Ninth World Day of the Poor sounds a call to action -- yet again
- nhaught
- Nov 11
- 3 min read
One of the most disturbing lines in the Bible – and there are many – is Matthew 26:11a. Jesus is speaking, “‘For you will always have the poor with you.” His words sound almost resigned. Poverty is a fact of life, he seems to be saying. And for centuries, human history has proved the truth of his remarks.
Now in that same chapter, Jesus does go on to remind his listeners that while they will encounter poverty all around them, he, himself, expects his followers to care for the poor – right then and for all the years to come.
But we live in an age when some Christians seem to think that the inevitability of poverty makes it impossible to eradicate. Now it may be that Jesus, with his divine insight, knew he would often be misunderstood. Which happens easily if a Christian has not read large chunks of the Bible – from both the Old and New Testaments. The prophets of the Hebrew Bible, Jesus himself and many of the New Testament letters remind believers over and over to care for the poor. Whether or not, in someone’s judgment, the poor have brought this on themselves; they need to get a job, a second job or a better paying one; whether or not they look like the speaker, or share a national or religious heritage, or a common language; whether or not they have their own relatives who should help them out or even if the speaker doesn't recognize the contributions that even the most lowly make to the wider community. Since Jesus urged his followers to care for the poor, people have found it easier to split hairs.
But the Catholic Church has declared that Sunday, Nov. 16, is the Ninth World Day of the Poor. In remarks prepared for that special day, Pope Leo XIV calls the church again to what he considers the central teaching of Jesus.
“The poor are not a distraction for the Church,” he writes. They are “our beloved brothers and sisters, for by their lives, their words and their wisdom, they put us in contact with the truth of the Gospel. The celebration of the World Day of the Poor is meant to remind our communities that the poor are at the heart of all our pastoral activity.”
For sundry reasons, the modern world has created new kinds of poverty, he continues. “We can risk becoming hardened and resigned. Each day we encounter poor or impoverished people. We too may have less than before and are losing what once seemed secure: a home, sufficient food for each day, access to healthcare and a good education, information, religious freedom and freedom of expression.”
But everyone is entitled to “a share in the goods of the earth,” the pope writes. “Like those goods, the fruits of human labor should be equally accessible to all. Helping the poor is a matter of justice before a question of charity. As Saint Augustine observed: ‘You give bread to a hungry person; but it would be better if none were hungry, so that you would have no need to give it away.’”
On this Ninth World Day of the Poor, we as Catholics and all who aspire to be followers of Jesus, must resist the idea that poverty is inevitable. We must work harder to eliminate it altogether, embracing and living out this core value of Christ.
– Nancy Haught
