Pope Francis presides over Mass on the World Day of the Poor, and urges Christians to listen to the stifled cry of pain of the frailest members of society. In his homily, the Pope focused his remarks on two exhortations made by Jesus in the Gospel of this day (Lk 21:5-19): “beware that you are not led astray and bear witness”.

“It is a skill typically Christian not to be a victim of everything that happens, but to seize the opportunity that lies hidden in everything that befalls us, the good that can come even from negative situations”, he said. “Every crisis is a possibility and offers opportunities for growth”. We should not become distracted, added Pope Francis, but rather turn every event into an opportunity to bear witness to the Gospel.

“Jesus Christ… for your sakes became poor” (cf. 2 Cor 8:9). With these words, the Apostle Paul addresses the first Christians of Corinth in order to encourage their efforts to show solidarity with their brothers and sisters in need. Today’s World Day of the Poor helps us to reflect on our way of life and the many forms of poverty in the world today. After all, young people are also “protagonists of the revolution of charity and service, capable of resisting the pathologies of consumerist and superficial individualism”.

We have selected 5 phrases written by Pope Francis in the Message for this World Day of the Poor:

1

The poverty that kills is misery, the daughter of injustice, exploitation, violence and the unjust distribution of resources.

2

The poor, before being the object of our almsgiving, are people, who can help set us free from the traps of anxiety and superficiality.

3

Jesus’ treasure is his love, which excludes no one and seeks out everyone, especially the marginalized and those deprived of the necessities of life.

4

If we want life to triumph over death, and dignity to be redeemed from injustice, we need to follow Christ’s path of poverty, sharing our lives out of love, breaking the bread of our daily existence with our brothers and sisters.

5

Encountering the poor enables us to put an end to many of our anxieties and empty fears, and to arrive at what truly matters in life, the treasure that no one can steal from us: true and gratuitous love.

The Pope’s full message for the Sixth World Day of the Poor is available here.