Pope's message for World Day of Poor: Prayer inseparable from solidarity with poor
By Lydia OâKane
The theme for the 4th World Day of the Poor is âStretch forth your hand to the poorâ, taken from the book of Sirach. The Message was released on Saturday, while the actual World Day is observed on 15 November 2020.
Drawing from this text, Pope Francis observes that âits author presents his advice concerning many concrete situations in life, one of which is poverty. He insists that even amid hardship we must continue to trust in God.â
The Pope points out that from these pages we see, âprayer to God and solidarity with the poor and suffering are inseparable.â
He also notes that âtime devoted to prayer can never become an alibi for neglecting our neighbour in need.â
The gift of Generosity
âGenerosity that supports the weak, consoles the afflicted, relieves suffering and restores dignity to those stripped of it, is a condition for a fully human life,â Pope Francis says.
âThe power of Godâs grace cannot be restrained by the selfish tendency to put ourselves always first.â
In his message, the Pope acknowledges that âkeeping our gaze fixed on the poor is difficultâ, but, he underlines, it is âmore necessary than ever if we are to give proper direction to our personal life and the life of society.â
Whirlwind of indifference
âWe cannot feel âalrightâ when any member of the human family is left behind and in the shadows,â he says.
The Pope laments a frenetic pace of life that leads people into a âwhirlwind of indifferenceâ. He adds that it is only when something happens that upsets the course of our lives do our eyes become capable of seeing the goodness of the saints ânext doorâ.
Covid-19 and the Saints next door
Devoting a significant part of his message to the Covid-19 pandemic, Pope Francis draws attention to the many âoutstretched handsâ in the form of doctors and nurses who have been caring for patients in these difficult months. He also commends the outstretched hands of administrators, pharmacists, priests, volunteers and others who have given of themselves day and night and without fanfare.
âThe present experience,â says the Pope, âhas challenged many of our assumptions. We feel poorer and less self-sufficient because we have come to sense our limitations and the restriction of our freedom.â
âThe loss of employment, and of opportunities to be close to our loved ones and our regular acquaintances, suddenly opened our eyes to horizons that we had long since taken for granted.â
However, Pope Francis stresses, ânow is a good time to recover âthe conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the worldâ.â
In a word, he continues, âuntil we revive our sense of responsibility for our neighbour and for every person, grave economic, financial and political crises will continue.â
Outstretched hands of love
Returning to this yearâs theme, the Pope notes that it is âa summons to responsibility and commitment as men and women who are part of our one human family.â
Even during this pandemic, which has forced people into isolation, the Word of God âconstantly impels us to acts of love,â Pope Francis says.
He also describes how the command: âStretch forth your hand to the poorâ âchallenges the attitude of those who prefer to keep their hands in their pockets and to remain unmoved by situations of poverty in which they are often complicit.â
âSome hands are outstretched to accumulate money by the sale of weapons that others, including those of children, use to sow death and poverty⌠Others still, parading a sham respectability, lay down laws which they themselves do not observe.â
Our final goal is love
Concluding his message, the Pope recalls that in the book of Sirach it is written, âIn everything you do, remember your endâ.
He continues by saying, âthe âendâ of all our actions can only be love. This is the ultimate goal of our journey, and nothing should distract us from it.â
Even a smile, remarks Pope Francis, is something we can share with the poor and is a âsource of love and a way of spreading love. An outstretched hand, then, can always be enriched by the smile of those who quietly and unassumingly offer to help, inspired only by the joy of living as one of Christâs disciples.â
Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here
