Spain, India, Laos, Malta, Italy, the Far East…:World Day of the Poor has become an unmissable appointment for every ecclesial community. It is a pastoral occasion that urges all believers and people of good will to listen to the prayers of the poor, becoming aware of their presence and their need, offering concrete signs for a better future.
SPAIN: The Sisters of Charity and the Friends of St Joan Antida try to ‘make the prayer of the poor our own and pray with them’, as sister Myriam from San Sebastian, Spain, tells us: ‘I am reminded of that Sunday afternoon when, with a group of young people, daughters of migrant parents, we approached some shacks, made of plastic and cardboard, praying the rosary. It was home to street people, most of them Romanians. In a city as beautiful as San Sebastian, Spain, it was a shocking discovery for those young women who saw that there are people much poorer than themselves’ and felt as they asked for strength to carry on with the cross of each day and wisdom to be able to help those who continue to arrive in the Basque Country without knowing anyone, without work and without documents.
INDIA: The various communities are determined not to miss this opportunity, as sister Pusha from India tells us:
‘In India, this day is marked by various events organised by government agencies, non-governmental organisations and community groups with the aim of raising awareness and mobilising support for poverty reduction initiatives. The programmes often include educational workshops, discussions, social media campaigns and community service activities, such as food drives and charity events, that bring attention to the challenges faced by impoverished communities and the importance of inclusive social policies.
MALTA: Prayer finds confirmation of its authenticity in charity that becomes encounter and proximity. ‘Without daily prayer lived faithfully, our activity becomes empty, loses its profound soul, is reduced to mere activism’ (Benedict XVI). This is well known by the nursing sisters, as sister Ramona from Malta tells us, who first walk the corridors with their prayer before starting their day.
‘One of the most profound aspects of my nursing experience is to bring the love of Christ into the hospital, through prayer and presence. At first, I am not always able to speak openly about Jesus to a patient who is suffering, especially if they are young. But simply being close to them, listening to them, showing compassion and patience, often opens their hearts to the desire for prayer. There is something deeply sacred about these moments of silence, where love is shared in silence’.
EAST EAST: Many times it is not possible to speak expressly about Jesus, because of the laws of the country. Prayer overcomes all barriers:
‘Every day I pray to sister Augustine for the girl I accompany in her treatment, that I may understand her and give her what she needs,’ sister Lina tells us. Taking care of the ‘little details of love’: knowing how to stop, approach, give a little attention, a smile, a caress, a word of comfort. These gestures are not improvised; rather, they require daily fidelity, almost always hidden and silent, but strengthened by prayer (Message of the Day).
ITALY – The Day of the Poor actively involves all levels of the Italian Church: diocesan, parish, associative…. is the testimony of the community of Prato Smeraldo in Rome. In addition to the poor, volunteers, the boys and girls of the Civil Service, those who attend parishes weekly, even those who are not practising: On the Saturday before the Day of the Poor in more than 12,00 supermarkets the food collection for the Banco Alimentare takes place. Thousands of volunteers invite the hundreds of thousands of people who go shopping to donate a portion of their groceries for people in need: ‘Sharing the needs to share the meaning of life’.
The history of the Food Bank began with the desire to replicate the experience of the ‘Banco dos Alimentos’ in Barcelona, Spain. Like all Food Banks in Europe, united in a Federation, the aim is to coordinate and help organise the recovery of surpluses from the food chain and to distribute food free of charge to Territorial Partner Organisations that take in people and families in difficulty.
LAOS: The eighth International Day of the Poor was also celebrated in Laos on 17 November. It is part of the importance that our communities give daily to assisting the poor in rural areas, villages and towns in Laos.
Sister Phetsamone M. tells us: ‘In our country, Laos, many poor people are in the cities and rural areas, far from the roads. In some areas, families have very poor occupations, such as farming, trading and going to the city and neighbouring countries to support themselves every day.
As far as education is concerned, children and young people in the city have a good education and find good jobs after graduation. Some children in the countryside do not receive higher education and do not finish primary school because their parents are poor. Therefore, at present, children are still illiterate, addicted to games and play too much with mobile phones. Some areas come to study at the Cross Sister Centre, which takes in young children to support both education and vocational studies, so that they can have good careers in the future.
To prepare for 17 November, the Day of the Poor, we prayed for the poor in body and spirit. May this prayer become a channel for us to connect with the poor, to be aware of their suffering and to help them. God loves the poor in a special way, we pray for them to have a job and a good life, for their hearts to be happy and for their faith to be fulfilled in God.
This World Day of the Poor, for communities and religions, is an opportunity to invite everyone to listen to the prayers of the poor to support and help the poor among us to follow the example of St. Jeanne Antide and St. Teresa of Avila who gave their lives for the poor to love and serve the poor all their lives.
