The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you.’ Luke 17:5-6

One thing is for certain, she will never walk. Her spinal cord has developed in a way which makes it impossible. To make matters worse, she does not have complete control of her arms also. Her family is extremely poor and they work hard to maintain the little they have. Many times she was left alone in a tiny room with moldy walls. This was where we met her for the first time. Then she was always surrounded by her nieces and nephews. In fact, she was the only adult constantly present in their lives while their parents were busy working for very low wages. She never needed to raise her voice with the children. They listened and obeyed her. It is not that she has a commanding presence. The children just saw something in her others failed to see. Perhaps their faith was purer than most adults who could not get pass her disability. Their faith could not remove the “mulberry tree”. All her nephews and nieces are adults now. I am not sure if their childlike faith is still intact.

Her prayer has always been to become a “regular” person. For years, she prayed fervently for healing. Whenever she heard testimonies of miraculous healings, she would go into a depression. It made her feel less secure about God who seemed to ignore her pleas but never failed to attend to others. She wants to be healed so that she can become a contributing member in her family. Her mother worked all her life doing menial jobs. It is time for her to retire and enjoy the rest of her life. However, our friend’s disability stops her from even helping her mother. In a recent conversation, she told me that a friend had convinced her to attend a healing service. This was one of those miracle spectaculars organized by a dubious minister who claimed that he could heal the blind and the lame. Our friend was feeling hesitant about the whole affair. She has been through this disappointing saga countless times before. However, her friend was convinced that this time it was going to be different because her pastor was incredible. She was right. There was nothing credible about him. The so-called pastor told our friend that he failed to heal her because of her lack of faith. In other words, her physical disabilities were her fault. It is hard to imagine how anyone who could do such a thing to a poor suffering soul. It happens more frequently than one realizes. Maybe you know this already and I am the one who is naive enough to be shocked by this. Our friend decided that she has had enough of church. She did not stop believing in God. She just stopped believing in church.

The words of Jesus in the gospel reading could be misconstrued to strengthen the argument of this callous minister. Nevertheless, these words were meant to bring hope and encouragement to someone like my friend, not further condemnation and isolation. I should be able to say these words to our homeless young people for the same reason. They are not homeless because of their lack of faith. All of them have faith but this does not mean all their mulberry trees are swimming in the ocean. They are still there or maybe they are not what they seem to be. I am talking about the “trees” here. It is possible that Jesus does not see my friend’s disability nor the children’s condition as an obstacle. There is a strong chance that it is our lack of faith which sees it as an obstacle. Maybe just like the people from Jesus’ hometown who could not believe that a mere carpenter could also be the Christ.

Of course, my friend’s disability and the children’s homelessness are real things hindering them from living the so-called normal life. These are obstructions and the likelihood of overcoming them is very slim. Wallace and Wilton are working now. They work hard in a construction company. Their salary is enough to pay for their food and not their housing. Edson works as a security guard at night and during the day time he sleeps in a tent in the streets. Kawanna and Erica just got jobs in a cleaning company. Now they will not have to ask us for help to buy food but they still have to continue to be squatters in an abandoned warehouse. They will always be living in the margins of society. Perhaps there might be a radical shift in society which will change everything. Some people believe this. To be honest, I do not have much faith in it.

My friend has always been disabled. Therefore, she has no idea what it is like to be something else. She desires healing so that people will see and treat her more than just a disabled person. The problem is not her disability but how people see her. Our children and teens were born into extreme poverty. They do not know any different. We see children who are third generation homeless and it disturbs us profoundly. The children are oblivious to this fact. They are playing in the streets and rolling around in the dirt without a care. I am not saying that these conditions should considered as a norm. However, it is more important to see the person and not just their condition. My friend is a very interesting and life-giving person. Our children despite their homeless situation bring joy to our hearts. They help us see Jesus in a different light. This week the heavy rains stopped us from going out every day but when there was a short reprieve, we rushed out to the streets. Not because we felt obliged. It is because these children and teens bring something to our lives. They are able to give us something real and precious. However, many people walk past them and just see homeless people. Many people see my friend just as a disabled person. The mulberry tree is blocking their view.

I will be talking to my friend later this week. I think I will refer to the later part of this gospel reading to help her understand better what Jesus is saying.

So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!” Luke 17:10

I know this might sound worse than the previous words especially to our modern ears. It contains two problematic words, “worthless” and “slaves”. We live in a time where everyone believes that they are free and special. I do not disagree with these ideas. However, I believe despite these hard words, Jesus wants to build us up and not tear us down. He is not trying to put us in our place. He is helping us to understand that faith is not given to us so that we can compete in life with others. It is given to us to help us fulfill our uttermost calling to be a servant of God. By the way, words “slave” and “servant” were interchangeable in Jesus’ time if that helps to overcome any uneasiness. At least, it helps me a bit. However, the essential message here is that no matter what our social or physical condition is in this world, all of us share the same ultimate vocation. Some people might be privileged to be born in a place where they can achieve most of their dreams and desires. It does not mean that they are in a better position to fulfill their ultimate vocation. To the contrary, it might become an obstacle. Most people in the world do not live in this reality but it does not stop them from accomplishing their ultimate purpose in life.

Our faith is not an instrument to get ahead in life. It is a gift to help us become servants of God. There are no such thing as super servants and regular servants. These are standards of the world which quietly creep into our spirituality. In the Kingdom of God, there are just servants and our faith will help us to fulfill this role despite our social or physical condition. Our friend was instrumental in transforming a brutal and chauvinistic man into a living saint. Of course, he will reject this label as a saint does immediately. Presently he is an Anglican priest and has started a church among the poorest of the poor where the congregation can not provide a living for him. He did not allow this mulberry tree to stop him. He will tell you that he met Jesus though our friend who was stuck in the tiny dirty room. I can say the same too. Our friend, despite her limitations, has touched the lives of many with the love of God. We met this friend before we went back to this ministry with the homeless children and teens. In many ways, she has helped to remove the mulberry trees in our paths and to see God’s loving presence in the lives of the children and teens. Our friend has done much more than most able bodied people. She did it without leaving her tiny room. Her faith is quite amazing. I have much to say to her when I talk to her later this week.

Abraham said, “Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.” Luke 16:25

I think the subject was about hell, or maybe, it was the afterlife. I can not remember. Whenever we have Janaina over for lunch, our conversations never stay in one place. It has been years since we had her over for lunch. Two or three years, I think. Before that, she was here at least once a week. I always found her to have a curious and perceptive mind. She shared that she feels like she can share her thoughts and doubts with us freely without being judged. We are forever grateful for this. Eventually this parable came up in our conversation. At that time, I was not aware that it was going to appear again in our Sunday lectionary. She mentioned that she heard pastors use it to describe the nature of hell or the afterlife. Poor Lazarus is always getting left out. He was neglected in the parable by the rich man and now even in the interpretation of this text, religious leaders are paying more attention to the pretext than on the actual protagonist. People should always be our focus! There were two significant figures in this parable. They have something important to say to us today but it was almost time to go the streets. Janaina was planning to join us today. It was her first time after many many years. She said that she was a little nervous. It was strange to hear this.

As we stepped out of our building, many Lazarus of various degrees were waiting for us. I think this parable is closer to our reality in many ways. Thankfully, none of them had sores nor were dying of hunger. It was strange that Jesus was quite specific about the details in this one. He even gave his character a name unlike his other parables. It is possible that he knew a beggar named Lazarus, someone who the rest of the world would neglect. Sad to say, we have seen beggars with open wounds and other gory details that I am going to skip for the sake of decency. Many times, we avoided such people not because of a sense of superiority. It is just too distressing. In our context, most of them are people whom the city terms collectively as crack addicts. It sounds like they are a bizarre tribe of people. They have names too. They are people. I look away sometimes despite knowing all this. I don’t think that the rich man was a mean cold hearted person. Jesus never said this about him. Perhaps he is just like us. He did not want to think about the distressing things which existed in the world. He wanted to be in a place where he was safe from everything which made him feel uncomfortable. In the end, it ended up robbing him of his life.

Finally, we got to where we usually meet the young people. We have been experiencing unusual cold weather recently. Consequently, many of our children have been staying in their hiding place for longer period of times. It is usually warm there. I don’t blame them. We warned Janaina that she might not meet anyone today. No matter what happens it is good for us to be there waiting for them just in case someone ventures out. Sometimes hunger drives them out. It gives us an opportunity to get them something to eat. We sat and waited. Suddenly, a huge number of teens approached us. Many familiar faces but some new as well. They came over and gave us a hug. Usually the homeless youth are not so expressive with their affections. I suspected that maybe the police were watching them and they wanted to be close to us to feel safe. The police usually don’t bother them when they are with us. There were no one watching them. It was true affection. Shame on me, I thought to myself. They sat next to us and started talking. A little girl, Anna, who is third generation homeless, sat next to me. I asked her if she wanted to color. She said, “not even a bit!” It was quite amusing to hear her say this. I took out a book and started coloring, hoping to entice her to do the same. She didn’t take the bait. Instead, she watched me do it and then she rested her head on my arms. Perhaps she just wanted affection from an adult.

For some strange reasons, we were surrounded by girls with variations of the same name. There was another Ana. She has never spoken to us before. She is about 13 maybe even less. She sat and started coloring with us. She was particularly interested in Mary. Janaina sat there listening to the conversations of the other kids. It was quite amazing. Everyone wanted to talk with us or be near us today. This doesn’t usually happen. Most of them did not even notice Janaina except for Ana Paula, our third “Ana”. She is a little person. We have known her since she was a young child. I don’t believe this girl has ever lived in a house before. Her mother is homeless too. Her physical condition made it impossible for people not to take notice of her. Thankfully, no one teases or makes fun of her. Among the homeless, there is a tenderness towards people with different physical conditions. Ana Paula is very serious and interacts with us on occasions. I think she likes us but is a little reserved showing her affections. Janaina intrigued her. Finally she stood up and asked how we met her. This is a curious question. No one has asked us this before whenever a friend comes with us to the streets albeit not a frequent occurrence. We asked Janaina if we could share her story. Permission was given.

We told Ana Paula that we met Janaina in the streets in 1994 when she was about eleven years old. Back then, she was one of the children that we came to meet in the streets. My most vivid memory of her was eating a Christmas dinner together in the streets organized by Franciscan friars. It was a small and quiet affair. For some reason, most of the homeless were not around in that area where we had the meal. There were just a small group maybe thirty. It made the meal even cozier. We sat and talked together for hours. It was beautiful; an eternal moment if I could add. Janaina remembers that meal too. Thankfully, when she turned 23 or so, she decided that it was time for her to move on. She struggled for many years to find some stability. She got married and her first child helped her to decide once and for all that the streets was no longer an option. However, she still has many friends who are like family to her still living in the streets. In her heart, they will always be precious to her. Today, Janaina is a dear friend to us. We cannot imagine our lives without her presence. She brings so much light and joy to our lives. Ana Paula listened but didn’t say anything.

As we got up to leave, Janaina reached out and hugged Ana Paula. Later we had a cup of coffee together and she asked if she could go to the streets again with us. It is important for her not to forget her “family” in the streets. I know some people might think that the others will look at her and have hope for themselves. In reality, it does not work that way. They might be fascinated that she was once from the streets. Then it just ends there. They do not make the connection to with their own personal struggles. Janaina knows this. She has been there. However, she wants to go the streets because she realizes that it does not take much to bring joy and love to these children. In the parable, Jesus said that Lazarus just wanted the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. He did not expect the rich man to adopt him or buy him a nice house. He just wanted a little attention and consideration. Janaina wants to give more than crumbs.

We went back to our comfortable home later on that night. We ate our meals. It was cold outside and even colder in our homes. Homes in São Paulo don’t have heat nor running hot water. Nevertheless it could be worse. We looked out of the window and there were quite a few sleeping in the streets with just blankets to keep themselves warm.

It is quite an uncomfortable parable.

And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone they may welcome you into the eternal homes. Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much, and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. Luke16:8-10

I have heard preachers say, “Money is good servant but an evil master.” These words are suppose to make us feel a little comfortable with possessing money. However, they are at odds with the words of Jesus. I do not blame preachers for saying this. St Paul said the love of money is the root of all evil. Some might breathe a sigh of relief, thinking as long as they do not love money it is fine to have much of it. The problem is money is a god as Jesus puts it. It does not comply to the role of being a servant nor a mere tool. It is a god and wants to have complete control of its subjects.

In Jesus’ time, money did not have the kind of influence which it does in our present reality. We are living in times where economy is the driving force of our ethics and wars. Even all the controversies related to the recent pandemic can be traced back to the economic situation. There was a different attitude towards wealth in Jesus’ world. People accepted wealth and poverty as determined conditions each one was born into in this world, not unlike the doctrine of the caste system in India. Hinduism did not invent it but merely formalized it. However, soon it became apparent that money can liberate us from the harsh social conditions imposed upon us. We discovered that nobody is condemned to the state in which they were born. Money gave us opportunities to overcome things which religion for centuries failed to do. We can even say that it helped to conquer racism, albeit superficially. People change their attitudes when they see that they can gain much from the people they secretly despise.

Needless to say, money has done much to lift people out of misery and pain. Besides it is something palpable and it provides for our needs and desires in a tangible manner. Sometimes people read the harsh sayings of Jesus of abandoning families and friends for the Kingdom of God, they feel that these demands are unreasonable. However, if a job offer comes up with a great paycheck, they will drop everything and move to some distant and remote place in a heartbeat. Many would agree that this is a wise and reasonable thing to do. This is the problem. Money brings a lot of positive things in our lives. We willingly allow it to creep and dominate every aspect of our being without any resistance. Jesus is warning us that this is an unrighteous presence in our lives. It is a warning that not everything that leads to something apparently better is good for our souls.

The homeless are not any different. They are not immune to the influences of money. Our homeless young people love having it. The young children steal not because they need something for their immediate needs. There are countless of homeless children and teens who have all their needs met without any money exchanged. However, those who engage in crime like the feel of holding money in their hands. They like to say, “This is mine to do as I please!”

There is a young boy named Lucas. I am not sure if he is even ten years old. He is so tiny and adorable that no one would realize that he is actually one of the biggest thieves in the center. He is extremely fast. He can grab a gold chain from the neck of an unsuspecting victim and disappear without a trace. He likes to carry his cash in a way that everyone can see that he is loaded. However, he hardly buys anything for himself. He likes to treat the older teens who do not rob nor engage in any criminal activities. I have seen him buy food and treats for Erica and Kawanna. Lucas suffers from some form of autism. Often times he walks by us without noticing our presence. He is very limited in the way he interacts with people. One thing he has he figured out, money is a good way to connect with people. In a strange way, Lucas uses his dishonest money in a better way than most of his victims would have. Nevertheless, this does not make it righteous money in any shape or form.

And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Isaiah 6:5

The prophet had a glimpse of the holiness of God and realized that he was nothing but a fruit of an unrighteous society and consequently, an unrighteous person himself. This is the very opposite of the spirituality of the Pharisees. They see themselves as the custodians of holiness in this world. We cannot appreciate the abundant life which Jesus gives to use freely unless we perceive ourselves and the world like the prophet did. We have to acknowledge that we are part and parcel of a system promoting unrighteousness in this world. Our attitudes on what is right and wrong are inevitably tainted too. Our little and adorable friend, Lucas, believes that he is being righteous. Perhaps he imagines himself as a Robin Hood. Despite all our romanticism, Robin Hood perpetuates unrighteousness present in this world.

Money is a fruit of this world and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. However, we need money to survive in this world. We also need money to do good in this world. Jesus understands this perfectly. He was financial supported by wealthy women in his society as the gospel of Luke informs us. We also know that Jesus never handled money. Judas did it for him and we know how that story ends.

Jesus shows us a better way to deal with this dangerous element in our everyday life. It does not mean all of us have to be like the rich young ruler. I believe that was something specific for that young man. However, we have countless examples of saints which mark our liturgical calendar who have followed this example. Even so, this is not something Jesus demands of everyone. He tells here to use our money to gain friends. Money, in our capitalistic society, is used as a form of communication. In a business, an employer wants to show appreciation for his staff, he or she gives them a raise. Words, in this situation, do not really cut it. Money does it best. It is the same in different aspects of society. Money is used as a means of expressing gratitude and appreciation in our times. In other words, the money we have in our hands can be used to bless others in a deeper way. However, if we think that by giving we will receive something in return, then we are perpetuating the unrighteous economy of Mammon. The Kingdom of God operates on the foundation of unconditional love. Sometimes we can give and not even receive a “Thank you” like the countless times Jesus never received a word of gratitude for healing people. Nevertheless, it did not stop Jesus from healing.

Jesus advises us to make friends. However, it is possible to give tons of money away without any relationship. Many do it to gain a name for themselves.

What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves? Luke 9:25

Jesus advises us to use our money to build bridges of friendship. Each time we gain a friend, we gain our humanity. However, this does not mean mammon is not a dangerous thing. We have to be careful that we do not help someone in a way that they become servants of this dreadful god. We need a lot of wisdom with this. It is not an easy task. Nothing is easy when it comes to money. However, we need to get rid of it in a way that we become truly rich with friendships that will remain with us for eternity.

Godspeed on your quest to rid yourself of this unrighteous presence. Please pray for us to do the same and say a special prayer for Lucas.

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

Wilton asked me what our plans were for Christmas. It might seem too early in the year to be asking about such questions. Well, we always say that and then before we know it, it’s Christmas time again. In Brazil, there is nothing happening from now till Christmas. Neither Halloween nor Thanksgiving is celebrated. Therefore, it is not really strange to talk about the year end’s plans during this time of the year. Wilton spent most of his teenage life in the juvenile detention center and then, he spent four years in regular prison system for robbery. Lots of things changed for him since then. He was determined to walk on the straight and narrow. At first, it was tough. He worked in every job available. Finally he found a job as a stone mason and now he is working full time. He managed to get his younger brother, Wallace, off the streets permanently. Now, they have a roof above their heads after spending almost their whole infancy and teenage life homeless. However, all their closest friends are still here. They have been the closest thing to family for them. They make sure that they come by once in a while to ensure the rest that they have not forgotten where their roots so to speak. Consequently, we are part of this whole group. It was all hugs and gratitude when they saw us. I have to admit that we savored every moment of it. Things are going as planned for them. This is really a miracle seeing that the whole country is slowly slipping into depression. These brothers learned to survive on very little since young. For them, it is a great joy to leave homelessness behind. This year Wilton wants to have a special Christmas. He wanted to know our plans for the season. Here in Brazil, it is usually a family affair and he wants us to be part of his celebration. He is really giving us something special.

To be honest, initially I wasn’t too keen about it. It has nothing to do with the brothers. The fact is that they live quite a distance away from where we live. In this city, the poorest of the poor have two options for shelter. They can occupy an abandoned building here in the old center where we live and become squatters. Most of our older youth are doing this like Erica and Kawanna. However, this is usually temporary and unstable. The local government can send troops of police to evict the people anytime. It is quite a frequent occurrence except recently. This is, after all, the election year. The other option is to rent a small house, constructed haphazardly without any safety concerns, in the outskirts of the city which is what Wilton and Wallace are doing. The location is usually in an area where public transport is practically inexistent. One can expect a journey of two to three hours to get there from where we live. Most of the poor spend at least four hours a day on average in public transport getting to and from from work. I feel exhausted just thinking about it. I would rather if they came to the center and we would happily take them out for a meal. We will be willing to pay for their way here too. However, they don’t want us to host them. They both have jobs now and finally they can give back something to us. Despite how I felt, I told Wilton that we will celebrate Christmas together.

I remember once we visited a family in the favelas (the people living there prefer the term “community” as favelas is used many times in a derogative manner). We used to visit them because they were fun and lovely people. It had nothing to do with our ministry. We became friends through a chance encounter and we ended up going to their place weekly. One day a lady from the community commented that we must really love Brazil to be with them. Perceiving my confusion, she clarified that we chose to be in her community which is the last place anyone would want to visit. In reality, we were there because we never experienced such hospitality from anyone else in Brazil. The same year, we invited all of them to our home for Christmas. At first, we were worried that they might feel a little intimidated. We were pleasantly surprised to see how comfortable they felt in our home. Moreover, they came bearing gifts. Before the night was done, they even helped with the dishes. We benefitted more from their visit than they did. It was one of our most special Christmases. One that neither moth nor rust can destroy nor anyone can ever steal from us.

The Pharisees would never understand any of this. Their religious convictions blinded them from seeing the humanity in the other. Jesus did not eat with the tax collectors because He was doing ministry. He actually saw them as friends and people whom He loved. In those days, sharing a meal is an intimate affair. They ate with hands and with common cups; perhaps a scene of terror for the modern germaphobes. One has to be very comfortable to be in such close and intimate settings with another. The Pharisees could not believe that Jesus would share meals with those whom they considered despicable. Their religion did not help them overcome their hatred. The faith of Jesus is one which overcomes hatred with love.

Now, Wilton and Wallace are people we love and therefore, sharing a meal with them is not a challenge for us. Jesus did not just break bread with pleasant people. He did it with people who were truly difficult and bordering on despicable, well, at least from my perspective. I need to ask myself who are the people I find it most difficult to share with a meal. I am going to refrain from listing them here. The fact is that this gospel passage challenges me to confront my own personal prejudices. I don’t like people who like the Pharisees but I don’t want my personal dislike of them to transform me into one of them. I know this sounds little confusing even for myself. Maybe Jesus can help here. It is clearly evident in the gospels who His primary enemies were but on many occasions, Jesus broke bread with them too. He did not avoid them just because they despised Him. However, He did not do this in order to convert them. He saw humanity in them despite all their hatred and jealousy towards Him. This is perhaps one of the most difficult things in our faith. Moreover, the recognition of this weakness is going to save our souls. It will keep us from succumbing to the sin of the Pharisee. We are not better than them. We are just like them and only the life and example of our Lord can save us from our personal prejudices and self-righteousness.

Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Romans 14:1-2

This is not restricted to dietary disagreements nor a tool against vegans. It is a counsel on living together. The whole epistle of Romans is about people who are discovering how to listen to our faith and live in a practical way like Jesus. There are many things which attempt to separate us in this world. Those who are strong in their faith will dwell on the things that bring us together instead of what separates us. It is not about avoiding the crucial issues. It is about loving the person. Issues come and go but love lasts forever.

I love Wilton and Wallace and most of our children and teens in the streets. There are some who are difficult. They are there to remind me that I still have a long journey ahead of me before I can become anything like our Lord, Jesus. He was and is open to dine with anyone. He never did it as an obligation nor as a ministerial strategy. He did it because He truly enjoyed people as people. This is the abundant life He came to give. He showed us how to enjoy our lives by loving all those He puts in our path even the ones who are difficult to love.

There are no easy answers here. We just have Jesus as our primary example and model.

And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day? -Luke 13:16

Sometimes people ask us what do we do exactly in the streets. I ought to answer without any hesitance. After all, we have been here for a while. However, this is the problem. The longer we are here the more difficult it becomes to answer this apparently simple question. Perhaps part of the issue is that I feel like I have to give an impressive answer like, “we are providing food and shelters to the homeless children” or “we started an educational program in the streets” or even, “we provide training skills for the teens so that they can learn to fish for themselves.” Alas, we don’t do any of these things. No doubt these are some of the things everyone imagines as necessary when working with the homeless youth. These are great solutions from a distance. Everything changes when you have close contact with reality. We learn that we have to do something different. Speaking of fish, we went to the tropical fish store to see which is the cheapest fish to buy for a young man. We are helping him set up an aquarium. We do things like that. I am sure if I told someone this, they would say we don’t know what we are doing here and perhaps even secretly doubt our sanity.

Live tropical fish is not the best pet for anyone living in the streets. I couldn’t agree more. It is for someone who left the streets and became a squatter in an abandoned building. For some readers, this might not sound like much progress. It would take too much time and countless words to explain the present social and economic situation here to show why this is a step up. The cost of rent is ridiculously high and even we are facing challenges with it. The most viable option for our homeless youth here is becoming a squatter in one of the hundred or so abandoned buildings in the center of the city. Yes, there are that many buildings here and we also have over three thousand homeless people living in the same area. To get back to the subject, I am not sure that the person for whom we are buying this fish could be considered a youth unless you are over sixty, then everyone under fifty is a youth. He is older than most of our youth. I have already mentioned him before. His name is Ron.

He is an important figure among the homeless children and teens. They adore him. Maybe it is because of his sarcastic humor. There was a tiny space available where Felipe and his wife live. They asked Ron if he wanted to move there. The space is so small that it only fits a single bed. When he invited us over to see it, we had to take turns to enter. Even though it looked cramped and uncomfortable, for Ron, it is a big achievement. He has been sleeping in the streets since he was a child and never imagined sleeping under a roof. Now he enjoys it. He wants to make it more home-like. He thought an aquarium would do the trick. Not exactly an aquarium, just a simple fish bowl if they even exist nowadays. He remembered that he had an aquarium in his home. His mother used to buy fish often. It is one of the few joyful memories of his childhood. Perhaps in his mind, no home is complete without a fish bowl. At first when he asked us about it, we didn’t really think too much of it. We were being pragmatic. We bought him a pillow case without realizing that he didn’t even have a pillow. He used a rolled up bundle of clothes. There are so many things he needs and a fish bowl was the last thing on our mind. However, we realized that it means something special for him. A memento from his past that is necessary for his healing.

In our ministry, in different periods, different youth bond with us in a special way. When we first came here almost ten years ago, it was Igor. He was and is very special us. Then there were times with Ruan, Wanderson, Bruna and Aline. During the Pandemic, our relationship with Felipe became stronger. After which Erica and Kawanna strengthened their relationship with us. We never choose the person. These things happen naturally. Now we are growing to love and appreciate Ron more and more each day. He always makes time to talk with us each day. The other children and teens observed this. It means something to them. They see that we don’t discriminate just because Ron is a little older. Most groups that work in the streets are restricted in their interactions with the homeless. They either work exclusively with minors or with adults. Those who work with children and teens can only do so until they turn 18. Then they change jurisdictions so to speak. Most of the social workers find this approach to be absurd. There is no continuity. However, these rules are set by people who have no contact with the reality of the homeless youth.
They might make sense from a distance but human relationships are much more complex than a set of rules and regulations.

Thankfully, we don’t work with these arbitrary restrictions. Instead, we follow the example of the Good Shepherd and He seeks His sheep without any restrictions. Ron belongs to the flock of sheep that we consider homeless children and teens. There are others who older and part of this group, like Bruno, Felipe, and Patricia. Sometimes we do activities with toddlers too. They are children of some of the homeless. It disturbs us to see such young children living and sleeping in the streets. However, we need to put our sentiments aside and focus on sharing God’s love to whoever He puts in our lives.

Doing this is not always easy. We have in our minds certain notions and ideas on how to share God’s love with our neighbor. It corresponds with our own personal life experiences and notions of Love, not to mention our social status. We tend to hold on to these ideas and even become rigid about them, forgetting that it is our personal experience. God reveals Himself to each one differently. He meets people where they are spiritually. Ron’s life wasn’t peaceful. He ran away from home as a child because it was unbearable. Till today he finds it hard to articulate why he left his home. However, during his brief time with his mother, he remembered that she bought him a pet fish each week. It was one of his most vivid memories of maternal love. Watching these tiny creatures swimming around peacefully in his room was sacramental proof that he was not an unwanted nor unloved child. Of course, Ron never said this in so many words. He just wants a fish and he thought we would understand. We had to put aside our rigid ideas of what Ron needs and listen to the Holy Spirit. Ron wants healing and the fish is the first step. Therefore, sometimes our ministry requires us to go around looking for fish in a tropical fish pet store. As we already know, Jesus can do great things with fish.

I should end here. It is a great place to finish up this simple reflection. However, I feel like I need to connect this with the above gospel reading. We may not think that we are like the Pharisees but we have to admit that we do create arbitrary rules in our heads and restrict how God should act in our midst. We think that we shouldn’t help someone asking for money because….we have a set of good reasons to justify our actions. Sometimes these rules are good. Other times, compassion and mercy are much more important. Jesus just saw the woman and listened to the Holy Spirit. I guess there is nothing more to say beyond this.

I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! -Luke12:49-51

The presidential election is approaching here. It’s going to be a rough one. In the next couple of months, old wounds will be reopened, old lies will be rehashed, and God’s name will be shamelessly taken in vain. Basically, a typical election process in most countries. I am sure that most of us, if not all, will agree that this is getting tiresome. It is not to say that I do not have my political views. I do have my strong convictions. I consider myself to be a very political person. Consequently, I find it hard to tolerate people who defend opposing views from mine. Even though I tell myself that these views are not important, the truth is that I am not entirely convinced. I tend to believe that my outlook is the most ethical one. This is the only reason why anyone would espouse any political stance. It is inevitable that we get entrapped in this “us” and “them” mindset. It is virtually impossible to avoid it. We are constantly bombarded with information and slanderous news to convince us to take sides. Needless to say, we live in a world sharply divided. When the devil tempted Jesus, he said that all dominions of this world belonged to him. Jesus never said anything to the contrary. On a different occasion, He acknowledged that the devil is the father of this world. One of the names of the devil in Greek is diabolos which means divider. We can see his trademark in his kingdoms. In fact, during any political debate in any given country, usually all the attributes of the devil are manifested and almost none of Christ.

It seems like Jesus is not going to resolve this dire situation. Instead, He is going to exacerbate it. In other words, Jesus is not the answer to our present political problems. Those who try to use His name to justify any political position are preaching a different Jesus, perhaps a false one who gave in to the temptations of the devil. The true Messiah was very clear,

“My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.” John 18:36

The kingdoms of this world survive on strife and hatred. They understand this language very well. Anyone who is well adjusted and successful in this world has acceded to the rules of this world. Jesus, on the other hand, was always at odds with the authorities. He refused to participate in their politics of hate. His trial was perhaps the final temptation to make Him submit to their standards. Thankfully for humanity, up till His final breath, Jesus refused to become another politician of this era. In His final prayer, He chose to forgive those who dehumanized him even though He had every right to seek justice against them. This is something the world will never understand. If we attempt to mention forgiveness for the worse criminals in our society, we will become objects of scorn. Others will say that we are impractical and naive to even say such things. In some cases, they might even react in violence towards us for mentioning such “nonsense”. Violence and hatred are the language moving this world. Without these, the whole system collapses.

“I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16

Wolves and sheep have completely incompatible natures. One seeks prey to consume and the latter seeks to hear and follow the voice of the shepherd. However, it is our human nature to belong to a group and more often than not, we end up joining a pack of wolves. In a world dominated by them, it seems safer to be like them. Many adopt their politics of hate and sometimes even confuse it with God’s will. Saul, before he became Paul, thought so. However, our Shepherd tells us that there is no room for hate even when the wolves around us give us every justification for it. Jesus tells us that we are to love them especially when they are our enemies. This sounds completely absurd and ridiculous unless we change our mindset. We have to stop perceiving the world from the perspective of the wolf. We have to become like sheep who listen and watch the Shepherd.

Living in Brazil as foreigners puts us outside the political arena of this country. Officially we are immigrants with no political voice. Besides this, we have cast our lot with the homeless children and teens. They don’t have a voice in society. Together we are outsiders. However, this does not mean that we are immune to the politics of hate. I would say that its presence is felt very strongly in the streets. The police operate on hatred. The criminal gang strives on hatred. The children and teens have grown accustomed to bearing the yoke of hatred and disdain. It is an unbearable burden for them to carry. The Good Shepherd walks through this valley of hatred and death and beckons His sheep to listen to His voice. It is the voice which will overcome the destructive force of hatred. Sometimes it is not easy. The temptation is to take sides. Therefore, we need to be wise as serpents. We have to know that all sides represented here are detrimental to our souls. Sometimes it seems like one side is obviously wrong but it does not give us the license to partake in their communion of hatred. At the Cross, it was obvious who was right and wrong. However the Good Shepherd listened to the Holy Spirt and responded with the greatest political act of all humanity. He showed us the path of true politics which will change hearts of humanity.

The Shepherd is beckoning us to follow a new political venture; one that would isolate us from the rest of society, perhaps even becoming an object of scorn. It doesn’t matter. We don’t seek approval of the masses, instead we seek to follow the voice of the Shepherd. He will guide us and give us the strength to resist all the forces of hatred.

Our most precious encounter this week was with Gabriel. A young man who spent a great part of his teenage years in crime. He puts on a tough and intimidating front. He hardly spoke for a long time although it was obvious that he was curious about us. Last week, Mary brought the camera to the streets after a long time. The children love to have their photos taken by us because we make hard copies for them. Most of the time, they just have digital photos on their phones. Gabriel had his photo taken. Initially he refused to take his cap off for it. We convinced him and it was like magic. He was hiding a warm and friendly face under his cap. We gave him his photo a few days later. He looked at it and was amazed. He did not realize that he was such a good looking kid. Then he asked us why we were doing this ministry. We said that we liked being with them. He said, “You have a generous heart.” We felt a barrier of hatred was overcome in his heart. He was almost emotional.

We were grateful that we are part of a different political party; the party of the Good Shepherd. It is not going to end wars nor overcome major social problems. It does change the hearts of people like Gabriel and makes them realize that they too are beautiful and lovely creatures of God.

And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:19-21

I have to admit that I find it rather annoying when people want to know about the end times, or rather, the signs pertaining to it. I also have to admit that the Book of Revelation is my least favorite book in the Bible next to Daniel. The authors had their reasons for the lack of clarity in these books; unfortunately, today they have become the playground for inventing theories. Jesus advised us not to occupy our minds with the things of tomorrow. Today dishes out certainties which are quite unbearable. We need to talk and deal with these things. One of which is Death. There is nothing more natural and certain than this. There is no need to speculate about this. There are no hidden theories. Just harsh reality.

Almost every week now, at least two people die in the place where we minister to the children and teens. Sometimes it is because of violence. Other times drugs are involved. Some just die from all the malnutrition and exhaustion. Usually, it is a combination of all of these. Our week started with the news of death of Gabrielle. A youth commented that for a long time, hardly anyone we knew died in the streets, now all the sudden it is happening too frequently. I even wrote a reflection about how things have changed for the better. Sadly, this was short-lived. Now, things appear to be deteriorating at a rapid pace.

Gabi, as we called her, was in her mid twenties. She was one of the many who spent her infancy homeless. She was an outgoing and outspoken youth. Often times fearless to express her views or even confront the police when she knew that she was in the right. Her nickname in the streets was “Vulcano”. It suited her personality perfectly. If she had been in a different situation, she would have been a diehard feminist leader of a group of college students. Sadly, Gabi’s lot in life deprived her of education and opportunities but it did not stop her from being a presence in the streets. Now her life ended without any warning. She just collapsed and moments later she was gone. Gabi will not be coloring with us anymore. She started a picture in our coloring book and promised to complete it later. Now, it will remain half finished.

Each time someone dies in the streets especially among the youth, we tend to contemplate collectively our own imminent death. Some of the homeless youth were tempted to speculate where Gabi is right now. Most of them were gracious but there were a few who insisted that she was in hell. Of course, they came to this conclusion from hearing the countless hell and damnation preachers in the streets. It is funny how many people like to take the role of God in this matter. We do not decide on anything regarding matters of the soul. This is the sole property of God. We are told God is Love and Jesus revealed to us a compassionate and forgiving God in His ministry. Therefore, all this gives us hope. Gabi was someone who experienced rejection and abuse since she was a child. However, she always believed that God was the only One who was always with her throughout her whole life.

I did not see the point in participating in the conversation about her afterlife. Gabi is gone but we have our life here. Her death reminded us that life is short and fragile. We have to decide how to live it. After all, the parable which Jesus told in the gospel was not about life after death. It is about the here and now. He is proposing a radical shift in our mindset about acquiring treasures in this world. The rich man cast his lot with his possessions or rather, in the pursuit of material security. In a way, there is nothing obscene about the man’s attitude. By today’s standard, we can argue that he was being prudent and a good steward of his wealth. Nevertheless, Jesus thought otherwise and it is the mindset of Jesus which we seek to imitate.

This parable is not about money but it is about what we consider as valuable treasures in life. Some can claim that they have lots of money but do not treasure it. Some can have a little money but spend their lives in pursuit of it. We can say whatever we want to say about this matter. In reality, this parable is not an invitation to argue about the rightful place of money in our lives. It is a challenge for us to examine our lives in private and ask ourselves what do we truly consider as treasures in our lives.

I asked the children if Gabi died alone that night. They said that they all gathered close to her even though her heart stopped beating almost immediately. They stood around her mourning her departure from this world. She started her life in this world as an abandoned and lonely child but she was not alone when she departed it. Despite her dire situation, she still had treasures, maybe not in the eyes of the world. Her treasure was the friendship of invisible people of this society. People who the rest of the world rejected and considered as worthless were Gabi’s treasures. The man in the parable died alone or maybe he was surrounded by many. Despite the countless love songs and cliches, wealth tends to buy affection in some shape or form. Gabi had nothing to her name and yet she had friends who loved her in the best way they could. In this sense, her life was richer than many in this city although her life was never easy. She had some mental health issues and many times she found it hard to deal with reality. Her life was a tragic tale but it was not a hopeless one. The gospel was always present. Her extreme poverty did not hinder her from having treasures.

It is hard for us to read parables concerning treasures, talents and gifts in this time and age and not think about them in the material sense. Our mindset is deeply rooted in material gains in this period of our history, perhaps more so than in any other times. It requires extra effort and much reflection to understand what Jesus is saying. There is a tendency for us to just ignore these words and go on with life as usual. This is actually one of the things that the parable warns against doing. The rich man put off personal reflection and ended up losing everything. Jesus is not trying to scare us. He is reminding us of our reality. Death is a reality which is inevitable. In order to discern which treasures are worth pursuing in this world, we need to take into account our own mortality.

One day as we were getting ready to leave the streets for home, Raphael asked us if he could do some coloring with us. There were several reasons to say, “No” to him. It was late. He was not one of the youth that we work with even though he interacts quite often with the children and teens. Besides this, we know that he was involved in some criminal activities which does not disqualify him in any way. However, it does influence our attitude in some ways, to be honest. We decided to stay a little longer and color with him. He is actually a good artist. He told us that he loved art and showed us some pictures which he drew. I asked him casually what he did in the streets. I had an inkling but just wanted to hear from his understanding of himself. He looked sad and said, “Unfortunately, I steal. Today, I want to do something good before I do anything bad.” He showed us a side of him that perhaps many will never see or do not care to see. He was a person stuck in a situation which he hates. He wants us to see him as something else other than a mere thief. I am glad that we stayed and colored with him. He wanted to give us something. We received a precious gift from him. It could have been his last day on earth. It could have been our last day here. I am glad that we did not let it pass without receiving a gift which God has set apart for us.

“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10

My parents were very private about their spirituality. We were a Roman Catholic household, but unlike most, we were practicing. My father never taught us to say grace before our meals instead he muttered something under his breath followed by a sign of the Cross. My mother did something similar. The rest of us would wait patiently without knowing what to do. We never prayed before we went to bed. My father would wait for us to fall asleep then he would come into our room and say a silent prayer. I used to observe him secretly. My mother prayed three times days using a prayer book. I always assumed it was a Roman Catholic one. I did not know for sure because it was in a language but I could not read. Soon after my mother passed away, I looked at the book and realized that it was actually the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. My mother was a closet Anglican. The most bizarre thing is that the book belonged to my friend’s father who was a priest in the Anglican Church. It is still a mystery how this book ended up in my mother’s hands.

Despite the silence over matters spiritual in my household, there was always an interest in prayer. I imitated my father. I would wait for him to sleep and the mimic his actions. As a result, since young, I was the last one who went to bed, a habit which still persists today. I did not know what I was doing. I just mimicked my father’s actions. Then I discovered that prayers were asking God for things. This changed everything. There were lots of things I wanted. I made a list of things for God but was very quickly disappointed. I remember one of them was randomly finding money in the streets so that I could buy all the sweets and whatever I desired then. The only thing that came of this is that till today I am always looking at the ground when I walk. Eventually I gave up on personal prayers. I recited the liturgy fervently in church every Sunday but I never felt any true connection whenever I prayed.

Later on I had a strong spiritual encounter which some might term as being born again. I do not particularly like the term in its common usage. I believe in being born again as a life long process and not one particular moment in our lives. Unfortunately, I could not say that my understanding of prayer improved and matured after this encounter. I went back to the old way of praying albeit a little less self-centered. Unfortunately, in my renewed enthusiasm of all things spiritual, I had the misfortune to stumble upon pathetic Christian literature which taught prayers as a formula for getting God to give what you desire, may it be a nice car or job etc. The authors were associated with the so-called prosperity theology. Prayer became a means to an end. It went from asking something from God humbly to demanding it as my right. I am grateful that it never really worked for me. Whatever I asked I did not receive, the things I sought were not found, the doors I knocked remained closed. Since I know that the promises of Jesus never fail, I assumed that the problem was my own lack of faith. However, Jesus said that all we need is a faith of a size of a mustard seed.

My mother cooked with mustard seed a lot. I was familiar with it since childhood. It is so small that is almost impossible not to have a faith of that size. It was not that Jesus did not expect much from us. On the contrary, He had high expectations of his disciples but they were not unreasonable ones. He knew that we had it in us to fulfill them if only we would listen to our faith. My prayers went unanswered not because I lacked faith. It is because I was not listening to the voice of my faith instead I allowed myself to be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. The disciples listened to their faith and they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. They understood that prayer was the foundation of the things Jesus did in His life. They wanted to be like Jesus and they wanted to know the source.

In other words, the foundation of Christian prayer is desiring to become like Jesus. It is in this context that Jesus promised whatever we ask, it will be given to us, whatever we seek, we shall find and whatever doors on which knock, it will be opened. Whenever we pray for these things in hope that we will become more like Him, they will always be answered.

The verb, ‘pray’, has been thrown about carelessly. Many times there is something concrete to be done but people use prayer as an excuse to avoid the obvious. Many political figures come to mind but the reality is that all of us have done it. So much so that prayer is hardly taken seriously by some committed Christians. Whenever I tell people that our ministry is a ministry of prayer, the follow-up phrase usually is, “Yes, but what do you do concretely?” Well, prayer is a prelude to concrete action according to the gospel. We pray to become like Jesus so that we can become a source of healing and salvation to those around us. There is nothing theoretical about this. Our Lord was always present in a real and concrete manner. Therefore, when we pray for someone, we are committing ourselves to become the person of Jesus to that particular person. In this context, the promises of Jesus in the above verses will always hold true.

To be honest; all this is still ambiguous. It will always be until we pray to become like Jesus. We are not asked to assent to a theory of prayer. We are called to be people of action, to live our lives in the same manner as Jesus.

“Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12

This is hard to imagine because He did do some incredible things. Maybe we will not be changing water into wine but our prayers might bring us to people and places Jesus never encountered. We might be given the power to be “Jesus” to people whom He did not have access to in His life on earth. Maybe it might be just a simple act of feeding an homebound elderly person living next door to you. Something that Jesus never did. Remember the things that our Lord considered to be great may not seem incredible nor impressive to our worldly concepts. Whatever it is, prayer is the door for us to become like Jesus to those around us.

I am grateful that my parents never tried to teach us to be spiritual with words. I have to say that I have inherited this from them. I find it hard to tell our children and teens what to do or how to do certain things. Besides, our youth have a hard time with words. We can say many true and beautiful things and they will forget everything the very next day, maybe even sooner. However, they remember when we act out in love in the same way after almost fifty years, I still remember my parents in their simple spiritual habits. They did not pray to be religious. They prayed to be connected to God. In doing so, they reflected the quiet Spirit of Jesus to all their children.

She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks. Luke 10:39-40

As expected, my final year in seminary was a hectic one. Lots of reading, lots of papers, and they added a weekly 15 hours practicum in a local parish just to make things more interesting. Actually, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had excellent professors and interesting fellow seminarians. All of us were diverse in our theological stands and hardly anyone agreed with each other, the ideal situation for lively discussions. We were wrestling with highly important issues, none of which I can remember. Nothing from the hours of intense studies and frantic writings of essays are retained in my memory. Instead, I remember many things outside the classroom. Particularly a story about fireflies told to me at that time by a mentally unstable homeless young man. I am able recall almost every detail of this man; his voice and mannerisms. I guess my memory decided that this was relevant to keep and not the theological discussions. I would not have met this interesting character if it wasn’t for another fellow seminarian. One faithful day he knocked on our door to ask if we were interested in doing something with the homeless in downtown Montreal. It was my final year and I had many pressing commitments. Time was scarce. Therefore, we decided on a yes. I could not afford to waste away such an opportunity.

We started this during the winter which was a crazy thing in itself. Every Saturday he and his wife would journey from two doors away and make sandwiches in our apartment. Then we would read a passage from the gospel, usually the gospel reading for the following Sunday and say a short prayer. Then off we went to freezing streets of Montreal armed with sandwiches and thermal flask full of fresh hot coffee. We did this every week. Eventually the homeless recognized us and knew us by name. The young man of the fireflies story was one of them. Initially we were unsure of him.
He used to stand by the streets and yell profanities at people who walked by, usually huge muscular guys. He was just a scrawny guy himself. He was like a time bomb. Then when he saw us, he smiled and walked up to us. He was really a gentle soul tormented by serious mental illness. We realized that he was yelling at the voices in his head and not at people. He knew that we were religious and refrained from using foul language around us. He was a kind of a poet. A child of Italian immigrants, he shared with us this favorite childhood memory was he visited Italy. He described his encounter with fireflies in the fields. Maybe it was his first time seeing them. He was so moved and amazed by their presence. He wanted to capture and keep them in a glass jar. He thought it would be a way to secure his happiness forever in a bottle. Unfortunately, he learned life is not as such and he lives in the streets with a debilitating mind but his memory reminds him that there were once fireflies in his life.

This week we were compelled to sit and do absolutely nothing.Unfortunately, our reasons for this were not the same as Mary in the gospel story. We were hampered from doing our important activities because of the dreaded Covid. Yes, once again it struck our household. This time it got both of us. Thankfully, we are vaccinated and the infection was not as serious as it could have been. We felt a little useless not being able to do anything and strangely a little guilty as if we were being lazy. It is amazing that we have become so accustomed to busyness that we have made it an essential part of our personal identity.

The last time we were in the streets Caio asked for our help. He needed to make an appointment to get his identity card. It is a time consuming bureaucratic process not worth getting into details. Caio had lost his card a few months ago. However, when he asked us, it was late in the evening. I could think of better things to do than to waste our time waiting in a depressing government building. Besides, it was going to be an exercise in futility. Caio is not going to keep the appointment. Even if he did, there is a strong chance that he will lose identity card almost immediately. We have been through this several times.

Caio’s situation is very complex. We have seen his mental state deteriorate over the years. Unfortunately, this is a phenomenon not just restricted to him. Most of the older teens and young adults who grew up homeless manifest some signs of mental illness but this is not the time to delve into this subject. Caio is definitely the worst of the lot. He can hardly strong a sentence together coherently. Many times we have seen him talking to himself. Sometimes he thinks that he is a Pentecostal pastor and casts out imaginary demons. It is quite sad and disturbing for those who have known him from a long time ago.

Honestly, I had much more important things to do than make an appointment for him which for sure he wasn’t going to keep. I suggested that we go together on another day and try to get everything done on the day itself. Caio wanted us to go with him right there and then. He never asks much from us and we decided to humor him.

As we walked to the place, Caio said many things that did not make any sense whatsoever. Most of the time, we just nodded in agreement to whatever comments he made. I did not want to exasperate the poor kid with questions. Then unexpectedly he spoke lucidly about the first time we helped him get his documents. It was something we did almost eight years ago. He remembered everything detail about it. He remembered that we sat with him and even helped with providing our phone number as his contact information. Unbeknownst to us, it was a special moment for him even though he never said anything of it before.

We got the appointment marked for him. It was for Wednesday this week. We offered to meet him on the day but he refused. He was certain that he will remember. No doubt he will forget everything. I am sure that we will have to do this several times before he get his documents. However, I realize that it is not really about the documents. Caio has a vivid memory of us helping him. It was an important moment in his life and he wanted reassurances that this memory was based something real and not one of his many delusions. We are his fireflies and he wanted to know if our love is still burning brightly for him. My sense of what is important could have stolen what is essential for our souls. It was a stroke of luck, maybe…that I decided to do what was seemingly a useless activity.

Our week of doing nothing gave us an opportunity to reflect on what is essential in our lives. Well, at least, it made me reflect on our last interaction with Caio. I had many things to do on that day. They were important things. Everything we do seems important to us. In reality they are just things that clamor for our attention. If we are not careful, we can live our lives doing one thing after another without discovering the essential things. Mary was able to discern what was essential. She sat and listened to our Lord. Of course, we can not do this in the literal sense. However, we can discern the voice of the Holy Spirit beckoning us to come and sit in His presence doing what is seemingly unimportant in order to discover what is essential for our lives. Important things come and go and most of the time, leave no impressions in our lives. Essential moments, on the other hand, become part of who we are. Mary will always be remembered for sitting at the feet of our Lord while her sister was too busy doing things which were not even worth mentioning nor remembering.

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

This is the prelude to the parable of the Samaritan, perhaps the most well-known parable. Therefore, it is not necessary to go into details here.

I got a call from Camila, incidentally almost immediately after reading this gospel story. I have mentioned her before. Maybe it is not relevant to go into her background story at this point. Suffice it to say that she is our neighbor. The Samaritan did not know anything about the injured man except that he was in desperate need of help. Camila was in a desperate situation. She called and said everything is on fire where she lived. At first, I thought she was speaking figuratively. Then it became obvious that there was an electrical problem. No one is going to fix it because it is an abandoned building and Camila and the other residents are squatters. There was a fire right at the only exit of the building. Obviously, it shook her up and she decided that this was not a place to raise her three year old. Unfortunately, rent is absurd here. We are facing some challenges with our high rent. Someone like Camila cannot afford to rent a place. The best she could do is find a tiny room to rent which she did. It is going to take up most of her income. She survives by doing odd jobs. Unemployment is at an all time high and most jobs do not pay enough to even rent a small room. Camila needs help. She has no family. Most of her friends are just like her. They were once homeless and now all struggling to make ends meet. No one is any condition to help her except us and she is our neighbor.

We arranged to meet her on our way to the streets. She was late. Usually it is not a problem. Punctuality is just a suggestion here. We have even adapted to it so we are sometimes late too. However, this time we were on time which makes waiting even worse. There is no compensation for being punctual. We had made prior plans with Daniel to do something special for his birthday. He turned twenty last week. It is hard to imagine that this little kid we met at 11 is now at this age. After waiting for a considerable time, we had to leave. We did not want Daniel to think that we had forgotten about him. With Camila, we know that sometimes it takes two tries. She has her hands full. She has to juggle daycare and odd jobs not to mention laundry and meals. It is too much for a 23 year old. She does it well but sometimes she can not keep track of everything. We would see her again later this week, maybe tomorrow. There was still time for her to resolve whatever she needed to do. We went to the streets and Daniel was not there. He was most likely still sleeping. Definitely not the most successful day in terms of keeping our appointments. This is how things are. We just have to go with the flow. After all, our neighbors are homeless. They do not keep a schedule. Timetables and schedules are for those who are in society. Our neighbors are considered outcasts and invisible. They operate on a different time and we need to adhere to their system.

Unfortunately, the streets were buzzing with the latest tragic news. One of the boys was murdered. Maybe two. I only know of the one. His name is Mikael. He was perhaps the most unlikable teen in the streets. This is saying a lot because there are quite a lot of disagreeable characters. Even the person who told us the news referred to him as the worst teen in the streets. Regardless of this, it is still tragic. He was murdered by the gang. This is quite shocking for us. It has been years since someone in the streets was murdered by them. In fact, they put on a moratorium on any physical violence among the homeless. They included prohibition against any physical aggression towards the elderly and children. For a moment, we forgot that they were dangerous. This heinous act marked a sinister transformation in the way they operate. Mikael was accused of something serious but we suspect that it was all just made up. Anyway, we are dealing with a dangerous criminal faction. They do not have a commitment to justice nor the truth. Mikael was one of my least favorite persons in the streets. Nevertheless, he was my neighbor.

Kawanna approached us. They saw a robbery victim enter a police car and they decided to leave the scene. They were not involved but they knew that they would be the first suspects. They sat next to us. They thought that they would be safe from the police with us. I am not sure anymore. No one is safe anymore. Kawanna asked if she could meet with us later in the week. She and a group of older girls are thinking about doing something which sounded like embroidery but I have no clue what it is exactly. Mary has a vague idea. The most important thing is that the girls know what it is and they want to make items to sell. The material is quite expensive and they asked our help to purchase it. Kawanna said that they could odd jobs to buy the basic equipment but they need help with the primary material which a specific cloth, I think. These girls have been trying really hard to do everything possible to earn an honest living. They tried selling bottled mineral water. They tried doing odd jobs cleaning offices. They still struggle to make ends meet but they are determined. Kawanna stated that she wants to do something that will help them leave the streets permanently. For now, they need to be here to get donations and food. She believes that she will make it. She asked us to be part of this process. She recognized us as her neighbors.

On our way home, we had to spilt up. I needed to drop by the grocery store and Mary was picking up some cleaning supplies. On her way, she met this homeless man who lives near the corner of our street. He called out her name. It was amazing that he remembered it. Unfortunately, Mary had spent all her money and had nothing to offer him. She told him that she was out of money. The man smiled and said, “You are my friend. You don’t have to give me money each time we see each other. I just wanted to talk you. You are my friend!” He was happy about this. Perhaps it was something he wanted Mary to know for a while. He is just wanted to be our neighbor.

The words of Jesus have the power to open our eyes to see things that perhaps we just ignored previously. It is easy to lose sight of our neighbors in need when there are tons of things clamoring for our attention. However, these things will always be there. They never go away but our neighbors may not be always with us. Besides, they are very much real and present in our lives, more so than all the things happening in the world. As far as changing the world for the better, we have to just admit that it is beyond our means. Furthermore, Jesus never asked us to do anything of that nature. However, the Samaritan made a great difference in the life of that one man who was a victim of the injustices and sufferings in the world. The good actions of this one man did not make the world a better and safer place. It just showed one person that no matter what happens love is still present and strong in this world. This one thing all of us can do. We may not always have the resources to help everyone financially or solve their crisis. It is always within the means of all of us to show love even in the simplest manner. Nothing done in love is ever forgotten. These are treasures that we can store up for eternity.