Converting our almsgiving toward the poor

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Come and discover the joy of the Benedictine sisters of La Rochette

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• Pope Leo's exhortation Dilexi te emphasizes the close connection between Christ's love and his call for us to be close to the poor. The centrality of love for the poor is, indeed, at the very heart of the Gospel: "affection toward the Lord is united with that toward the poor." (no. 5) Love for the poor is not an "optional path," but represents "the criterion of true worship."

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• By virtue of this connection, every baptized person is called to commit concretely to defending and promoting the weakest: "It is therefore incumbent upon all members of the People of God to make their voice heard, even in different ways, a voice that awakens, that denounces, that even exposes itself to the risk of being seen as 'fools'." (no. 97)

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• In his exhortation, Pope Leo invites us to contemplate the poverty and precariousness of Jesus, a sign of his bond with his Father (cf no. 20). Jesus's entire life reveals to us a poor Messiah, he presents himself to us as the Messiah of the poor and for the poor.

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• Jesus's existence begins with his birth in poverty, which we will contemplate more particularly during this retreat. In this way our heart will be converted so that we may draw closer to the poor and recognize in them the face of Christ. Proximity to those who have neither power nor greatness is a fundamental way of recognizing God's presence in our history.

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Another opportunity is offered in 2026 to continue meditating on Dilexi te:

• April 18-19, 2026: Welcoming the poor as Christ.

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