Finding gospel truth through the poor

Last year, at the conclusion of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis asked that the church annually celebrate a day focused on the poor.

He stated: “I wanted to offer the church a World Day of the Poor, so that throughout the world Christian communities can become an even greater sign of Christ’s charity for the least and those most in need.” ( Message of His Holiness Pope Francis, First World Day of the Poor, Number 6).

The First World Day of the Poor will be celebrated on Sunday, Nov. 19.

Pope Francis is asking for something more than just a day where we perform acts of generosity; he is talking about an encounter that becomes a way of life.

In his written message for this special day, he states, “We are called, then, to draw near to the poor, to encounter them, to meet their gaze, to embrace them and to let them feel the warmth of love that breaks through their solitude. Their outstretched hand is also an invitation to step out of our certainties and comforts, and to acknowledge the value of poverty itself” ( Number 3).

Pope Francis reminds us that poverty is a Christian value.

Jesus of Nazareth was a poor man with few possessions. He began his public ministry by proclaiming his fundamental option for the poor as he read from the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” ( Luke 4: 18)

In the same Gospel, a few chapters later, Jesus states, “Blessed are you who are poor, yours is the kingdom of God.” ( Luke 6: 20).

It is clear that the poor have a special place in the heart and ministry of Jesus. The early Christians understood this, and in order to be more like Jesus, they embraced poverty and generously gave to others.

Pope Francis acknowledges this fact when he states, “Let us never forget that, for Christ’s disciples, poverty is above all a call to follow Jesus in his own poverty. It means walking behind him and beside him, a journey that leads to the beatitude of the Kingdom of heaven.” ( Number 4)

A distinction must always be made between poverty and destitution.

Destitution is never a value because it deprives people of the necessities of life - food, clothing, housing, health care, etc. People who are destitute live in misery and we must do all in our power to lift them up and restore their dignity and heal their wounds.

Poverty, on the other hand, is a value because it helps us to be more dependent upon God and less vulnerable to the distractions that can lead us away from God.

Pope Francis states, “Poverty means having a humble heart that accepts our creaturely limitations and sinfulness and thus enables us to overcome the temptation to feel omnipotent and immortal. Poverty is an interior attitude that avoids looking upon money, career and luxury as our goal in life and the condition of our happiness. Poverty instead creates the conditions for freely shouldering our personal and social responsibilities, despite our limitations, with trust in God’s closeness and the support of his grace.” ( Number 4)

The World Day of the Poor is not about eradicating poverty; it is about embracing it and allowing ourselves to be transformed by the embrace.

“This new World Day, therefore, should become a powerful appeal to our consciences as believers, allowing us to grow in conviction that sharing with the poor enables us to understand the deepest truth of the Gospel,” sates Pope Fracis. “The poor are not a problem: they are a resource from which to draw as we strive to accept and practise in our lives the essence of the Gospel.” ( Number 9)