At the moment of his election, Pope Francis received a simple but piercing exhortation. Cardinal Claudio Hummes leaned toward him and said, “Do not forget the poor.”
Those words stayed with Jorge Mario Bergoglio. They shaped not only the choosing of his papal name — Francis — but also the direction of his papacy. Repeatedly, he pointed back to that moment as a reminder of something essential: Care for the poor is not an optional dimension of Christianity. It lies at its very heart.
From the beginning, the Church has understood this. The earliest catechesis did not separate love of God from love of the poor. The Christian life was never merely about belief — it was about a transformed heart, one that recognizes its own poverty before God and therefore responds with generosity toward those in need.
And yet, it is easy to forget the poor. We become absorbed in the day to day — building wealth, securing comfort, and protecting what we have.
Occasionally, a natural disaster may awaken the world’s compassion, but the daily suffering of those living paycheck to paycheck, the hidden struggles of families in crisis, the quiet desperation of those without clean water, stable housing or hope often remain unseen.
This is why the instruction of the apostles is so striking. In his letter to the Galatians, Saint Paul the Apostle recounts what was asked of him by the leaders of the Church: “They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor” (Galatians 2:10).
Only one thing — and yet everything is contained in that request.
First, it emphasizes that the poor were always at the forefront of apostolic concern. Second, it reveals how easily they can be forgotten — otherwise, such a command would not be necessary. Finally, it shows that care for the poor is a mark of authentic Christian leadership. St. Paul points to his own efforts as evidence of his fidelity in this regard.
To forget the poor is not simply an oversight. It is a failure of discipleship.
A prioritization and preference for the poor flows directly from the mission of Christ. When Jesus began his public ministry, he announced the good news clearly and not in abstract terms. In the Gospel of Saint Luke, he proclaims: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me … He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18).
Echoing the prophet Isaiah and the Jubilee vision of Leviticus, Jesus reveals a Kingdom where the lowly are lifted up, the captives are freed, and the forgotten are restored. His ministry consistently moves toward the margins — toward the blind, the lame, the widow and the sinner.
The early Church never lost sight of this. The preaching of the Patristic Fathers — especially Saint John Chrysostom — rings with urgency. They warn against the deceit of wealth, denounce greed, and call out indifference to suffering with startling clarity. For them, neglect of the poor was not a minor fault; it was a contradiction of the Gospel.
Scripture itself leaves no room for complacency. Jesus teaches that we cannot serve both God and wealth (mammon). The letter of St. James condemns empty words that are not matched by works of mercy. Paul warns that the love of money is the root of countless evils.
So perhaps the real question is not why the early Christians spoke so often and so forcefully about the poor — but why we so often do not.
In St. Luke’s Sermon on the Plain, Jesus declares, “Blessed are you who are poor …Woe to you who are rich.” These are not merely spiritual metaphors. They are a challenge to how we live, what we value, and where we place our trust. As Jesus teaches elsewhere, our hearts inevitably follow our treasure.
To be poor in spirit is not a vague attitude. It is the fruit of encountering God’s mercy — a mercy that strips away our illusions of self-sufficiency. It brings us to recognize our dependence on him. And when that happens, something remarkable follows: We are emptied of self and filled with God. From that fullness flows generosity.
The one who has knelt before God in humility cannot help but kneel beside the neighbor in need. The Gospel that humbles us also propels us outward. Love becomes concrete. Mercy becomes active.
This is why Christianity has always been good news for the poor — not because poverty is romanticized, but because those who truly encounter Christ in the poor are changed. They become people who see, who care, who act.
And to the extent that our comfort, wealth or security shields us from that transformation, we risk distorting the very Gospel we proclaim.
A Church indifferent to the poor is not simply failing in one aspect of its mission — it is forgetting its identity.
As one Cross Catholic Outreach preacher put it so starkly: “The Church that forgets the poor forgets her Lord.”
For 25 years, Outreach Priests from Cross Catholic Outreach — diocesan and religious — have carried this message across the United States into parishes where they’ve been invited to preach, inviting the faithful to rediscover this essential dimension of discipleship. They invite people in the pews to come alongside the international poor and help them flourish. This call is not new. It is as old as the Gospel itself. It is a simple — though sometimes difficult — command, and one that each of us cannot afford to ignore.
Do you know of a priest with a heart for the poor who would like to preach for Cross Catholic Outreach? Read more or contact our Outreach Priest recruiter, Deacon Jules Breaux, at jbreaux@crosscatholic.org.
Would you like an Outreach Priest to visit your parish? Request a priest at CrossCatholic.org/host-a-priest/ request-priest.
The Most Reverend Mitchell T. Rozanski, archbishop of St. Louis, recently sent a letter congratulating Jim Cavnar, co-founder and CEO of Cross Catholic Outreach, on 25 years of ministry. His message, shared on behalf of our board of directors, celebrates this significant milestone and the many lives touched through our ministry partners around the world.
Dear Jim,
It is with profound joy that I offer my warmest congratulations to Cross Catholic Outreach on celebrating 25 years of ministry to the poorest of the poor throughout the developing world. Twenty-five years ago, you embarked on a remarkable journey — a journey built on faith in God and love for the poor. The dedicated work of each and every staff member — supporting the material needs of the poor in addition to providing spiritual nourishment — has made a profound and lasting impact on countless lives. I saw this firsthand when I traveled with you and your team last year to the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Lima in Guatemala to meet your missionary partners — faithful priests, Caritas directors and local leaders — and the families they serve: the single mothers now safe in new homes, the children beaming as they opened Boxes of Joy gifts, and the young students being educated at the school built with the support of Cross Catholic Outreach.
I will always cherish the opportunity I had to travel with you to the mission field where lives are being changed.
May God continue to bless Cross Catholic Outreach with grace and wisdom to continue your vital mission.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Mitchell T. Rozanski
March 5, 2026
