Taking the Time to Make a Difference

She was standing in the entryway with a kitchen knife in her hand. It happened some years ago, as I was among a group of volunteers conducting a parish census. Some of the houses were boarded up, others were wide open and clearly not habitable. Some were homes. So on a bright, clear weekend afternoon, we volunteers went door to door to find out if there were any Catholics in the homes, or no matter what the faith tradition of the occupants, if there was any ministry they might welcome from the local parish. I was not completely at ease in what most people said was a dangerous neighborhood. At one house where I stopped, I knocked tentatively on the storm door. It was broken, but it was all that separated the afternoon sunshine from the interior gloom, and at first I did not notice that someone had come to answer my knocking. As I leaned closer to the door, and my eyes became more accustomed to the dim light, I saw the woman who came to see who was knocking on her door. I didn’t ask to come in, choosing instead to ask my questions loudly through the broken door. No, she wasn’t Catholic. No, she did not want any assistance from the parish. I don’t remember a lot of details from that census. What I remember the most is the fear I saw in the eyes — and in the hand — of an old woman who lived alone who came to meet a stranger at her door.

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What brought this memory to my mind was a simple observation a few days ago. I was struck by the different phrases used by people leaving an interior space to go outside. If for example, I said, “I’m going on a weekend trip to St. Louis,” one person may say, “Be careful.” Another may say, “Have fun.” I don’t want to judge such comments too seriously, but they do seem to indicate a certain attitude on the part of each person toward what the world outside is really like. Is the world outside your home a place of fear? Or a place of good and pleasant experiences? And looking the other direction, what do people from the outside see when they come to your door? One who is confident and welcoming? Or one who is fearful and intent on self-defense.

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The third chapter of Proverbs has some thoughts worthy of reflection – encompassing going out into the world and also how to welcome a neighbor. Be not afraid of sudden terror, of the ruin of the wicked when it comes; For the LORD will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from the snare. Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim when it is in your power to do it for him. Say not to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give," when you can give at once. It seems clear to me that it would be foolish to deny the real danger that may be found, but that our faith is challenging us to have confidence that the LORD will keep us from getting caught in the snare. It seems clear to me, too, that in justice, we are obliged to make sure that people receive what is due to them. Justice delayed is justice denied, in our court system and in our neighborhood.

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In your city or town, who are the people who are knocking at your door? How do you greet them? If they are of a different race or culture, are you afraid? What is the “good” on which a neighbor has a claim? What is in your power to grant to a neighbor? The challenge from Proverbs is not a call to be charitable, but a call to make sure that a neighbor receives what is due in justice. Take the time to examine the established structures where you live – the local government, the school, the parish, even the unwritten rules of a suburb. Do they offer fair opportunity to all? Or to some? Take the time to conquer fear where you find it, and replace it with the confidence that Jesus our savior has given us, to “be not afraid” because he is with us. That confidence is not intended just for us. It is for us to share with our neighbors, too.

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