In his book, Trial by Ordeal, Craig Parshall tells of a conversation between Tess and Kevin. A homeless man has died and Kevin felt no responsibility for him. Then Tess reminds him of A Christmas Carol by Dickens where a ghost comes to Scrooge’s door and tells him, “Mankind is your business.”
Then she tells Kevin, “This man is a part of your responsibility. It’s a part of the business of you being a member of mankind.”
Those words are reminiscent of the words of John Dunne, who wrote: “No man is an island … the death of every man diminishes me.” As Jesus was “a man for others,” so we are to feel a responsibility for others, even the homeless.
Cain, in the Old Testament, asked “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer is “yes.” We are not only our brother’s keeper; we are also our brother’s brother. The disenfranchised, including the homeless, are everyone’s business, especially if you are a follower of Christ.