What would Jesus do?

We are just beginning to say goodbye to hurricane Ida this morning. There wasn’t much wind in San Jose, but we had a lot of rain. Flooding problems to the north and on the Pacific coast, high seas in the Caribbean. Pray for the folks in Nicaragua and Honduras, as they are expecting 30 inches of rain in some areas, and suffer greatly from mudslides during these storms.

Bishop Monterroso and I visited the congregation of Todos los Santos on Sunday to celebrate All Saints’ Day with them. The church is in a neighborhood called San Rafael Abajo on the outskirts of San Jose.  As its name implies, this area is lower in elevation than the rest of the city. This made for a very warm fiesta, with much fanning and brow-wiping. The best way to keep comfortable here is to go downhill to warm up, and go uphill to cool off.

The Bishop and staff are going full-tilt in preparation for the diocesan convention in Limon next week. We are also waxing the floors and washing the dog in anticipation of the arrival of Mother Elizabeth Marie and Peter Macon. The Rev. E. M. will spend several days learning about our sister congregation of Cristo Resucitado, the Guarari barrio and the new school and chapel project. Peter will be going over the school plans with the local architect and engineer before the plans are submitted for building permit review. This visit is an important step for St. Alban’s in planning for our 2010 Costa Rica mission trip.

I read in the paper this morning that the city government and police are spending today demolishing several neighborhoods of squatters’ homes on public spaces in San Jose. Officials had cleared these areas of tin-and-wood shacks in mid-September, but the people returned the following week and rebuilt them. Authorities plan to construct parks and recreation areas on the sites to prevent further problems.

My question is this: What happens to the people who tried to live in these places? It’s easy for me to put myself in the place of folks who have homes in neighborhoods near squatter communities. I understand about safety, protecting children and property values, because I have worried about all of that as a homeowner and parent. What is harder for me is to walk in the shoes of a man or woman who has to resort to building an illegal shed to live in, because I can afford nothing else. Or imagine raising a family in such a place. Or contemplate the prospect of doing the same thing over again in the same place or another, knowing the outcome will be the same. 

What would Jesus do? This worn-out question has become a cliche, a filler for tee shirts and bumper stickers. Many of us roll our eyes when we hear it, thinking of answers like ”Don’t say bad words,” or “Stay out of the back seat of parked cars at night.” We may not take seriously someone who would ask what we feel is such a lame question.

But what would Jesus do, if he were confronted with this concrete circumstance, in this particular place and time, involving these real people? Would Jesus put himself in this situation? If he did, how would he respond? One way to find out is to read about Jesus’ behavior in situations he encountered in the gospels. Another is to open ourselves to the reality of the human Jesus, let  ourselves be present in unsettling circumstances, and see what happens.