Pope Francis: Faith is measured by one’s treatment of the poor

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Catholic News Agency

Pope Francis: Faith is measured by one’s treatment of the poor

The love with which individuals and communities treat the poor, the weak, and the hungry, is the best measure of faith, Pope Francis said in his Angelus address Sunday.

ā€œFaced with the cry of hunger — all sorts of ā€˜hungerā€™ — of so many brothers and sisters in every part of the world, we cannot remain detached and calm spectators,ā€ the pope said July 29.

ā€œThe proclamation of Christ, bread of eternal life, requires a generous commitment of solidarity for the poor, the weak, the least important, the defenseless. This action of proximity and charity is the best verification of the quality of our faith, both on a personal level and on a community level.ā€

Reflecting on the dayā€™s Gospel of the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes, the pope said that though Jesus gave everything for us, even his life, ā€œhe certainly did this too: he took care of the food for the body.ā€

Jesusā€™ multiplication of the loaves and fishes ā€œsprings from a concrete factā€¦ People are hungry, and Jesus involves his disciples so that this hunger is satisfied.ā€

ā€œAnd we, his disciples, cannot fake anything,ā€ he continued. ā€œOnly by listening to the simplest demands of the people and by standing next to their concrete existential situations can one be heard when one speaks of higher values.ā€

The pope also pointed to the moment after Jesus performed the miracle and everyone ate until they were satisfied, when he directed his disciples to collect the leftover food, so it would not be wasted.

Speaking off-the-cuff, Francis asked those present to make an examination of their consciences, thinking about how much food they waste every day, throwing it away instead of putting it to good use.

ā€œAt home, what do you do with left-over food? Do you throw it away?ā€ he asked, according to a Catholic News Agency report. ā€œNever throw away left-over food. Reuse it or give it to those who can eat it, to those who need it.ā€

He also told Catholics to reflect on the image of the ā€œbrave young man who gives the little he has to feed a great multitude,ā€ offering Jesus his five barley loaves and two fish: ā€œThis boy makes us thinkā€¦ That courageā€¦ Young people are like that, they have courage. We must help them carry on this courage.ā€

ā€œGodā€™s love for humanity hungry for bread, for freedom, for justice, for peace, and above all for his divine grace, never fails,ā€ he said. Jesus continues to feed his people, making himself a living presence, ā€œthrough us.ā€

The Gospel invites Catholics to be ā€œavailable and industrious,ā€ like the boy who gave Jesus his loaves and fishes to be shared.

ā€œLet us pray to the Virgin Mary, so the programs dedicated to development, food, solidarity prevail in the world,ā€ he said.