Pope Francis asks a telling question… “when you give alms do you look in the eyes of the people you give them to?”“… the important thing is not looking at them from afar, or helping from afar. No, no! It is going to encounter them. This is the Christian! This is what Jesus taught: to go meet the most needy,” the Pope said in his Aug. 7 Spanish-language message.
Pope Francis asks people about giving to the poor.
“Do you give alms?
“They tell me, ‘Yes, Father.’
“And when you give alms do you look in the eyes of the people you give them to?
‘Oh, I don’t know, I don’t notice.’
“Look, he has not met the people. He threw the alms and left. When he gives the alms, does his hand touch (the hand of the poor) or does he toss the coin?”
“No, you throw the coin. And you have not touched, and if you did not touch him, you did not meet him.”
“Your heart, when you meet those most in need, will begin to grow, grow, grow! Because the meeting multiplies our capacity to love. The encounter with the other enlarges the heart. ”
What do you notice when you see a picture of Francis encountering people?
With this in mind think about the pictures of Pope Francis that have struck you most. Share what stands out.
Perhaps you will see another similarity between the Pope and Vincent who always saws the other side of the scarred coin.
Tags: Almsgiving, Eyes, Pope Francis
