Sandals replaced with black patent leather,

Tunics replaced with three piece suits,

Desert sands replaced with miles and miles,

Of compact, feet-burning concrete.

Ears accustomed to tumultuous sand storms,

Deafened by screeching tires, screaming and cursing,

Huge screens are filled with war, oppression and poverty,

Prisoners still chained to greed and lust for power.

Leprosy replaced by AIDS,

Homeless people on every street corner,

Hoards of people swarm down the street,

Talking on cell phones or listening to iPods.

However, in a very small corner of the world,

Descendants of Timothy are still preaching in Corinth,

In many other countries, mirrors of the apostles,

Travel to those in need, displaying God’s love.

Seeing his own reflection in Rome,

Watching in awe at the re-creation of the Last Supper,

As the presence of Jesus appears,

During the transubstantiation of the Mass.

Something translucent catches his eye,

In the people returning from communion,

An effulgent inner glow on their faces,

That reminds him of the resurrected Jesus.

Intrigued, he looks closer at others,

He scans the faces of the people,

Walking down a busy urban street,

Looking for a clue of God’s presence.

There is a small sparkle in their eyes,

Or something familiar in their voices,

He sees it in the strong, rough hands,

That reach down to help an old woman.

In some, it is extremely difficult to discern,

Hidden in a heart, bruised and battered by pain,

Some subdue His presence with apathy,

Others crucify it with a lethal lack of morality.

However, no matter how small or hidden,

Peter is able to see the presence,

Of his Master and Teacher,

In everyone he meets on the busy urban street.

                                            Jacqueline Newport