c) THE POOR

"The poor are the living, the speaking images of Jesus Christ"

What is a poor person in the eyes of the world?  He is a pariah, the reject of nature, who seems to have slipped past divine Providence, a miserable person dragging along through mud and dust, a wretched burden, a useless weight on society and nothing more.  For four thousand years this was the idea society had of the poor person.  So, poverty was considered a shameful stain, a punishment from God, a curse that could only befall those who are evil.  But

finally the uncreated Wisdom, the Teacher of all teachers, came to give us an entirely different outlook.  First by example and then in speech, first by deed and then by word, he begins to extol poverty and to extol it in his own person, starting with the crib.  Yes, Jesus Christ, heir to the kingdom and throne of David, is born; the King of kings, the Lord of Lords, the long prophesied, promised, and desired Messiah has finally come.  But where?  But how?  In what disposition? (...).

He came in the humblest spirit, in the greatest poverty.  For his birthplace, the Word of God chose Bethlehem, the least of the towns of Judah!  He who could have chosen as his mother the richest and noblest among all Jewish women calls to this sublime honor the wife of a simple craftsman, a woman hidden in the shadows of poverty.  For his place of birth, he chooses a hovel, open to the inclement weather of the season, a hovel so poor that for a crib it can offer him only a manger and a little straw.  In a word, my dear poor people, by his birth Jesus freely chooses your condition above all others.  By this preference he has set poverty free from every taint of shame.  In fact, he has made poverty honorable, sacred, and worthy of the greatest respect in the eyes of all people.

What can be more precious here on earth, more noble, and more deserving of esteem than what a God esteems and honors?  When a king wants to bestow a title on a poor daughter of the people and have her honored by everybody, what does he do?  He goes looking for her among the obscure class of people where she is hidden; he makes her his spouse; he invites her to take her seat on his own throne; he puts a crown on her head and a scepter in her hand.  This is what Jesus did with poverty when he chose her to be his inseparable companion from the crib to the tomb.  From that day on, poverty began to receive queenly honors among Christians.  From that day on, the poor began to be considered ‑- as in fact they are ‑- the living, speaking images of Jesus Christ on earth (...).

One could say, in the beautiful words of St. John Chrysostom, that the poor are like many refracted rays that, put together, make up the person of Jesus, whose majestic and somber figure awed the prophets of old contemplating him from the heights of time.

Yes, dearly beloved, the poor are living, speaking images of Jesus Christ.  The gospel itself assures us of this truth.  In fact, Christ said: what you do to the least you do unto me, which implies an identity of person and destiny.  Hence the tender and sublime words of the holy Fathers.  "When you see a poor person," says St. John Chrysostom,

among others, "imagine you see the body and the altar of Jesus Christ.  Bow in reverence and offer your sacrifice.  The Divinity has two altars.  One is an eternal and invisible altar, on which we adoringly offer our homage.  But when we help the poor, we place our offering on the visible altar of the Divinity."  "Do not stop at the surface," St. Clement of Alexandria adds, "but look deep inside: you will discover the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit dwelling unseen in the poor person."  So here we see the poor raised to the dignity of image, altar and temple of the Divinity.  It is the gospel that reveals to the profane eyes of the flesh this rehabilitation of the poor, a rehabilitation begun in the great sacrament of love, namely, the mysterious descent of Him who, though rich, became poor: Egenus factus est.²⁴

"These are his most cherished friends"

Scripture tells us that Jesus went about doing good (Acts 10:38).  He was meek, mild, and kind.  He does not seek his own glory but the good of people.  He is the father of the poor, the strength of the weak, the consoler of the afflicted.  He undergoes fatigue, hunger, thirst, slander, scorn, and insult.  He suffers at the hands of everyone, including those of his own people.  But he does not mind it.  The love blazing in his heart animates him; love spurs him on; love makes everything seem easy and light to him.  He follows only the impulses of his heart.  His every word is an act of kindness; his every step brings solace; his every action confers a blessing; his every miracle bestows a grace.  Everywhere we see him surrounded by the poor and the sick, by publicans and little children.  These are his most cherished friends.  He pours out all his blessings upon them and then sends them all home consoled.

He clothed himself with our humanity so as to be able to experience intense compassion and be able to suffer in his own person the afflictions, miseries, and sorrows of those he loves so passionately.  If he sees some misfortune, his heart is troubled.  He weeps and  is distressed.  He is anxious to remove the anguish, dry the tears, soothe the pain, and take away every and all grief.²⁵

"The poor person is the pupil of God's eye"

Oh, the poor!  They do not have many goods of this earth, but they are nonetheless rich in the goods of heaven.  Of course, they are often bothersome, discontented, and ungrateful.  But on their foreheads there always shines the mark of their divine sonship, and on the door of their miserable hovels we find written in golden letters:  "What you did for one of these least ones you did for me." The poor person is the pupil of God's eye, and what we do for the poor person we do for God himself.²⁶

"The Church was built on twelve poor men"

Who, then, are the ministers of God who will be chosen to establish the Church in the world?  Perhaps people who are conspicuous for their fame, riches, power, nobility or learning?  That is surely how human prudence would have acted.  But divine wisdom does not work that way: "God chose the lowly and the despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something."  In creating his Church, God followed the same steps he took for the creation of the world.  This immense machine we call the universe, those millions of stars that whirl around over our heads, this globe of earth and water which we inhabit, everything was drawn out of nothingness.  Everything is resting on nothingness.  Everything is propped up and supported by what?  By total emptiness and nothingness!  "He suspended the earth over the void."  Now, dearly beloved, what could be more exhilarating than to realize that the world is the direct handiwork of God's infinite power?  And what could be more exhilarating than to realize that the Church, this gigantic and marvelous institution, is the handiwork of the same infinite power and that she comes forth from nothingness and is floating in a sea of nothingness?  For we see that she was founded on twelve men, the apostles, who had no power, no prestige, no protection; who belonged to the most despised class of people in the Orient; who were so poor, weak, timid, crude, and ignorant as to border on nothingness because of their ineptitude.²⁷

"The world still believes in charity"

One day, the immortal Pius IX, who ‑- if I may say so ‑- had an instinct for discerning and appreciating the workings of divine Providence, addressed to some of your colleagues these memorable words never to be forgotten: "O my children, my children, I consecrate you knights of Jesus Christ.  The world no longer believes in sermons or in the priesthood.  But it still believes in charity.  Preach the truth with charity; go out and conquer the world with love for the poor" (...).

Jesus Christ abided with the founders of your society.  They abided in charity.  They abided in God and God in them: "he who abides in charity abides in God and God in him."  Their work, blessed by heaven, spread far and wide; and the number of knights destined for the conquest of the world increased (...).

Charity, this denizen of heaven comes down among us to bring hearts together, to allay anxiety, to gladden disheartened spirits, to bless families with the purest joys and to keep peace in civil society.  Charity, the most precious gift God could have bestowed on his creatures, is destined for glorious victories through your organization.  By preaching the truth with charity, you will dispel many prejudices, even where a priest's word is not welcome.  You will help the poor who have no faith understand that, if they have a brother in you, it is because they have a common father in heaven.  You will make known the divine nature of Christ and of his religion to the most foolish and wayward.²⁸

"Charity has spread far and wide during this century"

Gentlemen, you cannot imagine how happy I am whenever I can be with you.  You are a small group, but a very select one, in as much as your group has to do with the sacred exercise of the noblest of all virtues, charity.  I know you and am proud of you in the Lord.  Or better yet, God himself knows you, God who accompanies you with his blessings and is preparing a well-deserved reward for you.  Permit your Father and Shepherd, who loves you as his dearest children, as his brothers and sisters, nay, as his beloved old friends ‑- permit him to address a few words of encouragement to you, urging

you to continue your sublime and glorious work undauntedly despite the difficulties you have to contend with along the way.  I personally have great confidence, unlimited confidence, in the exercise of charity.  When I think of the terrible evils afflicting Church and society, a cloud of sadness overshadows me and moves me to tears.  But, when this happens, I take refuge in hope.  I am confident, I am really confident that the sky will soon clear up again and that God will bless our dreams because acts of charity are never forgotten, because charity has been poured forth upon our century in so many ways.  Charity has filled our century.  Charity rules our century, holds sway over it.  The sins of the 19th century are indeed many and grievous!  Who can count them?  But who can count the works of charity that have been proliferating during the 19th century?  Gentlemen, when I think of all this, my mind goes back to Christ's consoling words to Mary  Magdalene: "many sins are forgiven her because she loved much": dimissa sunt ei peccata multa, quoniam dilexit multum.²⁹

"Charity alone is truly the daughter of heaven"

Philanthropy is beautiful: it is assistance set aside for the poor on the basis of the humanitarian principles of equality.  The dole is beautiful: it is assistance set aside and given to the unfortunate in the interest of the public good, so as to remove from society the distressing aspect of poverty and the occasion of inevitable disorders.  But charity is even more beautiful because charity alone is truly "the daughter of heaven."  Charity has the principles of philanthropy and the purposes of the dole.  But to philanthropy and the dole charity adds a more compelling motive: the thought that when we help a person we are helping God's very image and that we do so at God's command and out of love for him.  Philanthropy is born in the mind of the philosopher.  And occasionally, from the heights of theory, namely, of an idea, it manages to come down to practice, to the work of the will.  The dole does get down to the work.  But, though very noble and generous, the dole always has a certain note of restraint or moderation and usually acts only in view of the evil to be removed and in proportion to it.  Charity alone is heroic.  Charity has inexhaustible initiative, does not seek recompense, faces and removes obstacles, and almost finds them attractive; she loves sacrifice and never gives up.³⁰

"Suffering is the scepter of great souls"

Suffering is the scepter of great souls.  It is the key to the eternal city, the royal road to our heavenly home.  So, be of good cheer, dearly beloved.  If God keeps you in your sufferings and you bear them with Christian resignation, you are on the right road to salvation and will some day reign with the saints in heaven.

Yes, poverty is a heavy cross, but through it we attain heaven.  Blessed are the poor, the divine Teacher infallibly teaches us today: "Blessed are the poor for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

To live always in sickness, in pain, in troubles is often enough to bring tears to our eyes.  But rejoice because "blessed are those who weep, for they shall be consoled."  To suffer unjust persecutions makes us all suffer, but blessed are those who suffer for justice' sake because theirs is the eternal reward: "blessed are those who suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  Insult, mockery, ridicule, and slander devastate us.  Yes, I can understand human weakness, but I am upset with our lack of faith.  Instead, Jesus Christ tells us today: "Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.  Rejoice and be glad" -- beati estis cum maledixerint vobis homines et persecuti vos fuerint et dixerint omne malum adversus vos, mentientes, propter me: gaudete et exulatate in illa die.  Oh, how wrong we are, my dearly beloved, when we complain about our crosses, our afflictions, our adversities!  If we look at Jesus who lived in lifelong poverty, suffering and contempt and then died on the wood of the cross, if we look often at the Queen of Martyrs, if we look at the saints, we will cherish our tribulations.  At least we will bear them with resignation.³¹

"Poor I came to Piacenza and poor I shall leave it"

Being of sound mind and body, I hereby make my last will and testament.

I thank the Most Holy Trinity for having granted me the grace of the priesthood and the episcopacy.  Prostrate before God's infinite greatness, I, with a broken and contrite heart, ask pardon for all the offenses I have committed with my infidelities against the august character impressed upon my soul. 

Poor I came to Piacenza and poor I shall leave it for the next world. 

The little that really belongs to me is enough to pay the bills for my funeral, which I want very modest, save for the requirements of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church in which I was baptized and in which I intend to die.  I forbid any funeral eulogy.³²

"Would it be strange for a bishop to die on the straw?"

Would it be strange for a bishop to die on the straw when Our Lord was born on the straw and died on the Cross?³³

"I was able to procure bread for a large number of unfortunate people"

This past winter, my city and diocese were hard hit by a dreadful famine.  I was determined to help all these miserable people.  With God's help, I was able to collect 250,000 lire, mostly from public institutions and from private people.  With this money I had the means to procure bread for a large number of unfortunate people.  It was a real triumph for our religion.  As usual, the newspapers exaggerated the situation.  Six members of Parliament from my diocese, together with two senators, also from my diocese, informed King Umberto of what I had done; and the king conveyed his thanks to me, his admiration, etc.  I put the whole thing out of my mind: I didn't think anybody was interested in what I was doing.  But after setting up the institution for the deaf-mutes and doing other charitable deeds, the usual exaggerations started up again, to my displeasure, because I like to be left in peace.  A few days ago, an important person came to see me at the king's behest to convey the king's congratulations to me and tell me His Royal Highness wanted to give me some public honor.  The gentleman was ready for all my objections.  He told me that the Decree in question would be based only on my works of charity, that other bishops had received medals for their efforts in the cholera epidemic, that this was being done on the king's own initiative, that such recognition would be useful in my work for the Church, and that it was a question of one of the highest honors (I believe he mentioned the Order of the Most Holy Annunciation).

I answered respectfully but firmly that the conditions imposed on Holy Mother Church in Italy and the situation of the Holy Apostolic

See and of the Holy Father were such as not to permit a bishop to accept any honor whatsoever, even that of the Annunciation, without defiling his episcopal dignity and character.  I asked the marquis to relay the reasons for my refusal and convey my sense of gratitude for the kindness shown me.  I dismissed him with courtesy and kindness and told him that maybe I would write directly to the person who had sent him.  So, this is my problem, Your Eminence: should I write to him?  If I should, I would like to write a letter in which I would first offer my thanks and explain the reasons for my refusal.  Then I would lay before him the countless bloody outrages perpetrated, even in our day, on the Church, on the Holy See and on the Holy Father, urging His Majesty respectfully but frankly that he put an end to these evils to the extent that he can, that this was the reward the whole episcopate of the Kingdom would like to receive from him, etc.  I would like, in the proper manner, to tell the king certain harsh truths.  But I don't know what to do and I don't want to ask just anybody's advice on this matter, since it is so delicate.

Your Eminence, if you think I should not write the letter, send me your calling card with the word "negative" on it.  But if you think I should write it, put the word "affirmative" on it.  You can tell me your reasons when I have the joy of seeing you in Rome.³⁴