As I celebrate; what-so-ever I do

By Oliver Rosenbloom

It breaks my heart whenever I hear a homeless person say “God bless you” because I know that our society does not return the blessing. On an inter-personal level, we constantly overlook and disrespect the homeless. Our treatment of homeless people is morally reprehensible in and of itself, but it is made even the more so by the fact that we proclaim to be one nation under God. While our collective theology may indicate that we are a Christian nation, our treatment of and attitude towards the poor often betray Jesus’ teachings. As Easter approaches, I urge all of us to remember that Jesus emphasized social justice, not just personal salvation.

I know that larger Christian institutions, from churches to private charitable groups aimed at ending hunger, are among the leading soldiers in the battle against poverty. The problem I am addressing is instead on the individual level as it relates to personal, day-to-day interactions with the homeless. It is in this arena that I would like to see the entire nation, including Christians, improve.

I was inspired to write this because I realize how guilty I am of forgetting that economic justice was one of Jesus’ immediate focuses. Certain aspects of all religions are deeply personal and private, but a key component of Christianity (and certainly Judaism and Islam as well) is service to others. A true and full Christian faith requires us to remember the compassionate immediacy with which Jesus advocated for the homeless.

Any person who claims to be a follower of Jesus should remember that he focused his ministry on caring for the poor and homeless. Some Christians cling to the Gospel of money instead of that of social justice. They feel entitled to their wealth and hesitate to give to those less fortunate than themselves. In so doing, they completely overlook the social emphasis of Jesus’ teachings and thus pervert His message. Other Christians, me included, convince ourselves we feel compassion for the poor, but our actions tell a different story. We become complacent and appease our consciences with small gestures when radical ones are needed. Jesus demands that we feed, house and clothe the poor and homeless; mere empathy is not enough.

Donating money is a great way to start, but our radical love for the homeless community should not end there. In fact, sometimes donating leads a person farther away from loving the homeless because they convince themselves that they have done their part. We should extend the same respect to homeless people on the street that we do to other strangers. Instead of avoiding eye contact, we should seek it out. Instead of ignoring homeless people, we should converse with them. Instead of giving homeless people our change, we should eat with them. Jesus, our teacher ate with the poorest members of his society and demanded that his followers do the same.

I want to see a fundamental change in the American mindset as it relates to interacting with homeless people. I acknowledge that this is a limited approach that will not solve every problem associated with homelessness. However, because this is a day-to-day solution, every American can apply it to their lives. Normal citizens should not be completely dependent on legislators and charities to help those not as blessed as ourselves. We can actively combat the problem by remembering the radical love and action that Jesus advocated. I want to be the first to start because I am just as guilty as anyone in becoming complacent and overlooking the essential social messages preached by Christ and failing to apply it in my own life.