In the Catholic liturgy, Divine Praises are recited during the Adoration cum Benediction service. They begin with ‘Blessed be God’ and end with ‘Blessed be God in his Angels and in his Saints.’ These doctrinally rich statements refer to God, to Jesus Christ, to the Blessed Mother, to St Joseph, etc. Imagine that one more line is added, focused on the poor, something like ‘Blessed be Jesus among the Poor,’ and that it comes immediately after ‘Blessed be Jesus in the most holy Sacrament of the altar’!
Suppose that such a suggestion came from a theologian or a mystic who promotes human dignity and human rights. Several Catholics including those at the Vatican would have objected. However, as a matter of fact, this line is a part of the Divine Praises and is recited daily and globally during the Adoration conducted at the Missionaries of Charity Houses. By now, you must be wondering about this courageous person who drafted the line and ensured that it is recited. It is Mother Teresa. Among those who live on this side of the history line, who would have known the poor better than Mother Teresa? More than most others, she spent many hours a day both holding the poor in her arms and negotiating with God and the poor in her soul in front of the Blessed Sacrament. A thought that moved Mother Tereasaeventually turned into a prayer.
While caring for the poor, as a work of mercy, was at the heart of the Church’s ministry from the beginning, theological reflections on poverty emerged later. More than other eras, developments of the twentieth century opened our eyes to the extent to which poverty keeps millions under its clutches and to the historical and structural injustices that have been primarily responsible for this state of affairs. Many in the Church, including the clergy and religious, respond in one of the following ways: a) initiate charitable activities that provide the needs for the poor and the destitute, b) take up developmental activities (including housing, education and healthcare) among the poor with a view to enable them to move out of poverty, and c) empower the poor so that they will be able to develop their voice. To carry these out, one needs deep faith and tremendous dedication.
It is only in the last hundred years, and even more so after the Second Vatican Council, that the link between faith and justice has been firmly established. What aided this process was a better understanding of how poorly the goods and resources (created by God for the wellbeing of all) are distrusted among the people, how wealth is created and distributed in the world, how capitalism privileges some at the expense of others, how some nations continue to be poor while possessing natural resources in abundance,etc. Theologically, a greater understating of human dignity and equality, of justice and rights, has enriched our understanding of faith. Consequently, a ‘faith that does justice’ is better understood today than it has been in the past. In light of these ‘revelatory’ insights, it became clear that an authentic Christian cannot be a part of a social structure that promotes and perpetuates inequalities and injustices. Genuine Christian spirituality cannot allow a disciple to uphold and accept evils such as patriarchy, racism and all other life-negating views. Holding onto faith and yet accommodating evil practices exposes the shallowness of this type of faith.
Many Christians, while claiming that promotion of dignity and rights is a worthy cause, separate faith from justice. Several popes, including John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and very specially Francis, have insisted that working for the overall wellbeing of the poor—upholding and promoting human dignity and human rights—is integral to our understanding of faith. Exposing several evils in the world that ignore and marginalize the poor, the popes insist that any understanding of faith that excludes the poor is not true faith.
Biblical scholars point out that the poor have been always closer to God, and God hears their cry and mandates.Looking after the poor, the anawim, and working for justice is mandatory. Several Gospel accounts illustrate how close Jesus was to the poor and how his life and teachings brought good news to the poor. As a result, there is no way to imagine or understand Christianity outside of the poor. While actual poverty, and certainly destitution, must be overcome, poverty as a spiritual value will be appreciated and embraced by those who love to imitate the Lord.
Pope Leo, through formal documents, speeches, messages and homilies, is making it abundantly clear that the poor will be an indispensable reference point to our self-understanding, to our understanding of the Church and its mission. This reflection emerges not merely from the earlier popes or from the Second Vatican Council but also from the scriptures, and especially from the story of Jesus that God shared with humanity.
In a world today where most Catholics live outside Europe (for instance, in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Congo, the Philippines), it is time to reconfigure who we are as God’s people, what we owe to each other and how we shall become more accountable and responsible. As Karl Rahner desired and predicted, the Church has finally become a ‘Catholic’ Church – truly universal, in a way, after two thousand years. The world has never had as many Catholics (1.4 billion Catholics in 2023, as per Annuarium 2025) as we have now. At a time when millions, Christians and others, are still struggling with poverty, any other way to define and understand the Church, apart from the poor, is improper.
Mother Teresa was able to see Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament as well as among the poor. As Jon Sobrino reminded, Jesus continues to suffer and struggle in the crucified people, in the poor and in the migrants, in the abandoned and the forgotten. The Eucharistic Lord that the faithful receive and adore reminds us of God’s presence among the poor. Pope Leo has given direction to the Church, and this direction ushers in a new springtime, to minister to the Lord’s poor.