By Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing, OFM
“Homeless Jesus” was created by Canadian sculptor, Timothy Schmalz, in 2013. The sculpture depicts Jesus as a homeless wanderer, huddled on a park bench, his identity revealed by the nailed feet sticking out from under the tattered covers. Since it won the admiration of Pope Francis and was placed in a seminary at the University of Toronto, replicas have been placed in churches in many major cities around the world. Soon after, Schmalz created a series of “Homeless Jesus” sculptures, including “When I Was Sick,” “When I Was Hungry and Thirsty,” and “When I Was in Prison.” He openly shared that his creative ideas come from the gospel, the words of the King at the Last Judgement: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” [Matthew 25:40].
I am happy to tell you that the diocese has ordered nine different sculptures from the “Homeless Jesus” series, and two of them have already arrived. Each of these sculptures is unique and full of meaning. One looks like a beggar from one side, but from the other side it turns out to be an angel; another sculpture shows a huddled street wanderer with a dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, about to cover him with a blanket.
I won’t disclose the details of all the sculptures, to avoid giving any spoilers. These nine sculptures will be placed in the nine pilgrimage churches designated by the diocese for the Jubilee Year, so that pilgrims can come to Jesus not only in the Eucharist to meditate and pray, but also come to these sculptures to remember Jesus in the smallest brothers and sisters, encounter him, and thus be able to serve him by serving the least brothers and sisters in their daily lives.
In the bull of indiction for the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis clearly states that in order to respond to the theme and become pilgrims of hope, we must bring hope to the most vulnerable in society and become a sign of hope for them.
So, while we rack our brains trying to figure out how we can visit all nine pilgrimage churches in one year, let’s also think seriously about how we can care for the disadvantaged and the poor in society. I know that many parishes organise activities that care for the community. I hope that everyone can participate at least once or twice during the Jubilee Year, because personal experience is better than words.
In fact, very often there is no need to look outside, because these least of our brothers and sisters may well be around us. They may be our family members, relatives, friends, colleagues or neighbours. If we care less about ourselves and take more actions with the generosity from God, we will naturally be able to identify the needs of others and have the strength to show our care.
As we all know, the “Homeless Jesus” sculptures are just a reminder. Although they are here in Hong Kong, whether we can use them to encounter the Jesus in our youngest brothers and sisters depends on how we respond.
