杏MAP导航

By Benedict Mayaki, SJ

The World Day of the Poor is commemorated annually on the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time in the liturgical calendar, which this year falls on 13 November.

In this year鈥檚 message for the annual observance themed 鈥淔or your sakes Christ became poor (2 Cor. 8:9)", 杏MAP导航 Francis recalled the words of St. Paul to the Christians of Corinth, in order to encourage their efforts to show solidarity with their brothers and sisters in need.

The 杏MAP导航 noted that the World Day this year comes 鈥渁s a healthy challenge, helping us to reflect on our style of life and on the many forms of poverty all around us.鈥�

Covid-19, war in Ukraine

Reflecting on current events in the world, 杏MAP导航 Francis pointed to the Covid-19 pandemic from which the world is emerging, including showing signs of an economic recovery that could benefit millions made poorer by the loss of their jobs.

He lamented that 鈥渁nother catastrophe鈥� 鈥� the war in Ukraine 鈥� 鈥渉as destined to impose on our world a very different scenario.鈥� This, he added, is made more complex due to the direct intervention of a 鈥渟uperpower鈥� aimed 鈥渁t imposing its own will in violation of the principle of the self-determination of peoples.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis also highlighted the great poverty produced by the 鈥渟enselessness of war鈥� and how violence 鈥渟trikes those who are defenceless and vulnerable.鈥�

In this regard, he considered the deportation of thousands of persons, 鈥渋n order to sever their roots and impose on them another identity,鈥� and the millions of women, children and elderly people 鈥渇orced to brave the danger of bombs just to find safety by seeking refuge as displaced persons in neighbouring countries.鈥� More so, many remain in war zones, living each day with fear, lack of food, water, medical care and human affection.

鈥淚n these situations,鈥� he added, 鈥渞eason is darkened and those who feel its effects are the countless ordinary people who end up being added to the already great numbers of those in need.鈥�

Responding to the needs of the poor

The sixth World Day of the Poor, celebrated in the midst of this situation, invites us to reflect on the summons of the Apostle to 鈥渒eep our gaze fixed on Jesus鈥� who though rich became poor so that by his poverty we might become rich, the 杏MAP导航 said.

He recalled that when St. Paul鈥檚 visited Jerusalem he met with Peter, James and John, who urged him not to forget the poor, and the Apostle set about organizing a great collection to aid the community of Jerusalem that was experiencing a great hardship due to food shortages. In the same manner, every Sunday during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, said the 杏MAP导航, we have done the same thing, 鈥減ooling our offerings so that the community can provide for the needs of the poor鈥�- something that Christians have always done 鈥渨ith joy and a sense of responsibility.鈥�

Renewing initial motivation

杏MAP导航 Francis pointed out that St. Paul wrote to the community of Corinth, asking them to relaunch their collection after their initial outburst of enthusiasm began to falter and the initiative proposed by the Apostle had lost some of its impetus.

On this note, the Holy Father thought of the generosity that has led entire populations 鈥渢o open their doors to welcome millions of refugees from wars in the Middle East, Central Africa and now Ukraine,鈥� with families opening their homes to make room for other families and communities generously accepting many in order to enable them live with dignity.

However, he acknowledges that 鈥渢he longer the conflicts last, the more burdensome their consequences become鈥� and the people who offer welcome find it increasingly difficult to maintain their relief efforts past the emergency stage.

鈥淭his is the moment for us not to lose heart but to renew our initial motivation,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 urged. 鈥淭he work we have begun needs to be brought to completion with the same sense of responsibility.鈥�

Solidarity

Solidarity, the 杏MAP导航 explained, 鈥渋s sharing the little we have with those who have nothing, so that no one will go without.鈥� The sense of community and of communion as a style of life increases and a sense of solidarity matures, he added.

He invited Christians to consider that in some countries, over the past decades, families have experienced a significant increase in affluence and security as a positive result of private initiatives, economic growth and concrete incentives to support families and social responsibility. The benefits of these, in terms of security and stability 鈥渃an now be shared with those who have been forced to leave behind their homes and native countries in search of safety and survival,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said.

He noted that St. Paul did not oblige Christians in Corinth to perform works of charity but was prompted by the need for concrete assistance. The Apostle, instead, was 鈥渢esting the genuineness of their love by the earnestness of their concern for the poor鈥� 鈥� a sign of love shown by Jesus Himself.

鈥淕enerosity towards the poor has its most powerful motivation in the example of the Son of God, who chose to become poor,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said.

Be doers, not hearers only

The 杏MAP导航 went on to underline that St. Paul鈥檚 teaching finds an echo in the words of St. James who urged Christians to 鈥渂e doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.鈥�

He, however, cautioned against a kind of laxity that can creep in and lead to inconsistent behaviour and indifference against the poor, noting that it happens to some Christians who, 鈥渙ut of excessive attachment to money, remain mired in a poor use of their goods and wealth.鈥�

The 杏MAP导航 insisted that the issue is not money itself but rather, the value that we put on money, because 鈥渁ttachment to money prevents us from seeing everyday life with realism; it clouds our gaze and blinds us to the needs of others.鈥�

The Holy Father further warned against approaching the poor with a 鈥渨elfare mentality鈥�, stressing rather that we ensure 鈥渢hat no one lacks what is necessary.鈥� He underlined that it is not activism that saves but a 鈥渟incere and generous concern that makes us approach a poor person as a brother or sister who lends a hand to help me shake off the lethargy into which I have fallen.鈥�

In this perspective, 杏MAP导航 Francis stressed the urgent need to find solutions that can go beyond the approach of social policies conceived as 鈥渁 policy for the poor, but never with the poor and never of the poor, much less part of a project that brings people together.鈥�

Poverty that sets free

鈥淭rue wealth does not consist in storing up 鈥渢reasures on earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break in and steal,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said, but rather in 鈥渁 reciprocal love that leads us to bear one another鈥檚 burdens in such a way that no one is left behind or excluded.鈥�

This, 杏MAP导航 Francis stated, clashes with our human way of thinking that there exists a form of poverty that can make us rich.

Explaining, the Holy Father said that the message of Jesus, 鈥渟hows us the way and makes us realize that there is a poverty that humiliates and kills, and another poverty, Christ鈥檚 own poverty, that sets us free and brings grace.鈥�

Distinguishing between the two, he said that the poverty that kills is 鈥渟qualor, the daughter of injustice, exploitation, violence and the unjust distribution of resources鈥� 鈥� a hopeless and implacable poverty, imposed by the throwaway culture that not only reduces people to poverty but also 鈥渃orrodes the spiritual dimension.鈥�

On the other hand, the poverty that sets us free 鈥渋s one that results from a responsible decision to cast off all dead weight and concentrate on what is essential.鈥�

鈥淓ncountering 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,鈥� said the 杏MAP导航, adding that the poor, 鈥渂efore being the object of our almsgiving, are people, who can help set us free from the snares of anxiety and superficiality.鈥�

Christ鈥檚 poverty makes us rich

杏MAP导航 Francis added that the theme of the World Day of the Poor presents us with the great paradox of our life of faith, that 鈥淐hrist鈥檚 poverty makes us rich鈥� because he became poor for our sakes so that our lives are illumined and transformed, taking on 鈥渁 worth that the world does not appreciate and cannot bestow.鈥�

Therefore, 鈥渋f we want life to triumph over death, and dignity to be redeemed from injustice, we need to follow Christ鈥檚 path of poverty, sharing our lives out of love, breaking the bread of our daily existence with our brothers and sisters, beginning with the least of them, those who lack the very essentials of life.鈥�

This is the way to 鈥渃reate equality, to free the poor from their misery and the rich from their vanity, and both from despair," the 杏MAP导航 insisted.

Concluding, the Holy Father held up the example of St. Charles de Foucauld - a man born rich who gave up everything to follow Jesus 鈥� who urged everyone not to despise the poor, the littles ones and the workers, because 鈥渘ot only are they our brothers and sisters in God, they are also those who most perfectly imitate Jesus in his outward life.鈥�

鈥淢ay this 2022 World Day of the Poor be for us a moment of grace,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 prayed. 鈥淢ay it enable us to make a personal and communal examination of conscience and to ask ourselves whether the poverty of Jesus Christ is our faithful companion in life.鈥�