Pope Francis will preside at Holy Mass on Sunday, November 15 at 10:00 a.m. in St. Peter's Basilica on the occasion of the World Day of the Poor. Established by Pope Francis four years ago, it is intended as a call to react to the throwaway culture, especially with the most disadvantaged.
This IV World Day of the Poor, The theme of the celebration of the Day of the Poor, which will be celebrated in the Church next Sunday, is "Reach out your hand to the poor" - an idea that already appeared in the First Message written by the Holy Father on the occasion of this day: "we are called, therefore, to reach out to the poor, to meet them, to look them in the eye, to embrace them, to make them feel the warmth of love that breaks the circle of loneliness. His hand extended to us is also a call to come out of our certainties and comforts, and to recognize the value of poverty in itself.".
IV World Day of the Poor
In the Message for the Day the Pope wanted to emphasize that reaching out to the poor also means to discover that "Prayer to God and solidarity with the poor and suffering are inseparable. In order to celebrate a worship that is pleasing to the Lord, it is necessary to recognize that every person, even the most destitute and despised, bears the image of God imprinted on him or her.".
In relation to the question of how to mitigate the different situations of moral and material poverty that we encounter daily, the Pope appeals to a special commitment on the part of Christians: "the silent cry of so many poor people must find the people of God in the front line, always and everywhere, to give them a voice, to defend them and to stand in solidarity with them in the face of so much hypocrisy and so many unfulfilled promises, and to invite them to participate in the life of the community"..
The pandemic shows our poverty
The consequences of the coronavirus pandemic are also echoed in the Holy Father's message when he emphasizes that "this moment we are living has put in crisis many certainties. We feel poorer and weaker because we have experienced the sense of limit and the restriction of freedom.". A test amount for the whole society, which can be an occasion of "to feel again that we need each other, that we have a responsibility for each other and for the world." for this reason, "Reach out to the poor" is, therefore, an invitation to responsibility and a direct commitment of all those who feel part of the same destiny."
The Eucharistic celebration in St. Peter's Basilica, to be presided over by Pope Francis next Sunday, will be attended by only 100 people, symbolically representing all the poor of the world who, on this day, are in special need of the attention and solidarity of the Christian community. Volunteers and Benefactors will also participate; and the readings will be proclaimed by some people who are assisted every day by different charitable Associations.
