Befriending a Rat

In our urban backyard, we have a chicken coop constructed just right to fit our five, almost full-grown chickens. My animal-loving family promises me eggs are just around the corner. Having a chicken coop in the backyard, however, means other animals are sometimes attracted to our yard at night—including, most recently, a pesky, neighborhood rat that continuously tried to break into the coop.

My husband considered a variety of ways to take care of the rat, finally settling on setting a couple of traps in our yard. My oldest son was intrigued by the process. I thought he’d be disturbed by the idea of a rat trap, but he seemed OK with it overall. He just had a lot of questions. Then, several weeks after we had solved our rat problem, he came home from camp with a simple cardboard box. “What’s that for?” I asked him. He went on to tell me his elaborate scheme for trapping a rat alive in this cardboard box and bringing it to his best friend at camp so he could pet him.

I could feel myself cringe as I immediately told him my passionate feelings against petting rats, especially wild-caught rats. I assured him that his friend’s parents would also be less than thrilled to have their son pet a rat. My son looked earnestly at me and said, “Mom, you don’t like rats? Do people not like rats?” He paused to consider this revelation and then replied with conviction: “Then I must catch one so I can show him he has a friend.”

Often, we consider Jesus only from the vantage points depicted in the Bible. And therefore, we do not know specifics about his childhood. I imagine, however, since his home was not the urban setup we have, he probably had many animals, like chickens, in his yard. I also imagine his family had pests like rats to take care of to ensure the safety of the yard animals and the cleanliness of their home. And in my imaginings, Jesus as a young boy was also immensely compassionate, especially for those outcasted. After all, as an adult, he embraced tax collectors, lepers, and sinners those in his community would not.

In that moment, as my son stood in front of me eager to make friends with a rat, I caught a glimpse of Jesus at six years old: a young boy standing in front of Mary with an earnest desire to befriend a creature many would not care about. And I thought, “Seriously, how can someone say no to that?”

Of course, I do not have any intention of letting my son befriend a rat, so as any good parent would do, I told my son he should wait until Daddy came home to talk again about his plans. However, as he left to go play, I continued to think about this small, innocent display of love. And I marveled at the courage it takes to be the one willing to befriend another simply because we know no one else will.

I hope as an adult I have retained some of the compassion I had as a child. But when I struggle, I am so grateful to have a tangible reminder in my children of what compassion looks like. Every day they seem to open my eyes to something new.

There is a prayer by Pedro Arrupe that begins, “Grant me, O Lord, to see everything now with new eyes.” Moments like these, when Jesus stands right in front of me, demonstrating boundless compassion, I know I have the opportunity to see with new eyes. The prayer continues, asking the Lord to help us communicate “the things that are yours.” As another school year begins, I find myself contemplating how I can communicate this boundless compassion to all those I encounter. I wonder if I will have the courage to demonstrate this selfless love to everyone, even those that others might cast aside.