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Pope Francis celebrates Mass to mark World Day of the Poor and urges Christians to spend our lives in prayer, charity, and witness to the Gospel on behalf of those in need.
November 16, 2020
By Devin Watkins
World Day of the Poor was instituted in 2016 by Pope Francis and is celebrated annually on the 33rd Sunday in ordinary time.
This year’s occurrence marks its fourth iteration, and is observed under the theme: “Extend your hand to the poor.”
Celebrating Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday for the occasion, Pope Francis reflected on the Gospel of the day (Mt 25, 14-30), in which Jesus tells a parable about a teacher who entrusts his servants talents distributed according to their ability. .
The Pope said that the parable sheds light on the beginning, the center and the end of our own lives.
Principle: confident with talents
“It all starts with a great good. “
Our lives, the Pope said, began with God’s grace, at which time each of us was entrusted with different talents.
“We have great wealth that depends not on what we possess but on what we are: the life we have received, the good that is in us, the indelible beauty that God has given us by making us in his image.”
‘If only…’
Pope Francis also warned against the temptation to see only what we lack in life, such as a better job or more money.
“If only” are illusory words, he said, that prevent us from appreciating our talents and making good use of them.
“The Lord,” he said, “asks us to make the most of the present moment, not longing for the past, but diligently awaiting its return.”
Center: Lives of Service
Pope Francis went on to reflect on the center of the parable and our lives: “The work of servants, which is Service. “
He said service is what makes our talents bear fruit and gives meaning to our lives. “Those who do not live to serve serve little in this life.”
The Pope said the Gospel makes it clear that faithful servants must take risks.
By not holding on to what they have, good servants make good use of their talents and are not fearful or overly cautious.
“Because if the good is not invested, it is lost, and the greatness of our life is not measured by how much we save but by the fruit we bear.”
He said that a life focused on accumulating possessions rather than doing good is empty. “The reason why to have gifts is so we can be gifts.”
Poor bankers
“So how do we serve, how God wants us to serve?” asked Pope Francis.
According to Jesus’ parable, the master tells the unfaithful servant who buried his talent that he should have invested his money with the “bankers” to earn interest.
Those bankers, the Pope said, are the poor.
“The poor guarantee us an eternal income,” he said. “Even now they help us to be rich in love. Because the worst type of poverty that must be fought is our poverty of love ”.
The Holy Father added that Christians can multiply our talents simply by reaching out to the poor, instead of demanding what we lack.
End: Success versus love
Pope Francis then reflected on what Jesus’ parable tells us about the end of our own lives.
When our lives are over and the truth is revealed, he said, “the pretense of this world will fade, with its idea that success, power and money give meaning to life, while love, the love we have given , it will reveal itself as true wealth. “
“If we don’t want to live life poorly,” he said, “let us ask for the grace to see Jesus in the poor, to serve Jesus in the poor.”
A recent example of selfless service
Finally, Pope Francis recalled an Italian priest who was murdered two months ago while serving the poor.
Fr. Roberto Malgesini was murdered in his parish of Saint Roch (Rocco) in the Italian city of Como. The man who killed him was allegedly a Tunisian migrant with mental problems, whom Fr. Roberto had been helping.
“This priest was not interested in theories,” Pope Francis said. “He simply saw Jesus in the poor and found meaning in life by serving them. He dried their tears with his tenderness, in the name of God who consoles them ”.
The Pope concluded his homily by raising Fr. Roberto as an example of a faithful servant whose life was centered on the poor.
“The starting of his day was prayer, to receive the gifts of God. the center His day was charity, making the love he had received bear fruit. the finish it was his clear testimony of the Gospel. “––Vatican News
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