Downtown Los Angeles,
Street Art by Skid Robot,
Sprayed in 2017,
Spray paint on wall
© The Skid Robot Project
Jesus said to the people:
‘What description can I find for the men of this generation? What are they like? They are like children shouting to one another while they sit in the market-place:
‘“We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn’t dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn’t cry.”
‘For John the Baptist comes, not eating bread, not drinking wine, and you say, “He is possessed.” The Son of Man comes, eating and drinking, and you say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Yet Wisdom has been proved right by all her children.’
Reflection on the Homeless Graffiti Wall
Our Gospel reading of today starts with the question ‘What description can I find for the people of this generation?’ I wonder what Jesus would say about our generation now in 2020? Are we a generation that sees the presence of Christ around us? Not enough I would say. Maybe it is because we have lost the ability to actually see Christ around us: present in the homeless person on the street, present in the phone call from a friend you haven’t heard of in ages, present in a beautiful sunset over the sea, present even in art… We can see these events simply as just some random events in our lives; or we can see them as signs of Jesus’ presence with us, around us and in us.
Small events can be glimpses of Jesus and a realisation that He is personally involved in each of our lives. But we can only find Him in all of these small occurrences in our daily lives when we open our heart to Him. Yes the whole point is the heart. Is my own heart soft enough to see Jesus in that sunset over the sea? Is my heart generous enough to see Him in the homeless person on the streets? Is my heart kind enough to see Him in my work colleague I don’t particularly get on with well?… if we search for Him and see him in everything, our hearts will be filled with Him.
By seeing Christ in everyone we would all behave better towards people around us, including the homeless and bring more humanity to them. An example of that is L.A. based graffiti artist ‘Skid Robot’ who humanises homeless people by painting their dreams around them. Working with them, he simply brings some momentary joy by creating a unique, special artwork for the homeless person…
by Patrick van der Vorst
