Here and Now with Francis 7/12/16 (Christ, poor, poverty, neighbor, prayer, mercy, conversion, hardship)

“The poor are the treasure of the Church.”
Abstract theories lead us to ideologies and ideologies lead us to deny that God became flesh, he became one of us! It is a life shared with the poor that transforms and converts us.

From an address to poor pilgrims

Since Jesus wanted to share in your condition, out of love he became one of you: despised by men, forgotten, one who does not count for much. When you happen to experience all of this, do not forget that Jesus also experienced it like you. It is proof that you are precious in his eyes, and that he is near to you. You are in the heart of the Church, as Father Giuseppe Wresinski said, because Jesus, in his life, always gave priority to people who were like you, who lived similar situations. And the Church, who loves and prefers what Jesus loved and preferred, cannot rest until she has reached all those who experience rejection, exclusion, and feel that they do not matter to anyone. In the heart of the Church, you allow us to meet Jesus, because you speak to us about him, not so much with words, but with your whole life. And you bear witness to the importance of the small gestures, within everyone’s reach, that help to build peace, reminding us that we are brothers and sisters, and that God is the Father of us all....And, lastly, I would like to ask you for a favour, more than a favour. I should like, to give you a mission: a mission that you alone, in your poverty, will be able to carry out....He [Jesus] said: “Woe!”. He said it to the rich, the well sated, those who laugh now, those who enjoy flattery, and hypocrites. I give you the mission to pray for them, that the Lord may change their hearts. I ask you also to pray for the perpetrators of your poverty, that they may convert! Pray for the many wealthy people who dress in purple and fine linen and celebrate with large banquets, without realizing that there are many people like Lazarus at their door, eager to be fed the leftovers from their table. Pray also for the priests, the Levites, who — upon seeing the man beaten and left for dead — pass him by, looking the other way, because they have no compassion. [full text]