Watch: Pope Francis’ Shares His Prayer Intention for Volunteer Not-For-Profit Organizations

Pope Francis shared his monthly prayer intention video for December, urging the Faithful to pray for volunteer not-for-profit organizations.

Pope Francis’ Worldwide Prayer Network of the Apostleship of Prayer developed “The Pope Video” initiative in 2016 as a way to spread the Holy Father’s monthly prayer intentions on the challenges humanity faces in a video based format.

For the month of December, Pope Francis shared his prayer intention that we “pray that volunteer non-profit and human development organizations may find people willing to commit themselves to the common good and ceaselessly seek out new paths of international cooperation.”

Pope Francis has accompanied his video with an official prayer so you can pray for his monthly intention:

“Holy Spirit,
who propels the construction of the Kingdom,
animating hearts and strengthening wills,
we give you thanks for those who give themselves
to the most fragile,
faithfully and freely,
as a living proclamation of the tenderness of Jesus Christ.
Send your inspiration and joy to more people
who wish to donate their time and their lives with love
for brothers and sisters in need,
refugees, the sick, the elderly, and children.
May there be an increase in people,
who wish to become closer to their fellow man.
Amen.”

Also accompanied with the Holy Father’s intentions are his attitudes for your daily life during the month of December:

Commitment
“I thank volunteers for what they do and how they do it. Their closeness to men and women in difficulty are a living proclamation of the tenderness of Christ, who walks with humanity in every age.” (Pope Francis).

Are you close to any volunteer work? Do you collaborate with them?

Give Yourself
“A Church that puts on its apron and bends down to serve its brothers and sisters in difficulty” (Pope Francis).

Make a small resolution to help someone in need.

Share
“I encourage you, therefore, to continue your commitment so that creation continues to be a heritage of all, which must be handed down in all its beauty to future generations.” (Pope Francis).

Share your time and your goods with those who need you.

Go out and encounter
“In the face of all this, the disciple of Christ does not take a step back, does not turn his face the other way, but instead seeks to take charge of this part of humanity that suffers, with closeness and evangelical welcome.” (Pope Francis).

Find out about a nearby volunteer organization and its needs.

Cooperate with others
“The collaboration of all, institutions, NGOs and ecclesial communities, is necessary to promote itineraries of harmonious coexistence between diverse people and cultures.” (Pope Francis).

Cultivate a collaborative attitude with people close to you. 

Read below the full prayer intention of Pope Francis, and watch “The Pope Video” for December:

The world needs volunteers and organizations committed to seeking the common good.

Yes, this is a word that many today would like to erase: “commitment.”

And the world needs volunteers who commit to the common good.

Being a volunteer who helps others is a choice that makes us free; it opens us to other people’s needs —to the demands of justice, to the defense of the poor, to the care of creation.

It means being artisans of mercy: with our hands, with our eyes, with an attentive ear, with our closeness.

And being a volunteer means working with the people you serve. Not just for the people, but with the people. Working with the people.

The work of volunteer not-for-profit organizations is much more effective when they collaborate with each other and with governments.

By working together, however few resources they have, they do their best and make the miracle of the multiplication of hope a reality.

We have a great need to multiply hope!

Let us pray that volunteer non-profit and human development organizations may find people willing to commit themselves to the common good and ceaselessly seek out new paths of international cooperation.