World Day of the Poor: To Cry, to Answer, to Free

The message of Pope Francis (available here) for the second commemoration of the World Day of the Poor begins:  

"'This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him'" (Ps 34:6).  The words of the Psalmist become our own whenever we are called to encounter the different conditions of suffering and marginalization experienced by so many of our brothers and sisters whom we are accustomed to label generically as "the poor."  The Psalmist is not alien to suffering; quite the contrary.  He has a direct experience of poverty and yet transforms it into a song of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.  Psalm 34 allows us today, surrounded as we are by different forms of poverty, to know those who are truly poor.  It enables us to open our eyes to them, to hear their cry and to recognize their needs."

Continuing his message, Pope Francis considers the importance of the three verbs that describe the poor man in his relationship with God -- "to cry," "to answer" and "to free."  He concludes the message:  "Let us not squander this grace-filled opportunity.  On this day, may all of us feel that we are in debt to the poor, because, in hands outstretched to one another, a salvific encounter can take place to strengthen our faith, inspire our charity and enable our hope to advance securely on our path towards the Lord who is to come."

Catholic Relief Services has provided resources for the World Day of the Poor (available here).  These resources include advocating on behalf of those who live in poverty, raising money for the poorest and most vulnerable and praying for global solidarity.