A parasite is a plant or an animal that feeds and lives on or in another plant or animal. Experts believe that while most parasites cause little or no harm to their hosts, some types of parasites can cause great harm to animals and human beings. Yet others are beneficial, being essential in the production of cheese, bread, and wine, for example.

Fungi are a group of parasitic lower plants that lack chlorophyll and include molds, rusts, mildews, mushrooms and yeasts. Fungus causes infections such as "athlete¹s foot", resulting in itching and irritation, or ringworm. Plant parasites cause many serious diseases in plants, animals and people. Experts estimate that plant parasites destroy about $5 billion worth of crops in the United States each year.

Sir Alexander Fleming was a 1945 Nobel Prize-winning British bacteriologist at the University of London. He reported in 1929 the germ-killing power of green mold (seen on old bread) from which the life-saving antibiotic penicillin was first purified. I remember when my six-year-old cousin was "miraculously" cured by a penicillin injection in 1949, in Cairo, Egypt.

Fungi can be both bad and good. They can cause serious irritation and pain. They can also have miraculous healing powers. Please note that for the green mold fungus to be beneficial, it has to be purified.

Men and women can be very irritating parasites. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23). We need not be so.

Since by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves so that you can experience the genuine love of brothers, love each other intensely from the hear!; for your new birth was not from any perishable seed but from imperishable seed, the living and enduring Word of God. And this Word is the Good News that has been brought to you. Rid yourselves, then, of all spite, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and carping criticism. Like newborn babies all your longing should be for milk‹the unadulterated spiritual milk‹which will help you to grow up to salvation. (I Peter 1:22-2:2).

In the gospels, the brothers James and John were described by our Lord as "sons of thunder" because of their temper (Mark 3:17). They were ready to destroy some villages by pouring down fire from heaven (Luke 9:54). Yet, having been "purified" by Christ, John the son of thunder became the beloved disciple of Christ (John 20:2).

Zacchaeus was a very wealthy, crooked tax collector. He was despised, and considered a "parasite" in the community. Christ was received joyfully by Zacchaeus after he chatted with the Lord. After dinner Zaccheus said, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him. "Today salvation has come to this house... for the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:1-10).

Two men were caught stealing sheep in a small town. Condemned as thieves, the letter S (sheep stealers) was branded on their foreheads. One of the men could not handle the humiliation and left town. The other stayed and became a respected citizen. Some years later, a mother and her young son were walking downtown when they met this man with the letter S clearly marked on his forehead. "What does the letter S stand for?" asked the child. "I believe it stands for saint," responded the mother..

Both men were branded sheep stealers, "parasites" in their community. One ran away; the other, by God¹s grace, was transformed through Christ into a saint.

We can choose to become irritable parasites in humanity, or purified and transformed through Christ, love and care for each other. Through the living and abiding word of God, we can rid ourselves of spite, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and criticism.

I am quite confident that the One who began a good work in you will go on completing it until the Day of Jesus Christ comes (Philippians 1:6).

Rev. Karl Avakian resides in Fresno, California, and is now in his 11th year as the AEUNA 's Minister to the Union.