World Day of the Poor

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today, as we celebrate the World Day of the Poor, the Church invites us to reflect on one of the most important questions of our Christian life: What place do the poor have in our hearts?

In 2016, during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis established the World Day of the Poor. He wanted to remind the whole Church that concern for the poor is not an optional activity for Christians. It belongs to the very heart of the Gospel.

Jesus did not simply preach about love for the poor. He lived that love. He approached those whom society rejected, touched the sick, welcomed sinners, fed the hungry, and restored dignity to people who had lost hope.

If we want to understand the heart of Jesus, we must look at how he treated the poor.

1. God does not forget the poor

In the Gospel, Jesus tells us, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20).

These words are remarkable. Jesus does not say that poverty itself is something good. Poverty often brings suffering, humiliation, loneliness, and uncertainty. But Jesus assures the poor that their suffering does not make them less valuable in the eyes of God.

The world often measures people according to their possessions, success, education, or social position. God measures people differently. He looks at their hearts.

A person may have very little money and yet possess a great treasure of faith, kindness, generosity, and love.

On the other hand, a person may possess great wealth and still be spiritually poor because his heart is closed to God and to other people.

The greatest poverty is not always the lack of money. Sometimes it is the lack of love, hope, faith, and human closeness.

We must never forget that every poor person has a name, a history, a family, and a dignity that no circumstances can destroy.

2. Jesus identifies himself with the poor

One of the most challenging passages in the Gospel is found in Matthew 25, where Jesus describes the Last Judgment.

He says:

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35).

And when the righteous ask him when they did these things, Jesus answers:

“Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

These words should deeply touch our hearts.

Jesus does not say, “The poor remind me of myself.” He says something much stronger: What you do for the poor, you do for me.

This means that every encounter with a person in need can become an encounter with Christ.

When we feed a hungry person, Christ receives that food. When we visit a lonely person, Christ receives that visit. When we comfort someone who is suffering, Christ receives that consolation.

And when we turn away from a person in need, we risk turning away from Christ himself.

Dear brothers and sisters, we often look for Jesus in churches, in prayer, and in the Holy Eucharist. And rightly so, because Christ is truly present in the Eucharist.

But the same Jesus also calls us to recognize him in those who suffer.

We cannot sincerely love Christ in the Eucharist while deliberately ignoring him in the poor.

3. Poverty has many faces.

When we hear the word “poor,” we usually think of people who have no money, no food, or no home.

Certainly, material poverty is a serious problem. Millions of people throughout the world struggle to obtain even the necessities of life.

But poverty has many other faces.

There is the poverty of an elderly person who lives alone and waits for someone to visit.

There is the poverty of a sick person who feels forgotten.

There is the poverty of a child who grows up without affection.

There is the poverty of a family in which there is no peace.

There is the poverty of someone who has lost faith, hope, or the meaning of life.

Sometimes the poorest person in our parish is not the one who lacks money but the one whom nobody visits, nobody listens to, and nobody remembers.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta often drew attention to the terrible suffering caused by loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted.

We can give money to someone who is hungry, but what can we give to someone who is hungry for love?

We can offer our time, our attention, our friendship, and our compassion.

Sometimes a kind word can restore hope. Sometimes a visit can change someone’s day. Sometimes simply listening to another person can become an act of genuine Christian charity.

4. The danger of a closed heart

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells the parable of the rich man and the poor Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31).

The rich man lived in luxury, while Lazarus lay at his gate, hungry and covered with sores.

The rich man was not condemned simply because he possessed wealth. His tragedy was that he failed to notice the suffering person lying at his own door.

He had eyes, but he did not see. He had a heart, but he did not show compassion.

Lazarus was physically close to him, but spiritually he remained far away.

Is this not also a danger in our modern society?

We can become so occupied with our problems, comfort, and plans that we no longer notice the suffering of others.

We hear about wars, hunger, refugees, unemployment, and loneliness. But after hearing so much suffering, our hearts can gradually become indifferent.

The opposite of Christian love is not always hatred. Very often, it is indifference.

Indifference says, “This is not my problem.”

Christian love says, “This person is my brother. This person is my sister.”

The World Day of the Poor is therefore an invitation to examine our consciences.

Do I notice people who need my help? Am I willing to share something of what I possess? Do I find time for those who are lonely? Or have I become accustomed to passing by suffering without stopping?

5. We do not need to be rich to help the poor

Sometimes people say, “I would like to help the poor, but I do not have much money myself.”

However, Jesus does not ask us to give what we do not have. He asks us to share what we can.

Remember the poor widow in the Gospel who placed two small coins into the temple treasury (Mark 12:41–44).

Jesus praised her because she gave with a generous heart.

In the eyes of the world, her offering was insignificant. In the eyes of God, it was precious.

The value of charity is not measured only by the amount we give, but also by the love with which we give it.

A poor person can help another poor person.

An elderly person can pray for someone who is suffering.

A sick person can offer encouragement to another patient.

A child can share something with a classmate.

Every Christian can become an instrument of God’s love.

We should also remember the words of Saint John:

“Let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18).

Our Christian faith must become visible in our actions.

It is not enough to speak beautifully about love. We must practise it.

6. The poor have something to teach us

We often think that we are the ones who must give something to the poor.

But the poor can also give something precious to us.

They can teach us gratitude for things we take for granted. They can remind us that happiness does not depend entirely on possessions. They can teach us patience, perseverance, humility, and trust in God.

Of course, poverty does not automatically make someone holy, just as wealth does not automatically make someone sinful.

What matters is the condition of the human heart.

When we encounter the poor with respect, we discover that charity is not simply a relationship between a giver and a receiver.

It is a meeting between two human beings who possess equal dignity before God.

We must never treat the poor as objects of our generosity. They are our brothers and sisters.

They do not need only our donations. They need our respect, our solidarity, and our willingness to recognize their human dignity.

7. What will remain at the end of our lives?

One day, our earthly life will end.

We will leave behind our houses, our money, our possessions, and everything we have accumulated.

We will not take our bank accounts with us into eternity.

But the love we have shown will not be lost.

The good we have done, the tears we have wiped away, the hungry we have fed, the lonely we have comforted, and the suffering we have helped will have eternal significance.

At the Last Judgment, Jesus will not ask us how much money we accumulated or how important we were in society.

He will ask us about love.

He will ask whether we recognized him in our suffering brothers and sisters.

Perhaps the most important question we should ask ourselves today is this:

If Jesus came to my door today in the appearance of a poor, lonely, or suffering person, would I recognize him?

And would I open the door?

Conclusion

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The World Day of the Poor must not remain simply another date in the Church calendar.

It should become a call to conversion.

Let us open our eyes to see those who suffer. Let us open our ears to hear those who cry for help. Let us open our hands to share what we have. And above all, let us open our hearts to love as Jesus loved.

We cannot eliminate all the poverty in the world. But we can reduce the suffering of at least one person.

We cannot help everyone, but everyone can help someone.

And perhaps one day, when we stand before Christ, we will hear those beautiful words:

“Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).

May the Lord grant us compassionate hearts, generous hands, and eyes that recognize his presence in the poor.

For wherever there is genuine love for the poor, there Christ is present.

Amen.