9th World Day of the Poor: “You, Lord, are my hope”
Yesterday, the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Church celebrated the 9th World Day of the Poor, an appointment now firmly rooted in the liturgical calendar and established by Pope Francis at the conclusion of the Jubilee of Mercy in 2017. In Rome, Pope Leo XIV presided over the Eucharist in St Peter’s Basilica together with many people living in poverty, stressing that God never abandons the little ones and that it is urgent to listen to the cry of the poorest. His homily was marked by a call to a hope that does not disappoint and to a Church that is truly mother of the poor and a consolation for those who suffer the most.
The Pope insisted that the poor are not a distraction or mere recipients of aid, but beloved brothers and sisters who hold a central place in the life and mission of the Church. As the Vincentian reflection on this Day also recalled, one of its main aims is to stir believers to react against the culture of waste and throwaway, and to embrace decisively the culture of encounter. For the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, this Day has a very special resonance, because its charism places it precisely where the poor live and suffer: in their homes, neighbourhoods and communities, sharing their table and their story.
Following the example of Saint Vincent de Paul and Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, the members discover in every person wounded by poverty the face of Christ and learn from them a simple faith that knows how to live with what is essential and to trust in Providence. Under the biblical motto “You, Lord, are my hope” (cf. Ps 71), proposed this year by Pope Leo XIV, we are invited to move from short-lived hopes to a solid hope that is born of prayer shared with the poor and of the work for a more just society.
The SSVP desires to live this call by extending a helping hand, listening, defending the dignity of every person and promoting structural changes that will make it possible for the fruits of labour and the goods of the earth to be accessible to all.