On the 2023 World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis addressed the issue of rising youth suicides, highlighting the spiritual impoverishment pervading modern society.
“An increasingly evident form of poverty that affects young people,” the Pope called it, expressing his concern about the damaging narratives that often tag our youth as “losers,” thereby fuelling their self-doubt.
He called for a collective effort to help these individuals develop into confident, compassionate adults.
Francis criticized the frantic pace of our culture, which often neglects the necessity of caring for others, thus perpetuating a culture of indifference.
He urged Christians to engage personally in acts of charity, echoing Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan: “Who is my neighbor?”
Particularly worried about the youth’s susceptibility to societal shifts, the Pope noted a worrying trend: “We exalt physical qualities as if they were the primary goal in life.”
These changes often sideline the needs of the impoverished, their pleas falling on deaf ears amidst the clamor for affluence.
The theme for this year’s World Day of the Poor, an initiative founded by Pope Francis himself in 2016, is “Do not turn your face away from anyone who is poor,” a quote from the Book of Tobit.
He underscored the harsh impact of rising costs on families, forcing them into heartbreaking choices between food and healthcare.
The pontiff’s message also addressed the harsh realities of the modern workforce: exploitative wages, job insecurity, and hazardous workplaces that prioritize profit over human safety.
As St. John Paul II rightly stated, “the primary basis of the value of work is man himself.”
Advocating for more than sporadic assistance to the poor, Francis underscored the need for “reestablishing the just interpersonal relationships that poverty harms.”
Quoting St. Thérèse of Lisieux, he emphasized that charity should not be hidden but serve as a guiding light for all: “No one lights a candle to put it under a bushel basket, but puts it on a candlestand, so that it can give light to everyone in the house.”
Text credit: Vatican website
