Connect Christ’s Love and Care for the Poor This Lent
“…I share the desire of my beloved predecessor that all Christians come to appreciate the close connection between Christ’s love and his summons to care for the poor.”
Dilexi Te, Pope Leo XIV’s first Apostolic Exhortation, was issued on October 4, 2025, the Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi. His predecessor, Pope Francis, had been preparing the document, on the Church’s care for the poor, in his final months of life. Pope Leo writes, “I am happy to make this document my own — adding some reflections — and to issue it at the beginning of my own pontificate, since I share the desire of my beloved predecessor that all Christians come to appreciate the close connection between Christ’s love and his summons to care for the poor.”
Excerpts from Dilexi Te (“I Have Loved You”) are being offered for reflection during the season of Lent:
5. Love for the Lord, then, is one with love for the poor. The same Jesus who tells us, “The poor you will always have with you” (Mt 26:11), also promises the disciples: “I am with you always” (Mt 28:20). We likewise think of his saying: “Just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). This is not a matter of mere human kindness but a revelation: contact with those who are lowly and powerless is a fundamental way of encountering the Lord of history…
Jesus, help us to understand that when we serve our poor brothers and sisters, we also serve you.
Gifts that Keep Giving
This week’s brief excerpt from Dilexi Te (“I Have Loved You”), Pope Leo XIV’s first Apostolic Exhortation, shows us that the Lord blesses those that give to the poor. The citations from Sacred Scripture remind everyone that Lent is a perfect time for spiritual reading and reflection.
(33) …The word of God reminds those of us not normally prone to benevolent and disinterested gestures, that generosity to the poor actually benefits those who exercise it: God has a special love for them. In fact, the Bible is full of promises addressed to those who give generously to others: “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and will be repaid in full” (Prov 19:17). “Give, and it will be given to you...for the measure you give will be the measure you get back” (Lk 6:38).
Jesus, teach us to humbly accept the gifts we receive from our service with the poor and neglected.
The Saint Who Embraced Poverty
St. Francis of Assisi was born into a wealthy Italian family before his captivity as a prisoner of war and a serious illness led to a profound spiritual conversion. He later founded the Franciscan order and dedicated his life as a humble friar to serving the poor. This year marks the 800th anniversary of his death.
64. Saint Francis of Assisi became the icon of this spiritual springtime. By embracing poverty, he wanted to imitate Christ, who was poor, naked and crucified. In his Rule, he asks that “the brothers should not appropriate anything, neither house, nor place, nor anything else. And as pilgrims and strangers in this world, serving the Lord in poverty and humility, they should go about begging with confidence, and should not be ashamed, because the Lord made himself poor for us in this world.”
Jesus, let us learn from the example of Saint Francis of Assisi who emptied himself in service to the poor.
Today’s Good Samaritans
During Lent, Catholic Charities of Long Island is briefly reflecting on excerpts from Pope Leo XIV’s first Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te (“I Have Loved You”), on love for the poor. This latest excerpt draws on Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan.
106. It is important for us to realize that the story of the Good Samaritan remains timely even today. “If I encounter a person sleeping outdoors on a cold night, I can view him or her as an annoyance, an idler, an obstacle in my path, a troubling sight, a problem for politicians to sort out, or even a piece of refuse cluttering a public space. Or I can respond with faith and charity, and see in this person a human being with a dignity identical to my own, a creature infinitely loved by the Father, an image of God, a brother or sister redeemed by Jesus Christ…”
Jesus, bless us with faith and charity so we may serve those in need that we encounter in our daily travels.