Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr
In his historic encyclical Laudato sí, Pope Francis exhorted Catholics and all people of good will worldwide to “integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” (49).
Pope Leo XIV has spoken out often and clearly about how Catholic social teaching asks us to treat immigrants and migrants. He has called for humane treatment, respect for each person’s dignity, and legal due process. During a visit to Spain, he declared that “human dignity has no passport and does not lose its value when crossing a border.”
Back in 2007, Pope Benedict XVI wrote in the apostolic exhortation Sacramentum Caritas that the Eucharist cannot be isolated from the real-world demands of justice and love for the poor. “The Lord Jesus, the bread of eternal life, spurs us to be mindful of the situations of extreme poverty in which a great part of humanity still lives,” wrote the Pope (90).
These popes echo the exhortations of the Old Testament prophets and our psalmist today (Psalm 146). For he lifts up the Lord who brings “justice for the oppressed,” gives food to the “hungry,” sets “captives free,” gives sight to the “blind,” raises up those “bowed down,” protects “strangers,” sustains the “fatherless and the widow.”
Yet, how and when does that happen in real time? Only when you, I, and countless others are the eyes, the hands, the feet, the heart, the love, and the compassion of the Lord. Imagine that in those moments of feeling, touching, holding, visiting, and being with the chaos, pain, desperation, and difficulties of another human being, we evoke “the tender glance of God”, writes Greg Boyle SJ.
Let Us Pray:
Father and Creator, show us your face reflected in the faces of our brothers and sisters, especially the least, the most vulnerable, the defenseless, and those in need. In refugee families fleeing violence or war, show us your face. In those suffering from hunger, show us your face. In all faces, we know that your divine image is reflected. Help us to recognize always that image. Help us to work together to protect the dignity of all people — each one created in your image. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. (Catholic Relief Services Prayer)
