Amy and “The ‘Hood is Good”

"The 'Hood is Good"

This is the third in a series of reflections on Matthew Desmond's book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. You don't have to read the book to listen and reflect on what the issues raised have to do with living out our Christian faith.

As both parish and community center, St. Francis participates in the issues of housing insecurity, eviction prevention, and affordable housing from the perspective of providing rental assistance to individual families. The mission of St. Francis, following the prophet Micah, is to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. It is difficult to discern exactly how to do that in the area of housing insecurity and eviction prevention.

There are no right or wrong answers, only faithful exploration in community about what God requires of us now, in this time and place.

Desmond's book illuminates the complex ways that individuals, churches, non-profits, federal, state and local governments, neighborhood associations, professional groups...the list goes on...benefit in some way from the status quo, from the way things are now, despite the hurt and suffering of those most vulnerable. There is little incentive to systemic change when there is so much profit to be made on how things are now.

There has never been a time in 2,000 years of church history when the Church has not been inextricable from the larger social and political forces at work in its context, and the same is true for us at St. Francis now. Yet as Christians we are called to learn and grow as disciples of Jesus Christ and participate in God's reconciling work in the world. Examining ourselves corporately as both church and community center as Jesus asks, what logs/planks/beams in our eyes at St. Francis do we need to understand, acknowledge, repent of (Mt 7:3)? Where and when are we benefiting from the status quo? How are we participating (unintentionally or not) in the harm being done?

Again, there are no right and wrong answers. There is only the faithful commitment to ask God to guide us as we take steps to live out our mission ever more faithfully and allow ourselves to be transformed by that process in Jesus' name.