to a region in the north of Brazil close to the Amazon Basin. The situation was so dire that it broke his heart. He had never seen a people who were so neglected and marginalized. Some of the basic medical services were not available to them. Consequently, children suffered serious side effects from diseases which could have been easily treated if dealt with earlier. He felt devastated when he left. On one hand, he sensed a great compassion for the people. At the same time, he was relieved. He wasn’t sure if he could endure serving in an environment where everything seemed bleak and hopeless. He felt a little torn by his conflicting attitude. He is a very compassionate person and has a heart for those who suffer. He thought maybe he wasn’t cut for this kind of work. This might be true but he will never know. He was only there for a short period. There wasn’t time for him to see beyond the problems to appreciate the people. God is not a God of problems but He is a Shepherd of the people. He lives in the hearts of the people. If we only see problems, then we will never see the hope which dwells in their hearts despite the endless problems. However, hope is not easily seen. It hides in the hearts of the people. We need time to discover its presence.

As far as problem solving is concerned, Jesus did not solve the problems in the society where he was born. When He died, the Roman Empire continued its brutal occupation and even intensified their brutality after his death. The religious leaders went from bad to worse. Jesus’ words and presence among them did not make things any better. In many ways, Society did not change after three years of Jesus’ ministry. However, something did change drastically in the hearts of the common people who had spent centuries wandering around without a loving Shepherd. Hope flourished. It did not make their lives easier or more comfortable. Hope did not, as some Marxists claim, soothe the people into passivity. To the contrary, it gave them the courage to be active and present. The people saw in Jesus a way to live their lives that freed them from the oppressive nature of this fallen world. They saw abundant life was possible despite the circumstances and situations assailing them. It is not wishful thinking as critics would say. In fact, it is wishful thinking to think any system or ideology of this world can give us abundant life. These are nothing but illusions. Jesus came to give us something real. However, it cannot be seen except through faith. Without Faith, we only see problems.

There is a kind of Christianity which is based solely on problem solving. It influences how its followers view the life and ministry of Jesus. They limit His ministry to problem solving. They say, “He came to die for our sins and now we have access to heaven.” He has given us the ticket to heaven and Jesus has no more significant role in our lives. His words and teachings are no longer relevant because we now have the “ticket”. Perhaps, no one would admit that this is true of their spirituality. However, we are seeing this kind of Christianity being manifested more and more today. Jesus seems to lose His relevance to this kind of Christianity because the problem has been solved.

We see this perverted version of the “gospel” being preached in the streets especially to our homeless youth. People tell them that they need to accept Jesus and they will get a free ticket to heaven. Our young people do it. After all, who doesn’t want to go to heaven. They hold onto this idea or “ticket” and endure life until the moment they die. However, this is not the message of the gospel. Jesus said,

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

Our young people were robbed of many things. The thief had stolen their childhood. He murdered their family life. He destroyed their chances for a better future. I could spend a lot of time unpacking these and go into all the problems which the thief has caused in their lives. Then, I would be talking more about the thief. The problems are there but Jesus rises above the problems. He is not a magician who removes every thing with a wave of His hand. However, He is the Lord who calmed the storm with a word. All these problems are storms threatening the very existence of our homeless youth. The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is that He has overcome the storm. It cannot hinder them from having an abundant life.

St Paul tells us,

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17

I have mentioned many times before the countless street preachers where the homeless youth stay during the day. The “gospel” of this preachers hardly awakens the faith of our homeless people. The “gospel” cannot be reduced to mere words. Jesus came into this world and participated in the lives of the people. He was a carpenter longer than he was a itinerant preacher. He was a son longer than he was a miracle worker. He was a friend to many before He was baptized and began His ministry. Jesus spent many years allowing the gospel speak through His Life to those around Him. His Life awakened the faith of those who came into contact with Him.

Our homeless youth cannot hear the gospel because they have experienced many years listening to voices which reject and condemn them. They have years of listening to lies about their personal identity. Their faith has been choked and smothered by these lies. This is not true for just our homeless children. It is true for almost everyone from all walks of Life. However, faith comes from God and nothing from God can be destroyed. This faith is still present in their souls and, through grace, it can always been awakened. However, they need to hear the gospel. The only way they can perk up their spiritual ears and listen to the gospel is through Love. Only Love is able to overcome this barrier of lies and deceit thrown at them by this broken world.

We just got done with Christmas. The essential message of the season was God chose to be with us. He participated in our Lives to reveal His Love. This is how we love others for the sake of the gospel. This is how we can see the faith awaken in the hearts of the people. We will read in the gospels that each time people were healed, Jesus reminded that it was their faith that healed them. This faith was a response to God’s Love present in Jesus. However, without having direct contact with the palpable Love of God, the web of lies that this broken world has spun cannot be overcome. Love is something which engages people in their reality. Love participates in the Life of the people. Without Love, people won’t be able to sense the hope found in the gospel.

Just before Christmas, I went to a Catholic Church with one of our homeless youth. Perhaps those who have accompanied me through our reflections will remember him. He is Bruno. He asked me to go to church to light a candle for his dear friend, Wanderson. We were the only ones at the place. I don’t know what you call such places in the sanctuary. It is a special room dedicated for people to light candles of prayer for the deceased. Anyway, when we lit the candle, Bruno asked me to say a prayer and then he would say one too. I prayed and Bruno prayed a long prayer, thanking God for Wanderson as well as for His life and his friendship with us. It seems like a simple thing. Bruno never has been religious. We have known him for 12 years. He never was interested in God. Now, he garnered the courage to address God in prayer but he wanted me to be with him. His faith has been awakened. It was a slow process but he needed the time to overcome all the lies fed to him through the years. Perhaps the world will never see how this young man has grown in his faith. Perhaps they will never seen him beyond his problems. We are blessed to see his faith grow over the years. For many, his prayer may not have been such a big deal. For us, it is proof of the growing hope. Even though as Bruno grows older, his chances of living a life outside homelessness grows slim. There is hope that is springing up in him. This hope gives him the confidence that God’s love can give the thing he desires most in this life; the desire to be loved unconditionally.