The Jubilee of the Poor is an opportunity for us to renew and deepen our commitment to accompany those who are poor in their struggle for justice. Through our celebration of the Jubilee, we are reminded that poor people are powerful teachers of God’s truth.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus
You came to bring good news to those who are poor;
you were sent to proclaim liberty to the captives,
recovery of sight to the blind,
and freedom for the oppressed.
Help us to love those who are poor as you loved them.
May we be eager to learn from them
and to work with them for a new heaven and a new earth.
Fill us with hope for the coming of your reign of justice.
Amen.
TEACHING
From the Message of Pope Leo XIV for the Ninth World Day of the Poor (2025):
“2. The poor can be witnesses to a strong and steadfast hope, precisely because they embody it in the midst of uncertainty, poverty, instability and marginalization…
“3. …As Pope Francis wrote in Evangelii Gaudium: “The worst discrimination which the poor suffer is the lack of spiritual care. The great majority of the poor have a special openness to the faith; they need God and we must not fail to offer them his friendship, his blessing, his word, the celebration of the sacraments and a journey of growth and maturity in the faith” (No. 2000).
“This is a rule of faith and the secret of hope: all this earth’s goods, material realities, worldly pleasures, economic prosperity, however important, cannot bring happiness to our hearts.
“4. The city of God, therefore, impels us to improve the cities of men and women. Our own cities must begin to resemble his. Hope, sustained by God’s love poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (cf. Rom 5:5), turns human hearts into fertile soil where charity for the life of the world can blossom.
“5. The poor are not a distraction for the Church, but our beloved brothers and sisters, for by their lives, their words and their wisdom, they put us in contact with the truth of the Gospel. The celebration of the World Day of the Poor is meant to remind our communities that the poor are at the heart of all our pastoral activity.
“6. …The poor are not recipients of our pastoral care, but creative subjects who challenge us to find novel ways of living out the Gospel today. In the face of new forms of impoverishment, we can risk becoming hardened and resigned. Each day we encounter poor or impoverished people. We too may have less than before and are losing what once seemed secure: a home, sufficient food for each day, access to healthcare and a good education, information, religious freedom and freedom of expression.
“In this promotion of the common good, our social responsibility is grounded in God’s creative act, which gives everyone a share in the goods of the earth. Like those goods, the fruits of human labour should be equally accessible to all. Helping the poor is a matter of justice before a question of charity.
“It is my hope, then, that this Jubilee Year will encourage the development of policies aimed at combatting forms of poverty both old and new, as well as implementing new initiatives to support and assist the poorest of the poor. Labor, education, housing and health are the foundations of a security that will never be attained by the use of arms.
TESTIMONY
Our Lady’s Nurses for the Poor extend practical care to all who seek help, without discrimination and in the spirit of the Good Samaritan of the Gospel.
For two-thirds of its 60-year history in Newcastle, the softly-spoken Sr Margaret-Mary Birgan has been the public face of Our Lady’s Nurses for the Poor in the proud industrial city, north of Sydney.
Inspired by the co-founder of the order and Australia’s saint-in-waiting, Eileen O’Connor, Sr Margaret-Mary has spent close to 40 years caring for generations of sick and poor Novocastrians through not only nursing care in their homes, but delivering thousands of food parcels and financial help as well.
“As Eileen constantly reminded us, when we go into people’s private homes to help them, their homes are really their castles and so you always treated your patients with great respect”, Sr Margaret-Mary explained. “I hope I’ve given a bit of hope, comfort and support and enabled people to have food on their table, money in their purse, to get to the hospital, to get to the doctors when they have to.
“To this day I probably do at least 2000 visits to local homes here every year and just last Christmas, I gave out financial help to around 30 people.”
– Sr Margaret-Mary Birgan, Our Lady’s Nurses for the Poor (From The Catholic Weekly).
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
For those in Australia and throughout the world who are poor, that we may never fail to offer them God’s love, friendship, blessing and word.
We pray to the Lord.
For Christians everywhere, that we may accompany those who are poor in their struggle for dignity and justice, and work to provide for the needs of those who are regarded as the least and who have the least.
We pray to the Lord.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Pope Francis’ Messages – World Day of the Poor
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