At the heart of the message of the VIII World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis reminds us that the prayer of the poor goes up to God. That prayer, full of humility and trust, has a special echo in heaven. As St. Augustine teaches us: “The poor man has nothing to be proud of; the rich man has something to fight against” (Sermon 14, 3.4). This phrase of the saint shows us the way to true humility, which is capable of recognizing itself as needy and, precisely for this reason, capable of opening itself to the infinite love of God.
The privileged place of the poor in God’s heart
The poor have a privileged place in the heart of God. Ben Sirach already announced this in the Old Testament, when he spoke of a God who is impatient to do justice to the oppressed (Ecclesiasticus 35:21-22). St. Augustine, centuries later, reminded us that we are all poor in the eyes of God, no matter how much we possess in this world, because without Him we would be nothing. As Pope Francis tells us: “God knows the sufferings of his children because he is an attentive and caring Father to all. As a Father, he cares for those who need him most: the poor, the marginalized, the suffering, the forgotten” (Message for the 8th World Day of the Poor, 2024).
The prayer of the poor: a cry for hope
The prayer of the poor is not only a cry for material needs, but also an expression of faith and hope. It challenges us all to recognize that we are, in fact, spiritual beggars. 
We need God’s love in order to live, and we also need to learn to see others with the same gaze with which God sees us: a gaze of compassion and love. As Pope Francis reminds us: “Prayer, therefore, finds confirmation of its own authenticity in the charity that becomes encounter and closeness. If prayer is not translated into concrete action, it is in vain; in fact, faith without works ‘is dead’ (James 2:26)” (Message for the Eighth World Day of the Poor, 2024).
Pope Francis’ invitation: sharing the Faith
In his message, Pope Francis invites us to approach the poor, not only to give them something material, but also to share with them the gift of faith. He reminds us that the worst discrimination is the lack of spiritual attention (Message for the VIII World Day of the Poor, 2024). In the poor, we must recognize the face of the suffering Christ, a face that, as Augustine taught, challenges us to act with humility and true love. The Pope also reminds us that “the preferential option for the poor must be translated primarily into privileged and priority religious attention” (Evangelii Gaudium, 200).
A Day to pause, pray and act
The World Day of the Poor is a time to pause, pray and act. Let us learn from the poor their capacity for sincere prayer, their humility to trust in God when they have nothing else to cling to. 
That prayer, which is born of the neediest heart, rises up to heaven like a living flame that illuminates our own spiritual poverty. In this sense, the Pope exhorts us: “We are called in every circumstance to be friends of the poor, following in the footsteps of Jesus, who was the first to show solidarity with the least” (Message for the Eighth World Day of the Poor, 2024).
In the words of St. Augustine: “Be truly poor, be pious, be humble” (Sermon 14, 3.4). Through this Day, God invites us to become beggars of his love, and also to be helping hands and comforting hearts. May Our Lady of the Poor accompany us on this journey, so that, by praying and acting, we can build a more just and fraternal society. Let us also remember the words of Pope Francis in this year’s message: “May prayer, together with concrete action, be the sign of our solidarity and the reflection of God’s love for his most vulnerable children”.