Apr 2017 The Road to Daybreak A Spiritual Journey by Henri J M Nouwen

(Continue from) Death in the Castro District   Don dropped me off in the Castro district of San Francisco to visit a friend who had recently moved there. It is hard to find words to describe this glittering gay district of San Francisco. If ever the word "gay" seemed a euphemism, it is in today's Castro, where many young men die of AIDS every day and thousands more worry that they are carrying the virus that causes the disease. As my friend and I walked through the busy streets to find a restaurant, I thought of John. A few years ago he showed me the district and told me all about the life there. Then the word "AIDS" was hardly known. Now John is dead after a long, devastating illness, and many have shared his agony. Behind a facade of opulent wealth, a great variety of entertainment, large stores with posters, printed T-shirts, greeting cards, and all sorts of playful knickknacks lies an immense fear. And not only fear but also guilt, feelings of rejection, anger, fatalism, careless hedonism, and, in the midst of it all, trust, hope, love and the rediscovery of God in the face of death. As I walked with my friend on the streets of the Castro district, we saw countless men walking up and down the sidewalks just looking at each other, gazing into store windows, standing on corners in small groups, and going in and out of bars, theaters, video shops, drugstores, and restuarants. It seemed as if everyone was waiting for something that would bring them a sense of being deeply loved, fully accepted, and truly at home.

- To Be Continued - © Copyright Shalom 2017. All rights reserved.