Mercy in the City by Kerry Weber

Author:Kerry Weber [Weber, Kerry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: REL010000, RELIGION / Christianity/Catholic, REL012110, Religion/Christian Life/Social Issues, REL036000, Religion/Inspirational
ISBN: 9780829438925
Publisher: Loyola Press
Published: 2014-02-01T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16

—IN WHICH I SPEND ST. PATRICK’S DAY SURROUNDED BY WATER

I am holding tightly to the metal handrail in the subway car when a man gets on and begins screaming about salvation. This is not unusual. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he says, “even if you feed all the homeless people it doesn’t mean you’re going to heaven. You are only saved through Jesus Christ; his blood was poured out on that cross to atone for our sins.” He continues with a stump speech that adds a bit of fire and brimstone, gaining volume as he sees the passengers following the unspoken subway rules and keeping their eyes on the floor. This is the standard New York response to transit evangelists.

Then, suddenly, a woman breaks protocol and looks up. “So,” she says directly, “what’s your point?”

The man doesn’t skip a beat as he recycles lines from the speech in response. “No,” she says, flatly rejecting his theory. “You can’t live a life of sin and then just say you believe in Jesus and end up in heaven. It’s based on how you live your life.”

The subway evangelist clearly isn’t used to receiving this much attention, and it’s hard to tell if he’s thrilled or annoyed. But he’s also run out of responses, so he turns away and walks through the doors at the end, taking his eschatology to the neighboring car.

A short time later, I emerge from the subway on the Upper West Side. I dodge small drunken crowds of college students as I make my way toward the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the largest Episcopal church in the city. It is St. Patrick’s Day, and tiny, sparkly green hats seem to be a popular choice among this year’s revelers. I’m slightly more subdued, sporting a green jacket as I head toward the steps of the imposing grey gothic structure. The church is currently showing an exhibit about the value of water called, appropriately, “The Value of Water.” I figured understanding this would be helpful in my quest to give drink to the thirsty.

On my way to the church, I’d passed an old pay-phone station with a large ad on the side from NYC Environmental Protection: a grey and green bird held a glass in his wing. Beneath him were the words: “Drink Tap Water.” Below that was a little blurb: “NYC has some of the best water in the world. It travels to us from pristine reservoirs in the Catskill Mountains. Mmmm . . .”

Closer to the church, the signs became a bit more philosophical. The fences surrounding the churchyard sported blue banners with quotes about the meaning of water from sources as diverse as Toni Morrison, Confucius, Van Gogh, the Qur’an, and the Gospel of John. The quote from John is from the King James Bible, which sounds almost foreign to me: “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” The verse paints a strange picture of a possibility that, frankly, seems less than desirable when taken at face value.

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