EIGHT (8TH) WORLD DAY OF THE POOR – November 17th , 2024

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis has issued his homily for the eight (8th) World Day of the Poor. (Please click on the link below to view his homily)

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/poveri/documents/20240613-messaggio-viii-giornatamondiale-poveri-2024.html

Here are some of the highlights of his Homily:
“The prayer of the poor rises up to God” is the theme for this year’s World Day of the Poor, celebrated annually on the third Sunday of November. The 2024 edition will be the eighth of its kind after Pope Francis called for the day in 2017 and it comes just as Rome prepares to welcome pilgrims from around the world for the 2025 Jubilee year.
He explains that “Christian hope embraces the certainty that our prayer reaches God’s presence; not just any prayer but rather the prayer of the poor!” The Holy Father urges the faithful to reflect on the theme and urges us to “read” it on the faces and in the stories of the poor whom we encounter daily, “so that prayer can become a path of communion with them and a sharing in their suffering”.
The expression that gives the 2024 World Day of the Poor its theme is taken from the Book of Sirach, which Pope Francis says is not sufficiently known and deserves to be discovered for the richness of its themes. Pope Francis states that the poor hold a privileged place in God’s heart. “God knows the sufferings of his children because he is an attentive and caring father,” said the Pope. “As a father, he takes care of those who are most in need: the poor, the marginalized, the suffering and the forgotten. No one is excluded from His heart, for in His eyes, we are all poor and needy”.
Pope Francis goes on to note that unfortunately, the mentality that governs the world today asks of us that we become somebody and make a name for ourselves “at any cost”, But, Pope Francis warns, “Happiness cannot be acquired by trampling on the rights and dignity of others”.
The violence caused by wars clearly shows the arrogance of those who consider themselves to be powerful. However, the Pope adds that the truth is that “they are poor in the eyes of God”.
“How many more people are impoverished by misguided policies involving weapons! How many innocent victims! Yet we cannot turn our backs to this reality”. As we witness these horrific realities, in this year dedicated to prayer, we “need to make the prayer of the poor our own and pray together with them”, says the Pope.
Addressing the poor directly, the Pope says not to lose the certainty that “God is attentive to each of you and is close to you”. As the book of Sirach asserts, “the Lord’s judgment will be in favor of the poor” and from poverty, therefore, “the song of the most genuine hope can spring up”.
Pope Francis goes on to express his gratitude for the World Day that has become a fixture for every ecclesial community. “It is a pastoral opportunity not to be underestimated” and an “occasion to implement initiatives that concretely help the poor”. For this, he added, “We must thank the Lord for the people who make themselves available to listen to and support the poorest among us”.
Bringing his message to a close, Pope Francis explains that prayer is verified by authentic charity that manifests itself as encounter and proximity. “If prayer does not translate into concrete action, it is in vain; indeed, “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead”. However, he concludes, “charity without prayer risks becoming philanthropy that soon exhausts itself”.

Please note that our Holy Father extends his thanks to those who serve the poor, it obviously includes all Vincentians. Let us continue on our journey in helping the poor.

Guido Kelly,
President, ONRC
November 16, 2024
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