THE SEVENTH WORLD DAY OF THE POOR (Sunday, November 19, 2023.)

“Do not turn your face away from anyone who is poor” (Tob 4, 7)

“A great river of poverty is traversing our cities and villages and swelling to the point of overflowing; it seems to overwhelm us, so great are the needs of our brothers and sisters who plead for our help, support and solidarity. The parable of the Good Samaritan (cf. Lk 10:25-37) is not simply a story from the past; it continues to challenge each of us in the here and now of our daily lives. The poor are persons; they have faces, stories, hearts and souls.

Let us never forget that ˈwe are called to find Christ in them, to lend our voice to their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to speak for them.ˈ (EG, 198). 

Our sharing should meet the concrete needs of the other, rather than being just a means of ridding ourselves of superfluous goods. What the poor need is certainly our humanity, our hearts open to love. Faith teaches us that every poor person is a son or daughter of God and that Christ is present in them. ˈJust as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to meˈ (Mt 25:40)”. /Pope Francis/