Loving our homeless neighbors

In the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus is asked which command is the greatest, he quotes the Shema, which is an ancient prayer first found in the Book of Deuteronomy: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

And citing Leviticus 19:18, he adds the second greatest commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

"There is no other commandment greater than these," Jesus concluded.

It’s easy to see our neighbors as only those who live next door or on the same street as us, but we should view everyone in our city as our neighbor.

That includes the homeless person sleeping on the sidewalk outside the library, the one you pass by in the parking lot at Walmart or walking around downtown. They deserve to be loved and shown kindness just as much as any other citizen of Tupelo.

I’m certainly not saying you need to give money to panhandlers. In fact, that’s discouraged by the City of Tupelo Homeless Task Force. But simply talking with a homeless person, acknowledging their existence and letting them know you care rather than ignoring them, can go a long way.

We should treat our homeless neighbors as human beings made in the image of God and worthy of our compassion.

There are plenty of local resources to direct homeless individuals to, and I encourage you to support or get involved with local nonprofits and ministries that aid our homeless neighbors (many of which can be found at unitedwaynems.org/list-of-agency-partners).

Ultimately, that will lead to Tupelo being a better community for all.