"The prayer of the poor goes up to God". is the theme that Pope Francis is proposing this year for the VIII World Day of the Poor celebrated by the Church on November 17.
The Holy Father will preside at the Eucharist in St. Peter's Basilica on the same day, followed by the traditional meal with some of the poor in the Paul VI Hall.
This journey emerged on November 13, 2016, during the closing of the. Year of Mercy and when the Holy Father was celebrating the Jubilee dedicated to the marginalized. At the end of his homily, he spontaneously expressed a wish: "I would like today to be the Day of the Poor". Since then, this Day has been celebrated around that date.
"They need God and we cannot fail to offer them his friendship, his blessing, his Word, the celebration of the Sacraments and the proposal of a path of growth and maturity in the faith".
Pope Francis Message, VIII World Day of the Poor
In this eighth edition, Francis exhorts us to make the prayer of the poor our own and to pray with them because the lack of spiritual attention is "the worst discrimination suffered by people in situations of exclusion".
The Pope adds that the vast majority of the poor are especially open to the Faith: "they need God and we cannot fail to offer them his friendship, his blessing, his Word, the celebration of the Sacraments and the proposal of a path of growth and maturity in the faith. The preferential option for the poor must be translated primarily into a privileged and priority religious attention".
In his message, the Holy Father also addresses those who suffer poverty and exclusion, reminding them that God does not forget them: "God is attentive to each one of you and is at your side. He does not forget you, nor could he ever do so. We have all had the experience of a prayer that seems to go unanswered. Sometimes we ask to be delivered from a misery that makes us suffer and humiliates us, and it may seem that God does not hear our invocation. But God's silence is not a distraction from our sufferings; rather, it is a word that asks to be heard with trust, abandoning us to him and to his will.
Do not turn our backs on the poorest
The World Day of the Poor invites believers to listen to the prayers of the poor, becoming aware of their presence and their need. Thus, Francis sees this occasion as an opportunity "to carry out initiatives that concretely help the poor, and also to recognize and support so many volunteers who dedicate themselves with passion to those most in need".
The Pope also underlines the work of priests, consecrated men and women, lay men and women who make themselves available to listen to the poorest and who "by their witness give voice to God's answer to the prayers of those who turn to Him."
The promoters of this Day call on the Church to care for and nourish the spirit of the people we accompany through prayer, training or a suggestive reading. They propose to hold prayer meetings in the parish, in shelters or in residences... "Praying together to open windows to God, listening to what inspires us through our brothers and sisters, giving thanks and asking, strengthens fraternity and gives meaning to the mission".
