DEV and ARK: "The Old Mango Man" by ARK

Outside our new apartment, right beside our neighbor's house is a huge mango tree. I'm not familiar with the mango seasons and I don't know what time of the year these fruits are supposed to grow, but I swore that tree has always been abundant.

It was impossible for passersby to not notice the tree, for the green mangoes are practically dangling towards the road. One can simply raise his arm and grab a few. Who knew somebody has been growing these? They always seemed to exist, but the cause of their existence has never been recognized.

Yesterday, my grandmother and I have been invited by a group of women to a neighbor's house. I mentally labeled them as those "religious women" who always came in packs of at least six or seven, carrying prayer books and rosaries with them. All of us were to pray to the Divine Mercy, before the neighbor passed its portrait to our apartment.

As we entered the house several more of these religious women came into view, most of them already comfortable on their small stools and ready for the prayer.

And it was a long prayer.

The prayer book had several pages, and we prayed nearly three-fourths of it. The only time we stopped harmoniously praying was when an old man spoke his interpretation of the gospel. I never noticed him until he spoke to us. Except from me, I deemed everyone in the room as "religious women" and completely left out the fact that there was a "religious man" in our midst. If I took notice of him at all, I would have thought he was just another family member.

But there he was...an unidentified man who spoke his understanding of the Word.

Men don't often incorporate themselves with religion, the way I see it. Except for those who turn to priesthood or even those who simply become lay ministers and acolytes whose jobs are to actually profess their faith, men don't turn to the Church very often. And by that I mean doing Church-related activities OTHER than going to church.

But he was one of those people I so very rarely meet.

The gospel was all about giving without expecting anything in return. He said that if we do something and people give you credit for it, you will no longer receive anything in return. I've heard his homily from a priest before. But because he seemed so convinced, the old man speaking of it was an inspiring thing to watch.

It was when he gave an example that he caught my ear. He said that if he gave somebody a few green mangoes, he wouldn't even expect a simple 'thank you.' He knew deep in his soul that somebody greater would be giving him all the rewards. And so he gives away mangoes on the regular. He allows the fruits to grow with love, then just gives it all away. It's an endless and fruitful cycle.

That's when it hit me. "He's the Old Mango Man."

That's when I realized the existence behind the tree's existence. The one who planted the seed.

What's really amazing is that the Old Mango man was living up to his word. He spoke of the Word with so much charisma because he lived by those words. To give without expecting anything in return. To care without expecting to be cared for. To suffer in silence. To give rest to those who are tired. To find rest in prayer. To love others as God would.

To the Old Mango Man, do not count this as an Earthly recognition.