Pope Francis' notion of peripheries deeply resonates with Mother Teresa's vision of the poorest of the poor. Mother Teresa saw a twofold poverty in the world: material poverty and spiritual poverty. Yes, there are those who hunger for bread, shelter, health, safety. But there are also those who hunger for dignity, who thirst for love, who desire the shelter of a compassionate heart.
Joining Pope Francis's insights with Mother Teresa's, we could say that we find the poorest of the poor at the peripheries. The poor dwell at the peripheries. Pope Francis gives us the address for finding the poorest of the poor. Mother Teresa shows us the faces of those who live there.
Of course, there are peripheral zones within us all, regions of the heart that are dark, alone, cold--yearning to love and be loved. We are all the poorest of the poor, though we often fail to recognize our own poverty and therefore remain unable to recognize and alleviate the poverty of others. We must first recognize our own brokenness before we can heal the broken souls of our friends, family, colleagues, and the materially poor around us.
Joining Pope Francis's insights with Mother Teresa's, we could say that we find the poorest of the poor at the peripheries. The poor dwell at the peripheries. Pope Francis gives us the address for finding the poorest of the poor. Mother Teresa shows us the faces of those who live there.
Of course, there are peripheral zones within us all, regions of the heart that are dark, alone, cold--yearning to love and be loved. We are all the poorest of the poor, though we often fail to recognize our own poverty and therefore remain unable to recognize and alleviate the poverty of others. We must first recognize our own brokenness before we can heal the broken souls of our friends, family, colleagues, and the materially poor around us.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.