November 16. 33rd Sunday of the Year C.  World Day of the Poor.   In his homily Fr Pius highlighted the theme of the day and referred also to the challenges of daily family life and the COP 30 climate conference being held this month.  He began by saying, “Pope Francis so often chooses wisely in commemorating these special days and I am very pleased that Pope Leo is following in his footsteps.” 

Scripture: “For your sakes Christ became poor (cf. 2 Cor 8:9)”  Pope Francis: Jesus’ words are clear: if we want life to triumph over death and dignity to be redeemed from injustice we need to follow Christ’s path of poverty, sharing our lives out of love, breaking the bread of our daily existence with our brothers and sisters, beginning with the least of them, those who lack the very essentials of life. This is the way to create equality, to free the poor from their misery and the rich from their vanity and both from despair. From 6th World Day of the Poor. Pope Leo.  Message for World Day of the Poor 2025.  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. This is true not only of the Church’s charitable work, but also of the message that she celebrates and proclaims. God took on their poverty in order to enrich us through their voices, their stories and their faces. Every form of poverty, without exception, calls us to experience the Gospel concretely and to offer effective signs of hope. As Saint Augustine observed: “You give bread to a hungry person; but it would be better if none were hungry, so that you would have no need to give it away. You clothe the naked, but would that all were clothed and that there be no need for supply this lack” (In I Ioan., 8:5). Jubilee. I ask with all my heart that hope be granted to the billions of the poor, who often lack the essentials of life. We must not close our eyes to the dramatic situations that we now encounter all around us, not only in certain parts of the world. Each day we meet people who are poor or impoverished; they may even be our next-door neighbours. Often they are homeless or lack sufficient food for the day. They suffer from exclusion and indifference on the part of many.SNC15.    Once the Holy Door is closed, we are to cherish and share with others the divine gifts granted us throughout this entire year of prayer, conversion and witness.   Act and Pray for compassionate concern for those suffering loss in their families.