Photo above – Pope Francis has lunch with the poor in the Paul VI Hall
Pope Francis releases his message for the Fourth World Day of the Poor, observed on 15 November.
The Pope calls on people to keep their gaze fixed on the poor, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, and warns against succumbing to a “whirlwind of indifference”.
The theme for the 4th World Day of the Poor is “Stretch forth your hand to the poor”, taken from the book of Sirach. The Message was released on Saturday, while the actual World Day is observed on 15 November 2020.
Drawing from this text, Pope Francis observes that “its author presents his advice concerning many concrete situations in life, one of which is poverty. He insists that even amid hardship we must continue to trust in God.”
The Pope points out that from these pages we see, “prayer to God and solidarity with the poor and suffering are inseparable.”
He also notes that “time devoted to prayer can never become an alibi for neglecting our neighbour in need.”
## The gift of Generosity
“Generosity that supports the weak, consoles the afflicted, relieves suffering and restores dignity to those stripped of it, is a condition for a fully human life,” Pope Francis says.
“The power of God’s grace cannot be restrained by the selfish tendency to put ourselves always first.”
In his message, the Pope acknowledges that “keeping our gaze fixed on the poor is difficult”, but, he underlines, it is “more necessary than ever if we are to give proper direction to our personal life and the life of society.”
## Whirlwind of indifference
“We cannot feel ‘alright’ when any member of the human family is left behind and in the shadows,” he says.
The Pope laments a frenetic pace of life that leads people into a “whirlwind of indifference”. He adds that it is only when something happens that upsets the course of our lives do our eyes become capable of seeing the goodness of the saints “next door”.
## Covid-19 and the Saints next door
Devoting a significant part of his message to the Covid-19 pandemic, Pope Francis draws attention to the many “outstretched hands” in the form of doctors and nurses who have been caring for patients in these difficult months. He also commends the outstretched hands of administrators, pharmacists, priests, volunteers and others who have given of themselves day and night and without fanfare.
“The present experience,” says the Pope, “has challenged many of our assumptions. We feel poorer and less self-sufficient because we have come to sense our limitations and the restriction of our freedom.”
“The loss of employment, and of opportunities to be close to our loved ones and our regular acquaintances, suddenly opened our eyes to horizons that we had long since taken for granted.”
However, Pope Francis stresses, “now is a good time to recover ‘the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world’.”
In a word, he continues, “until we revive our sense of responsibility for our neighbour and for every person, grave economic, financial and political crises will continue.”
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