We tend to think that poverty is merely about being hungry, naked and homeless, but poverty is also to be unwanted, unloved and uncared for. The streets of Calcutta are packed with these people, unfortunate individuals, living a desperate existence. Their faces and bodies reflect hardship, neglect and sickness. Their belongings are rolled up into a pile, in the place they will be spending the night. The faces of these people are etched in my mind. Each one of them is unique in what she/he handles and represents. They are real. They are alive, some barely, but they are breathing.
You walk the streets of Calcutta hesitantly, at every turn a new harsh reality comes alive. Poverty in its rawest form is nothing to smile about, but I walk the streets of Calcutta with a smile on my face. I greet the people in the streets. Occasionally we shake hands. I see them. I hear them. I think of them before I go to sleep and they even come to me in my dreams. I wonder what these people are all about. What they dream of. What their hope in life is?
In one sense or another we are all like these people: We are poor. We all have a place deep inside ourselves, where poverty lives. A cross to carry. A place of pain and suffering, but yet also a place of hope. I encourage you to travel to that place deep within. Feel this place, this poverty deep inside yourself and sit for a moment.
My goal with this post is to get us thinking beyond ourselves and try to stir in our hearts a deep love and passion for loving our neighbors as ourselves. We are to look at each other and see sacred beings, who are worthy of love and acceptance. Appearance can deceive. We must not let the poverty of one another blind us. We are not called to judge or disapprove. We are called to love, even those hard to love. We must look at each other with compassion and patience and remember that God is represented in each one of us. We are all created in His image, in His beauty and in His goodness. Each one of us carries His Love inside of us. We are all worthy.
Mother Teresa, when speaking of the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, said that, "Each one of them is Jesus in disguise”. We don’t have to go to Calcutta to find “Jesus in disguise” though. He is living in our own communities among the sick, the hurting, the despised, the overlooked, the lonely, the hungry, the abused, the neglected, the imprisoned and so on. Jesus could be the unfriendly man next door or the old lady driving 60 km/h on the highway. Mother Teresa saw the beauty of God in the faces of the poorest of the poor. She regarded no one as an outcaste but as a unique being of worth, created in the image of God.
Let me draw a biblical parallel to this heartfelt message of mine by referring Matthew 25:31-40: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me”.
Let me repeat: We are all Jesus in disguise. What a revelation of truth! Now, we must remember that when He comes to us in disguise, we will not be able to see Him. He will be masked. Our challenge is to learn to look into each other’s eyes, into the eyes of anyone in need of us, and recognize Jesus. “Love one another as I have loved you”, Jesus commands us. Eight words to summarize the Bible. The message is quite simple. Jesus wants us to love each other with a love that wishes the deepest joy for one another and that is willing to make sacrifices for each other. He wants us to bring one another before God in prayer. This message should sink completely into our hearts, minds and souls. This is the way God’s love can be spread throughout the world. The love of God can transform us, if we allow it.
Loving and serving the unloved, unwanted and the uncared for is not extra credit for followers of Jesus. It is the core of what it means to follow Him. It’s the core of what it means to love. Love is not something that needs to be earned or only felt. Love can be a decision as well. We are worthy of love by the fact of our presence, so I urge you all: choose to love! Be Love! Today, on Good Friday, we are reminded of Christ’s love for us. His willingness to die FOR US is the ultimate evidence of His love. What more can we ask for?
Let’s stand together and work together to build each other up. Let’s encourage one another and defend one another, so that the world may be filled with love, thanksgiving and goodness. Remember there is no one without fault and that appearance can deceive. Be Love!
If you spot me, smiling, in the streets one day, it’s because I just saw Jesus in disguise.
With love, Mette
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