BLESSED ARE THE POOR: WORLD DAY OF THE POOR
The last Sunday in Ordinary Time is not so ordinary: it is World Day of the Poor. It’s a time to faithfully consider those living on the margins of our world. Starting in 2017, the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis encouraged the faithful to focus on those in need. This year is the 10th year, and Pope Leo XIV reminds us of the importance of being mindful of all our neighbours, especially those living in poverty of body, mind or spirit. We are being given an opportunity to focus on the poor in this time when many more families and individuals are struggling with the economic realities of today. Changes around the globe are having an impact on young people, seniors, and everyone in between.
When I worked in home care, I visited people in their homes. I continually saw the contrast of the rich and the poor. The social determinants of health were evident. Our health care system and social safety nets help but are not perfect. Poverty leaves sick people more vulnerable and less able to access support. My personal experience with economic realities has also provided some insight. I grew up in a family of 10 and though we might not have always eaten nutritionally well by some standards, we always had enough food. I never felt hungry.
My father, who grew up in Depression era poverty, did experience hunger as a child. As an adult, he worked hard to feed my siblings and me, and through most of his adult life he also worked as a campaign volunteer for Catholic missions. Reflecting on this now, I think those two things are related. He experienced need when he was young and, as an adult, used his good job and steady income in the post-WWII economy and his leadership skills to find ways to help others in need. He was commended late in life by the leaders in his diocese for the decades-long role he played in volunteering for the cause.
My husband tells a story about his father, who also grew up in poverty and faced housing insecurity during the Depression years but was able to become an engineer in a well-paying job. He provided well for his children in the 1950s and 1960s. At one point, he told his children that they didn’t appreciate the many things they had: the nice house, the access to cars, the plentiful and wholesome food, and vacation trips. My husband, then a teenager, agreed that they took it all for granted – and responded, “How could (they) otherwise when it had all been provided so readily?” My father-in-law, too, spent much of his retirement working with a local service club to bring housing to people in places devastated by hurricanes. These two men lived through housing and food insecurity and later became active role models in ways of helping others.
But what about me and my family? We ran a small business and when my five children were growing, there were times when our menu had more beans and rice and less meat. Sometimes we struggled but we had a home, land to plant a garden, cars that worked most of the time, and access to hand-me-downs and thrift stores to keep us clothed and warm in winter. My children never went hungry. Do I or my children have the same motivation to act on the corporal works of mercy? How does this compare to their grandparents?
While I write, I am thinking more about how I support others: I can continue to write letters to our politicians to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves regarding access to health care, for equitable social supports and disability benefits, to push for justice. I can also continue to make donations to charities that support people in need.
But I can’t help but contemplate the words of our Pope, in referring to the blessings of the poor. Maybe I should write less and take action more, maybe act in solidarity and take some time in a soup kitchen and get to know some of these neighbours of mine. If indeed, the poor are blessed, according to the gospel of Matthew, I would like to draw on that grace and maybe become a better version of myself in the process.
Here is a detailed look at the message from Pope Leo XIV: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-06/pope-leo-xiv-message-world-day-of-poor.html
This video of Pope Leo’s November prayer intentions is also worth a few moments of time: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-11/pope-november-prayer-intention-for-the-proper-use-of-wealth.html
Jeanne Lambert combines her experiences as a parish and community nurse and her music ministry, and she continues to find ways to include music in pastoral care and community hospice work. Jeanne has many diverse writings and presentations to her credit on family life, grief, wholistic health care and spiritual reflection.
