Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land. – Amos 8:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (April 3, 2026): Amos 8

On March 4, 2026, Pope Leo XIV gave a lengthy interview to Vatican News. The subject was, at least partially, the strikes of the United States and Israel against Iran. Nobody was really surprised that the Pope would express his opinion to the press; he had been outspoken in the past, and why bother being Pope if you don’t articulate what you see as the moral imperatives in the world around you. That was one of the complaints historically leveled against Pope Pius XII (his Papacy lasted from March 2, 1939, until his death on October 9, 1958) during World War II.

Pope Leo XIV gave an interview to Vatican News, warning that strikes against Iran had weakened international law. The Pope argued that “might has replaced justice; the force of law has been replaced by the law of force.” The Pope called the war with Iran “preventable,” and that it risks “the whole world being set ablaze.” The Pope’s words are a reminder that this conflict with Iran has moved us another step closer to a third World War. What is surprising is that, in the lead-up to the 2024 Presidential Election, Vice President J.D. Vance consistently argued that a vote for Trump was a vote against war. A President Donald Trump would move the world away from war. But instead, he has moved the world toward war. And that is a huge problem for all of us.

But there has been another reaction to this move, one that we maybe should have predicted. A movement has begun calling for Baron Trump, the President’s youngest son, to be drafted into the army. I don’t think anyone actually wants to see Baron Trump in army fatigues. The truth is that if Baron actually was drafted, he would likely be given a commission as an officer and kept out of harm’s way. After all, isn’t that exactly what happens to every prince who joins the army in other countries? The movement to draft Baron into the military is a recognition that it is often the rich and powerful who bring the nations into war, but it is the poor and weak who fight the wars. If you want to do away with people experiencing poverty, a war is often one way to lessen their presence in our society.

A war in Iran is actually a continuation of a policy that the U.S. government seems to be implementing within the nation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been persecuting not just people who are in the country illegally, but also anyone who is from a visible minority or poor in the land. A war would take care of more like them.

Amos warns Israel about any practices that are intended to harm the poor of the land. When we refuse to honor those experiencing poverty and care for the needy among us, we lose the humanity God has placed within us. We become weaker for our loss, not stronger, regardless of what we might believe.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Amos 9