Message of his Holiness Pope Francis
In a message title « The hope of the poor shall not perish for ever » Pope Francis does a closer reading of Psalm 9 and he reaffirms its relevance for today: restoring lost hope in the face of injustice, sufferings and the uncertainties of life.
Frequently judged parasites on society, the poor are not even forgiven their poverty. Verse 11 of psalm 9 offers us a real definition of the poor: he his the one who “put their trust in the Lord”.
The poor in the certainty that he will never be forsaken it simply expresses the grandeur of God, as shown in the way he relates to the poor.
Referring to late Jean Vanier, Pope Francis calls him « one of those saints “next door” » and reminds us that hope is also communicated by the sense of fulfilment. The poor acquire genuine hope, not from seeing us gratified by giving them a few moments of our time, but from recognizing in our sacrifice an act of gratuitous love that seeks no reward.
This message is really a call for conversion: discover their inner goodness, paying heed to their background and their way of expressing themselves, and in this way to initiate a true fraternal dialogue.
At times, very little is needed to restore hope. It is enough to stop for a moment, smile and listen.
