The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. Lk 4:18
In last week’s bulletin, I began a series of reflections on the first Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Leo XIV, Dilexi Te (I Have Loved You), which offers pastoral guidance on Christ’s love and his summons to care for the poor. The second chapter of the exhortation is titled God Chooses the Poor.
In this chapter, Pope Leo illustrates that in his mission and ministry, Jesus Christ shows a preference for the poor. Born in the starkness of a stable and dying in naked humiliation on the cross, Christ’s life is marked by a sharing in the radical poverty of human life and death. It is from this understanding, he says, that the church developed its theological understanding of God’s preferential option for the poor. The Holy Father writes that “This ‘preference’ never indicates exclusivity or discrimination toward other groups, which would be impossible for God.” Instead, he states, “It is meant to emphasize God’s actions, which are moved by compassion toward the poverty and weakness of all humanity.” At the beginning of his public ministry in Luke’s gospel, Jesus reads the above quote from the prophet Isaiah, applying the prophet’s words to himself, “as the One who, in the here and now of history, comes to bring about God’s loving closeness.”
Throughout this chapter, Pope Leo shows that God’s concern for the poor is not new; it runs throughout Scripture. In the Old Testament, God hears and responds to the cries of the oppressed through prophets who call Israel to justice and mercy. We are familiar with the words of Psalm 34, that God not only hears the cry of the poor but intervenes for them through his prophets. The poor are repeatedly shown as central to God’s covenant people.
What Jesus inaugurates in his mission to and with the poor is a fulfillment of what God has been doing throughout salvation history. In his preaching and teaching, we see Jesus overturning the popular notion that the sickness and poverty were due to personal sin and are, therefore, cast aside by God. Pope Leo writes that the opposite is true. Jesus teaches, “One cannot love God without extending one’s love to the poor. Love for our neighbor is tangible proof of the authenticity of our love for God.”
I urge you to read this chapter of the Pope’s exhortation for yourself, so that you might reflect on the ways in which the Holy Father shows how God’s love was profoundly revealed in Christ’s poverty and his solidarity with the poor. I find that Pope Leo’s guidance, in helping us to see Christ’s choice of the poor, makes it clear that loving the poor is not an optional social program but intrinsically tied to the Gospel and the nature of Christian life. You can find Dilexi Ti on the Vatican website, www.vatican.va.
This week, I invite you to reflect on the following questions:
What does it mean that God chose poverty? How does the Incarnation – God entering the world in humility and weakness – challenge my understanding of power, success, and what it means to live faithfully?
Who are “the poor” in my context? Who around me experiences exclusion, vulnerability, or a lack of dignity, and how is God inviting me and my community to stand in solidarity with them?
How does this chapter shape the Church I help build? In what ways do my parish, ministry, or personal choices reflect the Church’s identity as one that belongs with and to the poor, not just one that serves them?
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK – Catholic Education continues to be an essential mission of our parish. It is particularly important that our young people are taught to live a life formed by the Gospel and strengthened by the sacraments. This week we celebrate how that mission is fulfilled through the leadership of St. Rose of Lima Principal, Mr. Brian Jensen, and the dedicated efforts of teachers, staff, and parents.
The mission is made possible, however, because of the shared commitment that all of us have to the formation of our children. I am very proud of not only the success our parish has had in the work of Catholic education, but in the successes of our children who thrive because of the care and attention that this parish has given to Catholic schools and education in faith. Every member of our parish contributes to the mission of our school through your financial and prayerful support. On behalf of our school community, I thank the greater parish community for your generous and prayerful support of our school.
Peace!
