You can't sit on God's steps anymore
by Bob on July 27, 2007
I was walking up Tremont Street along the Boston Common today and I saw a man in a wheelchair in front of a church off the Common, who was saying to the custodian of the church, "You can't sit on God's steps anymore!".
He was referring to the fact that this particular church has banned people from idly sitting in front of it, on its steps. Or even just sitting on the steps to the church purposefully is prohibited now.
People used to be able to sit on the steps before. Many poor and homeless people took refuge there as well as others more fortunate and just seemingly regular people.
It's been a trend I've seen in New York City, and elsewhere in cities, since the 1980s. Churches and holy places of worship used to be open all day and night for anyone and their supplications to the Almighty anytime. The doors were open. Somewhere when the homeless problem surfaced in the 1980s and homeless people took refuge in the churches, other more fortunate people complained after a while. The poor, destitute and homeless smelled, looked dis-shevelled, and perhaps behaved badly. So, the rector of said churches closed the church except during hours of holy services so no one could take refuge who was unseemly.
Now that's a very complicated issue.
For example, the love of many blessed religious personages extended especially to the poor and afflicted. Jesus said that. Simply "Follow Me". No questions asked.
My dear aunt, when I told her back in the 1980s about this banishment of the poor and destitute from the churches for sanctuary, well, auntie said something very profound to me. She said that it was odd, since the poor and afflicted are closer to God than the rest of us and they should be allowed to rest and seek solace and sanctuary in His House.
That made a lot of sense to me. So I asked the priest of the local church and he politely told me that he had to account to his regular normal parishoners. I took issue, respectfully, with the rector. But he was obdurate. The homeless and poor and sick and afflicted should be off the visual radar of the normal well-heeled parishoners, and relegated to the 6am soup kitchen in the basement.
One is reminded of Quasimodo who sought and was granted sanctuary in the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, in Victor Hugo's novel, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".
So, where is sanctuary now ? One is left wondering.
Peace be with you and us all, brother and sister. Dickens did have Tiny Tim end his story "A Christmas Carol" with "God Bless Us, Every One!". Good to remember. The "us" part. And "there but for the grace of God go I" is a good thing to remember. And the Golden Rule. And all that important stuff.
One hopes.