There’s a space in the beauty of Creation that only you can fill.

There’s a difference in the world that only you can make.

There’s a particular calling that can only be answered through your will.

There’s a valuable story to be written and told only through your voice.

There’s a process of forgiveness that frees others, which can only happen through your transformative journey of healing.

There’s a particular cross that only you can embrace and bear.

There’s a life of prayer that always awaits for your soul to kneel.

There’s a dance, that the spirit of God gracefully longs to direct your steps in.

There’s a song waiting to be sung through your spirit as it rises to Him.

There’s a love to be shared only through your self-gift.

All you once were, all you presently are, and all you are yet to be, are deeply seen as precious in the eyes of Him, of whom you are lovingly His.

In light of all this, finally, let us try to reflect upon how Jesus himself is a gift to us!

An unconditional love permeates God’s every act. This is expressed in His self-love as a gift to humanity – in Jesus – the wounded healer, the faithful lover – but it is also expressed in all of life that strives to live, it is expressed in a joy that points to more joy, it is expressed in the silence of a world that doesn’t need to exist but continues to, it is expressed in the cries of an infant who breathes fresh air for the first time, it is expressed in the Sacrament of Confession, through which God forgives and heals each bleeding wound perfectly, it is expressed even in pain, since pain (our distaste for it) reminds us of our real home, a home that is free of pain, free of death.

This Christmas, therefore, let us allow the one who has experienced each wound, to heal us, let us allow the one who, against all odds, continued to love, to really love us. Let us be born anew, as more healed, more loving, more human. As Meister Eckhart asked, “what good is it for me if Mary gave birth to the son of God 1400 years ago, and I don’t give birth to God’s son in my person and my culture and my times?”.

We are all meant to be “other Mary’s”. By God’s grace and guidance, we can all birth divinity!

Read More –

The Difference Jesus Makes in my Life – Universe of Faith

Lord I Need You, Where Are You? – Universe of Faith

Is Jesus Fully Human? – Universe of Faith

The post A Letter To You, This Christmas! appeared first on Universe of Faith.

1.  Poverty must be measured with today’s standards

The claim that the modern world has reduced poverty is made by measuring poverty with criteria from the past that do not correspond to present-day realities. In other times, for example, lack of access to electric energy was not considered a sign of poverty, nor was it a source of hardship. Poverty must always be understood and gauged in the context of the actual opportunities available in each concrete historical period.
Pope Francis, On Fraternity and Social Friendship, 2020, 21

2. Globalisation can help but also hinder the poor

“I recognise that globalisation has helped many people rise out of poverty, but it has also damned many others to starve to death. It is true that global wealth is growing in absolute terms, but inequalities have also grown and new poverty arisen.”
Pope Francis, Interview with La Stampa, 11th January 2015 

3. Understanding the cry of the poor

“What does the cry of the poor express, if not their suffering and their solitude, their disappointment and their hope? We can ask ourselves how their plea, which rises to the presence of God, can fail to reach our own ears, or leave us cold and indifferent…We are called to make a serious examination of conscience, to see if we are truly capable of hearing the cry of the poor.”
Pope Francis, Second World Day Of The Poor, 2018, 2

4. Are we helping the poor or the service provider?

“At times I fear that many initiatives, meritorious and necessary in themselves, are meant more to satisfy those who undertake them than to respond to the real cry of the poor. When this is the case, the cry of the poor resounds, but our reaction is inconsistent and we become unable to empathise with their condition. We are so trapped in a culture that induces us to look in the mirror and pamper ourselves, that we think that an altruistic gesture is enough, without the need to get directly involved.
Pope Francis, Second World Day Of The Poor, 2018, 2

5. Helping the poor implies personal involvement

“The poor do not need intermediaries, but the personal involvement of all those who hear their cry.”
Pope Francis, Second World Day Of The Poor, 2018, 3

6. Some poor are looking for meaning, waiting for someone

“How many poor people today are like Bartimaeus (cf Mk 10:46-52), sitting on the roadside and looking for meaning in their lives! How many of them wonder why they have fallen so far and how they can escape! They are waiting for someone to come up to them and say: ‘Take heart; rise, he is calling you.’
Pope Francis, Second World Day Of The Poor, 2018, 5.

7. True helping makes the poor feel like friends and family

“For the poor to overcome their oppressive situation, they need to sense the presence of brothers and sisters who are concerned for them and, by opening the doors of their hearts and lives, make them feel like friends and family. Only in this way can the poor discover “the saving power at work in their lives.
Pope Francis, Second World Day Of The Poor, 2018, 6

8. Helping the poor is love not self-promotion

“In the service of the poor, there is no room for competition. Rather, we should humbly recognise that the Spirit is the source of our actions that reveal God’s closeness and his answer to our prayers… The poor do not need self-promoters, but a love that knows how to remain hidden and not think about all the good it has been able to do.
Pope Francis, Second World Day Of The Poor, 2018, 7

9. Poverty has a face

“It is not enough to offer broad reflections or engage in endless discussion, constantly repeating things everyone knows. We need to ‘de-naturalize’ extreme poverty, to stop seeing it as a statistic rather than a reality. Why? Because poverty has a face! It has the face of a child; it has the face of a family; it has the face of people, young and old. It has the face of widespread unemployment and lack of opportunity. It has the face of forced migrations, and of empty or destroyed homes.”
Pope Francis, Meeting Of Executive Board Of World Food Programme, June 13, 2016

10. When helping, we are invited to honour the poor

“We are called to honour the poor and to give them precedence, out of the conviction that they are a true presence of Jesus in our midst. “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me (Mt 25:40). Here we can see how far our way of life must be from that of the world, which praises, pursues and imitates the rich and powerful, while neglecting the poor and deeming them useless and shameful.
Pope Francis, Second World Day Of The Poor, 2018, 7 & 8

11. We are in debt with the poor because they evangelise us

“The poor evangelise us and help us each day to discover the beauty of the Gospel… May all of us feel that we are in debt to the poor, because, in hands outstretched to one another, a salvific encounter can take place to strengthen our faith, inspire our charity and enable our hope to advance securely on our path towards the Lord who is to come.
Pope Francis, Second World Day Of The Poor, 2018, 10

12. Judging the poor does not help them

“How many times do we see poor people rummaging through garbage bins to retrieve what others have discarded as superfluous, in the hope of finding something to live on or to wear! They themselves become part of a human garbage bin; they are treated like refuse, without the slightest sense of guilt on the part of those who are complicit in this scandal. Frequently judged parasites on society, the poor are not even forgiven their poverty. Judgment is always around the corner. They are not allowed to be timid or discouraged; they are seen as a threat or simply useless, simply because they are poor.”
Pope Francis, Third World Day Of The Poor, 2018, 2

13. Getting richer will not serve the poor

“The promise was that when the glass was full, it would overflow, benefiting the poor. What happens instead is that when the glass is full, it magically gets bigger, but nothing ever comes out for the poor.”
Pope Francis, Interview with La Stampa, 16th July 2015

Read more:
– Top Pope Francis’ Quotes About Global And Local Human Solidarity
– “I Lived With Mother Teresa” – Mother Teresa Personality Traits

The post Top Pope Francis’ Helping the Poor Quotes appeared first on Universe of Faith.

8 Tips On How Local Churches Can Live In A Spirit Of Poverty

1. Check The Consumption Of Your Parish Or Convent

In addition to donating money, another way of curbing greed is to curb consumption.

2. Share What You Have With Others

An important principle in the Rule of St Augustine is to “Call nothing your own, but let everything be yours in common . This is similar to the community of Acts, in which we are called to be wise stewards of our time, treasure and talents , both material and spiritual goods.

At this point, it is worth emphasising that we ought to be wise stewards of all our material and spiritual goods. Freed from the burden of possessiveness, we are encouraged to abandon all self-seeking in order to find joy in sharing with others God’s manifold gifts. The community (Church) can gather and save goods from and for the common and use this storehouse to share whatever is necessary with those in need. This is a way of life that embraces stewardship, by returning a share of what we have and focusing our mission on the genuine concern for those who are in need.

3. Invest Your Money Ethically

Invest ethically and review the investments one has. Divest from coal, oil, and gas investments to respond to the moral imperative of the climate change crisis. Divest from other investments that are giving mixed messages in today’s situation.

4. Check What Message Is Your Convent/Parish Delivering

We need to be increasingly aware of our decisions and the messages that such decisions deliver in this respect. Our excessive focus on certain aspects leads to the alienation of other aspects which are equally important as a result.

5. Welcome A Family Of Refugees In Your Convent Or Parish

Helping just one family might be seen as a small, insignificant initiative. However, whilst our act of kindness surely did not solve all troubles, what truly matters is that we offered the best that we could offer under the circumstances and given the resources that we have available.

One would hope that by doing so, we will also inspire others to give their share in the world irrespective of how big or small their contribution is. We also hope that our symbolic initiative makes others realise that small acts of kindness from everyone could collectively bring about big changes in the world. It is through such small initiatives that one earns the chance to bring the change s/he wants to see in this world and tries to achieve it a little at a time. For those who are not in need, the initiative may seem futile but for the family that was welcomed, the initiative was a life-changing experience, because it brought them new hope. It will hopefully also make them realise how kind God is being to them through the help that is offered to them in response to God’s plea , that is to love thy neighbour as thy self.

6. Build Your Projects Wisely

We need to reflect more on the argument that is put forth quite often: “as long as people donate money, we will do the project . Is the project really necessary? Where are the money coming from? Are they coming from legal sources? What are the intentions?

7. Know When To Alleviate With Money and/or With Presence

Another aspect is to donate money to worthy causes and alleviate spiritual or material poverty on a regular basis. At the same time, it is necessary to exercise practical wisdom, with an awareness of the other responsibilities. However, monetary donations may not always be sufficient. There are times and situations in which those in need require our time, space and energy to alleviate their pain or discomfort and bring them out of their miserable situation. Such help can prove to be much more effective than giving money at times.

8. “Give To Caesar What Is Caesar’s”

As we live in a society we also pay our dues. Therefore, are we asking for VAT receipts?

Read more:
– What Is The Role Of Money In My Life?
– The Poor Boy Who Became A Successful Entrepreneur And A Happy Husband

The post What Every Church Should Do About Poverty appeared first on Universe of Faith.

I feel that my life is a success. I’m not a millionaire. The success is how I am feeling at the moment – happy, and when I look back and see how from zero I arrived to where I am today.

“My parents’ marriage failed”

I am 58 years old now. My mother was a nun in Malta for twelve years before she married. She then went to the USA and married my father but their marriage failed. When I was four years old we came back to Malta.

It seemed hard for my grandma to accept the situation of my mother, both of leaving the convent and separating and consequently it was also hard for her to accept me and my siblings. So the first twelve years of my life were very hard for me.

We lived in just one room. As my father had children from a previous marriage, my mother also ended up taking care of these children, my half brothers. It was not easy for her. Because of this I grew up with a lot of anger; when someone said how kind hearted people are, I used to feel angry because we did not have enough help.

Besides, at school I felt shy to say that my father had left us, so I used to say that he died. My mum used to try to encourage me at school but I failed the exams of the end of primary school, so I went to the technical school instead of the lyceum which had the reputation of a better school. I also used to wet my bed until I was fifteen years old.

“In the neighbour’s cellar where I studied, I was surrounded by mice”

Yet, there were still some poor families who used to help us. My mother used to go to work for long hours sewing clothes. Three neighbouring families, though not our relatives, used to help us by keeping us in their home until my mum arrived from work. My sister went with one family, my brother with another family and I with another very poor family. I used to study in the cellar of their house surrounded by mice. However this family also exposed me to woodwork, and tried to teach me a musical instrument in a band club but I was too sensitive and when once the maestro corrected me, I left.

My mum used to work hard. I once saw her take a lot of tablets to try to overdose and kill herself because life just became too hard for her. But we rushed to her brother, my uncle, and we managed to save her.

As I started to exercise, I could face my problems better

Then in my late teenage years I met a middle aged man who used to train weights in a small one roomed gym which belonged to the Catholic Action Movement in St. Paul’s Bay and he encouraged me to start training. At that time, I had a lot of anger towards the Catholic Church because as a child I felt the Church didn’t help us enough. However, as I grew and also when I met this man, I started realising that in fact there were people here and there who did try to help us and not all Church people are the same. I started to train.

After a few years I made some exams to start working with a bank and I made it. As I worked at the bank I kept doing physical training. Exercise and training helped so much in life and in my problems, that they eventually became part of my routine. Once I even went to train after a funeral, to get rid of that anger and negative energy.

“My reports at the bank were so good that they still promoted me”

Working at the bank was not easy at first because I was not as qualified as the others, I just had the minimum qualifications. My superiors at the bank wanted me to study to keep moving on but I had no time to study as after work I also used to work part-time making souvenirs as I needed money. However, my reports were so good that they still decided to promote me.

“At seven months pregnancy, the baby died”

Eventually I met a young woman, now my wife, to whom I have been married for 36 years. It was hard for us when it came to child bearing. We had a miscarriage and also a death of another preborn child at seven months of pregnancy. It was very hard, devastating on both of us. But then eventually we had twins.

When I had the twins, besides the bank I also worked in the catering industry to make ends meet. Eventually I got promoted to a branch manager. I was very successful in terms of sales. After 27 years at the bank I met an old man who told me ‘if you want to remain young, change your job and don’t keep doing the same thing all your life.’ I liked the work at the bank but I started to get tired and it was becoming stressful also because I was branch manager in my village in Rabat and sometimes people would come and knock on the door of my house after office hours. But even when I was branch manager in Valletta, I was so helpful that people would rather come and talk to me than to my staff. So I felt that mentally, a change would help. I also wished to do something different. The change was not easy and I felt I had to believe in myself. An opportunity arose to buy a gym and together with my brother I decided to go for it. I liked the idea of a gym and it worked. I tell my staff ‘I don’t want to see you near the pretty ones. Go near the fat and the ugly, those are the most in need.‘

I tell my staff ‘I don’t want to see you near the pretty ones. Go near the fat and the ugly, those are the most in need.‘

“The films of Rocky helped me develop my character”

I also like to watch films and learn from them. An episode I like is in the film Rocky when the father tells his son, ‘It is not how hard you hit, but how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.’ The films of Rocky helped me develop my character, because like him it was sports which helped me develop. As I started this new job, owning and managing the gym, I saw a film called Pay It Forward which really struck me. The business was doing good and I had a certain income, much different than when you are employed. I wanted to do something useful with my money and also pay it forward.

Adopting another two children

Then I heard about someone who was getting orphaned children from Russia for a holiday for the summer months in Malta. I wanted to help by getting one of these children for a holiday. I talked it out with my wife and we decided to go for it. They sent us a boy. These children need to feel that the world is not all wrong, they need to feel that there are people who care about them. A few weeks before he left, this nine year old boy wasn’t eating as he used to and when I asked him why he told me ‘I think you are spending too much money for me.’

Sometime later I went to visit him in Russia to see where he lives. I decided to adopt him and also adopted another girl. Now we had four children. I do my best to treat them all equally. I truly feel that they are all my children. Even though with the twins there is also the biological bond which I can’t deny. I feel the adopted ones are more affectionate.

“These children need to feel that the world is not all wrong.”

From anger to empathy

Bringing up my children was a learning experience. Sometimes I said words which I then regretted. I was very impulsive and I easily got angry when someone did something wrong but by time, especially through my children, I learnt that I need to understand the person and what’s making him or her react in that way. I still do get angry sometimes but I try to change my ways.

When I look back at my life, these are the things which I have learnt:

– Never forget what you have been through.
– You need to be humble and remain who you are.
– Not all wealthy people become greedy and wrong.
– I feel I was lucky that I managed to make it not only by my will but also because I found help.
– I tell my children “Do not forget that I have helped you. I don’t want you to help me, but make it a point to help others and those in need.”
– Be open to learn new skills. Even if you only know how to clean at least you can find a job and survive.
– You have to take care of yourself. It’s useless to say “the children are first . If you are not ok you can’t help others.

Read more:
– “I Hit Rock Bottom” – Getting The Basics Right to Get Out Of Rock Bottom
– Excellent Education & Family Quotes By Catholic Headteacher

The post The Poor Boy Who Became a Successful Entrepreneur and a Happy Husband appeared first on Universe of Faith.

1. Who Are The Poor You Can Help?

Become aware of what’s going on in your family/street/work etc. Who are the poor in your surroundings? Is there a colleague a disabled or sick child whose expenses are beyond his wage? An elderly neighbour who is poor or lonely?

2. Try To Understand The Poverty Of The Person In Front Of You

Have a heart. Try to feel the suffering of the poor and what it might mean to live at the risk of poverty.

3. Live Simply, Consume Less

People who help the poor often feel the need to live a simple lifestyle themselves. You can buy what you need rather than what you like. Ask: Do I really need 5 pairs of jeans or will 3 pairs be enough? A reduction in demand will also lower prices making them more accessible to those who do not afford much.

4. Become a friend of the poor

Both if you are an extrovert or an introvert, whether it’s simply “good morning or finding time to listen to someone’s story, you can find your way of say “I care to a poor person.

5. Give time to the poor

Show solidarity in concrete terms by giving some of your life. Maybe you can find some time to read stories to a young family member who is struggling with literacy, pass your high-school books to the children of a single mother who’s finding it hard to cope*, donate your baby equipment to a migrant family instead of selling them*, volunteer at an NGO who works with the poor, give money.

6. Treat the poor as your equals

We all share the same human dignity. Treating the poor as your equal is a way to show them respect. Donate with this kind respect and prudence in mind. Ask the person in front of you of s/he wants the item you want to donate rather than imposing it on them.

7. Support fair trade

Support fairly traded, community traded, ethically traded products that are as much as you can so farmers can get a wage which is enough for them to live. You can also sign petitions in favour of the poor and inform the shops where you shop that you are interested in fairly traded products.

8. Pray for the poor

Pray about your wish to help the poor to find how you, with your own character, life circumstances and financial means can do something for the poor.

Join the thousands of people are doing something for the poor in silence. Be part of it!

*If donating things to others is an inappropriate thing to do in your country consider giving them to a charity shop/NGO.

The post How To Help The Poor appeared first on Universe of Faith.