When I give food to the hungry they call me a saint but when I ask why they are poor, they call me a Communist,” is the famous quote of the late Brazilian Archbishop Helder Camara, known for his work for human rights among the poor. Since Jesus himself was born in a stable and lived a life of an itinerant preacher owning nothing and emphasising on God’s love specially for the poor, the Church has been always on the side of the poor.
Pope Francis, having chosen the name of a saint who had renounced his wealth and served the poor, has been trying ever since he was elected the Pope, to raise the bar of rendering service to the poor. To this end last year he announced a certain Sunday in second half of November to be observed as the “World Day of the Poor”.
Though Pope Francis has made history by doing extraordinary things for the poor, on the first “World Day of the Poor” last Sunday November 19, he invited several hundred poor of Rome to lunch with him at the Vatican. Following his example, many Church institutions around the globe did additional charitable acts.
While announcing the “World Day of the Poor” to be observed henceforth every year, Pope based his message on the words of the Bible, “Let us love not with words but with deeds.” Saddened by the situation of the poor in the world, Pope Francis concerned himself not only with material poverty. “Tragically, in our own time, even as ostentatious wealth accumulates in the hands of the privileged few, often in connection with illegal activities and the appalling exploitation of human dignity, there is a scandalous growth of poverty in broad sectors of society throughout our world… There is a poverty that stifles the spirit of initiative of so many young people by keeping them from finding work. There is a poverty that dulls the sense of personal responsibility and leaves others to do the work while we go looking for favours.
There is a poverty that poisons the wells of participation and allows little room for professionalism… To all these forms of poverty we must respond with a new vision of life and society,” he exclaimed.
The teachings of Jesus Christ clearly state that entry into heaven is reserved only for those who have fed the hungry, quenched the thirsty, clothed the naked, sheltered the homeless, cared for the sick and visited those in prison.
The question is whether despite a global call to care for the poor, will the world, will you and I, actually stretch our hands out to share from our abundance and stand by those who grind in extreme poverty and who can be found in our own neighbourhoods?
