Greetings!

Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade may have apologized for his horrifying remark about exterminating homeless people with mental issues who refuse government help, but what is shocking is that he made the suggestion in the first place: "Or involuntary lethal injection, or something. Just kill 'em." His comment not only represents the abandonment of all humane values but also reflects a complete misunderstanding of homelessness and how easily people slip through the societal safety net.

Stereotypes of homeless people suggest that all are violent, mentally disturbed ne'er-do-wells who have forfeited their right to be treated with dignity and compassion. The National Alliance to End Homelessness paints a different picture, pointing to low incomes, lack of affordable housing, and a lack of resources. Veterans suffering from PTSD, people with disabilities, women and children escaping domestic violence, LGBTQ+ youth, families displaced by natural disasters, and those who lack medical insurance are just some of the people who end up on the streets. Far from being violent criminals, most are people who, through no fault of their own, cannot afford a roof over their heads.

One example that might shock readers is the plight of adjunct faculty at American universities and colleges. Higher education depends upon adjuncts to keep costs down. Typically, institutions only permit adjunct faculty to teach four courses per academic year, as otherwise they would be forced to provide benefits and a living wage. Instead, faculty are paid per course: "The typical American college professor (i.e., an average member of the most numerous class of American professors) makes $3,556 per course with no healthcare or other benefits"-- and this is before paying state and federal taxes! What this means is that if an adjunct professor is unable to live on roughly $16,000.00 per year, he or she had better teach at multiple schools, have a financially stable partner, or else possess multiple streams of income. The situation is even more dire for those carrying student loans or who have dependents. Little wonder that PhDs end up sleeping in their cars or driving for Uber!

No one deserves to be scapegoated, denigrated, or seen as a blight on society. Every person who experiences homelessness has a story to tell; and everyone, no matter how mal-adjusted, deserves to be raised up rather than put down.

Many Blessings!

Elizabeth

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LINK TO SCRIPTURE READINGS

Hear this, you who trample the needy

 and destroy the poor of the land!

 "When will the new moon be over?" you ask,

 "that we may sell our grain,

 and the sabbath, that we may market our wheat?

 We will diminish the ephah,

 add to the shekel,

 and fix our scales for cheating!

 We will buy the lowly for silver,

 and the poor for a pair of sandals;

 selling even the refuse of the wheat!"

 The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob:

 Never will I forget a thing they have done!

Amos 8:4-7

It is fascinating how many sins can be associated with finances, not just in life but also in the bible. The unjust steward in Luke 16:1-13 squanders his master's estate and then, to add insult to injury, reduces the promissory notes of his master's debtors to guarantee his welcome in their homes, should he lose his job. Spendthrifts, hoarders, and thieves populate Jesus' parables, and he publicly berates those who exploit the poor, make a show of their donations, become fixated on inheritance issues, and place love of money before love of God. The rich man who allows Lazarus to starve to death at his gates (Lk 16:19-31) exemplifies indifference, while the wealthy farmer who hoards his bountiful harvest in bigger and better barns (Lk 12:16-21) feels entitled to his good fortune. Laborers in the vineyard are jealous of those who receive the same salary for less work (Matt 20:1-16), while the older brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son resents his father's generosity to his reinstated brother. Meanwhile, in the Parable of the Talents, the servant who buries the money entrusted to him fails to yield any returns because he is too afraid to invest (Matt 25:14-30).

The worst sin, of course, is that of betrayal, with Judas selling his soul for 30 pieces of silver. In effect, by betraying Jesus, Judas reduces him to a commodity that can be bought and sold in the marketplace; far from seeking out and protecting the Pearl of Great Price (Matt 13:45-46), Judas affixes a price tag on it, selling his Lord and Master for the compensation a slaveholder would receive should his slave be accidentally gored by an ox ( Ex 21:32).

Money is not intrinsically evil, but it is often the source of much evil. Today, "dishonest wealth" ranges from romance scams to mortgage fraud, from fake cryptocurrency trading to online shopping scams, from Ponzi and pyramid schemes to phishing and mobile banking scams, from tax fraud to telemarketing schemes. In each case, creativity is involved, with bad actors employing lies, deceit, fake documentation, and false witnesses to support their claims; and, in each case, indifference comes into play. Thieves, crooks, and fraudsters couldn't care less about the havoc they cause in others' lives, whether they are depleting someone's entire life savings or causing someone to default on a loan, lose their home, or have their car repossessed.

Those driven by money, live for money, deify money, worship money; even if their financial transactions are all "above board," still, avarice, selfishness, and lack of gratitude begin to calcify the soul. Some gamble away their happiness; others destroy their relationships, substituting dollars for love; still others drive themselves into heart attacks as they push to make that first million, or billion, or even trillion. Wealth, not love, becomes the measure of success, and happiness becomes more and more elusive when no amount of wealth seems to satisfy...

As Jesus points out, "You cannot serve both God and mammon" (Lk 16:13).

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