World Day of The Poor

The poor you will always have with you

“The poor you will always have with you” (Mk 14:7). This is a summons never to lose sight of every opportunity to do good. Behind it, we can glimpse the ancient biblical command: “If one of your brothers and sisters… is in need, you shall not harden your heart nor close your hand to them in their need. Instead, you shall open your hand to them and freely lend them enough to meet their need… When you give to them, give freely and not with ill will; for the Lord, your God, will bless you for this in all your works and undertakings. For the needy will never be lacking in the land…” (Deut 15:7-8, 10-11).  In a similar vein, the Apostle Paul urged the Christians of his communities to come to the aid of the poor of the first community of Jerusalem and to do so “without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7). It is not a question of easing our conscience by giving alms, but of opposing the culture of indifference and injustice we have created with regard to the poor.

(Pope Francis, 13 June 2021).

This November 14th, the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul invites you to join us in the celebration of the 5th World Day of the Poor. The SSVP annual collection will be at Nativity of Our Lord on the weekend of December 11th and 12th. We pray that this celebration will inspire us to always have the poor with us.