On Sunday, November 17, 2024, the church celebrates the 8th World Day of the Poor. This year, in view of the beginning of the Ordinary Jubilee 2025, the Holy Father has chosen as his motto the phrase from the Book of Sirach: “The prayer of the poor goes up to God” (cf. Sir 21:5). The Pope recalls that the poor have a privileged place in the heart of God, who is attentive and close to each of them. World Day of the Poor is an opportunity to become aware of the presence of the poor in our cities and communities and to understand their needs.
In his Message, Pope Francis invites everyone to learn to pray for the poor and to pray together with them, with humility and confidence. He writes: “On the way to the Holy Year, I urge everyone to become a pilgrim of hope, placing tangible signs for a better future. Let us not forget to cherish “the small details of love” (Ap. Exhort. Gaudete et exsultate, 145): stopping, approaching, giving a little attention, a smile, a caress, a word of comfort… These gestures are not improvised; they require, rather, a daily fidelity, often hidden and silent, but made strong by prayer.” He concludes his message, “We are called in all circumstances to be friends of the poor, following in the footsteps of Jesus who first became solidarity with the last.”
8th World Day of the Poor – Pastoral Compassion – for download in pdf
We recall Pope Francis’ words to the Redemptorists (01.10.2022): Persevere in your mission, never forgetting the poorest and most abandoned whom you serve and to whom you proclaim the Good News of Redemption.
On the occasion of the Day of the Poor, Scala News offers a recollection of the audience with the Pope in the Clementine Hall during the 26th General Chapter Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. In his message consigned to the hands of the new Superior General, Pope Francis referred to the work of the capitulars: “In these days you are dealing with five important themes for your Congregation: identity, mission, consecrated life, formation and governance. These are fundamental themes, interrelated, in order to rethink your charism in light of the signs of the times. This communal discernment is rooted in the ability of each of you to seek the mystery of Christ the Redeemer, which is the reason for your consecration and service to the men and women who live in the existential peripheries of our history today.”
“Do not be afraid to tread new paths, to dialogue with the world (cf. Const. 19), in the light of your rich tradition of moral theology. Do not be afraid to get your hands dirty in the service of the most needy and the people who do not count.”
The Holy Father reminded us: “docility to the Spirit of Christ impels one to evangelize the poor, according to the proclamation of the Redeemer in the synagogue of Nazareth (cf. Lk. 4:14-19), concretized in the congregation by St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori. This mission is carried on by your saints, martyrs, blessed and venerable, leads Redemptorists from around the world to give their lives for the Gospel and to write stories of redemption on the pages of our time.”
That day, the Pope concluded with a prayer: “I pray to the Lord that you may be faithful and persevere in your mission, without forgetting the poorest and most abandoned whom you serve, and to whom you announce the Good News of Redemption.”
The full text of the Pope’s Message to the Redemptorists.
